The Most Hated Gringo in the World Report – 20

I regard Mexico as different as an expat target than almost anywhere else in the Hispanic World. What is happening here is unique, to a certain extent, than anywhere else. I haven't been talking about the universal factors that can plague you anywhere you go.

It is correct, the assertion that a geographical cure doesn't work if what you are trying to escape are universalism's that will go with you no matter where you flee.

What we mean is that Mexico, and even in its history, has had a different relationship with America. Sometimes it has been by virtue of its unique geographical proximity to the U.S., and sometimes philosophically speaking. Historically speaking, there was a great deal of influence on Mexico from the North side of the border during its Independence.

What I am talking about are the Three "C's."

Americans do things, human migration included, according to the Gringolandia Three "C's" of life.

COMFORT -- Gringos will migrate to where it is comfortable. Mexico, being so close to the U.S., makes Gringolandians feel they never have to cut the umbilical cord to their lives in the States. They can hop a plane, if need be, and be in Houston in a couple of hours. They can have all the comforts of home in Mexico and never feel like they are even in a foreign country. They never have to speak a word of Spanish. They feel so comfortable in fact they are motivated to say things like, "My money and my lawyers always win." I was told this by a lady in San Miguel de Allende. At least according to what I've read and been told in email interviews, Americans who do not want to feel like they are too stretched or taxed moving to Mexico. They claim they are expats while they act like they are still in the States. It is comfort they seek. If it were too taxing and threatened their COMFORT level, they would not move here.

A case in point is a guy I know who lived in Mexico for 15 years until he and his wife got fed up with the encroaching Gringos. Finally, they moved to Bariloche, Argentina, where he reports that nothing like what went on in their lives in Mexico has happened there, at least so far. Sure there are Gringos but they are the types to whom the COMFORT of the Three "C's" did not seem to matter. They are true expats.

CONVENIENCE -- Gringos will not expatriate, the majority of them anyway, to anywhere that isn't convenient. Those who do move somewhere inconvenient are the true expats. The Fakepats want all the American conveniences they can get. I have gotten so many emails that I've lost count from Fakepat Gringolandians who indicated they would never go anywhere that does not have a Kentucky Fried Chicken, McVomit's (Big Mac Land), Pizza Hut, Wal-Mart or Sam's Club. They are attracted to places that are only slightly different, in their twisted minds, than living in the U.S. They want something with a Disneyland-like appearance of being foreign but not too foreign. They want a scripted existence in a theatrical representation of reality.

Sustainable Tourism studies have shown this to be true over and over again. Americans will travel to a foreign county if, and only if, it is not TOO inconvenient and where they can find all the COMFORTS of home. They will go back to their homes in the U.S. instant experts on the country they visited and will have earned all this wisdom while chowing down on Extra-Crispy KFC. History, culture, and language is meaningless in light of the CONVENIENCES of home right there in that uncivilized country they were brave and pioneering enough to visit.

Living in Mexico, to the Gringo Fakepats, is like living in the States and if things get too real for them, if reality ever creeps into their magical, make-believe existence, then it is not inCONVENIENT to get back to the States.

COST -- American Fakepats generally do not migrate to somewhere that is too costly. What Americans are attracted to here in Mexico is the real estate hype that they can live like King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba for practically nothing. Plus, it is not too costly to flee back to the States in the event of trouble like it would be from Uruguay, for example. They want not just cheap living but cheap escapes if the reality of living in a foreign country comes crashing down on their play, their drama, their theater, their Disneyland.

Through the Internet, I've managed to establish an email relationship with Americans living in Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, and Chile. What I have described to them, in every lurid detail I could muster, about living in Mexico and the Gringolandians' LORD OF THE FLIES theatrical production has left them shaking their heads. Some have not believed me and those I pointed to the online forums for proof. On the forums you can find Gringolandians' Theatrically Scripted lives at their best.

One lady in Buenos Aires told me that living in the Gringolandian regions of Mexico sounded like living in the Twilight Zone.

Because of the Three "C's," I contend you will not find as much, if any, of the Gringolandian Dramatic Make-believe Lives as you do in Mexico. To travel to and live in Montevideo, as one example, you will have to forfeit the Gringolandian's concept of:

COMFORT

CONVENIENCE

COST

Those Americans who do make it to the farthest reaches of the Hispanic World are Real Expats and have correct expatriation sensibilities with regards to The Three "C's."

