2022 Hall of Fame Nominee
Anniston, AL
2022 Finalist from SCOLT
Spanish
You just never know when knowing another language can help you save the day. A friend of mine who speaks several languages told me about an experience where she was in the airport about to get on a flight, when she noticed two men acting suspiciously. She decided to sit close to them at the gate of the flight. As she sat right behind them, she heard one of them say in Arabic, “hide the knife carefully”. She then heard them say, “count everyone who is boarding this flight”. She immediately panicked and told her husband she will not board the flight. She was so adamant that her husband took her to someone who worked for the airline. The airline employee told her to describe the people and to explain everything they said. Soon the flight was delayed, the two men were taken to another location to be searched, and they were not allowed to board the plane. My friend, being able to speak the Arabic language, was able to save all the people on the plane that day. On that day, no one on that plane realized that their life was in jeopardy. Because of her understanding of the Arabic language, she became an unsung hero which she and her husband and few of the airport staff would ever know. Knowing a language is like knowing a secret code of communication that can lead you to attaining what you need, and what you want.