Ha ha, I don’t think I’m from your country but I had a somewhat similar experience (we hug, but definitely not kiss if just friends)!

I got a girlfriend there, and for me kissing someone, wherever it might be, was very intimate. So I kissed here on the cheek/beside the mouth when we parted ways at school (kissing on the mouth seemed a bit too much in front of everyone, and I hadn’t seen people do it for a short good-bye). Man, it took me some time to understand why she was angry with me, she thought I just showed everyone we were not a couple but just friends!