017

One of my favorite greetings I learned in Egypt is cheek kissing where two individuals kiss each others cheeks alternately. It's normally done between same genders. At first, I was very surprised when an older Egyptian woman would lean her face toward my face, all the while I was thinking, "WOAH, TOO CLOSE TOO CLOSE!" and she would lovingly kiss my cheeks about 2-4 times. I got the hang of it where I was greeting all my good female Egyptian friends that way. It was a wonderful way to show someone that I was genuinely happy to see them. I wish people would convey that more, in any form, whether it be a hug, a simple question inquiring about their day, or a smile. We're just too busy, it seems, to even do that.