Second Language.

I went around the shops near my apartment looking for some foreign foods that I might be able to use to make some non-European dishes. I've seen these stores before, but they've always been closed because I usually see these shops after work, after regular business hours. Unlike North America, things tend to close relatively early, which means shopping after work is really difficult.

I went to the Indian store and bought some curry paste. Then I found a butcher, where I wanted to buy some beef for goulash I was planning to make later in the day. Unfortunately, no one spoke any English in this shop, so I had to use my very limited German and a lot of pointing to get what I needed.

Then I went to this tiny Korean shop that sells maybe 10 different items. Of course, the Korean lady at the store tried to speak to me in German, trying to explain something to me, and of course I had no clue what she was saying and she couldn't speak English. One of the customers asked me if I was Korean. When I answered that I was Japanese, the Korean store owner surprised me by speaking fluent Japanese to me. I was relieved to finally be able to communicate with someone.

Living in a country where I can't speak the language makes me really appreciate the ability to speak the language. The Germans are surprisingly tolerant of my inability to speak German. I would imagine that there would be less tolerance in Canada and the US (especially) .

In any case, I found that I know much more Japanese than I ever gave myself credit for. The lady at the store gave me directions to two Asian markets in the Dresden area, which I checked out later in the day. Good thing, because I thought I would have to cook meat and potatoes for the next 5 months.