As of this very
moment, the label "foreigner" really can't be applied to me, as I am
still residing in my hometown in the USA. In less than two weeks, however, that
will all change: in less than two weeks, I'll begin an 11-month adventure in Europe!
First, I am going to spend about a week in England with my family, hiking and visiting with my grandparents. From there, I'll fly to France, which is my main destination.
Of course, I fully intend to travel all across Europe while I'm abroad. It would be such a wasted opportunity if I didn't fully explore, say, at least five other countries, right? I have nearly 11 months, and there is really no country in Europe that I would drag my feet to visit. In all honesty, there are very few countries in the world to which I would turn down a chance to visit. Like thousands of others, I have dreams of travelling the world.
Young as I am, though, I'm not a complete stranger to being a foreigner. I am so lucky to say that I have already journeyed to England (to visit family), Scotland, Switzerland, and Japan, among other places.
So I am somewhat familiar with how alienating it can sometimes be to identify as a foreigner. Especially if you can't speak a word of the native language.
For example: I memorized a couple of key phrases before departing for Japan. However, the most useful phrase that I had learned, “Oh-tair aya-wa doko des’ka?” (it's a terrible Anglicization of the question "Where is the bathroom?") was of no use to me in Kyoto. I realized that knowing how to ask a question in a foreign language isn’t of much use when the person whom you ask responds in the language you barely know.
While I've been studying French for the past seven years, I still know that my speaking abilities are close to elementary (while in St. Martin a few months ago, I was bested in my French speaking skills by a six-year-old).
By the end of this almost-year abroad, I better be able to converse fluently with the next French-speaking six-year-old I meet.
Even more, I hope that by the end of this journey, I won't feel like such a stranger abroad.
Whatever happens, though, I'm sure I'll have some great stories and photos!
First, I am going to spend about a week in England with my family, hiking and visiting with my grandparents. From there, I'll fly to France, which is my main destination.
Of course, I fully intend to travel all across Europe while I'm abroad. It would be such a wasted opportunity if I didn't fully explore, say, at least five other countries, right? I have nearly 11 months, and there is really no country in Europe that I would drag my feet to visit. In all honesty, there are very few countries in the world to which I would turn down a chance to visit. Like thousands of others, I have dreams of travelling the world.
Young as I am, though, I'm not a complete stranger to being a foreigner. I am so lucky to say that I have already journeyed to England (to visit family), Scotland, Switzerland, and Japan, among other places.
So I am somewhat familiar with how alienating it can sometimes be to identify as a foreigner. Especially if you can't speak a word of the native language.
For example: I memorized a couple of key phrases before departing for Japan. However, the most useful phrase that I had learned, “Oh-tair aya-wa doko des’ka?” (it's a terrible Anglicization of the question "Where is the bathroom?") was of no use to me in Kyoto. I realized that knowing how to ask a question in a foreign language isn’t of much use when the person whom you ask responds in the language you barely know.
While I've been studying French for the past seven years, I still know that my speaking abilities are close to elementary (while in St. Martin a few months ago, I was bested in my French speaking skills by a six-year-old).
By the end of this almost-year abroad, I better be able to converse fluently with the next French-speaking six-year-old I meet.
Even more, I hope that by the end of this journey, I won't feel like such a stranger abroad.
Whatever happens, though, I'm sure I'll have some great stories and photos!
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