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Rachel Martin （Host）： We just heard about one man’s longing for a little Germanic order amid the crowded and chaotic streets of Istanbul because， let’s be honest， the Germans are really good at order. I spent a year there reporting for NPR， and I can tell you from personal experience it is also a place where people are very conscious about personal space. On the subway， on the sidewalk， Germans are aware of how much space separates them from the nearest person. And while， of course， there are always exceptions， I’d say on the whole they prefer more space rather than less. It’s something we all think about. Sometimes it’s subconscious. How much physical space do we need around us？ One place where this tension is readily apparent： the elevator.（Soundbite of Ding）
Elevator voice： Going up.
Martin： Is there any less desirable public space than an elevator？ I mean， you get in， no one talks to you， everyone 1）averts their eyes， you 2）shuffle your feet， you try to create as much space between you and the other person as possible. People are forced to 3）intrude on each other’s personal space in an elevator. Or what about an ATM？ I mean， how close should stand to the person withdrawing cash without creeping them out？ Jerry Seinfeld once devoted an entire episode of his old TV show to personal space， and along the way he gave us a new term， the close-talker.
（Soundbite of TV show， “Seinfeld”）
Jerry Seinfeld： （as Jerry） Yeah？
Julia Louis-Dreyfus： （as Elaine） It’s us.
Seinfeld： （as Jerry） Come on up. It’s Elaine. You don’t have a problem with her， do you？
Unidentified woman： We adore Elaine.
Seinfeld： She wants to say hi. She’s with her new boyfriend.
Unidentified woman： What’s he like？
Seinfeld： He’s nice. Bit of a close talker.
Unidentified woman： A what？
Seinfeld： You’ll see.
Martin： Kathryn Sorrells studies personal space and people’s perception of it across cultures. She’s a professor at California State University-Northridge. And she says how close you stand depends on where you’re from.
Kathryn Sorrells： Cultural space tells us a lot. It tells us about the nature of the relationship， and people are constantly reading those things even if they are not aware of it. So， I think one thing that defines it is you’re in it and you have a feel for it and you can make sense of it. When you’re outside of it， you’re not able to define it. You’re not able to understand it and you often misinterpret it. And it has to do with kind of deep things like trust. Martin： We thought we’d get the view on personal space from two very different parts of the world. We start with NPR’s Lourdes Garcia-Navarro in Sao Paolo， Brazil.
Lourdes Garcia-Navarro： So， I’m in Sao Paulo’s Metro system. This is a city of 20 million people. It’s one of the largest cities in the world. Some people take three hours every day just to get to work， going from one side of the city to another. But one thing you will notice when you ride the public transport systems here is that it does feel very， very different than it does in the United States—very Brazilian.
Paula Moura： I’ve been to other countries and nobody touches each other. It seems there is space for everybody. Personal space is bigger in other countries. Here it’s not.
Garcia-Navarro： Paula Moura works with NPR in Brazil. She says Brazil is just a lot more touchy-feely.
Moura： If I want to go to another 4）wagon， I say， “oh， excuse me”， and touch the person.
Garcia-Navarro： 5）PDAs？ Not a problem either.
Moura： I can see people are kissing each other at the Metro and they don’t worry about other people seeing them.
Garcia-Navarro： In most countries in the world people are on the Metro and they’re staring at their feet or they’ve got their headphones on and they’re in their own little world. And here people are very engaged. They’re talking to one another， they’re interacting. It’s a much livelier scene than in other cities.
（Soundbite of chatter）
Garcia-Navarro： Another surprising aspect to life here： There is a lot of respect for the elderly and mothers with children. At the supermarket， at the cinema， at government offices， they have special lines that give these people priority. Family is important here. Even though， because of the high cost of living， they tend to be small， families are 6）close-knit. Everyone gathers on a Sunday for lunch but they often visit during the week as well. And that sense of caring translates into how people treat others in public spaces. As I’m standing on the Metro， I see a young woman offer her seat to an older one with a smile.
Railda： （Foreign language spoken）
Garcia-Navarro： Railda is a retiree and is now comfortably sitting down. She says she often gets offered a seat. Still， she tells me， Brazil is an incredibly violent country and she’s often nervous when out in the city.
