Just a little lovin'

I will start with hello. Most places in the world, including Ecuador, people are greeted with a "kiss" on the cheek. I say "kiss" because we don't actually give a kiss, we only touch cheeks and make a kissing sound. I've grown really accustom to this practice. It makes me feel very welcomed everywhere I go. I think that in comparison to the US, it brings families closer.
I got the first hug in my life from my brother about a week before I came to Ecuador. Sure, as children I was always the annoying younger sister who wanted to hang out with him and his friends, but as we've grown up we've become good friends. Since I have been in Ecuador, I have gotten used to a good: nice-to-meet-you, good-morning, hello, and goodbye kiss on the cheek. This simple action has made me reconsider my relationships with my own family and friends at home.
A little bit of physical love brings people closer! Just a simple hug from a loved one is nothing but good feelings, so why is this comforting gesture not practiced in the US? It is a little mind-boggling to compare my physical relationships with my friends at home to my new friends in Ecuador. I have plenty of people in Ohio who I love, but with most my friends, especially guy-friends, it not always common to even give them a hug goodbye. But in Ecuador, I am instantly friendly and comfortable with everyone after any "mucho gusto" (nice to meet you). I feel like a bit of physical affection to the people you are spending time with makes the time together more inviting and loving. A physical hello each morning, I believe, goes a long way with the love and strength of a family.
I don't have a definite answer to my previous question: why don't we practice this in the US? Perhaps it goes back to the early days of the melting pot. The history of America has a lot of racism, obviously Jim Crow laws come to mind, but in the earliest days of immigration even the people from European countries discriminated against each other. I suppose that this long history of segregation and discrimination has contributed to the "personal bubble" that many Americans have. Anyway, what ever the reason for America's difference from most of the rest of the world, it will be quite an adjustment for me to not go around a room and touch cheeks with everyone in it.