Language barrier opener

Hey,
My particular situation is that I'm living in (not travelling through) a country where I don't speak the language, so the usual one of saying 'I'm trying to find X can you help?' wouldn't really work.

Anyway, when doing some food shopping, how about this...

"Hey excuse me, do you speak English?"
"Um, yes!"
"Great, I need a bit of advice. My flatmate is sick and I want to make her some soup, but I can't read these packets. Can you tell me which of these would be best?"

Or whatever. I now it's very specific to one situation, ie seeing a HB when you're shopping for food, but I thought it was a nice opener.

What dyou think? And how could I move it from there?

Thanks!

That would be great for your language barrier. Moving it from there . . . "you've been so helpful, is there a way I can keep in touch with you? You never know when I might need help again." With a smile at the end of course.

I lived in a foreign country for one year and I learnt the language there. I think it's a good thing to learn the language. You'll also meet new people (on the same level as you) in the classes.
Btw, it's not a barrier. It's a plus. I got complimented on my sweet accent + you're from a foreign country , and IMO , people are genuinly more interested in foreigners / foreign cultures. Depends where you at ..