The Most Hated Gringo in the World Report – 19

I was having coffee with a couple that, for the most part, share my view of life in Guanajuato. Mind you, we all agreed that Guanajuato really appeals to many Gringos (albeit those woefully equipped to ferret out the culture), but we also agreed we wanted to experience life in another part of Mexico.

And, that's ok on both counts. If we would rather experience a different interpretation of Mexican culture seen in other regions of the country, then that's ok. If you love terminal provinciality, then more power to you. The point being, don't threaten the life of your fellow gringo for holding a more informed and well structured argument for why he or she wants to live somewhere other than Guanajuato.

Our coffee klatch partners asked just what it was I've written over the past years that has earned me the title of The Most Hated Gringo in the World.

In a nutshell, here is why I think the Gringolandians (not the expats but the fakepats) want me dead. It is for trying to explain the following:

We began meeting Mexicans in Guanajuato who were not from Guanajuato. They were in Guanajuato for reasons like marriage, school, or employment. They were born in other regions of Mexico. They were raised in other states but spent most of their lives in Guanajuato. Even those who had spent most of their lives in Guanajuato were, as is typical in Mexico culture, raised at home in the culture of their "home region."

What I mean is that if so-and-so was born in Guadalajara and left for Guanajuato when she was ten years old, she and her siblings would have been raised at home as those from Guadalajara.

The first Mexican lady we met and with whom we discussed Guanajuato Culture was born and raised in Chihuahua City in the state of Chihuahua. She is the wife of a Guanajuato University Professor. She was the first to tell us that though she had been in Guanajuato for ten years, she had no friends. She went on to tell us of the virtual impossibility to make friends with Guanajuatenses (those from Guanajuato).

The second lady we met was a store vendor. While casually talking with her about where we were all from, she mentioned her roots were also from Chihuahua City. We mentioned that we knew someone who said such-and-such about Guanajuatenses. She not only confirmed what the first woman said, but went on to say that the people of Guanajuato were "closed" to the point of being uber-provincial or xenophobic. Though she didn't use those words, that is what I could gather from the Spanish terms she used. She also said the only friends she had were those Mexicans who lived in Guanajuato but were not originally from Guanajuato.

The third lady we met was a restaurant worker. She was from Zacatecas and was a fresh transplant to Guanajuato. I mentioned to her what our friends from Chihuahua had told us about the people of Guanajuato. The lady from Zacatecas confirmed this as well. Only she added words like selfish and unkind.

When I wrote about this, I got called a racist, bigot, and "Hitler." How Hitler comes into the picture I cannot possible begin to know or explain, but that's what Mr. Bill called me in response to that article.

I also got demands to tell the names of the people who had been telling me this stuff.

Now, I am sure that if I got death threats as the result of quoting my Mexicans friends, I wasn't going to be so incredibly stupid as to give the names of those telling me that Guanajuatenses were unkind, unfriendly, and xenophobes. Mr. Bill and his cohorts would have gone after them too, I am almost positive.

I did go to an American who had related a story to us about a Canadian women and her small son who got a firebomb thrown over the wall of the house they were staying in. What a loving attitude those Guanajuatenses offered this poor terrified woman. I told the American pal who told me this that the Gringolandians who were after my hide called me a liar because I would not name names. In calling me a liar, they were calling my friend, who told me the event he witnessed, a liar as well.

Another person offered some additional and very interesting observations. She has lived in Guanajuato for more than two decades. She is Mexican-American.

In an online chat, I asked her:

Have you ever spoken with Mexicans from other regions of the Republic
who have commented on GTO's "provinciality" and what have they
indicated were their feelings.

Notoriously xenophobic

The exchange went on:

We've spoken to Mexicans from three of the Northern states
who have indicated GTO was too closed of a society to get to know anyone as a
friend. We know two from Zacatecas who tell us they've lived in GTO for
more than 10 years each and have no friends who are Guanajuatenses.

Yes, I've heard the same thing.


Do you know of Guanajuatenses who all but eschew those Mexicans or other
Latinos (or Gringos) who are not Guanajuatenses?

