Sometimes cultures differ in what feels like small ways, then other times it feels REALLY big. Take for example…men holding hands.  I remember when I was a teenager visiting the big city of Minneapolis and saw two men holding hands.  It seemed really strange because I had never seen that before.  It didn’t take long for me to learn what that meant.

Fast forward to 2007, shortly after we arrived in our former country of work, and when my good friend Yassir reached out to hold my hand as we crossed the street, it probably doesn’t surprise you that I about jumped out of my sandals at the gesture.  In my beginner’s Arabic, I asked him why he was holding my hand.  He explained that in his culture this was a sign of friendship between men and was often done when walking together.  He was shocked when I told him it what it would most likely mean in our culture.

It took some time to get used to, but I can confidently say that I don’t jump at the gesture anymore.  Below is a picture that my friend Brian took when he saw me holding hands with my close friend Attayib as we walked in front of them (I also think I heard Brian giggling like a school girl as he took it…HA):