And that’s what makes all this contact all the more surprising. Many of the people I’ve spoken to today say that crime is one of their main concerns when they go on public transport， and yet that doesn’t stop them from this important human-to-human contact. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro， NPR News， on the Sao Paolo Metro. Leila Fadel： And this is Leila Fadel in Cairo. This is a noisy city， a crowded city of some 16 million people. On my balcony， I can see the lady across the 7）alley 8）ironing her clothes. Last week， I was watching TV and someone yelled from the building next door to turn it down.
（Soundbite of horn honking）
Fadel： My producer Dina Saleh and I spent the day on a microbus. Egyptians use these minivans to get around the city for the 9）equivalent of about 25 cents. We’re 10）squished in the back next to two other women， and 12 more people are piled in. But it’s a national holiday， and Dina says this is nothing compared to a workday.
Dina Saleh： This is not even close. Like visually， people will be sitting on top of each other， maybe hanging off the door.
Fadel： Young boys with no cash jump on the back for a free ride.
Unidentified man： （Foreign language spoken）
Fadel： Walking around the city is like dealing with an 11）obstacle course. The narrow streets are made more narrow by cars 12）haphazardly parked on the sidewalks， sometimes even in the middle of the street.
（Soundbite of horn honking）
Fadel： So we’re standing in one of the most crowded parts of Cairo in Giza Square， where there’s really no sense of personal space. There’s no legal time to cross the street， you just cross when you can. Just now as I was talking， a man brushed up right against me and didn’t even notice， didn’t even apologize ’cause that’s normal here.
（Soundbite of chatter）
Fadel： In the morning， Egyptians crowd around breakfast 13）stands throughout the capital. Men serve up hot 14）fava bean 15）mash with veggies and bread. And people eat at the stand as others flash money above their heads to get service， bodies pressed up against each other. A friend jokes that by the time you get your food you need to shake the other customers out of your clothes.
（Soundbite of chatter）
Fadel： And without space there is no privacy. In every Cairo apartment building is the bawab， the building guard. He knows the comings and goings of every resident on the street. And to this day when a young woman is getting married， families of the groom will 16）interrogate the bawab about the potential bride. Do men come and go from the apartment？ Does she come home late at night？ But the closeness is also comforting. It is a fundamentally kind city. If you fall， a slew of people will rush to your aid. No one will walk by thinking “not my problem”. It is loud， crowded and 17）claustrophobic， and it is 18）maddening and wonderful at the same time. Martin： That’s NPR’s Leila Fadel in Cairo. So， whether you’re there in Egypt or Sao Paolo， Brazil or Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment in Manhattan， remember： if Elaine’s boyfriend Aaron shows up， you might want to take a few steps in reverse.
（Soundbite of TV show， “Seinfeld”）
Reinhold： （as Aaron） Hi. Oh， you must be Kramer. I’ve heard about you.
（Laughter）
Michael Richards： （as Kramer） You must be Aaron. I’ve heard about you.
