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I am a 32 year old male from South America... here a handshake is way to formal for most interactions... For example... You go out with 2 friends for a beer... they bring a 3rd friend you don't really know... it's ok to shake his hand, but if you kiss him, nobody will be offended... Scenario 2 : You are at a birthday party/after office/whatever social gathering, and you are presented a person from the opposite sex DO NOT shake his/her hand... That is as rude as you can get, what are you afraid of? Scenario 3 : You go to your girlfriends house, and are introduced to his father, you shake his hand, because you ate trying to show respect. After the first few visits, you will most likely kiss him hello/goodbye Also, in Latin America we do 1 kiss mostly, in Brazil 2 kisses are the norm, some other places are up to 3... So I believe no matter what happens, try to talk about it, stay open, and remember that awkwardness tends to go away the minute you say "I'm sorry, that was awkward, was I supposed to kiss or shake?" Cheers everybody, mike out. |