A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words...Right?

For many people, communication can be stressful. For an introverted person, conversation can seem intrusive or simply exhausting. For an insecure person, conversations lead to worry and paranoia. For the average person, talking to a stranger tends to be at least a little awkward.

Although I definitely have an introverted/insecure/average side, I generally find that I can communicate without too much difficulty. However, a recent trip overseas showed me how difficult communication can be when you don't speak the same language. I don't think I've ever said, "Can you say that again?" so much in my life! It didn't take me long to learn that words are completely useless if the other person does not speak my language.

Pictures, on the other hand, are universal. When you show someone a picture of a mountain (generally speaking), they know it is a mountain, whether they call it that or not. That's why we invented stick figures and road sign symbols - so that everyone can understand them! At least... that's what I thought. After spending two weeks overseas, I learned that even pictures can sometimes be a mystery!

Example #1

At first glance, it appears this little man is stretching. Could this be a No Yoga Zone?

Maybe he's waving... this is a Friendly People Zone!

No... He's break dancing! or Disco! It's a Disco Dance Room!

Well, in context (the bathroom) it quickly became clear that this man is falling. It's a sign to warn you to be careful not to slip. Ok, that made sense, especially when we saw that the shower and bathroom were actually the same. (The shower head was on the wall next to the toilet) Under these circumstances your floor could get pretty slick. Plus, you might add, the picture is simply there to help. The words are there for a reason, I just couldn't understand them. So, ok. Maybe I was the only problem with this picture.

Example #2

This sign was a bit more difficult to decifer.

Clearly, it means ATTENTION! But why, I have no idea.

The context is this: a wall. a large wall with other walls nearby, in a park.

For some reason, it is necessary to pay attention to this wall.

Yet however long I looked I could not figure out why this wall was so important over the others.

Maybe it's structurally unstable, or maybe it's to help plows navigate in the winter.

Surely there is an explanation for this!

Maybe this is just a problem with interpretation...maybe I'm just not observant enough and I missed an obvious reason for this sign.

However, THIS one, I'm convinced, is an absolute mystery!
Example #3:

What is the meaning of this sign?!?!

After much deliberation and consultation with friends and family, these were the conclusions we came to:

No blowing up cars,

No making smores on the roof of your car,

No shooting flame throwers out your sunroof,

No firecrackers on the roof of your car,

OR

Blasting Zone: Wear a helmet

Clearly, sometimes words are just necessary!

P.S. This one isn't confusing, just amusing!

This was on the window of our tour bus:

ATTENTION Single College Men!

Tonight I witnessed one of the most beautiful sights in the world: a soon-to-be bride in her wedding dress. In the midst of my excitement for my friend and admiring the absolutely stunning dress I felt a slight pang of compassion for the single college male.
This is only my freshman year of college, but I have had the privilege of witnessing two girls on my floor get engaged (well, not witnessing, but hearing the stories right after it happened). The one girl is engaged to a Romanian man. For his proposal, he blindfolded her one night and led her to a place that his friends had prepared for the romantic occasion. In this large room, his friends had set up THOUSANDS of tea-lights in the shape of a giant heart and he carried her into the middle to propose. When she removed the blindfold, her eyes met with the most stunningly romantic sight a girl could want for her engagement. The girls on our dorm floor sighed for hours just at the thought of it!
However, I was not going to let my expectations be raised by a foreign proposal (as my friend claims, Romanians are the most romantic people in the world, but then again, I think she's a little biased). After all, in Romania an engagement is almost as binding a the marriage itself. in America, it's really awful if someone breaks off an engagement. In Romania, you just don't. So, naturally, you can't expect the same effort from an American guy, right?
Well, that brings me to the second engagement. This couple just started dating a few months ago, but they have been friends for a while. In addition, the guy is heading to Iraq for a year but got to see his lovely lady one last time before his departure. Naturally, they went sky diving!! Thousands of feet in the air, as they plummeted to the ground, he asked her to marry him. Maybe not classic romantic, but still AMAZING! I don't think she will ever meet another girl who can tell a story like that! Then, just to top off the amazing with a touch of sweetness, they went engagement ring shopping and picked out the ring together the next day. (They had never talked about marriage before then, so he didn't know what ring to get. Instead, when they landed he gave her a beautiful band that was inscribed in Hebrew, which has all sorts of adorable romantic significance that I do not have time to explain here).
All that to say, my thoughts begin to imagine what will happen when the next girl finds her man on one knee. Who knows what incredible feat he may attempt! This has stirred in my heart a compassion for single college guys who hope to marry someday. My word of advice is this: Guys, if you have a girl, PROPOSE! QUICK! Before she gets any more ideas! And if you don't have a girl, find one SOON! And be aware that you may have to build her a house, or take her to Hawaii, or mine the diamond with your bare hands BEFORE she says yes.



P.S. Picture from Syllipsi Photography - syllipsiphoto.com - They're awesome! Check them out!

One Point for the Feminists

I am definitely not a feminist. I often roll my eyes at those females who INSIST that they can do anything a guy can do. I have no problem letting guys be the strong ones and carry all the heavy things and do the hard manual labor. In fact, I am always impressed when a guy notices me struggling with something and offers to help or, even better, to carry it for me. What can I say? I was raised by a Daddy who is always a gentleman and who trained my awesome older brother to be a gentleman as well! So, I love it when I meet other gentlemen who open doors and carry heavy things for me!

All that aside, I have recently found that there is one place where my femininity falls by the wayside and I find myself trying to out-do the guys around me: the weight room. For some reason, everything in me wants to be able to see a guy lifting weights and say (to a nearby female, I would never rob a man of his masculinity by saying this to his face) "I can lift more than that!" Weight lifting in its essence is a rather masculine thing to do, so I guess that explains this strange, yet persistent, urge to beat a guy at his own game.

Fortunately for the males in the weight room (and to the relief of my feminine side), I have been unable to attain this goal. Occasionally, I will see a guy lifting less than I do, but before the boasting words of triumph can leave my mouth I realize that he's doing twice as many repetitions, or, as happened one time, he is only using one leg where I use both. The beast within continues to wait in anticipation, but my hopes are not quite as high as they once were.

HOWEVER, today I had an experience that temporarily satisfied the monster. I had just laid down on a bench to do sit-ups when I heard a guy say, "Woah, is that a bruise?" Noticing him staring at my knee, I figured he was talking to me and responded in the affirmative.

"How did that happen?" he asked.

"Oh, a girl fell on me at practice."

"Wow, I've never had a bruise like that!"

With those few words that guy made my day! Yes!!!!!! I had out-done a guy in the weight room! Granted, it had nothing to do with lifting weights, but that didn't matter to my exaltant little mind! I had won!

I don't know what I said after that, but I know that while I remained calm and indifferent on the outside, the beast was dancing for joy. Oh, the bliss of victory!