- The appropriate amount of personal space during conversation is usually around arm’s length. With people of the opposite sex a little further apart is common, between women a bit closer, and if with family, much closer than between women.
- There tends to be a lot of touching and leaning into each other and such between close women. In a meeting (botaki), people stand/sit in a large open building (maneaba) and never get close to each other, but if working one on one in either Tarawa or the outer islands, an arms length is typical.
- Men occasionally will touch women when talking, say on the elbow, arm, but it is not so common. Women would not do this to men.
- Women are tend to be more comfortable touching each other in conversation, but not too much unless they’re very close or family.
- Generally, not much touching goes on in terms of business/work colleagues.
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