VIOLATION OF SPACE OR FRIENDLY GREETING

1 Growing up in Hawaii, I've always been use to it being very family oriented. I call my friends parents aunty and uncle. Unlike people from the mainland where it would be very odd for someone to be called something you would normally call a relative. Along with this family oriented environmental is a normal to kiss others on their cheek as you greet them. It shows a meaning of respect and friendliness  to one another and by living here all my life I have become accustomed to it. The thing is I wouldn't really kiss my family on the cheek when we meet because they are not from Hawaii and it isn't a normal thing they do. What I have been accustomed to is kissing others on the cheek when you meet,a although it isn't a normal thing for me to do, by being the instigator to kiss someone on the cheek. i usually wait for someone else to also do it, unless they don't then I would just give them a hug.

2 Here in Hawaii it is normal to greet each other with a kiss on the cheek. Coming from a family where both my parents are from the mainland they are also adjusted to this custom and wouldn't normally instigate this action either. For us waiting to kiss someone on the cheek would be like waiting for someone to offer you food while you are at their house. See I would never start helping myself to someone else's food unless I am offered it. If I were the one to instigate this action, of kissing on the cheek, with someone who also wasn't accustomed to it, it would be quite awkward. Same as if I were to help myself to someone else s food. I feel it is a very rude thing to do and that is just how i was raised.

3 Kissing someone on the cheek, however, is not like waiting to be offered food at all if you were on the mainland, it would like going swimming in you're clothes. For someone people in our culture it is a common thing to do and others don't think anything of it, but on the mainland I'm sure people would think you were crazy. Although wearing clothes while swimming to me isn't a big deal i would rather wear a bathing suit, than clothes. It's way different in Hawaii compared to the mainland because of its laid back, "Aloha" spirit. Which on the mainland things are different if you are not accustomed to it.

4 If these cultures were to clash it would probably end up with a lot of awkwardness. This is important for people to know who came from a culture of maybe not such a family oriented background. With everyone over here kissing each other they would probably feel very uncomfortable. I know that the Italian culture is used to kissing each other on both cheeks where normally we only kiss one. Also, the men don't usually partake in this action with other me. Women will with other women, men will with other women, but you wouldn't see another guy kissing each others cheek. Although, in the Italian culture it would be very common.

It is also important to understand others culture so that people don't get offended . If someones culture is to be comfortable with being touchy towards one another when talking to someones and that persons culture isn't used to being so touchy than the two cultures would clash. Maybe if someone is used to being very loud and outgoing, and interacted with someone whose cultures is used to being soft spoken. Those people might not get along as well as some with the same culture. It is very good to go to a school with such a mix of cultures that way we can learn a little bit about each one and can be respectful enough to communicate with one another. 

5 We should always take in consideration of others cultural differences because living in such a population of mixed ethnicity's it would be very easy to offend someone. We are lucky to live in a world with such cultures and different beliefs. No one has any right to tell someone their beliefs are better than someone else's. I believe that by accepting other peoples cultures reflects on who they are also as an individual. Without expressing individuality we wouldn't have a such a great mix of cultures, like we do today.

I believe that if we did not live in a place where everyone was respected for having their own opinions this world wouldn't be filled with so much conflict. We'd be able to more freely express ourselves through the media and not be so concerned about being judged by someone with different views.