Goodbye Germany, Hello Czech Republic

            Yesterday, we said goodbye to Berlin, but our last evening in Berlin was the most memorable (and the longest) by far. After getting off the train, we somehow managed to navigate the Prague tram system and streets to get to our hotel (thank goodness for Google maps).  The old town center of Prague is beautiful and the Christmas market was awesome.   

            While in Germany, I felt like I could communicate a bit; however, in Prague, though quite a few people speak English, I have absolutely no grasp of the Czech language.  I cannot even begin to guess what some of the signs mean, and not knowing even how to properly pronounce “please” or “thank you” is extremely disconcerting.  I’ve never experienced, while in another country, a language so foreign that I cannot even guess what words mean, and it has really changed my point of view from what it was while I was in the United States.

            I have always liked the fact that the United States is such a melting pot of cultures and that the quote, “Give me your tired, your poor/your huddled masses yearning to breathe free/the wretched refuse of your teeming shore/Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me/I lift my lamp beside the golden door,” is the mindset that the U.S. in general mostly maintains.  However, with the recent debates on immigration and citizenship, I feel like I have slowly gained an unforgiving attitude.  I generally think that those traveling to the United States, especially from Spanish speaking countries, needed to know English, or at least have a functional knowledge.  However, I also thought that Spanish for American high school students should be optional, not a requirement.

            After being in Europe for a week and a half, I realized how close-minded I have been on this particular subject.  Mostly, when I spoke to someone while in Germany, I was hoping that my meager German could get me through the conversation.  While we have been in the Czech Republic, I just prayed that they could speak English.  It is actually sort of a scary experience to be unable to communicate clearly, and I believe that Americans, me included, could be much more understanding of those who maybe don’t have much experience with English.

            Studying abroad has been enlightening so far and it is exciting to experience situations that challenge and change my point of view.  I look forward to more eye opening encounters as we travel back to Germany tomorrow!