瑞秋·马丁（主持人）：我们方才听说一个人在拥挤嘈杂的伊斯坦布尔街道上期盼德国式的秩序，原因在于，老实说，德国人真的非常讲秩序。我曾在那儿为NPR播报一年，我可以就我个人的经历说这也是一个人们注重个人空间的地方。在地铁上、人行道上，德国人对与自己最近距离的人之间有多少空间非常在意。然而，当然总是有例外，我说的是，总的来说他们更喜欢多一些空间。这是我们的所想。有时候是下意识的。我们需要周围有多少空间？有一个地方让这种紧张状态更明显：升降电梯。
（电梯“叮”的声音）
升降电梯声：电梯上升。
马丁：还有比升降电梯更让人不想多待的公共空间吗？我的意思是，你走进电梯，没有与你交谈，人人都避免眼神的
接触，你悄悄挪动脚，想要尽可能地与其他人之间有更多的空间。在一部升降电梯里，人们不得不挤入别人的个人空间。在自动取款机前的情况如何？我是说，应该离取款的人多近而不会让人感到不安？杰瑞·宋飞曾经在他一部老电视剧里用一整集来讲个人空间，同时还教给我们一个新词——近距离谈话者。
（电视剧《宋飞正传》片段）
杰瑞·宋飞：（饰演杰瑞）谁啊？
茱莉叶·露易丝-德利法斯：（饰演伊莱恩）是我们。
宋飞：（饰演杰瑞）快上来。是伊莱恩，和她一起没问题，是吧？匿名女声：我们喜欢伊莱恩。
宋飞：她想来打个招呼，带上她的新男朋友。
匿名女声：他人怎么样？
宋飞：人不错，就是有点喜欢近距离谈话。
匿名女声：什么？
宋飞：你会明白的。
马丁：凯瑟琳·素雷尔斯研究个人空间和不同文化背景的人们所持的观念。她是加州大学北岭分校的教授。她说，站得有多近取决于你是哪里人。
凯瑟琳·素雷尔斯：文化空间能说明很多问题。它能说明（人类）关系的本质，人们经常读到这些，尽管他们并未意识到。因此，我想能够解释这件事的观点是，你在其中，并且有所感受，了解其中的意义所在；当你身在其外，就无法解释，你没法理解，还时有误解。这与一些深层次的东西有所关联，比如信任。
马丁：我们来看看来自世界上两个不同地方的人对个人空间的态度。首先跟随NPR记者罗德斯·加西亚-纳瓦罗从巴西的圣保罗开始。
罗德斯·加西亚-纳瓦罗：我现在在圣保罗的地铁上。这是一个有2000万人口的城市，是全球最大的城市之一。一些人每天得在上班路上花上三小时，从城市的一边到另一边。但是有一点你会注意到，在这儿搭乘公共交通工具的感受与美国完全不同，非常具有巴西特色。保拉·莫拉：我去过其他一些国家，没人会互相触碰，似乎每人都有自己的空间。个人空间在其他国家被看得很重，但是这里却不然。
加西亚-纳瓦罗：保拉·莫拉在巴西为
NPR工作。她说巴西就是一个碰碰撞撞的地方。
莫拉：如果我想要走到另一节车厢，我会说，“噢，借过”，然后拍拍别人。
加西亚-纳瓦罗：在公共场合亲热呢？也不是问题。莫拉：我看到人们在地铁上相互亲吻，并不担心别人看到。
加西亚-纳瓦罗：世界上大多数国家的地铁上，人们盯着自己的脚看，或是戴上耳机，在自己的小世界里。在这里，人们相处融洽。他们与别人交谈、互动。这比其他城市所见更活跃。
（谈话声）
加西亚-纳瓦罗：这儿的生活还有一点让人惊奇：尊老爱幼无处不在。在超市，在电影院，在政府办公室，他们为这些特殊人群设立了优先特殊通道。家庭在这里很重要。尽管如此，由于生活成本过高，他们更倾向于组建小家庭，各个家庭在这里是紧密联系的。每周日大家都聚集在一起吃午饭，但平日里也经常如是。那种相互照顾的涵义可解释人们在公共空间是如何对待彼此的。正如我现在在地铁上，我看到一位年轻的女士微笑着给年长者让座。瑞尔达：（说外语）
加西亚-纳瓦罗：瑞尔达已经退休了，现在正舒适地坐下。她说经常有人给她让座。但是，她告诉我们，巴西是一个充满暴力的国家，当她在城里外出时经常感到很紧张。
那就是这些接触更让人惊奇的原因。今天我所交谈过的许多人都表示犯罪是他们搭乘公共交通工具的主要担忧之一，但是那无法阻止他们进行这重要的人与人之间的交流。NPR新闻频道的罗德斯·加西亚-纳瓦罗在圣保罗地铁报道。
雷拉·法德勒：这里是雷拉·法德勒在开罗的报道。这是一个喧闹的城市，也是一个约有1 6 0 0万人口的拥挤的城市。在我的阳台上，我可以看到一位女士在巷子里熨衣服。上周，我正在看电视，旁边的大厦里传来某人的大声叫喊，让我关小点儿声。 （汽车喇叭声）
法德勒：我的制片人蒂娜·萨利赫和我在小型巴士上过了一天。埃及人用相当于25美分的价钱可以坐微型面包车在城里四处逛逛。我们与另两个妇女背靠背紧挨着，车里还挤着其他12个人。但这是一个全国性的节日，蒂娜说这是工作日所无法比拟的。
蒂娜·萨利赫：这还不算靠得近的。像从视觉上看，人们像是坐在对方的头上，也许还得悬在门上。
法德勒：一些没钱的年轻小子从后面跳上车，只为了免费搭一程。
匿名男声：（说外语）
法德勒：在城里步行逛逛就好像穿越障碍物训练场一样。本已狭窄的街道因随意停靠在人行道上，有时甚至停在街道中间的车辆而显得更狭窄了。
（汽车喇叭声）
法德勒：我们现在站在开罗最拥挤的地方之一——吉萨广场，这里真的无所谓个人空间可言。这里横过马路没有法定时间，你想过时就可以过。刚才我正在说话，一个男人就这么擦过我身边甚至没留意到，更别说道歉了，因为在这儿，那再平常不过了。
（谈话声）
法德勒：早上，埃及人堆挤在首都各地的早餐摊点。人们端着混有蔬菜和面包的蚕豆糊，就站在摊点那吃，任由其他人的钱在他们头上挥来挥去，每个人的身体都挤在一起。一位朋友开玩笑说，到你拿到自己食物的时候，你需要抖动衣服将其他顾客抖走。
（谈话声）
法德勒：没有空间就没有隐私。开罗每一栋公寓楼，都有门卫。他熟识街上来来往往的每一位居民。有天如果一位年轻的女士要结婚了，那么新郎的家人会来询问门卫关于这位未来新娘的事情。有男人出入公寓吗？她晚归吗？但是这种亲密感也会让人感到舒心。这基本上是一个很友善的城市。如果你摔倒了，很多人会跑来帮助你。没人路过时会想着“这并不是我的过错”。这里很喧闹、拥挤和幽闭恐怖，但同时也让人发狂，让人感觉美妙无比。
