A difficult “Hello”

I have been in four countries through my life; Canada, Brazil, Argentina and the US. The most difficult part related to the culture was and still is (I am still in the US) how to say Hello. In my country we (women, and some men) say hello with a kiss, even if we do not know the person; it is rude when you shake their hand. For boys that is ok, but for girls it is not. For example in Argentina and Brazil the way to say hi is the same as in Chile, but in Canada and the US it is colder. Sometimes I do not know how to say hello here; it is always an awkward moment, because some guys move their heads, others shake your hand and others give you a hug, and some do not say anything, but they never kiss. Moreover, now that I am in CESL, I have met different friends from different countries also. Saudi Arabians shake hands and kiss at the same time, but Asians give hugs, or just say hello. I could say that the language and maybe food are the most difficult cultural problem that people could have, but something so basic as a “Hello” could produce serious headaches.

Saudi Arabia. Fluency #3

If I compare my culture with for example the one that the US has, I cannot tell too many differences, because in some degree they are pretty similar. But, with some Arabic countries the difference is extremely big. For me, it was hard to understand some cultural differences; for example, in Chile, drinking is not forbidden. However, men can have four wives (only men). Now that I have a lot of friends from Arabic countries, all seem very natural. Saudi Arabia is very mysterious for me because I think they hold back a lot of cultural and religious things inside their own culture, they are kind of reserved and respectful with some topics. The thing that I like a lot is that because they do not break with the meaning of being a believer. I really do not have too much knowledge about it, but from what I have seen of it, for me, this country is really interesting.

Fluency ex. 2

Bicycle for me is the best system of transportation, because of a lot of reasons. First of all and the most important point is the environment; bicycles do not use gas, so there are not repercussions in the environment as pollution or gas needs. Moreover, bicycles are good for health; for me that is my biggest reason for using bicycles. Even though I get tired every time when I use mine, I feel better after ride it because I work out. The worst part is when I have to decide when to use it because sometimes the distances are too near for driving but too far for using a bike; my decision depends on my mood. In Chile, I can not use my bike very often, because I live in the city, which implies that the distances are big; for example my university is 15 minutes away driving from my house, so the chance to use my bike is zero; I am not athletic enough to ride my bike more than 50 min. However, now that I am in Carbondale, I am trying to use my bike every day, but recently the weather is not helping me. Storms, tornados and intense rains make me too lazy to ride my bicycle. But I don't have chances though, I do not have car, so if I do not ride my bike I have to walk and I do not know which is better when the weather is not being “nice”, I just know that I have to go school every day independently of the method of transportation.

Is Hawaii a dream?

Hawaii probably has been the best place that I ever visited because it is not a common place to go, for the only reason that it is too expensive; also, going to Hawaii is like a dream for anybody. One of the most interesting things that I saw there were the beaches; all of them were warm and clear. I could see almost everything from the beach, corals, fish, the different colors and more. I meant Hawaii is the best place because maybe I am not going to go back again, and the view was amazing. However, tropical places are not among my interests, because I think that is for when you are older and the only thing that you need is to rest. For me, I would like to go a place where I could walk more, and see more contrasts, like culture, society, and sights. A couple years ago I went to Bariloche, Argentina, with 8 friends; we camped, hiked, and walked extensively. In my experience, the biggest difference between a tropical place and a “cultural” place is your goal; maybe tanning, drinking on the beach, and swimming are the most common activities when you are in the tropics, but when you are in a “cultural” place you can pick what you want to do; even if you are bored you can change your plans easily because probably there are more options than beaches and mountains. Probably Argentina was my type of trip that I would like to repeat, of course not in the same country.