It was another day at the site. As a designer of buildings, I am tasked to talk to clients regarding their taste for a certain design. This has something to do with their culture. Today I meet with a client, a Saudi national who is also a friend of my boss. After a long walk of discussions regarding the changes within his house, we have gathered for some coffee break in a small space within the unfinished building.Two mats were laid while dates fruit and Arabic coffee is served. I've heard our client saying "tfadel" inviting me to dig in. So like them, I also crossed my legs as I sat on the carpet. I was in front of him and beside me is my boss who is also a Saudi national. After I sat, the client looked at me and was surprised I was able to sit with legs crossed. I told him it's normal. Then he told me that it was not ordinary for non Arabs to sit that way. But I've known for a long time that the Oriental culture were used to this. While drinking coffee, they had a few conversation with my boss to which I do not belong because they were conversing in Arabic. This is a typical situation for me to watch them talk without understanding. It's like watching a non-English movie without subtitles. After I finished my cup, the client noticed it and offer me another. So he asked me to hand me my cup and so I did. Although he was in front of me, he was slightly on the far left so I decided to give him my cup using my left hand. Then my boss beside me somewhat reacted that I should have used my right hand instead. Then I offered my apologies. I really don't know it was a part of their culture to use the right hand as a sign of respect. I thought it won't matter if i use my left hand. My right hand was holding seeds of dates and I thought it's more practical to use my left hand to hand him the cup since it can reach his hand conveniently. I learned something today about their gesture and culture and from now on I will always keep that in mind.
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