physical contact

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I come from a culture in which physical contact is very common, and probably thanks to this I don't have issues being touched (I did as a child but I've overcome it). However, touching others does not come to me naturally and it's not something I can do spontaneously, without thinking. As a result, I don't really know how to respond if others do touch me (ok, except in extreme cases) - I realise it's usually a sign of liking, but I don't know how and when to touch them back, because it's not something I do automatically it would probably come out forced and wooden and that is likely worse than not reciprocating at all. With guys it's not too hard for me to give them a pat on the back or something sometimes, but with girls there is more room for misunderstanding - I've been thinking of this since recently two girls (one of them a Muslim, funnily enough) touched me on the arm in a friendly way. What makes the problem worse is that, as a foreigner, I'm not always sure what the societal rules are for this, and they may well not be sure how to interpret me.
Any thoughts?

no clue, though maybe you should read up on how to touch correctly, seriously im sure its somewhere on the internet
(like a wikihow on how to have personal contact)

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Name: Yoshiyahu
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There are different ways to touch. I don't feel comfortable touching people in the traditional way, but I have this 'friendly punch' thing that I do--basically just punch someone lightly in the arm, kind of like saying 'hey you'.

I kind of have the same problem. AA meetings have sort of helped me understand when it's good to give someone a hug for support. You probably don't have a drinking problem though so don't feel alone. Maybe a small pat on the back and a "How are you?" It seems to work for me. I don't normally hug unless I know that person real well.