To be accepted here you have to be third generation, even if you are Mexican.


Now, correct me if I am wrong here, but this is exactly, almost verbatim, what I have been writing for more than five years about Guanajuato.

I wrote her about how stunned I was to hear her telling me the same things for which I have been scorned and wished dead. Here was her response:

"…You have to look at a bigger picture. Mexican society is composed of closed units, starting with the family - always has been, for survival and security reasons - especially now. You could say all these units, from the family, to the neighborhood, the political party, to the class are all xenophobic out of necessity not just in Gto but in Mexico. However, I'll admit that Gto. is famous all over Mexico for being a closed society."

"Reflect on the reciprocal relationship between vernacular architecture and the culture that lives in it."

"A factor that augments GTO's xenophobia is the architecture. 80% of the streets are inaccessible by car. The city itself is enclosed in a bowl, even the geography is inward-looking, the outside world shut out. In the callejónes human contact is personalized, unified - everybody knows everybody and their entire family history. The "in" side of xenophobia is that you really belong, there's "us" and "them". All for one and one for all - a very comforting security policy only a few groups in the world still experience. In times of insecurity, xenophobia naturally increases. Outsiders are conspicuous and permanent - even the cops are afraid to go into callejónes."

"The callejónes are like neighborhood living rooms, nobody goes there but family. How would you feel if a foreigner came and sat in your living room and demanded you talk English? What do you expect? Gringo expats are absolutely conspicuous, quintessential outsiders, and from a country that is unpopular from the Mexican point of view - to say the least. Do you think Mexicans don't resent the way their immigrants are treated in the US? Maybe one of those rude shopkeepers lost a relative crossing the same border that is no problem for you. Most ex-pats are totally ignorant about Mexico, refuse to learn Spanish and are hence rude and inappropriate. So there's lots of reasons - but yes, you're right."

Her observations more or less floored me.

My use of "Provinciality" to describe Guanajuato was perhaps too soft.

My 100% fluent in Spanish half-Mexican and half-American friend's use of Xenophobic is right on target, I would propose.

Just today, in a conversation my wife had with a Mexican woman with whom she is helping with her English, these things were once again confirmed.

This fledging English student has lived in Guanajuato since she was ten years old. She is now in her sixties. She is originally from Guadalajara. Though living here all these years, she was raised at home like a person from Guadalajara.

Speaking about the local expression of culture in Guanajuato the woman confirmed with my wife that she has no friends because her family is not from here but rather from the costal city of Guadalajara. She has had one friend all these decades and that's because this friend is also from outside Guanajuato. My wife's student confirmed the rudeness of Guanajuatenses. The difficulty in getting someone in a store to wait on you rather than be treated like you are scum for bothering to come into their establishment.

We noted this long ago and have never been wrong in guessing that a friendly store clerk has to be from out of the state. When we've asked, we've been on target that this friendly store clerk was not a local.

The reason I think I am scorned and threatened for writing about these observations is that Gringolandians are so deluded in trying to grasp Mexican culture, and the various local expressions of it, that:

"There are Americans here who fit the stereotype of the "Ugly American" – they want everybody in Mexico to conform to their expectations. At the other extreme, there are Americans here who are so gullible they fail to see the culture’s defects. Everything, no matter how objectionable, is "a beautiful native custom" and all Mexicans "are a beautiful people".—A. Wall

Eating Schedules and Gringo Bellies

When the wife and I moved to Guanajuato, Mexico, one of our hardest adjustments was trying to get our intestines in tune with Mexico's eating schedule. We were surprised at how eating at the most bizarre times could be as upsetting to our little girlie-man gringo bellies as the Mexican food itself. We had to battle both the food and the schedule until we adjusted. It would take about 18 months to adjust to the food, according to our doctor. Until then, "Please pass the Pepto."

Rule number one for the tourist: Eat only in restaurants frequented by a lot of Mexicans. Resist eating from street vendors. If you see a restaurant packed with Mexicans, it's a safe bet, but still a bet. Don't go where you see only fellow gringo tourists. This works. Trust me. Also, no matter how delicious the street vendors culinary items smell, resist for all you're worth. What sickens tourists is the improper handling of food and not the water. Surprised? Don't be.

