10/25/2021; Week 6: Response to "Personal Space Differences"

     I experienced differences in personal space when I traveled to Paris in 2018 with my mom and aunt. We decided that rather than take a taxi from the airport, we would take the subway, so as to get the full experience. We certainly did. When we first got on our subway from the airport, there were very few people on it. My aunt and my mom each had two very huge suitcases which fit comfortably in the space in front of where we were sitting. However, as we progressed along our journey, which happened to be during rush hour, many, many more people came onto the car and the suitcases were pushed further and further back from the door. Additionally, we were pushed closer and closer to the window, until our shoulders were being pressed into the window on one side and our other shoulders were being pressed against fellow passengers. As we traveled, we saw that the doors only stayed open for exactly twenty-six seconds, and we began to be very concerned about how we would swim through the swarms of people with our four huge suitcases. We expressed our concern to a fellow passenger from Nigeria, and he began to speak in French to the others around him, explaining our dire situation. Once they understood, they helped us move our suitcases, mosh-pit style, to very close to the doors, and they allowed us to squeeze through the fray to accompany our suitcases. When the doors opened, people were literally swarming towards us to get in, pushing us back, along with our suitcases. In order to assist us, our new friends grabbed our suitcases, threw them on the platform, and pushed us out along with them. We barely had time to turn and wave thank you before the doors closed and the train sped away.

     We often speak of this experience because this is not something we had ever experienced as Americans from West Texas. While we felt uncomfortable with all of the physical contact, we think back on this event very fondly because of the team effort that was engaged in to help us get to where we needed to be. 

     It is incredibly important to understand personal space in other cultures, because as Bro. Ivers said in his video, "Personal Space Differences", misunderstandings can cause serious conflict, even world wars. Understanding this concept during our TESOL teaching is imperative because we could be teaching someone who expects a large area of personal space, but we might feel like giving a quick hug, which could be viewed as intrusive. On the other hand, we could be teaching someone who is very comfortable leaning against someone else, and this could be viewed as some kind of harrassment. Knowing what is normal in different cultures will help us interact comfortably with our students and avoid embarrassing or inappropriate interactions. 

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