Living the GOOD LIFE for the REST OF YOUR LIFE!
SPEAKING SPANISH
TRAVEL TO MEXICO MEANS LEARNING SPANISH!
Studying Spanish IN Mexico is basic training in learning how to speak Spanish. Each Spanish speaking country has its own dialect, its own pronunciation and its particular phrases and idioms. Mexican Spanish is best learned while in Mexico. It can be an exhilarating experience and one that will be the impetus for your Mexican adventure.
The Spanish immersion system for learning a language works well and a non-Spanish speaking person will pick up the language with relative ease using that technique.
Many of the popular expat towns and villages within Mexico offer classes geared to those learning a second language. You can also study the language in the privacy of your own home or at a local school prior to embarking on your “Change of Lifestyle”. The bottom line, however, is that is it important to know Spanish if you wish to live in Mexico.
Spanish schools are also found throughout the country, and many communities with large expat populations offer instruction in learning Spanish.
Your frustration levels will be higher if you cannot understand what someone is saying to you, or you cannot read directions or signs. Even a slight understanding of the language will make your transition that much easier, and the longer you live in a Mexican community, the more of the language you will learn. It’s almost as if you learn by osmosis, but you WILL learn!
While speaking Spanish will definitely make your life easier and fuller, it is not a requirement. Many locals speak passable English, and anyone in the tourist industry definitely does.
You may have experienced a foreign speaking person trying to address you in their language, assuming you understood what they were saying. The frustration you probably felt is the same while touring and living in a foreign country. Even if your language skills are minimal, beginning a question in the language of your new country will immediately open a door for you as you are perceived as “trying”. And that is the key to assimilating into a new society.