The following blog was written 2 weeks ago today (11th August 2011).

I’m currently on a train to Pisa to catch my plain home to the UK after a fabulous 16 days in Umbria and I have been struck by many things on my travels here.

It’s probably best if I start by explaining something I witnessed not long after arriving in Italy and on our way to Scheggino (In Umbria). We were killing some time at Pisa while waiting for a train so decided to head to a bar across the road for a beer.  On arriving we noticed an American couple at the bar trying to order some red wine.  Clearly lacking the Italian vocabulary necessary for the task they asked in English.  Pisa of course is a popular tourist destination for people from across the globe so you can be forgiven for hoping that bar staff opposite the main train terminal may posses enough to understand “A glass of red.” rather than Vino Rosso,” however, it’s not something to be taken for granted.  To the dismay of this couple the girl behind the bar didn’t understand their request.  So here,s the bit that gets to me.  Instead of trying to use some Italian that they may have, reaching for a phrase book or even asking someone near by if they can help (the bar was full of native English speakers from both sides of the pond) they simply asked again in English but not in a civil manor, oh no!  This time they felt the need to raise their voice and talk very slowly as though they were talking to, not a young, charming, friendly and very tolerant assistant but an aged, simple, very deaf pensioner possibly suffering from dementia.  Naturally the girl still didn’t understand and eventually someone jumped in to help.

This isn’t something that’s unique to Americans, that’s not the point.  In fact it seems to be a trait of the majority of English speaking countries, assuming that everyone can speak it, or at least everyone should.

I find the whole notion quite rude, although I have to admit to being guilty of it myself at points in the past, I guess as I travel more I become more understanding.  In fact, I often find myself wishing I knew a lesser known language.  Have you ever been in that situation where you’ve been with two foreigners who speak a different language and will do so because they know you can’t understand, but you dare not do the same because you never know who knows English.  I am, since making an effort to learn some Italian.

Hopefully the experience has taught me a lesson or two.  I’m home now mind, the weather is horrible and typically British.  Maybe we could move there and I could work as a bilingual.  There’s much work to be done!