Rude Americans - Tumblr Posts

I was in a German train station, having a bit of a crisis (airline lost my luggage, friend I was meeting was MIA because my flight was late, hadn't eaten in like 24 hours, didn't know what train I needed) and as I approached the service desk, my first words were "I'm so sorry, I don't speak German but I'm completely lost, can you help?" and I will forever be grateful the lady their was bilingual and indeed was able to help. I had no desire to be one of those awful travellers who think everyone should just cater to them.

That was the first time I realized how much the US educational system puts us at a disadvantage by not insisting we learn more than one language from an early age. Because pretty much everyone I know from Germany also speaks English, and sometimes a third language too.