When you visit a foreign country, two things are important. You should know how to be polite.
And you'd better carry a map because it is not easy to understand the directions.
You should say "Thank you" when someone passes you the food on the table, when someone walking ahead of you keeps the door open for you, and so on. "Thank you" is used between friends, and between parents and children. "Excuse me" is another short sentence they use. When you hear someone say so behind you, you know that somebody wants to walk past you without touching you.
It's not polite to break others when they are talking. If you want to speak to one of them, say "Excuse me" first, and then begin talking.
If you have no maps in a foreign country, it's difficult to ask for directions.
In the countryside of America, usually there are not many landmarks (地标). Instead of landmarks, people will tell you like this. "Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile".
In Japan, most streets there don't have names, people use landmarks in their directions instead of street names. For example, "Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market, the post office is across from the bus stop. "
People in Greece sometimes don't even try to give directions because not many visitors can understand the Greek language. Instead, a Greek will often say. "Come with me. Then he'll lead you there. "
One thing will help you everywhere, you may not understand a person's word, but maybe you can understand his body language.
