==JAPAN: KM== [Communication]

I was at a loss what to do, because the silent old woman kept making a circle with her thumb and index finger. We said, "No, we didn't do this for money." But she continued to make the circle. None of us could guess what the sign really meant. As clear as the idea was in her head, it meant something else or the wrong thing in ours.
When I was in junior high school, we had a class during which we could choose and experience some job that interested us. I chose the work in the hospital. There, we took care of elderly people, pushing the wheelchairs, cleaning the rooms, and talking with them. We enjoyed working there. Finishing almost all of the work, finally, we entered the room where she was. She, with silver hair and wrinkled face, was lying gently in the bed. Doing some work, we soon realized that she couldn't speak and she was bound to the bed with handkerchiefs. After a while, the nurse left the room saying to us, "O.K, let's take a rest. You can stay here."
Suddenly an old man who seemed to be a patient of the hospital came in. He was grinning like a little boy with a cup of jelly in his hand. He walked to her bed and gave her the jelly with a spoon. Of course, we were old enough to know that it was not good for patients to have sweets without the doctor's permission. But we didn't stop him, because he seemed to do that every day and the woman looked happy.
Again there was no one but her and us after he left the room. Then she did it! She made a circle with her thumb and index finger! As you know, it usually means O.K, but what was O.K. at that time? We didn't know, so we sought for another meanings. I recalled immediately that in Japan it also meant "money." The next moment "all" of us were saying, "No, no, we didn't help you for a reward." In spite of our words, her fingers still formed the circle.
Another similar incident happened in junior high school. When my friend and I were chatting after lunch, our ALT teacher came and spoke to us. He said, "Oh, you have ketchup on you mouth." So I hastily wiped my mouth. Seeing my friend laughing at me, he also said, "You, too!" Then my friend answered, "U2? I know it. I like it very much!" He took "you, too" for "U2", the rock group! No one thought it could happen, and it generally can't happen though it did. He liked music so much that he couldn't guess any other meaning of "you, too" even from the context.
People have their thoughts, unique in their own heads, and perhaps very different from what may be in others' heads within the same situation. Therefore, our answers, especially to linguistic questions, often depend on what we think, how we feel, and even what we want at that time. As is usual with us, we interpret what others say as what we think.
After all, we couldn't get the correct answer for the elderly woman's O.K. sign. We thought and thought, with vain discussion the only words that occurred to us were O.K. and money. Of course, we know neither of them was right, so we were so confused. After what seemed an extremely long time had passed, but a very short time in fact, the nurse came back to the room. Hesitatingly I asked, "She is showing us something, but we can't guess what. Do you know what it means?" After long thinking, "none" of us had been able to get it, thus we were so astonished when the nurse easily came up with the answer. She stepped toward her and handed her a piece of Kleenex! The old granny spit out the jelly on it! The nurse had her usual look, and the woman smiled at ease. Kleenex! How come we didn't get it! Her fingers were expressing the situation in which she would pick up a Kleenex.
What was the difference between the nurse and us? Was it her experience? Or some other things? I don't think it was just because we were junior high school students. I thought I was doing the work voluntarily and from the bottom of my heart. But that might not have been completely true. Even now I sometimes remember this incident and wonder if my kindness is self-satisfaction. What I guess, what you mean, it is essential to make both close.


"Getting It Together"

This essay is one of the most impressive incidents I have experienced. I would be so glad if you feel something about communication. It was easy for me to find the topic, because I have written some essays or short stories in Japanese and this essay was what I have wanted to write for a long time. Now you might think I could write this easily, but I couldn't. Having a good idea is one thing and writing it in English is completely another! I struggled to find beautiful phrases, but to my regret I didn't have enough time. One thing I can surely say is, " begin to write it as early as possible!"