I was at Union Square in Somerville Mass yesterday [View All]

This is the spot where George Washington raised the first American flag:



All around me were people speaking Portuguese, and brazilian flags were flying from many storefronts.



We went into a bakery and the attendant, a young woman, came over to assist. We told her we were window shopping and she said to us, in Portuguese, "I'm sorry, I don't speak English". With some hand gestures and a few words in Spanish that I guessed might be close to Portuguese, we were able to get our message across.

She smiled and let us look around the store while she went back to talking Portuguese to a young man (possibly her boyfriend, by the way he looked at her). They were laughing and teasing with each other, completely oblivious to our presence.

We finally picked a loaf of pan dulce and paid.

On the way out, I blurted out the one word of Portuguese I know:

- Obrigado! - I said.

- bonada! - she replied.

And we left.


It was weird to be in this place, the heart of American history, and not understand anything that was spoken around me.

Weird, but beautiful at the same time.

At no point did I feel, threatened, unwelcome, criticized, or ridiculed. Quite the contrary, I felt that everyone around me was trying to reach out and connect.

To connect in a way that transcends language and culture.

Trying to connect through the universal language of smile.

:hi:




ps: This is a cross post from the Latin/Hispanic forum. After I posted there, I realized it merits a wider audience. I hope you agree.