Jumana is Jim Without Her Ginger-Root Tea

I’m not sure what it is about my voice, but if I talk just over my vocal-equilibrium, I morph into an 85-year-old hard smoker who’s never seen ginger root tea in his life. December of 2023, San Francisco, Jumana became Jim after day two of being there. I was rid of my only skill, pure yap, less than 48 hours after landing there.  

Luckily, I possessed one druidic power that saved me: the best-friend language 

best-friend-language 

/ˈbfFl/ 

noun 

(especially in the context of Jumana and her Insanity) a non-verbal language between best friends that only requires gestures and eye-contact to communicate.

 

Through some wild stroke of luck, my best friend and I were both accepted into this camp, and I was saved. All I had to do was make eye contact, motion for a drink by cupping my hand, and she’d understand I was getting up to get the blessed ginger root tea in the breakfast hall (it was primordial be so for real I would’ve been done for without it-), it would take me a second so don’t be worried, and I’ll be back with hot tea so don’t try and jump-scare me when I walk back. One motion and eye contact were all we needed.  


Real footage of me during that camp:

During this week, seeing how language affected one’s assumpitions, I couldn’t help but think of the positive assumptions that Insiya had, where my lack of language became language enough to communicate simply because she knew me, and could assume the rest of the message based on just that. The best-friend language is not only tangible proof of friendship, but the ability to understand without needing to try.  

So, Insiya, while you’re beating up other oboes in a band competition as I write this, 

*hand signs* 

She’ll understand :D 

Comments

  1. The ToroMarch 9, 2025 at 4:53 PM

    This story about language was so cute compared to the experiences we heard in class. Sometimes a nonverbal language demonstrates a true understanding of other individuals. Sometimes silence creates awkwardness, but I guess true friendships are capable of embracing the lack of verbalization. Words can’t always express the close relationship that friends have.

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