Final

This was the inspiration.  My family and everyday life with them.  Hispanic greetings and why is it more than just a wave.

This is where it started.  Research was needed to be done.

I found an article about parenting by Dominican and Puerto Rican mothers.  These are my children and I realised I have been teaching them to say hello with a hug and kiss.

Everytime without fail I noticed hugs and kisses to say hello to family and friends in the Latino community.

In another article was about Caribbean music and Latin America.  It was interesting to find the association with music and Hispanic greetings.  Each greeting was like a mini dance number.

Another thing I chose to do was observe.  I just took some time and looked at the space around me to catch how Hispanic people greeted each other.

I could not count on observation alone so I sat down and formulated questions to be able to interview subjects.

While interviewing I noticed that there are some issues with this type of field work.  A lot of the time people answered questions with "I don't know I never thought about it" or "I just do"  people are more able to answer questions about other people but poses a challenge when they are answering questions about themselves.

When I asked about hand shakes people said that a handshake is for your boss at work it is a formal gesture.

When i asked about a wave and basically said the same thing, a wave is so impersonal.

Unlike Asian cultures where it is considered to be respectful to bow, I found that Hispanic people are more physical and emotional and express it with actual contact.

The Hispanic community greets each other with hugs and kisses to show their love, that they are there for you and to show they appreciate the relationship they have with you.  It is all about love and respect.