Dear Mr. Arrogant,

So what else can I write about Colombia? Oh, I know. I’ll write about tourists.

I won’t last long on this high horse. I’m keenly aware of my imperfections. To be honest, I’m sure I am guilty of having wondered things that, in hindsight, are completely ignorant. We all have. But at the age I am, I would hope I am much better at thinking before I speak.

While sitting in a Starbucks, a young man accidentally bumped into my chair. I know what you’re thinking. No, I have not broken my commitment to forsake Starbucks due to my current residency in coffee country. It was raining, I was waiting and it was only a glass of water.

But I digress. Man bumped into my chair. I had earbuds in; so, initially, I didn’t hear his apology. He mouthed the words “excuse me.” Just as I was removing my buds to grant him his pardons, he turned to his friend and said, “She probably didn’t even understand me. It’s actually amazing how many people DON’T speak English here.”

If you know me pretty well, please take this time to imagine the face I gave. If you don’t, imagine confusion, bewilderment, disdain and sheer shock at how stupid he sounded.

Despite all the things that went through my mind, to be discussed later, I simply said, “You might want to be careful. You really don’t know who speaks English here.”

In my head, I said so much more than that. Several times I’ve heard U.S. citizens say some of the most intolerant and arrogant things. And, don’t get me wrong; we don’t have a monopoly on narrow-mindedness. I’ve most certainly heard some contemptuous remarks here and in other countries.

But it’s funny how it’s not only expected that people speak English here, but when they don’t, there is an air of superiority. When this man spoke to his friend, it was almost as if, to him, speaking English validated and qualified them in a way that speaking the language of the land did not.

What further amuses me is that, when they return home, they will be the ones loudly inquiring as to why “these people don’t speak English” because “they’re in America.”

Now I have my opinions about speaking English in America. I think that, if you choose to live somewhere, you should speak the language of that country. Or, you should at least attempt to do so.

As a tourist, that’s not always a possibility. I intend to visit many more countries but I’m pretty sure my brain only has a two-language capacity. But I don’t plan to show up in Italy and demand they speak English. At that point, I need to learn some basic phrases that will help me get around.

The funny thing is, many times I’ve visited other countries, I encountered people who would speak at least a little English with minimal attitude. At home, it seems (and this is a generalization) that we lack the patience to help.

So why do we think speaking English is an indication of education and/or intelligence, when, let’s face it, many Americans don’t speak English correctly and many foreigners speak more than one language? If you don’t believe me, go through your Facebook feed with a red pen and tell me how much ink you still have left.

When I was in Spain, I met a man named Elias. He incessantly complimented me on how smart I was and how impressed he was withmy education. This was based simply on the fact that I was completing my education with two bachelor’s degrees and spoke 1 1/3 language (at that time, my application of Spanish was in serious need of assistance). But in talking to him, I found that, although he had only completed the Spanish equivalent of high school, he spoke 7 languages fluently, visited more countries and could discuss cultural differences and nuances of which I had never heard.

I am starting to think we place way too much emphasis on formal education. I do think formal training and education is vital to the growth of society. But there’s no substitution for experience. I’ve met some of the brightest, non-degreed people. Conversely, I’ve met some of the dumbest people with masters and PhDs. Then, unfortunately, we bring those elitist attitudes to other countries.

What this gentleman didn’t understand was that, there are actually quite a few people who speak English here. Unlike the states, many education programs require that their students take two more years of foreign languages than U.S. universities. There are many bilingual primary schools and businesses that require basic-level English proficiency. In addition, due to the many language schools and language exchanges, the demand to learn English is higher than one could conceive. And, if English was not their choice of foreign language, many others are learning Italian, French, etc.

As someone who has studied another language, I know how difficult it is to learn. I know how intimidating it is to walk into a grocery store and not see familiar names or brands. I know how nerve-wracking it can be to get to the cashier/bank teller and stumble over my words after 10 minutes of practicing my question. I know the embarrassment of someone getting huffy and impatient because it’s peak hour. And I know the feeling disappointment when I have to ask “does someone speak English?”

So Mr. Ethnocentric, Arrogant, Narcissistic, Smartypants, I hope you remember how difficult it was to communicate in a language with which you had limited experience. I hope, when you return home, you exercise the same patience you wished someone had used with you. I hope you bit your tongue a little harder than you attempted o do here.

Oh, and hey genius. You’re in an American-based establishment that has only been open her for six months. About 30-40% of those people spoke English.

Well, what do you know? I lasted on that horse a little longer than expected.