Culture is an important thing in many societies and disrespecting set culture is the equivalent of a slap in the face. (We know you don’t want that) However, when we visit another culture for the first time, we are unaware of their customs and beliefs and we are surprised when we see something that isn’t normal in American society. This is known as culture shock. One such example that I have experienced in my life was when I visited Mexico about 6 years ago. I was so excited because it was my first time leaving the country and I was looking forward to visiting Chichen Itza and other famous ruins. When we arrived at the hotel, I helped unload the luggage and since I was a little winded, I put my hands on my hips and didn’t think anything of it. All of a sudden, I noticed that a lot of people were looking at me strangely and were afraid to go near me. I decided to ask the receptionist why everyone was looking at me and at first she didn’t want to answer me but when she heard my question, she realized that I was unaware of Mexican culture. In their culture, putting your hands on your hips is a sign of hostility and anger. As soon as she told me I felt a little embarrassed cause I'm here to enjoy myself and now people see me as this young boy with anger problems. As I look back on it, I can’t help but laugh a little because of how naive I was.
I never heard this before...it's interesting how even an innocent gesture can have layers of meaning to it that we might not understand. --prof K
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