by Victoria Hanson
Miscommunication within the same language is inevitable. However, slow simple words, grand emotion filled gestures, and keen faces, all assist in navigating the world between languages.
The first glance, the long welcoming stare started it all. After completing our photo assignment of carefully capturing Emilio’s soft prominent facial expressions through the reflective glass surface of Jake’s gelateria, Emilio strolled to the table.
Ciao! Buono cera! My little knowledge of conversational Italian could translate only so far. Broken French proved to open more channels through my observations of Shelley’s interaction. Despite the promising slow speech and the exaggeration of simple words, I was still verbally unaware of what my new friend was trying to say.
His hopeful heart poured out with wanting desperately to communicate and to understand. Pointing, charades, faces of affirmation, looks of confusion, and warm smiles assisted this verbal obstacle. Through patience, persistence and time, I understood the idea of what was said and realized each action was a piece in the larger puzzle.
Verbal communication, non-verbal communication, and the humanistic factor, acted as the gateways to embracing this cultural experience. The rewarding feeling of breaking the ice and making a personal connection transcends disparities, highlighting similarities.
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