Wherever I've been, I've always found it worth learning the words for 'Thank You'.
Gratitude never goes out of fashion - you'll find your experience of a new place transformed instantly if you make the effort to drop a thank you in a native language. Even if your pronunciation is a little off, it doesn't matter, you made an effort and that's what counts.
Yes you can use emojis in a text but spoken it means way more. With the likes of Google Translate and the built in translation app in iOS, it's now easier than ever to converse in a foreign language.
Starting with 'Thank You' is an easy win. From there I tend to learn foods and drinks that I like next (because you can practice these words three times a day, so it's easy to practice these words).
It means you can sit in a café, talk to the staff and have a bit of a base to read and absorb.
Thereafter it's up to you! But by this point you'll have made some friends, figured out how to order stuff you like and be better equipped to have a richer experience.
As the famous quote by Maya Angelou goes, 'You'll forget what people said, you'll forget what people did, but you'll never forget how they made you feel.'
The Thank You List Click the link on the right to access the live fileClick here to access it. It's a live document so it will continue to evolve over time.
:)
TITLE IMAGE CREDIT | MICHELE PERRY (ORIGINAL HERO ILLUSTRATION BY @LOKFUNG, ISTOCK)