For most of you who are reading this, English is probably your first language - and isn't it a great first language to have? Hundreds of millions of people all around the world have to struggle with cough, through, bough, bought, tough, though, borough and other variations whose spellings bear little relation to the pronunciation - and you grew up knowing them all.

One great advantage of having English as your mother tongue is that in every country where English isn't the local language, you are sure to find interesting people who are eager to practise their English language skills on you - although all too frequently, those skills seem limited to "Football! David Beckham!". American readers may not understand this yet .... On the other hand, you'll benefit by meeting plenty of interesting people who will tell you about their own lives and culture - and that's one of the main reasons for travelling, right?

There's no need to worry about being too shy to meet new people, because they are eager to meet you. Just being able to speak your own language is a great way to start relationships and to set up creative dates which help you to get to know more about the country and the people you are visiting. Practising your flirting techniques under romantic foreign skies can be especially rewarding! When you're far from home and don't need to worry about "what the neighbours and your friends might think", flirting comes much easier. Nevertheless, don't go overboard until you find out what works locally, and in any case, it might be a good idea to brush up on your techniques before you leave home.

Also, your contacts with the locals will teach you about the things you shouldn't do. Gestures which signify approval in your country are obscene in some parts of the world. Ruffling a kid's hair as a gesture indicating affection may be quite normal where you come from - but don't do it in Thailand. If you drop a banknote in Thailand, don't put your foot on it to stop it blowing away, because you might well find yourself in prison! And not everybody means "yes" when they nod!

Hundreds of the creative ideas you'll find when you click on the link below will serve you in good stead when you are in a foreign country - here it is:

www.waystodates.com

Oh, yes - our title. "Terve, miten menee? Mitä sinä teet?" is what you need to say in Finnish to ask "Hi, how is it going? What are you doing?" Meet you by the lakes and forests in Northern Europe?

About the Author

David A. Richardson is Europe-based and writes in a frequently whimsical way about dating and relationships. After all, both dating and relationships are supposed to be fun, aren't they?