TOPIC: practices
SOURCE: Personal observation of my own culture and the culture in Mozambique
RELATION: In Wednesday Lab, as a class, we talked about differing cultures. We talked about how different cultures have different customs than our own. Though our personal etiquette seems normal to us, it is not to others.
DESCRIPTION:
This last summer I went to South Africa, Mozambique, and Swaziland for a month. Each destination had its own set of colloquial customs.
In Mozambique (shortened to 'Mozam'), it was considered rude to look a person in the eye, even when having a one-on-one friendly conversation. In the Mozam culture, eye contact and extended eye contact was seen as aggressive and challenging. Having been told this before hand, my travel buddies and I kept this social rule in mind and made sure to advert our eyes or look down while having conversations, making eye contact as seldom as we could. As I would be having a conversation with a Mozam native, I always felt that I was being disrespectful by not maintaining eye contact because my own culture views eye contact as a sign of respect and confidence.
When we would be walking around in public and in open markets I would try to scan my surroundings without making eye contact with any of the other pedestrians. Without realizing it, I would not only meet someone's eye level but I would keep my eyes locked on his/hers-- a habit I have in The States. I would suddenly realize I was being an awkward tourist when the pedestrian would return my gaze with an unfaltering challenging stare. None of these challenges that I instigated never did result in any sort of altercation. When I noticed I was mindlessly fixated on someone, I would hang my neck down and look to the floor to avoid being confrontational.
COMMENTARY/ ANALYSIS:
It was interesting seeing the differing cultural rules on something as simple as eye contact. I assumed that the body language of eye contact across the board meant connectedness and showing the other participant of the conversation that you were present, listening, and interested. Anything otherwise meant the rude opposite.
Though this new rule of eye contact was different, it wasn't illogical. It made sense to me that eye contact can also be interpreted as confrontational. It was still a challenge for me to simply remember not to make excessive or prolonged eye contact because it is second nature to me.
