This is a big dilemma indeed. For people coming to our country to work or live, we ask for them to learn Dutch (residency that is). But the biggest issue is the Dutch themselves: we nearly all speak English - similar to your experience in Japan, but then the exact opposite. Dutch is not the easiest language toi learn but if no one speaks it to you, it is impossible to figure out.

Couple of minutes

Wordle 1,066 5/6

⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜
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🟩⬜⬜🟩🟩
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Quote from: The Picnic Wasp on Today at 10:19:31 AMOr is it dilemna? Never quite figured that one out.

It isn't

When I worked for a Japanese bank in the '90s, I took Japanese lessons. I had two consecutive Japanese girlfriends, which also helped. The next company I worked for, an American investment firm, sent me to Tokyo for a few weeks.

So I turned up after a long flight from Heathrow and a coach ride into the city to get the key to my apartment at Ebisu Garden Place. The young lady at the front desk was having a bit of trouble with her English, so I gently prompted her in Japanese, just to clarify a couple of points. Unfortunately as soon as she heard the first Japanese word come out of my mouth she refused to utter another word of English, and I understood about 5% of what she said after that.

Some folks in Tokyo quite understandably don't speak English at all. I was quite proud of myself for asking a railway worker "Do trains from this platform go to Ginza?" and fortunately the reply included a positive nod of the head, which is easily decipherable in any language.

Or is it dilemna? Never quite figured that one out.

Quote from: Fishy on Today at 09:55:00 AMNot really a what's made your day or a grump.. always like to try out my limited Spanish while on holiday but when you're answered in perfect English do you keep going with it or take the path of least resistance and revert to Brits abroad..

Might be a bit like folks' experiences when they're learning Gaelic. Seems to be that locals aren't overly keen on helping them develop their skills and usually respond in English. Might be a "know your place" thing, or maybe just more made up rubbish that I read online.

Wordle 1,066 3/6*

🟨⬛⬛⬛⬛
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Less than a minute. Four greens on the second go, effectively.

Wordle 1,066 4/6

⬛🟨🟨⬛🟨
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⬛🟩🟨🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Three minutes.

Good to see the vpn back to home is working well.. music streaming from the new Linux box is spot on

Not really a what's made your day or a grump.. always like to try out my limited Spanish while on holiday but when you're answered in perfect English do you keep going with it or take the path of least resistance and revert to Brits abroad..