Then there is the schedule. Restaurants serve breakfast up until about two in the afternoon. If you hit a traditional Mexican eatery at noon, you will not get to see a menu with lunch items, which are what your stomach is screaming in protest that you eat. You will be given the breakfast menu and, like it or not, you'll not get anything else. Lunch will begin about two or two-thirty and last until about seven or seven-thirty. Again, don't even ask, you won't get a dinner menu until after that. Dinner can go from seven-thirty until the wee-hours of the morning.

A unique alternative that might keep your belly from rebellion from the different eating schedule is a wonderfully charming restaurant called Casa Valadez. They have an American menu and seem a bit more flexible in accommodating the different tastes and schedules of the Americans. I would give it a try. It's conveniently located in the center right on El Jardin in downtown Guanajuato.

Mexican Living Print and eBooks - What You Need To Know When Traveling or Planning To Live in Mexico.

The Most Hated Gringo in the World Report – 18

CULTURE_1

One of the many reasons for having the title The Most Hated Gringo in the World bestowed upon yours truly is that I dared to begin writing about Mexican Culture. This so irked the Gringolandians into having a psychotic break that all they could offer as a counter argument was something along the lines of:

"I've lived here longer than you have and therefore you are the most ill-informed Gringo who has ever stepped one foot over the border."

Seriously, I am not kidding. That is a direct quote. This is representative of the majority of responses I received (all anonymous, you must not forget) when I offered an explanation for the following scenario:

During the first months we lived in Mexico, we took refuge in a little barrio most of the Gringolandians had never heard of before. Picture it: here are harping, screed-retching Gringolandians who offer as their idea of logic in a Junior High School taunt that they've been in Guanajuato longer than I have and they had never in their vast Expat (fakepat) experience heard of the barrio of which I speak. One lady claimed to have lived in Guanajuato for years and had to ask me where this supposed barrio was.

Anyway….

There was a small store in this cute little barrio where the wife became accustomed to shopping and where she got to know the storekeeper rather well. It was in this store where my wife first began noticing that Mexicans seemed not to have a clue about lining up or queuing. Nor did they have a clue about what "taking your turn" meant.

My wife would experience getting shoved out of the way, having Mexicans shout orders over her, and even once, having given her order to her storekeeping friend, was violently elbowed out of the way by Mexican women. It left a bruise.

So, my wife asked (in Spanish) what was going on.

My wife's Mexican storekeeper friend said that those who were shoving her out of the way were Malcriadas.

This means something like badly raised.

You would have thought, by the Gringolandians' reactions to my reporting this that I had actually said that Mexican women have sex with burros and that their sons are the issue thereof.

This is, in my best estimation, where the Gringolandians' death march for me began.

Malcriadas was the first explanation we got when we asked a Mexican what was this free-for-all Turkish Bazaar behavior all about over a kilo of tortillas.

We didn't stop with that explanation nor with reporting what additional information we discovered.

Another Mexican offering an explanation told us that older Mexican women think that their age gives them the right to cut into line, shove your sorry Gringo Nalga out of the way, and be waited on first.

Another explanation is rather more complicated and is offered by a Cultural Analyst, Ned Crouch.

If you are thinking of coming to Mexico as an Expat or even a tourist, pick up a copy of Ned Crouch's book, "Mexicans and Americans: Cracking the Cultural Code." It is the rare book that spans all spectrums and is universally applicable to help you understand what exactly you are getting into when coming to Mexico.

In the small store counter scenario, here is what you are encountering:

This situation brings to bear the Mexican Culture sense of space, time, and the very real and ever present sense of Group Orientation.

Whereas Americans are the Me, Me, Me, and I culture, Mexico is not.

On the customer side of the store counter, you are standing in the space designated as "customer space." This is where people stand when they want to be waited on and possibly buy something from the store counter. This is not true necessarily in a modern supermarket, although if there is a meat counter, for example, this dynamic reasserts itself.

In the customer space where people loiter and wait to get waited on, the Mexican concept of time kicks in. Just because you were there first means nothing. You are one member of the customer group's space. Time does not move like an arrow shot through the air but like a river. Time flows. Sometimes a river moves fast and then sometimes slowly.