马丁：那是NPR记者雷拉·法德勒在开罗的报道。那么，无论你是在埃及还是巴西的圣保罗，还是杰瑞·宋飞所在的位于曼哈顿的公寓，记住：如果伊莱恩的男朋友艾伦出现，你可能会想要退后几步。
（电视剧《宋飞正传》片段）
莱茵霍尔德：（饰演艾伦）大家好。噢，你一定是克莱默。我听说过你。
（笑声）
迈克尔·理查德斯：（饰演克莱默）你一定是艾伦，我也听说过你。
Let’s see what people think about personal spaces：
Susan Lynch
I’m a 60 something administrator at a large private university and take the elevator from the parking structure each morning. When I get in， I immediately engage each elevator inhabitant by asking if they are going to have a good day？ We share， and as we’re about to disembark I say that， if things are going a little slow this afternoon and you’re afraid the day isn’t going as well as expected， just remember you met the Elevator Cheerleader this morning， and everything will be fine. And we all smile. It’s a great way to start the day. And our bank of elevators has the reputation of being the most interactive on campus， which gets our heads out of our electronic devices and engaging with real people. And my personal revolutionary recruitment seems to be working.
Lemon Tree
It is not just the personal boundary thing but also for me it is a manners thing. For instance I go to the grocery store and even before I can put the money in my wallet the next person is moving up on me to push me out of the way. It’s like giving a person a second okay？ I understand on a train or at an event there will be many people and I might get bumped or whatever and I don’t necessarily expect an “excuse me” but in day to day activities when this happens I think an “excuse me” or “pardon me” goes a long way.
Amanda Y
I am teaching in South Korea right now and the students here... well everyone actually are very touchy-feely. My experience here has opened my eyes to a different way of interacting with people. The students here think nothing of coming and standing next to me or sitting on my leg. They play with my hair and are always touching my face. I thought this was because I am foreign with blonde hair and blue eyes which they don’t see a lot... but I find they are all open to touching their friends and family too. Girls walk down the streets holding hands or linking arms. Boys always have their arms around each other. It’s very interesting. At first I was really shocked and felt very awkward. I know in the US， if a student and teacher interacted in such a way， the teacher would probably be fired. But here， it is looked upon as unwelcoming to the students. Just...interesting.
