Howdy. My name is Akshay Appan, and so far Panama has been absolutely mesmerizing. With my initial impressions of the country, I’ve recorded some of the cultural differences between each other.
One of the first cultural differences I witnessed between Panama and the US was the way men expressed closeness with each other. It was very normal here for men to greet each other by hugging, sometimes for long periods of time. Male friends in Panama also have no problem holding hands. However, men in America usually never hug each other. Instead, American men often have custom handshakes between them and their friends. However, Panamanians see handshakes as very formal, so even custom handshakes seem too impersonal with friends.
Another cultural difference between Panama and the US is the way college is perceived. To most Panamanians, college is just another continuation of their education. They will commute to their school when their classes start, and commute back when they end. There is not really a version of Greek life or thousands of student organizations. Also, private schools are typically better than public schools. In contrast, American colleges feature many more resources than simply the classes. There is also a great emphasis on collegiate sports in America but not Panama. Furthermore, it’s not clear that public or private schools are better in Panama.
One other cultural difference is the high amount of politeness in Panamanian culture. Americans in conversations can often be blunt or direct. But Panamanians do not want to come off as offensively direct, and will use many positive phrases or remarks to convey what they want. In that sense, Panamanians are conversationally careful people.
The final difference I noticed between Panamanian and American culture is the relaxed and happy way Panamanians approach customer service. Americans go to many lengths to be as polite and professional as possible. This is often true sometimes in Panama, but some of the smaller businesses or services will be very relaxed and joking with the customer. My client (and barber) were both very casual around their customers, putting them at ease. This really depends on how high end the store is, however. Very high end businesses in Panama can still be extremely professional.
