My daughter's experience in France is blowing my mind! :-)

I don't know why you need to learn foreign languages in order to travel to those countries. Unless you plan to attend school or work there, you will have very limited opportunities to interact with the locals if you are just a tourist. Most people in the tourist industry can communicate in some English. Some restaurants have English menus too, but unless you are extremely picky and insist on the exotic experience with the locals in foreig countries, you don't need to speak local languages. I visit Europe a lot, I speak English on all airlines, hotels, restaurants, concerts, parties and I have no problems.
 

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You really don't need to love a foreign country just to visit there either.
You can go to a place just because you like ONE thing/activity there. You don't need to love the whole country.
 
My daughter has good news. In 2 weeks, she will be moving into an apartment that has never had an animal in it! This building has a very strict no pets policy. My girl has gone over there and no allergic reaction/asthma!

She has had to move to another hotel, one that also has a strict no pets policy. That was due her having another trip to the ER from sleeping at the first hotel. She thinks the more she is exposed to cat hair or dander, the worse her allergy gets. This is the first time she's had this exposure frequently.

School started. Her French course has people who are not French in it, naturally. So she is meeting people from places like Nigeria and even the US. The ones who speak English do so very well. The French people she has met do not speak English well, although they don't know that.

Shopping started, too. She went to H & M and bought a pair of "cheap jeans". Something was wrong with them due that cheapness, so she returned them and bought a pair of jeans for $130 Euros!!!!! In American dollars, this is $155!!! I learned this via text, because she didn't want her ear drums to explode due my probable reaction. (She doesn't realize how cool I've become since she left the country!)

She is concerned -- Mom, I don't understand how the French can afford to get dressed! I wonder if she inherited the shopping gene from her father. He was a clotheshorse, loved clothes, loved to shop -- but never anything cheap! OTOH, I did tell her months ago to shop while she was in France. A long time ago, one of my friends spent a long time in France. Her wardrobe was exquisite. The best part was those clothes looked like they were made for me, so my friend gave them to me! I figured maybe the clothes would fit my daughter perfectly too.
 
It’s good that your daughter received the treatment she needed. I had a neighbor where I used to live have really bad asthma. I guess there is no good asthma, but anyway, she had a really bad spell one night and couldn’t even call for help. She beat on my door and tried to talk. I first thought she was choking, but then she wrote very quickly “asthma attack.” I immediately called 911 and the EMT was there quickly and got her back with some type of spray and then transported her.

I didn’t connect with too many people while in France. I was mostly snubbed in Paris. I know a little French, but not enough to carry on a conversation. The Officer I was with was the next thing to a genius knowing 7 different languages. We had a good time, especially in the evenings, but going out to Normandy was the highlight of my trip. I spent hours there trying to fantasize the day the soldiers stormed the beaches. It was an incredible day. I want to go back before I leave this world.
 
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OldOld said:
I don't know why you need to learn foreign languages in order to travel to those countries. Unless you plan to attend school or work there, you will have very limited opportunities to interact with the locals if you are just a tourist. Most people in the tourist industry can communicate in some English. Some restaurants have English menus too, but unless you are extremely picky and insist on the exotic experience with the locals in foreig countries, you don't need to speak local languages. I visit Europe a lot, I speak English on all airlines, hotels, restaurants, concerts, parties and I have no problems.
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In my case, I am entitled to German citizenship and in the process of getting that started-- it has to be done in German.

Also, I am planning a trip to Germany. I need to find my uncle, who does not speak English. I need to make sure he is okay. He lives in a tiny village in northern Germany, so he won't be hard to find (hopefully). My sister won't give me his address because she never gives out people's addresses without their permission, and he does not have an online presence.

My sister has all of our mother's information about the German side of the family, and thinks she's the gatekeeper since she was the executor. I do not want to take her to court over this.
 

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