Thursday, July 31, 2008
Where's the handshake?
One of the most obvious contrasts I experienced upon my return to NB in June was the lack of physical interaction we have with eachother. In Monze, my little town in Zambia, I would walk to work each morning, meeting dozens of people on my way. Most people either walked or biked to and from town, and this environment provided a great opportunity to become familiar with people and interact with them on a daily basis. Handshaking (a lost artform), and friendly greetings would start my day. I felt like I lived in a community. In Sussex, though, I will hop in the car, drive to town, park a few meters away from my destination, become self-absorbed in the store, and leave - potentially only talking to the cashier (and not even that if one chooses to use the automated check-out lines in the grocery stores!!). Driving is such an exclusive activity. Walking on a street, passing people, making eye contact, smiling, creates a sense of energy in a town, as though it's alive. Something I've also noticed upon my return is that when I offer my hand to shake on a first encounter, some people in Sussex are almost caught offguard by this act. Does this happen in other places? Do you shake hands with people? Do you still walk down the street, offer greetings to strangers? Do you feel like you live in a community or a town? Look forward to your comments
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Jenn, thanks for sharing your observations as it is great to hear fresh observations of the place I call home. As for my experiences:
I often don't shake people's hands. I am often reserved at first, and am often more likely to hug when I finally feel comfortable to greet or say goodbye with a physical gesture. I will often smile or say hello to people I pass them on the street, and I do feel that this makes people feel at ease, even some grouchy looking people :) But I still feel like I live in a town, not a community. I guess that I would need to make more oportunities (beyond a hello) to get to know my neighbours before I feel like I would live in a community.
Post a Comment