I was sitting on the floor of the hallway, chatting with one of my dormmates, Randa, the other night while she cleaned a pair of shoes.
We chatted about her classes, about Ramadan, and other things. Every once in a while she would start apologizing profusely.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" she said.
For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what in the world she was apologizing for. So I replied to her, "What are you apologizing for? I don't understand."
"My shoe. I keep accidentally pointing the bottom of my shoe at you."
Right, in the Middle East it is an insult point the sole of your shoes or your feet at people, because they are dirty and are in contact with the ground. There are probably other reasons too, but I don't know them. That's the reason I tend to be careful about how I cross my legs.
I giggled, "Oh right. I didn't even notice. That's not a thing in my culture, I didn't think about it. Don't worry. I won't take it as an insult. Do what you need to do!" And we continued chatting.
I can't believe I have less than 3 weeks left in this country. I have been blessed to experience this culture and to start to understand some of the nuances involved.
Oh, that's interesting! I think I've heard about that cultural taboo before, but it's funny to hear about it all the same. In Korea, it's typical to take off your shoes when you enter most buildings, not just other people's houses but also many restaurants and schools. (Students replace their outdoor shoes with indoor slippers, but the slippers are just as dirty usually...)
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