In the minds of all those hovering around you in the customer group's space, everyone is there at the same time. There is no individuality; there is the "group." You are all there at the same time and will eventually all get waited on, so what is your namby-pamby Gringo problem?

So when the little old lady (900 years old and counting) shows up and pushes you out of the way to shout her orders over you like a Marine calling the order to charge up the hill, she is asserting herself as part of the group. She is in "Group Time" and not on Gringo Time. There is no, "I was here first." There is, "We are here. It is group time now."

For the store clerk not to answer the old woman who rudely interrupted you giving your order would be disrespectful. It would not acknowledge the old lady as a part of the group.

There is no sequence of events. There is the group. All of you as The Group are being waited on.

Now…while this explanation seems to be a better one, I have talked with Latinos from other parts of the Hispanic world about this. When asked, they plainly, succinctly, and boldly say that Mexicans are just plain rude.

One thing that is observable is that they do this to one another as well as to the Gringos. So, it isn't a "We- hate-Gringo Issue."

Store clerks who are living in Guanajuato but who hail from another region of Mexico will tell the Guanajuatenses that they have to wait their turn. You would have thought they had been slapped in the face when they grudgingly go to the back of the line.

Interestingly, each time we've witnessed this, a store clerk telling a Guanajuatense he or she has to wait his or her turn, we've asked the clerk where he or she was born. The answer has always been that the person was born outside Guanajuato.

This is Guanajuato's Provinciality. Love it or leave it. It's one of the not-so-endearing traits.

Why do the Gringolandians' respond so violently to my writing about these cultural issues?

Because they wouldn't be caught dead shopping in a small neighborhood store. They either shop at the supermarkets or send their maids to do the shopping.

They continue in their bubbled existence and wouldn't know if this took place, much less be able to explain it.

They've told me, and sincerely believe this, that I made it all up.

Obama Says Americans Should be Bilingual!

Although I considered adding this article to my The Most Hated Gringo in the World segment, this time I won't. You can tell me if you hate me as a result of reading the article in the comment or email section at the bottom of this post.

Not Knowing A Foreign Language is Embarrassing

In CBS NEWS' From The Road column, Maria Gavrilovic reports the following on Presidential hopeful Barack Obama:

"(DAYTON, OHIO) “I don't speak a foreign language. It's embarrassing!” Barack Obama exclaimed today at town hall meeting here. Obama, who often touts his time growing up overseas, made the confession while speaking about the importance of teaching foreign languages in schools." (Source)

Americans continue to flounder in their bilingual failure rate of more than 96% and continue to ignore the benefits of bilingual education. Not only is America fastly becoming noncompetitive because of its dogged refusal to learn a second, third, and fourth language, but Americans also ignore a host of reasons, some crucial, for spending their lives learning new languages (a not-impossible task even though Americans want to resort to the self-imposed and acclaimed "I am too busy" whine).

Learning Language Benefits

Cognitive Benefits - Children in foreign language programs have tended to demonstrate greater cognitive development, creativity, and divergent thinking than monolingual children. Several studies show that people who are competent in more than one language outscore those who are speakers of only one language on tests of verbal and nonverbal intelligence (Bruck, Lambert, and Tucker, 1974; Hakuta, 1986; Weatherford, 1986). Other studies suggest that students who are learning another language show greater creativity at solving complex problems than their monolingual peers (Bamford and Mizokawa, 1991). Recent research indicates, "the length of time students study a foreign language relates directly and positively to higher levels of cognitive and metacognitive processing" (Rosenbusch, 1995).

