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Cuban Culture Research Paper

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I am a Latin American, who grew up in the U.S, so I carry with me the values and traditions of my Cuban ancestors. Cuban culture is very interesting and colorful, usually with a bizarre mix of factors. This mix of different influences and factors is evident at various levels of the Cuban culture. After interacting with people from diverse cultures, I have learnt that Cubans are very positive, always happy and have no prejudices. They are always sociable, friendly and with a good sense of humor. This explains why people from this culture are more willing to share ideas, feelings and thoughts, even with strangers. Their communicative nature, their friendliness and open-mindedness help them to interact better with people from different cultures …show more content…

It’s a common practice to see a fair amount of touching between people while engaging in a conversation, regardless of their gender. When you first visit Cuba, don’t be surprised to see someone touching you or getting too close when talking to you. It could bother you, but you should understand that this is the communicative behavior among Cubans. It’s rude not to greet a fellow man with a handshake and a woman with a kiss on the cheek, unless it’s a first encounter, where women shake hands. Close male friends and relatives usually give firm hugs, which may be combined with light slaps on the back. When a man meets a woman for the first time and vice versa, a regular handshake will do, but close friends and family members share a light kiss on the cheek. Cubans also prefer standing close to one another, like one foot apart while conversing with a friend or someone familiar. However, they maintain some distance when talking to a stranger. They are accustomed to staying in close quarters, and the culture doesn’t value privacy as highly as the American culture …show more content…

We are comfortable near friends and relatives, but maintain some distance when interacting with strangers. However, we are brought up to consider strangers as friends until the evidence indicates otherwise (Cramer, & Cramer, 2010). This explains our custom of immediate and beyond-the-surface communication with strangers and our willingness to bond with them. We also favor direct eye contact over indirect. We use direct eye contact during conversations as a sign of trust, respect and interest towards the speaker. However, we avoid eye contact with people in authority to show respect and attentiveness. Our personal relationships with people of the same age group are very informal, but we are very respectful to foreigners. A strong emphasis is placed on family, which is the source of identity, emotional and physical support and protection against life challenges. This is the intense sense of family belonging that is limited to family and close friends. Therefore, people that don’t belong to our family or circle of close friends are slow to be

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