Languages in EPCOT

I want to talk about something I did earlier in the summer that I failed to mention. My girlfriend and I went to Disneys EPCOT Center on my birthday in May this year. We had both been there before and wanted to go back. We needed a day to get away and my birthday seemed like a good enough excuse.

One part of EPCOT is the World Showcase, and this is the main reason we wanted to go. There is a large lake surrounded by a long pathway. Along this path are various 'countries.' In each country there are a few buildings which house a ride or show, a restaurant or cafe and a gift shop or two. All the gifts and food are representative of each country. It's neat, although it hasn't really changed in the 20 + years since I was there last.

So, in Mexico you enter an Aztec-style pyramid and find vendors selling Mexican goods, little shops with books and knick-knacks and a Mexican restaurant. All while looking at a backdrop of a volcano. And of course, all the employees and cooks are from Mexico.

Aha! Now you see where I'm going. Native speakers! Now, here in the US, finding native speakers of Spanish is not hard. But for someone learning a language, you won't find friendlier and more agreeable fodder on whom to practice than Disney employees!

Now, for the language hobbyist or budding polyglot, this World Showcase can be a lot of extra fun. Imagine getting a breakfast snack in Norway, shopping in Germany and Mexico, lunch in China, some more shopping in Italy and France, dinner in Japan, and then a stroll through the bazaars of Morocco. And you will have friendly and helpful native speakers of each language at each step of the way!

There are a few glaring omissions. No India or Russia. Nothing from South America or Sub-Saharan Africa. But there is a great opportunity to practice even a few phrases of any of these languages. If you ever have the opportunity, check this out.