2.28.2008

Groggy at the castle


So as I mentioned in the post before this, I wasn't feeling my best when I visited the castle today. However since I had hiked all the way up there I figured I might as well walk around a little bit and a ticket to see just the ground floor was only 50 kc. One part of the exhibit was amazing because they had removed the floor and placed a grate over it which you could walk along. This way the excavations and the foundation were visible.
As I wandered around in this basement labyrinth I had a series of adorable Czech women pointing me in the right direction. The museum at the castle seems to have decided that they are only going to employ sweet older Czech women to work for them and I fully approve of this hiring strategy. Every time I entered a new part of the exhibit I was met by a new woman who would speak to me in Czech while I looked at her with a blank expression. One woman asked in Czech if I understand and I said no so she asked "Deutsch nebo Anglicky?" and then gave me a series of directions in English to help guide me through one section of the exhibit. Later, from another woman, I received what sounded like very detailed and helpful directions, they were however in Czech. I spoke some Czech with her and then when she proceeded to tell me something that sounded very important, but was in Czech, I had to answer "ne rozumem" (I don't understand) and she got a confused look on her face. I explained "Sem Americanka, ne mluvite, oh wait, uhh, ne mluvem cheski" (at first I told her she doesn't speak Czech, I make this mistake often). At this point she smiled and told me my Czech was very good and then continued telling me very detailed and important instructions in Czech. Perhaps my deer-in-the-headlights look actually looks to others like a complete-comprehension-of-everything-you-are-saying-to-me-look. I had this same problem at French Immersion camp in high school where everyone thought I must be completely fluent because I just nodded and smiled whenever people spoke to me. I will work on this and make sure that my face always looks appropriately confused.

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