Elevator voice： Going up.
Martin： Is there any less desirable public space than an elevator？ I mean， you get in， no one talks to you， everyone 1）averts their eyes， you 2）shuffle your feet， you try to create as much space between you and the other person as possible. People are forced to 3）intrude on each other’s personal space in an elevator. Or what about an ATM？ I mean， how close should stand to the person withdrawing cash without creeping them out？ Jerry Seinfeld once devoted an entire episode of his old TV show to personal space， and along the way he gave us a new term， the close-talker.
（Soundbite of TV show， “Seinfeld”）
Jerry Seinfeld： （as Jerry） Yeah？
Julia Louis-Dreyfus： （as Elaine） It’s us.
Seinfeld： （as Jerry） Come on up. It’s Elaine. You don’t have a problem with her， do you？
Unidentified woman： We adore Elaine.
Seinfeld： She wants to say hi. She’s with her new boyfriend.
Unidentified woman： What’s he like？
Seinfeld： He’s nice. Bit of a close talker.
Unidentified woman： A what？
Seinfeld： You’ll see.
Martin： Kathryn Sorrells studies personal space and people’s perception of it across cultures. She’s a professor at California State University-Northridge. And she says how close you stand depends on where you’re from.
Kathryn Sorrells： Cultural space tells us a lot. It tells us about the nature of the relationship， and people are constantly reading those things even if they are not aware of it. So， I think one thing that defines it is you’re in it and you have a feel for it and you can make sense of it. When you’re outside of it， you’re not able to define it. You’re not able to understand it and you often misinterpret it. And it has to do with kind of deep things like trust. Martin： We thought we’d get the view on personal space from two very different parts of the world. We start with NPR’s Lourdes Garcia-Navarro in Sao Paolo， Brazil.
Lourdes Garcia-Navarro： So， I’m in Sao Paulo’s Metro system. This is a city of 20 million people. It’s one of the largest cities in the world. Some people take three hours every day just to get to work， going from one side of the city to another. But one thing you will notice when you ride the public transport systems here is that it does feel very， very different than it does in the United States—very Brazilian.
Paula Moura： I’ve been to other countries and nobody touches each other. It seems there is space for everybody. Personal space is bigger in other countries. Here it’s not.
Garcia-Navarro： Paula Moura works with NPR in Brazil. She says Brazil is just a lot more touchy-feely.
Moura： If I want to go to another 4）wagon， I say， “oh， excuse me”， and touch the person.
Garcia-Navarro： 5）PDAs？ Not a problem either.
Moura： I can see people are kissing each other at the Metro and they don’t worry about other people seeing them.
Garcia-Navarro： In most countries in the world people are on the Metro and they’re staring at their feet or they’ve got their headphones on and they’re in their own little world. And here people are very engaged. They’re talking to one another， they’re interacting. It’s a much livelier scene than in other cities.
（Soundbite of chatter）
Garcia-Navarro： Another surprising aspect to life here： There is a lot of respect for the elderly and mothers with children. At the supermarket， at the cinema， at government offices， they have special lines that give these people priority. Family is important here. Even though， because of the high cost of living， they tend to be small， families are 6）close-knit. Everyone gathers on a Sunday for lunch but they often visit during the week as well. And that sense of caring translates into how people treat others in public spaces. As I’m standing on the Metro， I see a young woman offer her seat to an older one with a smile.
Railda： （Foreign language spoken）
Garcia-Navarro： Railda is a retiree and is now comfortably sitting down. She says she often gets offered a seat. Still， she tells me， Brazil is an incredibly violent country and she’s often nervous when out in the city.
