Just like the saying goes in English, ‘You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream!’ When it goes for San Jeronimo, the saint who translated the bible from Latin into Spanish, there is no reason to cause a riot over something that is bilingual. If your nature does call you to throw up your arms in desperation because you cannot speak two languages, then maybe you do need to head to San Jeronimo ice cream parlor to get your fix on something that will chill you out.
Being bilingual or something more is not something that should be held as the greatest achievement know to walk the earth, but it should be respected. When talking to someone in a culture that does not accept outside influences they can be confused when talking to a foreigner who is talking their own language. The locals can think they are listening to English or they may even believe that they are talking in English. This is even when every word coming out of the mouth of the foreigner is their local language and every word they have spoken or grasped onto is also their local language. Even when everything is translated for them, the local people will insist that they had some part in translating something in the conversation even though that is not the case.
Thinking you’ve heard another language just because a person looks different or says it with an accent does not make it another language. Speaking Spanish is difficult because in this language people believe they can tell your family history by listening to you, they can detect every nuance of your past simply through your voice. They can trace the family lineage based on the tone of your voice. One can see where you studied and how much money you have by the overtures you express with your words. However, none of this is true and you can see a local react for five to ten seconds when they encounter someone new or a new voice that has entered the room as they try to ascertain as much information they can from the vibratos they receive from listening to the person. This is a trick that they believe goes beyond mind reading.
When San Jeronimo translated the bible from Latin he was unsure how to do this because the other languages were considered that of heathens. But in doing so, he was one of the most influential people of the church to be recorded in the history books. The same goes true for those people entering other cultures and adapting to their way of life. Often you feel you are entering a situation that is beyond and capacity to seem valiant. But upon closer look there are many treasures to behold and be grateful for, which you would not be able to encounter if you were only to carry yourself in your own domain from your national land.
Ice cream is a metaphor for many languages. People have a natural hunger for things that are cold. This goes for all types of societies. If there is one thing that can be shared across cultures it is a sweet tooth for a delicate, creamy and icy dessert. People of all natures can come together to exclaim their impossible characteristics with someone else entirely different over a bowl of ice cream. Claiming that we are all heathens is one thing, saying that we all need ice cream is another. Thank goodness for San Jeronimo the ice cream in the Sabana Centro and nationally. Strangers to this land can enjoy something right alongside the locals that they too desire.
Common ground is important not only spiritually but also economically and in a friendly atmosphere. Finding something to share across cultures bridges many gaps that often are the first things to be put on the table. But when the serious conversation has come to its peak, like the frozen iced capped mountains, it’s time to meet half way over a delicatessen ice cream bowl.