You know how sometimes your school language teachers force you to learn phrases you are sure you'll never use? This is how I needed one of those phrases 10 years later. A few years ago I was returning home from my summer vacation in Portugal. My Lufthansa flight had a long stopover in Munich and I decided to use it as an opportunity to explore the old city and see the famous Glockenspiel on Marienplatz. So I took a coach from the airport and a stroll in the city center, found an amazing used bookstore and lost my way. There I was, with my new stack of antique book and without a clue where my bus stop was. I decided to return to the shop and ask the owner to tell me how to get to the Hauptbahnhof. Mentally dusting off my German skillls, I formulated my question and realized that I finally could use the phrase "Wie komme ich zum Bahnhof?" (How do I get to the train station?) I hated learning this at school. I used to think to myself: "Honestly, who would need to ask the way? Who goes anywhere without planning the way in advance? or using online maps in case of emergency?" Me, ten years later, in Munich, with a dead phone and no map. So I asked the nice shoplady, she showed me the way and saved me from missing the plane. We also had an exciting chat about German literature. Moral of the story? Learn foreign languages well. You never know when you might need them.