After a full night of laughs, wine, a little bit of rum and regrettably my once every 10 years Burger King double cheese-burger, I really really needed to get my toxic body into a yoga class followed by a steam room.
So I did.
When I got to the Yoga class, it was packed. The teacher was moving around mats to make sure everyone had room.
When she sat down to begin the class, she started by saying that sometimes it's a good thing to realize how we don't really need all the space we think we need. That sometimes, space is overrated.
I guess she could sense the fear most of us had in our eyes...like, “Oh my God what if I touch the person next to me's gross feet....or what if the person next to me can smell MY gross feet or worse...the dreaded fart!”
Anyhow, the class was great. I was still not able to NOT think about all the laundry I had to do during savasana, but at least I tried!
This whole personal space concept got me thinking.
I remember when I first moved here to Louisiana, one of the first things that I noticed was that people would hug and kiss each other whenever they saw each other. It was their way of saying hello.
It was very awkward for me at first.
Back home in Canada, this greeting does not happen. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think, in general the French Acadians are very reserved, private people who would rather you not invade their personal space.
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| Hugs Mise en ligne par j/k_lolz |
So when I first moved here to Louisiana, when I would see someone that I kind of sort of knew, I would think to myself, “Do I go in for the hug? Do I kiss? Once? On both cheeks?”
It made for very uncomfortable moments:-)
Luckily, I eventually got used to it and it soon became second nature to me.
But what I find really interesting, is that now, when I visit home, in Nova-Scotia, it's awkward when I DON'T give a hug and a kiss to someone I know. We’re just standing there, looking at each other like a couple of awkward weirdos.
So anyway, it was fascinating for me to think that the Cajuns, who I think are very physically welcoming, come from a culture, the Acadians, that tend to be more reserved and not so much touchy-feely.
Either way, both Cajuns and Acadians share one same thing.....they will always invite you to the party, hugs or not!
Very interesting post indeed Nicole! I can absolutely relate to this; I experienced the same sentiments a year ago when I moved here. It truly was awkward to be hugged and sometimes cheek-kissed when meeting strangers, but now, when I go home to NS, I find it slightly awkward that we don't do that. It's interesting how cultures create people, but also how one can adapt to another's culture.
ReplyDeleteI, for one, would love to go home and hug everyone! Once you get over the initial hug of it all, you realize that it's a beautiful thing.
Although borders and miles of land seperate the Cajuns from the Acadians, you are right when you say that we both will welcome you to the party, whether the 'open arms' is literal or not ;)
haha! Open arms..j'aime ca!(je fais juste d'acheter un mac pi shepoin comment faire des accents..so je vai ecrire en englais..lol. I think you're right...it is a beautiful thing...as long as the person kissing you doesn't gross you out!!..lol!
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