Connections made, with someone who doesn’t speak the same languages as you, with love, and kindness, translated…
It was, a rare occasion, where my friend and family came back, and I’d, gone to pick them up at the airports, to show how much I’d, missed them. It was, past five in the early evening, I’d stood at the outside of the arrival terminals, then suddenly, I felt something warm, hugging hard, onto my thighs—I’d lowered my head, it was, a young boy, of about a year of age. And, although he’d, stumbled around, he’d still, talked baby talk incessantly, to show how excite he was, to see me.
I’d squatted down to his level, smiled, “So, you’d, come to pick them up too, did you?”
The toddler nodded, and replied, “mmmmmmmmm-hum! Uh-huh!”
like this??? Photo from online
I’d, pointed to the automatic doors of the entrance gates, asked him, “Who are you here for? Is it, your daddy?”
He’d continued nodding his head, pointed to the same direction I was, gesturing, replied back happily, “Mmmmmmmmm~hmmmmmmmmm!” I thought to myself, such an intelligent child. After all, I’d, never seen a toddler of about one, who can, understand what the adults are, telling her/him.
Then, he’d, run back quickly to the back to his mother, and, came toward me, to wait alongside me. And I’d, waved goodbye, hello, goodbye, hello to him, he was, having so much fun with this game we’d, started. In the end, he’d, stumbled over to me, with a bag of cookies, to try, to share his treats with me.
I’d, worked with him, to tear open the package, after the boy took one piece, he’d stuffed the entire pack into my hands. I shook my head, for him to keep it, and we’d, pushed that bag of cookies between us over, over, over, and over, the child’s mother came over, took her son’s hand, and, stuffed that bag of cookies into my hands, then, started blabbing out…Korean………
like this??? Photo from online
Then, suddenly, it’d, dawned on me. I don’t speak the same languages as the young boy at all, that it wasn’t, conversation, it was, us, talking in our on tongues with each other!
I didn’t know how to react to her, and only stated a “Thank you very much!” that was when, the father of that young boy came out of the gates (and, my guess, actually, was right!), I saw the child’s father, scooped him up with one arm, and the family of three got farther, and farther away, and that little boy, kept waving goodbye to me, and, it’d, given this short interaction of ours, its, perfect ending.
And I’d, finally understood, that the language barriers don’t keep people from making friends with one another. So long as we, squat down, flash that smile of ours, and it’s, more than enough, to start ourselves, in a brand new interaction with someone else in this world.
And so, despite the language barrier, this person found a way of interaction, with this little boy from another country, this still just showed, that the universal language that everybody speaks is love, because this individual was gentle and kind toward that little boy, and that little boy was, drawn to the person.
Life, the Obstacle Course 