Academic Benefits - Studies also show that learning another language enhances the academic skills of students by increasing their abilities in reading, writing, and mathematics. A 1994 report on the impact of magnet schools in the Kansas City Public Schools showed that students in the foreign language magnet schools had boosted achievement significantly (Eaton, 1994). It reported that students in the language magnet’s first kindergarten, starting in the program in 1988, had surpassed national averages in all subjects by the time they reached fifth grade. And the foreign language students performed especially well in mathematics. Similar studies with students in intensive second language programs show these students scoring as well as or better than their monolingual peers on standardized achievement tests in basic skills. In the Cincinnati Public Schools, 2,901 learners in grades K-8 are enrolled in the district’s foreign language magnet schools. In 1994, the California Achievement Test was administered to all learners in grades K-8 and 10. A higher percentage of learners in the foreign language magnet schools were at or above the national norm in comparison with non -magnet learners in reading, language, and mathematics. Children in Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia, who were enrolled in the district’s foreign language partial immersion program, achieved higher test scores in English language arts than did their non-immersion peers. The K-8 French and Spanish immersion schools in the Columbus, Ohio City School District are two of the top four elementary schools whose students pass all five sections of the state proficiency tests in reading, writing, mathematics, science, and citizenship. Students who complete a long sequence of foreign language learning increase their academic skills in other subject areas. In "Foreign Language Study and SAT-Verbal Scores," the authors found that learners who study a foreign language improve their scores on the verbal sections of standardized exams such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT) and that scores continue to climb with each additional year of language study (College Entrance Examination Board, 1992; Cooper, 1987).

Societal Benefits - People who communicate in at least two languages are an asset to the communities in which they live and work. Increasing numbers of jobs now require people who are capable of interacting with people who speak languages other than English and can adapt to a wide range of cultural backgrounds. In addition, the ability to communicate in a foreign language contributes to a student’s overall achievement of personal and professional career goals. Four out of five new jobs in the United States are created as a result of foreign trade. Each year 200,000 Americans lose out on jobs with business because they do not know another language (The Tongue Tied American). According to the Kiplinger Washington Editors (1996), the Hispanic share of the work force will increase by 25 percent by 2010. The Asian share will increase by 50 percent. Minorities will keep moving up the corporate ladder in the next 15 years. Managers who know how to deal with a diverse work force will have an advantage. The telecommunications industry has provided us with the opportunity to communicate on a worldwide basis. To keep pace with this new global marketplace, our educational system must provide learners with the interactive linguistic and cultural skills for the day-to-day situations of employment both at home and around the world.

Why Johnny Can't Speak a Foreign Language

Unlike the rest of the world, the Land-of-Milk-and-Honey Americans don't perceive a need to learn a foreign language. Furthermore, they choose consistently to wallow in their prejudices against Mexicans in their refusal to learn the language they would have the highest degree of success in learning.

French (in Canada) and Spanish (in Mexico) are the two languages spoken in the countries nearest to our borders. This is a no-brainer, folks.

Europeans and Mexicans tend to be bi-, tri-, and quad-lingual because they have the need to be due to the fact they are border-to-border neighbors with people who speak other languages.

However, in America, even in the States bordering Canada and Mexico, you do not find the preponderance of French and Spanish speakers you would expect. There are more than in the rest of the country but not as many as you would expect. The exception would be El Paso, Texas, but easily explained because most of those who are bilingual are of Mexican heritage. White people in El Paso generally don't speak Spanish and tend to segregate themselves by having the "brown stores" and the "white stores." It is sickeningly pathetic. But, they surely want their brown-skinned cheap labor.

Why Speak Spanish?

Spanish is critical for the following professions:

·Agriculture
·Banking
·Business
·Communications
·Construction
·Criminal justice
·Emergency services
·Employment and welfare offices
·Journalism
·Law enforcement
·Manufacturing
·Medicine
·Military
·Social work
·Teaching
·Travel industry
·US Customs

An interesting exchange in the From The Road column was in the Reader's Comments Section:

"As an immigrant I am appalled by the statement made by Senator Obama. One of the fundamental benefits of US citizenship is the right to make our own choices. I reserve my right to choose which second, or in my case third language I learn. I learned English when I came to America without any special free classes. All Americans should be unified by a common language, those who come here and choose not to learn our language is not citizens, they are invaders."

I agree with this comment as far as it goes. The reader was putting words into Obama's mouth, as another reader commented.

"Wow, way to put words in Obama's mouth! While I am a McCain supporter and I believe that there are other education reforms that should be of higher priority than foreign languages, Obama did NOT say that he wanted to make learning Spanish mandatory. He simply said that Americans would greatly benefit from learning more languages, and the most obvious first choice would clearly be Spanish for obvious reasons. I entirely agree that Americans should be minimally competent in at least one other language, although there are more important educational reforms that need to be addressed first.

