So, everyone speaks English, huh? NOT!

When people heard that I was moving to Vienna, one of the things they were fond of saying is, "Everyone speaks English there, so you'll be okay." Oh, the arrogance of the Americans -- and the British. The reality is that everyone DOES NOT speak English. In fact, I would venture to say that outside of business dealings, most people don't speak English. And I think that's true in most of the world.

Take my experience today, for example.

After leaving work, I stopped into Billa, a local grocery store chain to buy a bottle of wine (which, by the way, averages in cost from 1,50 euros for a really good bottle to upwards of 12 euros). I dutifully took the bottle to the register, placed it on the conveyor belt and waited for the price to show up on the register screen.

Let me back up a bit.

The woman at the register greeted me in German and I replied in German. Maybe that was where I went wrong. She then proceeded to say something to me in German. I shrugged my shoulders and indicated with a somewhat stupid look on my face that I had no clue what she was saying. She took a big sigh and fell quiet. I looked at the woman standing freakishly close to me (that's what many people overseas do -- no concept of personal space) in an attempt to get her help. She just looked at me with a blank stare. I turned back to the woman at the register and said:

"I don't understand. Receipt?," thinking that maybe she was asking if I wanted a receipt.

"Non. Non receipt," she replied and handed me my change and a receipt.

I took the change, packaged my wine, put it in my work bag (you must take your own bag to the grocery) and walked away. I thought, "She could have been telling me that the wine had worms at the bottom or something." But the point is, I had no clue. Non.

So, when people tell you when you travel overseas that everyone speaks English, smile and say, "Okay," and then head to the nearest Borders Bookstore for a German, Spanish, Portuguese or whatever primer. Oh! And let me say that I didn't come here expecting not to have to learn German. My classes start Oct. 5!

Alison
9:33 p.m.