Tag: study

Kissing Cheeks or Shaking Hands? Greetings Etiquette in Latin America and Beyond

Published on by DU Abroad6 Comments

I guess as a kid I took for granted the fact that you kissed cheeks to say hello.  My mom is Bolivian and I’m from Brazil, so kissing cheeks was the most natural thing in the world for me.  When we moved to the US, I remember the shock on my first-grade teacher’s face when I leaned in to kiss her on the first day of class.  That was when I realized that in the U.S., kissing strangers is just not ok!

When I studied abroad in Chile my junior year, it was fascinating to watch the Americans on my program have the opposite problem.  Suddenly, they were being kissed by everyone and anyone they met!  Men still preserve their macho reserve and only shake hands with other men (or they may give you a hug), but man-woman and woman-woman interactions ALWAYS start with a kiss (or maybe two, or even three!)

The “rules” for kissing will vary depending on which country you’re going to.  Europe and the Middle East are famous for this too, and while rules in Europe may be similar to those in Latin America, in the the Middle East, men generally should NOT try to kiss any women, and any cheek kissing they participate in will likely be with other men.  I can only really speak for Latin America and “Latin” Europe (France, Spain, Italy), so I thought I’d lay out some general ground rules for those regions:

Guys—be prepared to shake hands with other men and possibly a quick half-hug too, and make sure you look up the etiquette on how many kisses you should give women when you meet them (depending on if they’re single or married, this can change).

Girls—be prepared to be kissed by everyone!  Men, women, children…they will all kiss you hello and goodbye.

While is some countries you don’t exchange kisses on the first meeting, in others you kiss once you’ve been introduced.  Typically in a professional setting you won’t kiss your colleagues he first time you meet, but may be expected to kiss after that.  In some countries people will actually kiss your cheeks, in others, it’s more of cheeks touching and “air kisses.” Just follow the lead of whoever you’re with!

One last pointer—I can’t speak for other regions, but at least in Latin America make sure you individually greet everyone in a room, and do the same when you leave.  Waving hello or goodbye to the whole room is considered very rude.

Good luck, and enjoy all the smooching!

Stephanie Roberts, OIE Peer Advisor

10 Best Free Things To Do in the U.K./Ireland

Published on by DU Abroad1 Comment

In case you find yourself without anything to do and not really looking to spend a heap of cash, check out these awesome opportunities!

1)      Walk the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland—The Royal Mile is one of the city’s main streets and it’s also where you will find some of the best attractions such as St. Giles Cathedral, Mary King’s Close and it leads to Edinburgh Castle.

2)      Watch the Changing of the Guard in London, England—All things associated with the Royal Family are a huge attraction for tourists, but crowds flock to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace 11.30am daily during the summer and every other day during the winter.

3)      Enjoy a Free Concert at the Wales Millennium Center in Cardiff, Wales—The popular Wales Millennium Centre is regarded as one of the world’s most iconic arts and cultural venues, and is host to free concerts for all musical tastes from jazz to classical to choirs!

4)      Bask in the beauty at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, Ireland—Situated in the former Royal Hospital Kilmainham, the Irish Museum of Modern Art houses a glorious collection of modern art from Jack B. Yeats to Rebecca Horn, not to mention its own stunning grounds!

5)      Browse the Old English Market in Cork, Ireland—The Old English Market dates back to 1788 and as the name suggests, it’s a market! A walk around Cork’s English Market is a must to soak up the atmosphere, but you probably will end up spending some money as it can be hard to resist the food on offer!

6)      Visit Abbey Road in London, England—Re-enact the famous Beatles album cover, with a strut across Abbey Road and don’t forget to sign the wall in tribute to this famous pop group!

7)      Stroll through the Castle Gardens of Kilkenny Castle in Kilkenny, Ireland—A great thing to do on a sunny afternoon, the Castle Gardens offer beautiful rose gardens, large green spaces, walkways and a fun-filled playground for all ages!

8)      Soak in the magnificence at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland—This is Scotland’s premier museum and art gallery and admission is free!  With an impressive collection of over 200,000 items, including one of Europe’s great civic art collections and one of the finest collections of arms and armor in the world, you can spend a good few hours of your day here.

9)      Stop by St. Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland—This beautiful cathedral is home to Ireland’s largest Celtic Cross and has many mosaics and stained glass windows. Visit for free on weekdays from 10am to 4pm and for a short period before and after Sunday services.

10)   Drool over the gems in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, England—This area of Birmingham dates back over 250 years ago with over 200 historical buildings and is still home to many jewellery businesses today.

Hurry and get off the couch, you don’t want to miss any of these!!

— Kelsey Guyette, DUSA Peer Advisor