Saturday, May 12, 2007

Class #4

I though the presentation by the speaker was really interesting. Her perspective, as someone who converted to Islam, was really fascinating. I think, sometimes, those who have grown up in a particular religion don't understand or appreciate it as much as those who have come to it out of their own interest. I think I learned a lot.

Moving on:
1. How do you greet people in your life? Is it different for different people? Why?

How I greet people really depends on different things, for example how well I know the person, how long its been since I have seen them, and what sort of social situation it is. I might greet my friends with a "hey, whats up" and a wave of the hand, or a nod of the head, but I wouldn't do that to my boss. In America we have more formal greetings as well, although I think they're not as complicated as in Japan. As I said earlier, I think greetings really depend on what your relationship with the other person is.

2. Do you touch people when you talk to them? Why? Or Why not?

I don't usually touch people when I talk to them, although there are people I know who do. I might shake a person's hand, or give them a hug, but I'm not what we would call a "touchy-feely" type of person, and it actually makes me a bit uncomfortable when other people do it. I think, though, that there are many people who like to make a physical connection when they talk with people. Its a good way to keep someone's attention, too.

3 comments:

HJU Teacher said...

I am glad you found the speaker as interesting as I do.

sunny said...

Hi! Rolf. I hava a question. We sometimes touch people their sholder when we talk, so is it common to do only Japanese? We laugh something with hitting someone's sholder.

yellow dress said...

I had a somewhat image that foreign people often hug and kiss when they greet, but I found that it depends on person, of course!!