Usually, we interact with students or people around town, such as store clerks or waiters. Most of these people are at least within 2 or 3 decades of our age and speak something we can understand...possibly. We had a totally new experience last Saturday when we visited a park near the lake where many elderly folks gather to talk, play games, dance, or play folk music. We had some extra time on Saturday, so we took our books to read while we enjoyed the music. It wasn't long before WE became the major attraction as people crowded around to talk to us and find out who we were. This was a little tough as they spoke NO English. However, we were able to connect a few words together and understand a good deal of what they wanted to say, and we think we told them what we wanted to say as well. Overall, it was a delightful experience, and although it was a little draining to speak so much of their language, it was refreshing to share a cultural experience and to be able to communicate that much in the first place.
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