This Kiss, this kiss

I read this post on Suanie’s blog recently and it certainly brought back a very warm memory of a similar situation I was in when I was a young and naive spring chicken that had just flown the coop.

*Rewind x number of years*

I had newly arrived on the shores of Australia, a fresh university student still very green behind the ears with my bag and baggage. My first thought when I landed was “Wow! Their airport people wear shorts!” Hehe…yes the Ozzies do love their shorts, especially the hulking grown men!

I stayed in a halls of residence which housed students from all over the world from more than 50 countries. One of my friends was a Mauritian Guy (MG), a med student, who was a really sweet guy. During my birthday, we had the customary dinner out and when MG arrived, he came up to me to wish me Happy Birthday. He then bent his head towards my cheek and out of reflex, I leapt back, almost knocking his head and leaving MG looking very bewildered as the rest of my friends roared with laughter! Coming from a conservative Asian community, kissing on both cheeks like how the French do was totally something new for me! I was never allowed to forget that incident throughout my Uni years and before I left for good after graduation, we did finally kiss each other goodbye ala French style on the cheeks!

*Fast forward back*

Now, having seen more of the world from seeing my gay tutors kissing at the tram stop to mwah-mwah air-kissing by my French-African contacts, I’m finally a lot more savvy and hopefully matured! However, that little incident plus my 3 years living in a mish-mash of culture and nationalities never fails to remind me how cultural differences can be so funny yet so wrongly misinterpreted at times!

June 23, 2007 | Filed Under  

Comments

9 Responses to “This Kiss, this kiss”

  1. LB on June 23rd, 2007 3:33 pm

    Waa, yeah, I remember too all those air kissing the fashionistas love so much!! Dahling! Muah! Muah!!

    PE says: *Muah, muah!* Very amusing to watch! Funnier to do!

  2. may on June 23rd, 2007 4:51 pm

    I sometimes get air-kissed here too, and I’m still not all that used to it… especially when it comes from ex-colleagues whom I’m not all that close with. something weird about it… lol!

    PE says: I think it’s the Asian genes screaming for personal space! Hehe…

  3. wuching on June 23rd, 2007 6:40 pm

    no need kiss la, just shake hands enuff liao..cleaner also!

    PE says: True but shaking hands not as cool as *mwah mwah*! Hehe…

  4. Tine on June 23rd, 2007 7:21 pm

    Hehe, my first air kisses were by my French classmates back in the UK as well. It was a girl who air-kissed me, and I was stiff as a board because she really caught me off guard and I didn’t know what to do.

    When I was in Australia, I was more prepared for it; mana tau, I was kissed on the cheek for real!!

    So how? How do you when when to air kiss and when to kiss for real? Very the confusing leh :p

    PE says: Welcome, Tine! Wah, such a confusing question! I guess gotta take your lead from the kisser! The French do the air-kissing very well but recently when a colleague left, I found that Malays had a similar style except they just touch cheeks so guess we’ll never realy know!

  5. N on June 25th, 2007 8:56 am

    PE, someday when I am really free, I will post you “N’s Guidebook to Mwah Mwah” ok? As for now, MWAH MWAH!!

    PE says: Thanks N! Haha…mwahmwah!

  6. Giddy Tiger on June 25th, 2007 1:51 pm

    So when I meet you, do I mwahmwah kiss, hug or shake hands?

    PE says: Erm…hug or shake hands will do. Mwahmwah is quite uncomfortable la :P

  7. rinnah on June 25th, 2007 10:39 pm

    LOL! That’s such an Asian need for space talking… I remember I was taken aback when this girl whom I had met all of one day took to hugging me! In greeting, in goodbyes… but it was just her way. Now, we’re good friends and a hello/bye hug is the normalest thing in the world to us. Although people do stare because we make so much noise… squealing and hugging! *grin*

    PE says: Yeah I think Asians aren’t too comfy with touch-feely greetings. When it comes to personal space though, we tend to overstep borders at times. Once I was in the checkout in Australia and unwittingly wandered a bit too close to an old lady in front of me. She turned around and snapped “Mind my personal space please!” :O

  8. Orbiter Vet on July 5th, 2007 10:33 pm

    Between me and my UK colleagues, we kiss and hug a lot too, especially at hellos and goodbyes. But this never happens between me and my Malaysian collegues, even when we’re in the UK office together! So yes, it’s just an Asian thing. But international travel and business is changing a lot of that! Just last weekend, I had to greet my Turkish friend cheek-to-cheek in Istanbul, and boy, did the stubbles on his beard poke into my cheeks ever!

    PE says: It’s just not Asian to hug or kiss I guess. We value our personal space! It’s ironical that while Asians don’t hug or kiss, they think it’s perfectly fine to ask detailed questions about one’s personal life!

  9. Angele on August 3rd, 2007 2:48 am

    *hihi*

    Blog hopping and been reading some of your entries :)

    Why I’m commenting on this particular post?Because you mentioned the Mauritian guy maybe? ;)

    I’m from Mauritius too and yeh kissing on both cheeks is a common thing here among guys/girls friends just as hand shaking is among guys.
    *lol*

    Anyway nice blog :) It’s gonna be on my reading list now :D

    PE says: Hi Angele! Thanks for dropping by :) But sorry for the belated WELCOME! Happy to know another person from Mauritius! I had 2 very good friends from there!

Leave a Reply