And that’s what makes all this contact all the more surprising. Many of the people I’ve spoken to today say that crime is one of their main concerns when they go on public transport， and yet that doesn’t stop them from this important human-to-human contact. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro， NPR News， on the Sao Paolo Metro. Leila Fadel： And this is Leila Fadel in Cairo. This is a noisy city， a crowded city of some 16 million people. On my balcony， I can see the lady across the 7）alley 8）ironing her clothes. Last week， I was watching TV and someone yelled from the building next door to turn it down.
（Soundbite of horn honking）
Fadel： My producer Dina Saleh and I spent the day on a microbus. Egyptians use these minivans to get around the city for the 9）equivalent of about 25 cents. We’re 10）squished in the back next to two other women， and 12 more people are piled in. But it’s a national holiday， and Dina says this is nothing compared to a workday.
Dina Saleh： This is not even close. Like visually， people will be sitting on top of each other， maybe hanging off the door.
Fadel： Young boys with no cash jump on the back for a free ride.
Unidentified man： （Foreign language spoken）
Fadel： Walking around the city is like dealing with an 11）obstacle course. The narrow streets are made more narrow by cars 12）haphazardly parked on the sidewalks， sometimes even in the middle of the street.
（Soundbite of horn honking）
Fadel： So we’re standing in one of the most crowded parts of Cairo in Giza Square， where there’s really no sense of personal space. There’s no legal time to cross the street， you just cross when you can. Just now as I was talking， a man brushed up right against me and didn’t even notice， didn’t even apologize ’cause that’s normal here.
（Soundbite of chatter）
Fadel： In the morning， Egyptians crowd around breakfast 13）stands throughout the capital. Men serve up hot 14）fava bean 15）mash with veggies and bread. And people eat at the stand as others flash money above their heads to get service， bodies pressed up against each other. A friend jokes that by the time you get your food you need to shake the other customers out of your clothes.
（Soundbite of chatter）
Fadel： And without space there is no privacy. In every Cairo apartment building is the bawab， the building guard. He knows the comings and goings of every resident on the street. And to this day when a young woman is getting married， families of the groom will 16）interrogate the bawab about the potential bride. Do men come and go from the apartment？ Does she come home late at night？ But the closeness is also comforting. It is a fundamentally kind city. If you fall， a slew of people will rush to your aid. No one will walk by thinking “not my problem”. It is loud， crowded and 17）claustrophobic， and it is 18）maddening and wonderful at the same time. Martin： That’s NPR’s Leila Fadel in Cairo. So， whether you’re there in Egypt or Sao Paolo， Brazil or Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment in Manhattan， remember： if Elaine’s boyfriend Aaron shows up， you might want to take a few steps in reverse.
