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You can find something to complain about in most touristy folk from any country. Italians and Spaniards are particularly loud, Americans are arrogant, expect ev

You can find something to complain about in most touristy folk from any country. Italians and Spaniards are particularly loud, Americans are arrogant, expect everyone to speak English, etc. But it is remarkable that even in Taiwan, obviously of Chinese culture, many ( and I could probably safely say 'most' instead of 'many' ) think of tourists from the mainland as a rough, rude, loud, and generally dirty bunch.

majewsky 8y ago
> expect everyone to speak English Tangent: When I visited Finland a few years ago, everyone I encountered spoke good English, except for one person. When I bought a bottle of water at the Helsinki airport, the store clerk couldn't understand a single word of English. At the airport store.
- Jenkins2000 8y ago
  I went to Germany around 1996 for training. It was scheduled at the last minute and I had never left the US before so I didn't have time to learn German. At the Munich airport I asked the lady behind the information desk how to get to the train, in English. I was extremely polite. She was so offended and would not speak to me. Luckily a traveler standing next to the desk helped me. Munich International Airport, Information Desk - no English. That made me really afraid to approach locals even though most that I met were very friendly and spoke excellent English.
  - wink 8y ago
    This is changing a lot, though. Keep in mind that the German unification was only in 1990 and I know very few people older than ~35-40 that had lived in East Germany got good or any English skills. That's already a fourth of all Germans, also your anecdote was from 20 years ago.
  - Ultramanoid 8y ago
    I've had almost the same exact experience in Paris very recently, and my unforgivable sin was to start by saying : "Good morning, I'm very sorry but I don't speak French. Do you..." I got cut off at this point before I could say the rest. ( ...know where I have to go to buy a HS train ticket ? ) The lady scolded me in French for a couple of minutes after which she got up and left the information desk, leaving me and everyone else behind me scratching our heads.

majewsky 8y ago

> expect everyone to speak English Tangent: When I visited Finland a few years ago, everyone I encountered spoke good English, except for one person. When I bought a bottle of water at the Helsinki airport, the store clerk couldn't understand a single word of English. At the airport store.

Jenkins2000 8y ago
I went to Germany around 1996 for training. It was scheduled at the last minute and I had never left the US before so I didn't have time to learn German. At the Munich airport I asked the lady behind the information desk how to get to the train, in English. I was extremely polite. She was so offended and would not speak to me. Luckily a traveler standing next to the desk helped me. Munich International Airport, Information Desk - no English. That made me really afraid to approach locals even though most that I met were very friendly and spoke excellent English.
- wink 8y ago
  This is changing a lot, though. Keep in mind that the German unification was only in 1990 and I know very few people older than ~35-40 that had lived in East Germany got good or any English skills. That's already a fourth of all Germans, also your anecdote was from 20 years ago.
- Ultramanoid 8y ago
  I've had almost the same exact experience in Paris very recently, and my unforgivable sin was to start by saying : "Good morning, I'm very sorry but I don't speak French. Do you..." I got cut off at this point before I could say the rest. ( ...know where I have to go to buy a HS train ticket ? ) The lady scolded me in French for a couple of minutes after which she got up and left the information desk, leaving me and everyone else behind me scratching our heads.