Helen Keller in Europe

I am officially in Central Europe now, and away from what I like to call, The Big Three - Spain, France, and Germany. I thought at times I could not communicate in Spain despite having a great grip on Spanish, but in the Czech Republic, I am unable to communicate with barely anyone at all. In fact, I cannot even express myself correctly using a Czech keyboard. Everything looks like ůěůčůžůáářčšíéřčýžýí. Or what Brian calls box-square-triangle. I knew Geometry would come in handy some day!

I may as well be a deaf-mute. On the plus side, everything here is very cheap, and I can get a great 0,5 liter beer for just a little over 1USD, or 27 Crowns. I do a lot of pointing, and I pull out a handful of coins trusting the cashier will take the right amount of money from me. I feel rich having so much money on me, and perhaps this is the only advantage I have in a culture where I can hardly communicate.

So here I am, hiding in an internet cafe hiding from a culture where I feel like a complete outsider. I should stop being a damn baby, research some basic Czech phrases, and get out to see more of this beautiful city. In fact, it is one of the few cities not destroyed during World War II.

To think Prague is just the start of my path in Central and Eastern Europe kind of frightens me. Slavic languages make my blood curdle, and seem as though there are no vowels. Maybe if I buzz like a bee and pretend I am choking when I talk I will be understood, but I dont want to be that ignornant American abroad that everyone hates.

Next!