We need to stop being so elitist about English and get over ourselves already. NEWSFLASH: AMERICA HAS NO OFFICIAL LANGUAGE. To impose an official language would be and completely antithetical to the basis of what this country was founded upon."

Though this is a more accurate comment on Obama's quote, here are two points I garnered from both comments and which really give a synthesis of why so many Americans don't (won't) learn a new language, especially Spanish:

1. They are elitists about English.

2. They are bigots about Mexicans.

Regarding the point made in the end of the first quote: "…those who come here and choose not to learn our language is not citizens, they are invaders."

This is what I have been preaching from the rooftops about the Gringolandians in Mexico. They come here in a self-proclamation they are expats when, in fact, they are invaders.

They rarely, if ever, learn Spanish.

So, what do you think?

Talk to me.

How To Become a Travel Writer

A lot of people write me asking how to become a writer. There is an easy answer to that question. It is so simple that I used to stumble over the simplicity of it.

Writers read. Writers write.

My advice I routinely give is that over which I used to puzzle. But, do not miss the point here. If you want to learn to write then read everything in the genre which appeals to you. Read, read, and then re-read the great ones in your field.

I write primarily travel related pieces. The writer that I chose as my mentor is the travel writer, Bill Bryson. I have read and re-read everything that this man has ever written. And, I will read everything he continues to produce in the future. I not only enjoy his writing but apparently a great many people do too. He is a successful travel writer and that is why I read what he puts on paper.

I was actually a voice performance major at the University. I will never forget what my voice coach told me. He said that singing is 90% imitation and 10% original creativity-- at first.

What he meant is that when you are just starting out, find the masters and imitate what you hear in their voices.

I believe this to be true in all the arts. When you are a beginner, a hack, find those who are the best and imitate them. Do not copy them exactly, but seek to find out what they do that is great in their field and seek to do the same. Eventually that 10% originality will become 100% you.

Also, writers write.

I was told to write 1000 words of publishable material per day. I mean write something that is worth publishing each day and do no less than 1000 words. You may think this a lot. It isn't. But to practice tight writing pick some subject and write 1000 words a day. Do no more and no less. This will teach you to write something worthwhile daily and will teach you write tightly.

I deal with stress by finding the things in my day that flip me out and writing 1000 words about it. I am convinced that every single person who aspires to write can find loads of stuff in their days to do this exercise.

This exercise prepared me for writing 600 word op-ed pieces. If you can limit yourself to 1000 words on some subject you can start shaving it down to an op-ed size column.

Lastly, I have come across a small eBook that is worth taking a look at on travel writing. It is in the resource section below named, BECOME A TRAVEL WRITER.

OUR NEW BOOK

Guanajuato, México--New Book offers survival tips in the Land of Frogs

Guanajuato, México – According to the 2000 Statistical Yearbook of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, published by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service, an estimated 300,000 Americans would expatriate to other countries each year between 2000 and 2005. Some estimates predict the number will continue to increase each year after 2005. Americans are leaving the country in droves, most of whom settle in Mexico. The authors of The Plain Truth about Living in Mexico have written a new book targeting a specific area of Mexico where Americans are moving as expatriates, study abroad students, or retirees. This new book is titled, GUANAJUATO, MÉXICO: Your Expat, Study Abroad, and Vacation Survival Manual in the Land of Frogs.

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The Most Hated Gringo in the World Report – 17

To My Dear Adoring Fans:

To those of you familiar with my writing please read this and then tell me if I wrote it or not:

It’s no wonder the Mexicans don’t respect us...

I love living here in Mexico and it’s been a great experience. My experience has broadened my perspectives. There’s nothing like living in a foreign country to make you feel more like an American.

There are Americans here who fit the stereotype of the "Ugly American" – they want everybody in Mexico to conform to their expectations. At the other extreme, there are Americans here who are so gullible they fail to see the culture’s defects. Everything, no matter how objectionable, is "a beautiful native custom" and all Mexicans "are a beautiful people".

Mexico is a very different country from the United States, with different roots and different traditions. I don’t think that Mexicans need to copy everything in the United States in order to improve their country, because I don’t think everything American is going to function in Mexico (nor vice-versa).

No...I didn't write it. It does express, however, the heart of what I've been writing all these years.

So you see, there are other expats with the same opinions as I have.

