A handful of pistachios. A story from one of our volunteers.

“Chawani bashi?”

“Bashim!"

It was our usual greeting as, smiling, we shook hands.

We had only met a couple of months ago. I had been walking to work when I first saw the elderly Yazidi man out in his front yard. He was a refugee, recently settled in Toowoomba along with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. His English was very limited and I didn’t know much Kurdish-Kurmanji beyond ‘Chawani bashi’ (‘How are you?’)

But that was all it took to make a connection.

Almost every time I walked past on my way to work, he’d be out there in his yard. We would make our usual greeting and then he would point to the sky as though to say, ‘what a lovely day!’

They were only brief interactions, but the man seemed to appreciate them. Appreciated that someone took the time to stop and chat with him, despite the limited language. That someone cared about him and his family. That someone was willing to acknowledge him.

“Chawani bashi?”

“Bashim!"

A friendly handshake and a comment on the weather through hand gestures. This had continued for quite some time, but this morning was different.

He had been waiting on his driveway for me, and as soon as I walked around the corner, he jumped up and excitedly came towards me. Eyes gleaming, he reached into the pockets of his oversized coat and withdrew a handful of pistachio nuts. There was so much joy in his beaming face as he handed me this simple gift.

Although language can sometimes cause barriers, it doesn’t stop us from making people feel welcome. We can show love to others in a multitude of ways, only some of which require words. After all, sometimes it’s the simplest things that can be the most meaningful. A smile. A friendly greeting. A handful of pistachios.