Personal space depends on a great measure from the
culture and the place where we live.
If you visit a traditional market at Mexico, there
is a chance you’ll feel completely out of place. Sellers come close, perhaps
too close! and offer little tests of their products.
Many people will find this annoying, but for
Mexicans it isn’t, it is just part of the experience of shopping at a local
market.
Sometimes we assume that everyone else is the same.
As teachers of a foreign or second language it is vital to have cultural awareness
to avoid miscommunication.
I like the Mexican culture and its meaning of
personal space, I consider this is one of its many virtues. Personal Space in
Mexico is more reduced than at other countries, Ned Crouch explains that “physical closeness goes along with
closer families and less sibling rivalry”
So, this is a positive aspect of my own culture that
I highly value. We must remember that many social practices and behaviors are the
result of several aspects from the cultures. In this case the reduced personal
space is the result of the closeness Mexican families have.
This is a proof that by understanding certain
social practices and behaviors we can become more sensitive towards different
cultures.
I also have the biggest respect for other cultures
and their concept of personal space. I heard someone saying, “Is not that
someone is better than others, is just that we are different” and I agree. We
must make a conscious effort to understand others without being judgmental.
More information: https://abigailwilt.com/2014/12/10/mexican-cultural-space-differences/
https://iimn.org/publication/finding-common-ground/culture-at-work/body-language-personal-space/
Hi Rebeca
ReplyDeleteInteresting comments.
In my country we live a bit of everything, depending on the sector in which people live. In marginal places where there is not much public transport, people travel like sardines. In other cities there is more comfort in traveling. The same happens in public places, it seems that people are respected according to the economic condition. In schools it is not different, there is greater respect for spaces, whether physical, social, emotional or personal, depending on the cultural level from which people come.
These articles help me know how to treat students regardless of where they come from.