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first and foremost stop worrying and get out there and DO IT !!! you will LOVE IT.
well I have spent 95% of my very sporadic visits to this site asking questions and gleaning information........small correction..........a big chunk of that TRYING to glean information but finding the " tech speak " like chinese to me.
So.......here I am, a well educated, well travelled, and multilingual woman.....finding myself very often completely confused by what I read and even the answers to my questions.
Now......this MHF bunch are a friendly and helpful breed. I have been to only 2 rallies and learned a lot and enjoyed myself immensely even though I usually had to ask people to give me the "baby talk" version of what they were on about when it came to anything technical. I found that if I was honest from the start ....." I am new to this, have almost no technical knowledge, and would be very grateful for any advice " people were without exeption eager to help even if it was time consuming given my very limited technical knowledge.
My point is that if your attitude is right ......ie " I'm a numpty , please help " you will almost always find the person more than happy to help, however if you adopt the typically British attitude of not even asking if the person speaks english before speaking in english ( I am sorry but anyone who crosses a border without learning as much as "do you speak english" in the language of that country should not only not be disappointed if the welcome is a little reserved but bloody well refused entry ! )
So...basically as our friends have said, get yourself a phrase book, learn a few sentences and USE THEM even if you feel that it sounds wrong or if the other person speaks english. NEVER speak english to a person in a foreign country without having asked IN THEIR LANGUAGE if they understand ( perfectly ok to continue in english with sign language if they reply "no" as at least you have stated that you don't speak their language rather than assuming that they should understand yours )
I assure you that ( Paris excepted - I know because I lived there ) wherever you go in the world you will almost always have a wonderful experience and lots of willing help if you just know how to say at least " do you speak english "
Then.......basically just GO FOR IT , I speak several languages and yes it makes a difference but I can honestly say that my most memorable travel experiences have been in countries where I didn't speak the language beyond a few words ( yes I would not set foot in a country without learning....
Hello
Do you speak english
Thankyou
even the most complicated language is no excuse for not learning these 3 and I ALWAYS say...hello, goodbye, thankyou in the language of the country even if I am speaking to a university professor who's english grammar might be better than my own.
Basically, if you adopt the golden rule of learning these 3 and being patient and smile, you would have to be incredibly unlucky indeed to receive a welcome in any country in the world that is not at least 4 times better than your average welcome as a motorhomer in your own country !
Please correct me if I am wrong any of you well travelled motorhomers.
( I am well travelled but new to motorhoming )
GO FOR IT you really cant go wrong with a smile, a bit of humility, and a willingless to learn and discover other countries, languages, cultures, etc.
So what are you waiting for ? GO FOR IT
Kathy
PS
If you are planning on France or Spain and would like your own tailor made phrase list with what you want to know , feel free to send me a PM and I will happily help. having received so much help in here and never once being able to help anyone else , I would be more than happy to oblige and that goes for anyone reading this.
Language barrier is NOT a barrier......GO FOR IT !
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Germany
