Planting Seeds Of Knowledge

I was a horticulture student on a botanical tour of Europe in 1979. I was at a flower market in Munich and saw a plant I didn’t recognize. The lady working at the booth didn’t speak English; I didn’t know any German.

I saw a plant I did know, so I touched the leaf and said the Latin name for it. She nodded and smiled. I named another plant I knew. Her smile got bigger.

I pointed at the unknown plant and looked at her with an expression that I hope said, “Your turn.” She told me the Latin name.

We didn’t speak each other’s languages, but we could communicate in a language that has been dead for over a thousand years. Cool.