Olivia stood on the Great Wall of China, her hazel eyes staring through her camera lens. She snapped a few pictures over the side of the wall. Olivia listened to the chatter around her, wishing she could understand Chinese. She had tried to learn a little before the trip, but it was hard for her because of her learning disability, Auditory Processing Deficit.
Olivia put her camera back around her neck and started her hike again. She brushed her curly dark brown hair from her face when a couple approached her. She smiled at them, but when they spoke to her. She looked at them confused.
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand," Olivia said. She raised her eyebrows when the couple looked at each other for a moment and then talked in Italian again.
Olivia was about to say something when she noticed they were holding a camera. "Oh! You want me to take a picture of you two?" She pointed to their camera and then pretended to take a picture with her own.
The couple nodded and smiled when they saw Olivia understood them. Olivia nodded and took their camera, snapping a few pictures for the couple. They thanked her for the photos and took back their camera. They turned to someone else and pointed to their camera, asking if they would take a picture for them. The man spoke Spanish but he took the camera, understanding what the couple had wanted.
Olivia watched the couple be wildered that they had asked someone else to take a picture for them when she could have helped them. But to her surprise, the couple pulled her close and the other man snapped a couple of pictures of them together.
Olivia took the camera back and snapped pictures of the couple with the man and his family. She had never thought about taking pictures of those she had met on her travels and now she wished she had. She decided to start doing this starting now. Olivia smiled as she gave back the camera and got a picture with the couple and the family.
Even though they couldn't understand each other, they figured out what the other person wanted and that was something Olivia wanted to remember. And of course, even if she had understood them, she would want pictures. The couple had an amazing way to remember those who helped them on their travels. She cherished each moment with the Mexican family and an Italian couple. They even taught Olivia a few simple words and phrases. Olivia was thankful that they all were patient with her as they repeated themselves.
Olivia spent the rest of the day with her new friends. They took pictures, taught each other their language, and had fun exploring the Great Wall of China and all it had to offer.
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