Space

Walking down to the school this morning, I noticed something I hadn’t really thought about. The sidewalks, the streets and the buildings bring people and their belongings really close. Once I made a left turn onto Av. Manuel Espinosa Batista, there is a bus stop roughly 50 meters from the corner. Lined up on the sidewalk were 20-30 people standing shoulder to shoulder, while people were walking past in both directions. The most fascinating part is that nobody seemed bothered by the lack of personal space. Another situation where I noticed this was on the subway. There was a lot of people riding the subway at once, standing almost on top of each other. I have never seen anything like it in the United States.

An important consideration of space would be the interactions amongst the Panamanians. Not only do people get really close, they greet each other with a kiss on the cheek (which is really just the cheeks touching). There are always handshakes and fist bumps, which not only act as a friendly gesture but also break down the barriers of interpersonal space. Coming from a society where you have to be extremely careful in your physical interactions with people, it was a culture shock to see how friendly and open people are with their physical interactions. When people take photos in groups, they get extremely close with one another.

Another interesting thing to observe is the way that the buildings and environment bring people together. The classrooms are set up to bring students very close together. The students sit 3-4 at a table and the tables are set up very close to each other. The majority of the buildings I have been in have a circular seating pattern. By this, I mean that the chairs face in to promote communication and conversation.

At the clubs or on the Chivas, it is dangerous to have a drink in hand. It is almost inevitable to get bumped by someone and spill your drink. To pass people, you need to contort your body in between multiple people who are pressed up against each other. It takes some getting used to, but it isn’t unbearable.

Overall, Panamanian space is limited. It is centralized to focus on human interaction which I personally believe that other cultures should at least consider. If people focused less on their technology and spending more time communicating with people face to face, there would be a lot less communication barriers and perhaps less social anxiety.