
In class the other day we discussed hand gestures, and how they can be interpreted differently depending on the gesture and where you are. For example, I learned that the gesture Okay with the pointer finger and the thumb making a circle while the three other fingers are up mean a** hole in Italy.
So when I was at camp as a counselor in training there were Israeli counselors. I went to go talk to one and as we were talking a camper came up to her and said her name. The Israeli didn't want to end our conversation yet so she gave the camper a hand gesture that was Rak Rega in hebrew, but translates to wait a moment. The guy in the photo is doing the hand gesture that I'm talking about. The camper didn't understand that gesture, the camper (I believe) thought that the Israeli was swearing at her. So I told the Israeli counselor that the camper didn't understand that putting your thumb against your fingers mean Rak Rega. The counselor was upset for a bit, I found it kind of funny. Hand gestures are a way of communicating, but not all are universal.
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