Discuss the difficulty of communicating with family members of different generations, who speak another language and come from a different culture. How do Michelle and Nami bridge this divide?

Discuss the difficulty of communicating with family members of different generations, who speak another language and come from a different culture. How do Michelle and Nami bridge this divide?

I loved how Michelle and Nami found a way to connect despite their lack of a common language. I think the hardest part was reading about Michelle's regret for not learning Korean when she had the chance. Although it is never too late. I hope she does learn so she and Nami can communicate better moving forward. But it was sweet to see how they were there for each other anyway. They had a special relationship.

I have family in Austria that I have been around a handful of times and it is frustrating to not be able to speak to them and have them understand my words, and I, their words. As with Michelle and Nami we use all methods - translators, smiles, gestures and in our technological world of today, Duolingo or other apps.

I liked how they adapted to and attempted to overcome the language barrier. It is amazing how much body language and facial expressions can be used in these situations, but I felt for Michelle when she talked about wishing she had learned the language. Cool thing is that technology today would enable her to still do so.

I do not have family members who do not speak my native language, but I had two close friends who could not talk easily with their grandmothers. It seems that motivation on the part of both the child and the elder varies a great deal. One of my friends did many things like cooking and sewing with her grandmother-they were very close. The other one was bashful around her grandmother and neither did more than a perfunctory hug. I now know the second grandmother was likely heartbroken by the distance. As a child I was made grateful I could communicate easily with my surviving grandmother.