4)
Dobry den!
For those of you who have never studied Czech language, dobry
den means hello! Since arriving to this new country, I have realized what it is
like to be completely unaware of what anyone around you is saying. Although
this blog is about language issues, I wouldn’t say the “issue” is an awful one.
In America, I am always used to having the advantage of
being bilingual. Speaking Spanish and English has been a blessing for me, as I
can understand what the majority of people in my community are saying. Here, it
is a different story because being bilingual doesn’t help me. We go around town
on a tram system trying to figure out what the monitor is saying so we don’t
take the wrong tram to a different location. It is also quite an adventure
trying to find a place to eat and attempting to read all the menu choices that
are written in Czech. At first, it was a bit overwhelming to feel clueless
about anything that was being written or said but now it is actually fun to try
to figure out what I am reading on signs, menus, and anywhere else. To our
advantage, one of the classes we are taking while studying abroad is our Czech
language class. Our professor is a sweet woman who has lots of patience as we
slowly start to learn how to pronounce different Czech words. Our professor has
us individually take a stab at what phrases mean and how they are pronounced.
It is a struggle trying to learn a third language for me but I am having fun
doing so along with my classmates! Here is my handy dandy textbook that will
be helping me throughout my time in the Czech Republic.
This past weekend we took a day trip to Dresden, Germany. A
short two and a half hour train ride took us to another country where a totally
different language is spoken. Not only have I had to deal with being confused
with Czech language but also German language. Luckily, several German natives
actually spoke English quite well and I was able to successfully order a meal
and enjoy my time at the Lutheran church and an amazing museum.
The language barrier is a challenge that I enjoy taking on.
Remember to stay tuned because there will be many more blogs to come!
Different languages written on the John Lennon Wall in Prague
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