“Welcome to Smoothie King,” I shouted over the roar of three blenders going off in the midst of our lunch rush. I was bombarded with smoothies to create, from the Kiwi Kale to the Almond Mocha. My shift was about to end and I counted down the seconds until it did. The last batch of customers was a family of five strolling in the shop, their dark eyes studying the menu and muttering to one another with tilted heads and puzzled looks. I remember silently empathizing with them from afar with my hands buried under mountains of dishes; after all, they had entered the seventh heaven of blended drinks. By the time I reached what seemed like my thousandth scooper to sanitize, I noticed the family had gotten nowhere in their contemplation of the menu, and heard the woman call out in a thick Spanish accent: “Help please?”
Hearing her voice took me back five years ago when I signed up for my first Spanish class and fell in love with the language, everything from its rolled R’s and idioms untranslatable in English. I wiped my hands on my papaya-stained shirt and rushed to the order station, assuring the family that they could take as long as they wanted–all in their native language. I swapped “How are you?” for “¿Cómo puedo ayudarles?” and instantly the timid family that had walked into the shop transformed into a lively one. Throughout my life, I’ve developed a fascination for language because it offers a connection far deeper than just verbal communication. It allows for true understanding of different types of people and how we relate to them despite cultural barriers, whether through cognates or our favorite protein shakes–a skill that everyone should implement into their daily lives.
From showing a foreign exchange student around my high school to helping refugees move into new homes with World Relief, I’ve interacted with individuals from many different backgrounds and this moment was another chance for me to do so. The presence of multiculturalism in my life has urged me to tackle new experiences such as modeling for a Pakistani clothing line in front of thousands or teaching ESL students who struggle with English how to read at my local library.
Language is a cultural gift in my life since I was raised speaking three languages fluently: English, French and Urdu. Being multilingual has helped me see the world in varying perspectives, use information in unconventional ways, and embrace the diversity that is prevalent in today’s society — something that’s vital to do in a world filled with pockets of prejudice and discrimination. Through what I experienced that day, I’ve realized that the willingness to have an open mind can not only help someone order a smoothie, but it can be powerful beyond words.
The children gleefully told me all their favorite fruits and I responded with a multitude of smoothie suggestions catered to their liking, all in the best Spanish I could speak. While discussing prices and promotions, I couldn’t help but catch the mother beaming when she realized I could communicate with her comfortably, a few verb conjugation errors aside.
Moments like this fuel my infatuation of languages with the idea that regardless of race, religion, gender, orientation or language barrier, every individual has something to say.
“Gracias,” the family thanked me, and walked out of the shop with smiles and smoothies in hand.
