I had a caffeine withdrawal headache today, so I decided to stop at the local bakery for a cup of coffee on my way home from class. I managed to successfully order in German and everything. The owner, an older woman, asked "Und?", because she naturally assumed I would want some kind of pastry with my drink. Normally I would, but I think three (that's right - I already two) in one day would really be pushing it.
She made my coffee, which I then proceeded to spill all over the sugar counter. The first thing that ran through my mind was "thank GOD no one else is here!" Last thing I needed was an audience. I then apologized profusely while the woman and I mopped it up and then I asked to pay for another coffee. Not only did she smile and tell me not to worry about the spill, but she made me another fresh cup for free! I learned two things from this encounter:
1. Germans smile.
2. Speaking in German in shops, even when you're a clumsy American, can avert disaster.
I'm just kidding about smiling Germans, though...they're actually as friendly as can be. We asked an old man for directions to a store on the street today, and not only did he give us a detailed description of the building, he turned around to walk us to the intersection to make sure we knew where to go. That seems to be the trend here. People will walk around looking all surly, but if you talk to them, they'll be super open and nice. This has worked with my flatmates as well as with random strangers (including the man working the crepe truck. We had a nice little conversation about how expensive university is in the U.S, auf Deutsch).
Bis später!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment