What Will Your First Foreign Conversation Consist Of? (Part I)

I learned my first words in Spanish in Ecuador but I have to confess that I never had a real conversation in my new language there. I was travelling with other Brits and never really got into a situation where I could speak to the locals for any length of time, although I did once ask a man in a market how long it took him to craft a stone bird we was selling. I forget the answer.
Anyway, the first proper conversation came when I had to try and change my flight in La Paz. It went well but when I lost my bank card in the ATM 10 minutes later the subsequent conversation didn’t pan out so well. So what will your first conversation in your new tongue be?

An Argument with Customs Staff

I passed through customs easily in Ecuador and I don’t remember anyone saying a word to me. What if an overzealous official takes umbrage at your footwear, however? This happened to me years later in Roma airport and I was lucky that he saw the funny side when I deftly flicked off my sandals without bending over and sent them spinning over to the other side of the conveyor belt for him to inspect. If you are taking Chinese lessons Aberdeen teachers will tell you to keep your footwear on in Chinese airport security lines, and I reckon this is good advice for anywhere in the world except Rome really.