The hug/kiss

As I mentioned to some of you after our DC orientation, the hug/kiss greeting is important enough that we had a demonstration.  The male version is a specific hug/pat on the back sequence.  I noticed just how specific it is when I observed four men in the DF airport greeting each other.  It was loud and "regular" enough to draw my attention from my book to them.  

Anyway, I got to school this morning to a locked gate again.  Luckily there was a student at the wall getting money (or something) from her mom.  I asked her to fetch the key (I don't know that word in Spanish, in case you were wondering) and her mom said, "But first go to your teacher."  She climbed the hill and I could see her looking over her shoulder.  She was headed in the direction of her classroom, but at the very top of the hill, she checked one more time and turned toward the office.  Hernán let me in quickly.  

This is where the hug/kiss gets weird.

Any time a girl is involved (guy/girl or girl/girl) the appropriate greeting is one kiss, always on the right cheek.  If you're just meeting, typically it's a handshake.  The kiss comes later.  It's kinda like hugging people in the US.  If you're a big hugger, you hug all the time, even if you just met someone.  Same with the kissing here.

Well, I was thrown off guard because Hernán hugged me.  Instead of the typical hey and no hug or kiss that we usually do, and instead of the typical Mexican greeting of the cheek kiss, we hugged.  And it was on the right side, which made for left cheeks.  I was all confused.  Then after, he stuck out his hand for a shake.

I scurried on to sign in and to get prepared for the day.

While waiting in the computer room (more on what was going on there in another entry), in walked Ramón (PE) and the same thing happened!  I don't get it.  He went in for the hug- and on the wrong side.  I was so confused...