Perhaps we Americans are mean. Or perhaps we've just been spoiled with excessive amounts of space and other things that most people aren't used to. We've got big cars, big houses, and other things that help us stake our claim and let others know, "hey, this is mine!" but what have we got to let people know to respect our personal space?
Ever since I started teaching, one of the first lessons I've taught my students is about personal space. It's right up there with The Golden Rule for me. We've all got our own invisible bubble of personal space that is as big as our arms can reach, and no one should enter it without your permission. It's a pretty simple concept to grasp, even for kindergarteners.
I will never forget, one day in my first year of teaching, I was working with a group and I noticed a little boy was writing his letters super far apart. I mean there were these huge gaps between his letters and the way that they were spaced just made his words not make any sense. So I asked him why he was making his letters so far apart and his simple response was that he was giving his letters personal space, like I had told him. Bless his heart!
Well, other cultures just don't see it the same way. My personal space bubble has been invaded more times than I wish. I guess the bubble is a little more lax here and I just wasn't prepared for it. Standing in line at the bank, waiting in line at the grocery store, shopping at the mall, people will stand oddly close to you. At first I thought they were being rude and trying to take over my space but that's not it. This past weekend I was at the mall and a man (he was a worker for the mall) kept following me around. At first I didn't pay any attention to it because, he worked at the mall, he was supposed to be there, but when I noticed that he was standing so close to me he was actually touching me, it made me feel really uncomfortable. What does one do in that situation?
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