I had read that this was true in the Middle East, but I didn't know that Ethiopian men would also be so casually affectionate with one another.
Holding hands, arms thrown over shoulders, kissing of cheeks, all the norm here. In America, I believe that a lot of men have such a fear of appearing gay that they don't dare do much more than shake hands. Maybe a back slap if you are really buds. Or that weird hugging with arms, but not touching thing.
Men and boys walk down the street, hand in hand, sometimes three or four to a crowd.
Here, the standard greeting for friends or even new acquaintances seems to be a clasping of the right hand with thumbs up, then a pull in for a right shoulder to right shoulder bump, which can have varying lengths of duration...from a slight tap, to a near embrace. It is nice to see. It seems so much warmer than the generic handshake, which can often become a contest as who squeezes harder and longer.
Our drivers are very affectionate with each other, as well their compatriots that they meet on the road. Tourism here is still a small world, so our drivers bump into people they know all the time. We are all traveling the same route.
Women seem more comfortable with physical affection. Holding hands and intertwining their arms are perfectly normal. I've only seen two or three obvious heterosexual couples holding hands. Today I saw two tribal women greet each other. They clasped hands, then each one brought their hands up together to her face for a kiss on the other's hand, two times each. It was lovely.
Holding hands, arms thrown over shoulders, kissing of cheeks, all the norm here. In America, I believe that a lot of men have such a fear of appearing gay that they don't dare do much more than shake hands. Maybe a back slap if you are really buds. Or that weird hugging with arms, but not touching thing.
Men and boys walk down the street, hand in hand, sometimes three or four to a crowd.
Here, the standard greeting for friends or even new acquaintances seems to be a clasping of the right hand with thumbs up, then a pull in for a right shoulder to right shoulder bump, which can have varying lengths of duration...from a slight tap, to a near embrace. It is nice to see. It seems so much warmer than the generic handshake, which can often become a contest as who squeezes harder and longer.
Our drivers are very affectionate with each other, as well their compatriots that they meet on the road. Tourism here is still a small world, so our drivers bump into people they know all the time. We are all traveling the same route.
Women seem more comfortable with physical affection. Holding hands and intertwining their arms are perfectly normal. I've only seen two or three obvious heterosexual couples holding hands. Today I saw two tribal women greet each other. They clasped hands, then each one brought their hands up together to her face for a kiss on the other's hand, two times each. It was lovely.
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