A lot of this spoke to me. Like you, I love foreign travel and have a natural shyness when exploring new places. Like you, I force myself to do it anyway even when it feels easier and safer to not go out. This attitude forced me to explore Paris every year for my birthday when living in London. My go-to phrase was “Pardon, je suis Anglais”. Even saying that in French got me sympathetic reactions. I also fondly remember a conversation on the street in London when a French guy was asking me, in French, if I knew the whereabouts of the TEFL store and I answered and gave directions in English as my brain couldn’t translate into adequate French, and we understood each other perfectly well, lol. Similarly, exploring New Orleans on my own, I had at least one American tourist approach me for directions, which I found hilarious. A positive attitude in unfamiliar surroundings can get you a long way.
Thanks Glenn, I really appreciate your thoughts on this. I think people might be surprised that I get shy, but I do. There's nothing wrong with that. And I have found that just making the effort - as you say - to speak a little of the local language, even if to say, Sorry I'm English (I love that), is enough to evoke some form of understanding. And sometimes, the funny stories of finger-pointing, miscommunication, etc is a great tale to tell later on.
Another great post Jenn, keep writing...
A lot of this spoke to me. Like you, I love foreign travel and have a natural shyness when exploring new places. Like you, I force myself to do it anyway even when it feels easier and safer to not go out. This attitude forced me to explore Paris every year for my birthday when living in London. My go-to phrase was “Pardon, je suis Anglais”. Even saying that in French got me sympathetic reactions. I also fondly remember a conversation on the street in London when a French guy was asking me, in French, if I knew the whereabouts of the TEFL store and I answered and gave directions in English as my brain couldn’t translate into adequate French, and we understood each other perfectly well, lol. Similarly, exploring New Orleans on my own, I had at least one American tourist approach me for directions, which I found hilarious. A positive attitude in unfamiliar surroundings can get you a long way.
Thanks Glenn, I really appreciate your thoughts on this. I think people might be surprised that I get shy, but I do. There's nothing wrong with that. And I have found that just making the effort - as you say - to speak a little of the local language, even if to say, Sorry I'm English (I love that), is enough to evoke some form of understanding. And sometimes, the funny stories of finger-pointing, miscommunication, etc is a great tale to tell later on.