Last week, my family embarked (together!) on our biggest adventure yet – my brother’s wedding in Daegu, South Korea. It was an once-in-a-lifetime experience, and memories were made that will be engrained in our hearts forever. One part of the trip that was sometimes challenging was the language barrier.

Although my amazing sister-in-law was able to translate for us throughout most of our journey, there were moments we had to find our own way. For instance, my mom, sister and I had a translator come with us for the entire wedding day as we got our hair done at a traditional salon and prepared for the ceremony – as my new sister-in-law was a little busy herself, preparing to meet my brother at the altar.

After the wedding, my family traveled with my brother, his new wife, and her mother and father for four days throughout the country. Not only did my new sister-in-law have to enjoy a “family honeymoon,” but she was forced to translate between our two families as we traveled the country, ate meals together and even got lost together … talk about hard work! Through it all she showed incredible grace as she helped to bridge the communication gap.

But we learned quickly that there are some hand signals and gestures that are universal, too – this was one way we could all communicate with each other without the help of Hyekyoung. Here are some of the basics:

• Thumbs up, thumbs down or crossed arms like an X. Helpful when voting yes or no when choosing between kimchi, bibimbap or rice for our next meal.
• Putting two hands together next to cheek with eyes closed. Symbolizing how my mom FINALLY slept 7 hours the night AFTER the wedding was over.
• Air kisses. Blowing kisses goodbye at the adorable 3-year-old flower girl, who was committed to greeting each of us with a kiss on the cheek each time we got together.
• Cuckoo sign, crazy or screw loose. Making a circling motion of the index finger at the ear or side of the head signifies that the person is going crazy – this appears to work all over the world, as it was used to describe the way my brother acted when his new father-in-law lost him on the freeway.
• Holding hands. The most touching gesture of the trip was when my brother’s new mother-in-law extended her hand to my mom as our families walked on the beach in Busan, Korea. Although they couldn’t understand each other’s words, they were unified in their love for their son and daughter, the new husband and wife. Walking hand in hand symbolized the love of two families becoming one universal, international family.