（Soundbite of TV show， “Seinfeld”）
Reinhold： （as Aaron） Hi. Oh， you must be Kramer. I’ve heard about you.
（Laughter）
Michael Richards： （as Kramer） You must be Aaron. I’ve heard about you.
瑞秋·马丁（主持人）：我们方才听说一个人在拥挤嘈杂的伊斯坦布尔街道上期盼德国式的秩序，原因在于，老实说，德国人真的非常讲秩序。我曾在那儿为NPR播报一年，我可以就我个人的经历说这也是一个人们注重个人空间的地方。在地铁上、人行道上，德国人对与自己最近距离的人之间有多少空间非常在意。然而，当然总是有例外，我说的是，总的来说他们更喜欢多一些空间。这是我们的所想。有时候是下意识的。我们需要周围有多少空间？有一个地方让这种紧张状态更明显：升降电梯。
（电梯“叮”的声音）
升降电梯声：电梯上升。
马丁：还有比升降电梯更让人不想多待的公共空间吗？我的意思是，你走进电梯，没有与你交谈，人人都避免眼神的
接触，你悄悄挪动脚，想要尽可能地与其他人之间有更多的空间。在一部升降电梯里，人们不得不挤入别人的个人空间。在自动取款机前的情况如何？我是说，应该离取款的人多近而不会让人感到不安？杰瑞·宋飞曾经在他一部老电视剧里用一整集来讲个人空间，同时还教给我们一个新词——近距离谈话者。
（电视剧《宋飞正传》片段）
杰瑞·宋飞：（饰演杰瑞）谁啊？
茱莉叶·露易丝-德利法斯：（饰演伊莱恩）是我们。
宋飞：（饰演杰瑞）快上来。是伊莱恩，和她一起没问题，是吧？匿名女声：我们喜欢伊莱恩。
宋飞：她想来打个招呼，带上她的新男朋友。
匿名女声：他人怎么样？
宋飞：人不错，就是有点喜欢近距离谈话。
匿名女声：什么？
宋飞：你会明白的。
马丁：凯瑟琳·素雷尔斯研究个人空间和不同文化背景的人们所持的观念。她是加州大学北岭分校的教授。她说，站得有多近取决于你是哪里人。
凯瑟琳·素雷尔斯：文化空间能说明很多问题。它能说明（人类）关系的本质，人们经常读到这些，尽管他们并未意识到。因此，我想能够解释这件事的观点是，你在其中，并且有所感受，了解其中的意义所在；当你身在其外，就无法解释，你没法理解，还时有误解。这与一些深层次的东西有所关联，比如信任。
马丁：我们来看看来自世界上两个不同地方的人对个人空间的态度。首先跟随NPR记者罗德斯·加西亚-纳瓦罗从巴西的圣保罗开始。
罗德斯·加西亚-纳瓦罗：我现在在圣保罗的地铁上。这是一个有2000万人口的城市，是全球最大的城市之一。一些人每天得在上班路上花上三小时，从城市的一边到另一边。但是有一点你会注意到，在这儿搭乘公共交通工具的感受与美国完全不同，非常具有巴西特色。保拉·莫拉：我去过其他一些国家，没人会互相触碰，似乎每人都有自己的空间。个人空间在其他国家被看得很重，但是这里却不然。
加西亚-纳瓦罗：保拉·莫拉在巴西为
NPR工作。她说巴西就是一个碰碰撞撞的地方。
莫拉：如果我想要走到另一节车厢，我会说，“噢，借过”，然后拍拍别人。
加西亚-纳瓦罗：在公共场合亲热呢？也不是问题。莫拉：我看到人们在地铁上相互亲吻，并不担心别人看到。
加西亚-纳瓦罗：世界上大多数国家的地铁上，人们盯着自己的脚看，或是戴上耳机，在自己的小世界里。在这里，人们相处融洽。他们与别人交谈、互动。这比其他城市所见更活跃。
（谈话声）
加西亚-纳瓦罗：这儿的生活还有一点让人惊奇：尊老爱幼无处不在。在超市，在电影院，在政府办公室，他们为这些特殊人群设立了优先特殊通道。家庭在这里很重要。尽管如此，由于生活成本过高，他们更倾向于组建小家庭，各个家庭在这里是紧密联系的。每周日大家都聚集在一起吃午饭，但平日里也经常如是。那种相互照顾的涵义可解释人们在公共空间是如何对待彼此的。正如我现在在地铁上，我看到一位年轻的女士微笑着给年长者让座。瑞尔达：（说外语）
加西亚-纳瓦罗：瑞尔达已经退休了，现在正舒适地坐下。她说经常有人给她让座。但是，她告诉我们，巴西是一个充满暴力的国家，当她在城里外出时经常感到很紧张。
那就是这些接触更让人惊奇的原因。今天我所交谈过的许多人都表示犯罪是他们搭乘公共交通工具的主要担忧之一，但是那无法阻止他们进行这重要的人与人之间的交流。NPR新闻频道的罗德斯·加西亚-纳瓦罗在圣保罗地铁报道。
雷拉·法德勒：这里是雷拉·法德勒在开罗的报道。这是一个喧闹的城市，也是一个约有1 6 0 0万人口的拥挤的城市。在我的阳台上，我可以看到一位女士在巷子里熨衣服。上周，我正在看电视，旁边的大厦里传来某人的大声叫喊，让我关小点儿声。 （汽车喇叭声）
法德勒：我的制片人蒂娜·萨利赫和我在小型巴士上过了一天。埃及人用相当于25美分的价钱可以坐微型面包车在城里四处逛逛。我们与另两个妇女背靠背紧挨着，车里还挤着其他12个人。但这是一个全国性的节日，蒂娜说这是工作日所无法比拟的。
蒂娜·萨利赫：这还不算靠得近的。像从视觉上看，人们像是坐在对方的头上，也许还得悬在门上。
法德勒：一些没钱的年轻小子从后面跳上车，只为了免费搭一程。
匿名男声：（说外语）
法德勒：在城里步行逛逛就好像穿越障碍物训练场一样。本已狭窄的街道因随意停靠在人行道上，有时甚至停在街道中间的车辆而显得更狭窄了。
（汽车喇叭声）
法德勒：我们现在站在开罗最拥挤的地方之一——吉萨广场，这里真的无所谓个人空间可言。这里横过马路没有法定时间，你想过时就可以过。刚才我正在说话，一个男人就这么擦过我身边甚至没留意到，更别说道歉了，因为在这儿，那再平常不过了。
（谈话声）
