Good Morning, Thank you, & Goodbye.
The three phrases in German that helped me get by in Switzerland this weekend and I was excited to know.
I was able to use these phrases when ordering food and paying for things, simple day to day things I usually wouldn't have to think twice about doing.
However, ordering can be more tricky.
Embarrassing Encounter #1:
One day for lunch I went to a specific food vendor because I wanted to try a Basel Wurst and this specific vendor sold different kinds of sausage. However, I know when people shake their heads and use the word "nein" in the sentence- it means I'm out of luck and there are none. However, I hadn't thought that far ahead. So staring at the menu and having no idea what the differences between all the sausages were, I gave up, looked at the grill and said "that one." I was only slightly judged by the vendor owner but you know, whatever works. I got my point across and it was also very good!
Less Embarrassing Encounter #2:
After being up before sunrise and walking around the city. I began to get hungry and on my way back to the airbnb I passed a pastry shop. When I went in, I looked over the pastries (that also had neat labels in front, so I knew what to call it) and I attempted saying the name of the pastry I wanted. What I said was at least close enough because the baker handed me what I asked for. I was also excited that when I asked for a donut, even though I didn't recognize the words she was saying, I had enough background knowledge to know she was asking if I wanted the jelly filled or the creme filled donut. I am an easily impressed person, so this little communication victory made my day!
Least Successful #3
My friend and I went to a corner shop on the way back to the airbnb for snacks and when we were inside she was picking out a 2 liter of soda. The man at the cash register said something to us about the sodas and it could’ve been anything. It could’ve been the price or a special deal he was offering, but we will never actually know and that’s okay.
Communication is important in any culture and there are so many different ways to communicate with others!
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