Language Barriers while abroad :\

Before I left to study abroad, I am not going to lie, I was very nervous about the language barrier. I was nervous that no one would understand what I was saying at all. I knew people in Europe spoke English but I really wasn't sure how well. Going to Norway first made things a little easier for me. I had Lina by my side when I started having difficulty with communicating. I realized quickly that mostly everyone knows English because of grade school, but some people have harder times than others regaining it.

hmmm well maybe I shouldn't be worried at all, the airport told me this is all I need to know!!

Experiencing my first couple of weeks here in the Czech, I am honestly impressed with the amount of people who know English quite well. Their also have been many different things said in English to help us out. While on the tram, they will say in English "this is the last stop" which was where our residence halls are at so even if we were not looking around we would know when to get off the tram. The trams are the main transportation here in Olomouc and actually throughout a lot of Europe. Our ISIC card (student ID) gives us unlimited use of the trams and bus stations which is super convenient! One important thing that I have learned here is, when in doubt take either the 2 or 7 bus and you'll eventually make it back home!

Most restaurants also have English menus along with waiters who speak English well, this was extremely helpful because I would never know what I was ordering. With that said, some Czech words are very similar to English words such as Caesar Salad in Czech is Caesarův salát, but others are not as easy to figure out like Chicken is Kuře. So if I am at a restaurant with no English menu I either use google translate or I go for something that looks familiar. Their is a google translate app that you can get where you scan what you want to translate and it shows you the words in English through the scan, it is very convenient! One thing about restaurants here is that they are very quick, you sit down for like a minute and they already want to know what you want to eat and drink. In American it's common to order your drinks than order your food later on, but here they are very fast.

The Language barrier can be embarrassing sometimes. Almost everywhere we have gone whether it has been a restaurant or a grocery store they start talking to us in Czech. I guess that is a good thing though because maybe it looks like we fit in, but the second we start having confused looks on our faces they go, "ohhhh English?" I always laugh a little in my head and say yes English please. As these few weeks have gone by, it has been getting easier to communicate a little Czech with people. Most people will greet you by saying "Dobry Den" which basically means "hello, good day", I will always say it back and than start talking in English. Some other useful words that I have learned to say while out to eat or at a store are: Prosím, Děkuju, and Na shledanou! These mean: Please, thank you, and goodbye! While abroad we are taking a class to learn Czech which is how I have learned some of these words. The teacher is super enthusiastic and she is constantly having us do hands on activities to learn the language better! Sometimes the class can get overwhelming, we are learning so much in that class at a really fast pace and it is a lot of fun but I can't roll my R's to save my life and their is a couple of sounds that I can't even explain through text what they sound like, just know some our difficult to say!

Most people here truly are here to help you with the language barrier, and if they cannot help you than they will find someone who can. Sometimes there have been cases where we begin to talk to someone who does not know English and their isn't anyone around to help. It happened just the other day we had a waiter who did not really know what to say because she didn't speak English, so she just walked away and someone who spoke English took our order. There was also one time at the information desk in Globus (Globus is like the Walmart of Czech) where they did not understand what we were asking so we eventually gave up. The situation can be a little uncomfortable at first but you can't win them all. Don't get me wrong though Globus is an amazing place to shop you can get just about anything there! It is only a couple blocks away from our residence halls so it is super convenient!

Overall so far this place has been lots of fun, I am starting to get more comfortable with Olomouc and calling it my home. To the left you will see the building I live in! My room is on the first floor but my window faces the other direction. Most of the residence halls look like this, and they all for the most part have the same set up. This city is so beautiful and everyone is so friendly. Just the other day someone helped me out when I looked a little lost. I am so lucky to be in this spontaneous place so stay tuned for more adventures to come!

-Bailey Gittler