法德勒：早上，埃及人堆挤在首都各地的早餐摊点。人们端着混有蔬菜和面包的蚕豆糊，就站在摊点那吃，任由其他人的钱在他们头上挥来挥去，每个人的身体都挤在一起。一位朋友开玩笑说，到你拿到自己食物的时候，你需要抖动衣服将其他顾客抖走。
（谈话声）
法德勒：没有空间就没有隐私。开罗每一栋公寓楼，都有门卫。他熟识街上来来往往的每一位居民。有天如果一位年轻的女士要结婚了，那么新郎的家人会来询问门卫关于这位未来新娘的事情。有男人出入公寓吗？她晚归吗？但是这种亲密感也会让人感到舒心。这基本上是一个很友善的城市。如果你摔倒了，很多人会跑来帮助你。没人路过时会想着“这并不是我的过错”。这里很喧闹、拥挤和幽闭恐怖，但同时也让人发狂，让人感觉美妙无比。
马丁：那是NPR记者雷拉·法德勒在开罗的报道。那么，无论你是在埃及还是巴西的圣保罗，还是杰瑞·宋飞所在的位于曼哈顿的公寓，记住：如果伊莱恩的男朋友艾伦出现，你可能会想要退后几步。
（电视剧《宋飞正传》片段）
莱茵霍尔德：（饰演艾伦）大家好。噢，你一定是克莱默。我听说过你。
（笑声）
迈克尔·理查德斯：（饰演克莱默）你一定是艾伦，我也听说过你。
Let’s see what people think about personal spaces：
Susan Lynch
I’m a 60 something administrator at a large private university and take the elevator from the parking structure each morning. When I get in， I immediately engage each elevator inhabitant by asking if they are going to have a good day？ We share， and as we’re about to disembark I say that， if things are going a little slow this afternoon and you’re afraid the day isn’t going as well as expected， just remember you met the Elevator Cheerleader this morning， and everything will be fine. And we all smile. It’s a great way to start the day. And our bank of elevators has the reputation of being the most interactive on campus， which gets our heads out of our electronic devices and engaging with real people. And my personal revolutionary recruitment seems to be working.
Lemon Tree
It is not just the personal boundary thing but also for me it is a manners thing. For instance I go to the grocery store and even before I can put the money in my wallet the next person is moving up on me to push me out of the way. It’s like giving a person a second okay？ I understand on a train or at an event there will be many people and I might get bumped or whatever and I don’t necessarily expect an “excuse me” but in day to day activities when this happens I think an “excuse me” or “pardon me” goes a long way.
Amanda Y
I am teaching in South Korea right now and the students here... well everyone actually are very touchy-feely. My experience here has opened my eyes to a different way of interacting with people. The students here think nothing of coming and standing next to me or sitting on my leg. They play with my hair and are always touching my face. I thought this was because I am foreign with blonde hair and blue eyes which they don’t see a lot... but I find they are all open to touching their friends and family too. Girls walk down the streets holding hands or linking arms. Boys always have their arms around each other. It’s very interesting. At first I was really shocked and felt very awkward. I know in the US， if a student and teacher interacted in such a way， the teacher would probably be fired. But here， it is looked upon as unwelcoming to the students. Just...interesting.