10/22/21; Week 6: "Personal Space Differences"

Little introduction...

How big is your personal bubble? How far does a person need to be so you don't feel threatened?

Our personal space is sacred, how close we let someone get to our personal space can be a giveaway of what that person means to you, but this distance can vary from culture to culture, in places with crowded environments people have smaller personal bubbles because is necessary given the circumstances, whereas rural and less populated areas have more liberty in space, thus a bigger radio of personal space.

Wide personal space cultures feel threatened or uncomfortable when we trespass their personal bubble, while small personal space people may feel  rejected or that you are being cold because you are keeping an unnecessary vast distance in their point of view.

                       

Personal experience...

A few years ago, I went to visit my grandma and she took me to the town's fair, while we were there, she presented me a friend of hers and that friend's daughter, now, in Mexico is common to say hi along with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, even if you just met if you have some sort of connection is socially acceptable. I vividly remember the little girl's shocked expression when I instinctively invaded her personal space to greet her and her wary gaze even when I returned to a reasonable distance, how embarrassed I was when I remember a few seconds later that this wasn't normal behavior for them.

In another more recent event, a friend and his's best friend were showing me their hometown, at one point we decided to take the bus to get to the mall. The bus arrived and some people got down, my friend's best friend which had more experience immediately got on the bus, when she looked behind she saw us still waiting for more people to get down so we had space to get inside the bus, she quickly grabbed our wrist and pulled us inside just before the doors closed, she laughed at our evident inexperience and took extra care so we didn't get lost in our crowded ride.

I would say that these helped me see a little bit deeper about cultural personal space differences.

Personal space in the classroom...

I have noticed that with personal distance standards people tend to be more approachable and open to others because they are used to dealing with a lot of people in a corroded environment. It is easier for them to work in teams and have a more developed group dynamic in the classroom, on the other hand, it may be a too friendly environment where it misses the seriousness or focus those students need to concentrate and learn.

For reserved distance people, there can be a very respectful environment because they are used to being respectful to other's space and belongings, though if the classroom circumstances aren't ideal (too many students or a classroom too small) the students can become uneasy or enter in a state of stress that interferes with their students.

If we can clear up these differences at the start of the school year/semester, we can avoid students feeling upset or unsettled, and agree on terms that will motivate everyone to coexist in harmony. 

Conclusion...

Both cultural ways can create environments that you can enjoy, is just a matter of giving yourself the chance to accept those differences. I love to be affectionate and welcoming because of the culture I was raised in, but we had to learn to be more reserved because of COVID-19, and though I'm not opposed to sharing I get that some things must be respected, more so if they were hard to earn or have a strong emotional attachment. As you see, both have their pros and cons, what are you willing to do now that you know this?