|
The wind was howling under overcast skies, but I wanted the picture anyway. I made my way to the top deck of the ship and discovered a clear view of Santorini, a Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea.
Most of the family had gone ashore for a few hours, but my daughter and I opted for some quiet time aboard ship.
I took a walk and took my pic. When I turned to head back to my daughter, however, I felt a tug on my elbow. Standing directly behind me was a smallish older lady, toasty in a jacket and head scarf, who spoke zero English. I don't know what she spoke, but I spoke zero that as well.
With gestures, expressions and certain verbal gesticulations, she asked me to take a picture of her with Santorini as a backdrop. I nodded, "Sure."
She backed up, I took the pic. She shuffled over, looked at my handiwork, but appeared puzzled and dissatisfied.
She pointed to the picture, nodding up and down, showing me where in the picture she wanted me to place her-from her waste up, lower right corner with the island displayed behind.
With those precise instructions, I tried again. This time when she looked at the picture I saw a broad smile spread over her face. She winked at me while joining her thumb and forefinger together giving me the universal sign of "okay." And with a quick satisfied nod she shuffled on away.
Now there was some cross-cultural problem-solving!
Actually, I've always seen international travel as kind of a great big teambuilding exercise. After all, one of the bases for relationship building is the opportunity for interaction. And so it was on the vacation I took with thirteen family members two weeks ago in Greece.
People from all over the globe discovering ways to communicate and cooperate. The uncovering of unique, valuable differences, but also, and in many ways more importantly, our commonalities.
A tug on the elbow is universal it seems. As is the "okay" sign. So are smiles. So are adults' reactions to children. Oh, and dogs. And we're all a bit timid around cold water.
Laughter is enjoyed by everyone. Big winds will try to knock us all over. And I think I saw every ethnic group at some point befuddled by their cell phones. That seems universal too.
We all have strangers take our pictures, are enthralled by beauty, love a sunny day of 74 degrees.
I also found that, if presented correctly, archeology can be made boring in any language.
Money is also the object of universal negotiation. For this I give you my nephew Kyle. In Rhodes, five of us piled into a cab to head from the beach back to the ship. Lanky-legged Kyle was sitting in the front when the driver pulled to a stop.
Kyle: "How much?"
Driver in broken English: "Uh...let's see...five of you...10 Euros."
Kyle: "Hmm...the driver that took us to the beach only charged us 7."
Driver: (After a hesitation.) "Okay."
Language can be a barrier to be sure. I think the elderly woman who held a door for me did not mean to say "Pleasure me" when I said thank you. I'm pretty sure she meant "My pleasure." See how misunderstandings can start?
Indeed, there are potential potholes of misunderstanding and cultural differences; motorcycles own the roads-and sidewalks!-in Athens...and Speedos? Don't get me started.
But the similarities make me wonder how there could ever be war.
Most of us seemed overly polite, almost as if we wanted to be sure we wouldn't be the cause of World War III. Actually, subconsciously I suppose, wanting to show each other that in any culture people are simply...people.
The day after my photo session with the older lady, I stood outside the Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens. I peered up at the large, intimidating pillars before me...formed by humans 2500 years ago. I pondered...Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cartland.
Really. Mind-boggling. The birthplace of democracy.
The ancient discussions of leadership and republics and life and happiness that went on there, and echo down through the ages still.
So many humans from every corner of the world together wowed by the march of time, awed by the themes it etches.
Every one of us taken aback. We had that in common too.
| 
