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One of the pleasures of traveling overseas for me is to get to know other cultures.  There's a lot we can learn from just going there and observing people, but if we could somehow communicate with local people by exchanging real words, the reward would be a lot bigger.  However, as we know from our high school experience of studying a foreign language, we can achieve a certain level of fluency only after numerous hours of serious learning.

But I'd like to say we shouldn't be discouraged by that because even learning a few basic words of a country we are visiting is worth taking the time for.  I can't tell you how many times I was so glad to have memorized phrases even just to say things like "excuse me," "thank you" and "where's the train station?"

Whether it was in a remote Portuguese town or on a small Greek island, local people were usually delighted to see a foreign traveler trying to use their language.  So I was shocked that on some occasions, poeple even apologized to me that they couldn't speak English.  An experience like this makes me feel very humble and makes me want to learn more about them.


Portalegre, Portugal IV

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 8.25 inches (29 x 21 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Sold