Check out Allan Wall

The Most Hated Gringo in the World Report – 16

Gringos Targeted in Crime Attacks

So, you may be tempted to ask, why are articles warning of crime against Gringos listed in The Most Hated Gringo in the World Report?

The answer is very simple. The Gringos in Guanajuato don't believe crime happens here. Just like when they move here and are instantly enveloped in this delusional fantasy that living in Guanajuato is like living in Heaven, they refuse to believe any sort of danger awaits them. So convinced are they of this delusion that they will do things like walk home after midnight expecting absolutely nothing to happen to them.

Writing The Plain Truth about Living in Mexico so upsets their delusional cart that they resort to hating me, sending me emails full of death wishes, and death threats.

Recently, one of the Gringos decided it safe to walk home in the middle of the night after some social event. She was attacked. Whether this was a premeditated robbery-at-gun-point remains to be seen. However, not only was she robbed but this elderly woman was injured in the assault. These guys were waiting on her street, after midnight, and were armed with a handgun. Correct me if I am wrong, but carrying a handgun in a country where they are cost prohibitive, not to mention illegal, to own doesn't seem part of normal Mexican evening wear.

They planned an attack on someone.

This used to be the prevailing attitude in San Miguel de Allende—Nirvana Paradise—until the serial rapist began targeting Gringo women. He had worked as a locksmith assistant in America. When forced to return to Mexico, he had no problem entering locked houses. His confessed motive was that he wanted to target Gringas out of revenge for how he was treated in the States. He targeted Gringos.

"Since the unprecedented shooting of a young man at the Sanmiguelada in September in San Miguel de Allende, we have had more armed assaults during the month of November. An expat couple were robbed at gunpoint in the historical center at the beginning of the month."
(Source)

Another San Miguel Story of Gringos being targeted is when two American gay men were attacked. Here is their account:

"A month ago we had a robbery, which turned into a brutal, attempted murder on Sollano Street in centro.

Two Mexicans in their mid twenties appeared at our door at 9pm on Wednesday the 12th of December. They insisted that they knew us and had just returned from a long trip to Chicago. Since they asked for me by my legal name James Castro we were suspicious, however, they seemed convincing after a few minutes of conversation. We decided to meet them at the door and ultimately let them in to discuss how we had met.

They were polite and appeared educated and genuine. After 10-15minutes they became violent. We were discovered the next morning locked in our wine cellar. Both of us were severely beaten and barely able to move. The next morning, Wesley was able to make enough noise to get the attention of our staff. I was found with a noose around my neck and rolled up in a tarp. The doctors later discovered that I had lost half of my blood. We are both lucky to have survived.

The criminals somehow loaded all of our televisions, computers and other electronics including a heavy safe into their vehicle on Sollano.

After spending a week in the hospital and a few weeks recovering we have decided to publicly share our story. Our mistake was clearly in being trusting. We are now taking the precautions necessary to protect ourselves and want to provide awareness to others.

We are not immune in San Miguel de Allende to some of the crimes that have occurred elsewhere in Mexico. Our experience has been devastating. We greatly appreciate the love and support that has been demonstrated by our friends in San Miguel. We will be forever grateful.

The city has not responded to our situation and, after a month, has made no progress on our case. We are frustrated by the legal system here but will continue to do what is necessary to find the criminals."

I've written before about the time when we walked into the kitchen to find a Mexican trying to squeeze his way through the bars over the window. Once the police left and the neighbors armed with kitchen knives left, I spoke with our landlady.

When I asked what this guy's motive could have been she replied that because we are gringos, he would have thought the house was loaded with treasures that he could sell for drugs, booze, or whatever. My quick retort was, "We are not rich." To which she responded, "But you are Gringos."

That was my very first lesson in the Gringo Targeting Scam in Guanajuato.

The next lesson came when I received an email from a Mexican woman in her twenties in response to an article I wrote on this crime issue. She told me that from a very young age she was taught by her caregivers that if she learned English, she could more easily rip off the Gringos.

Targeting? You bet.

Another lesson was in the kitchen of another young Mexican woman who is married to a Gringo. She said she was taught from a very young age that the Gringos are there to be exploited and she was taught how to scam the gringo.

Targeting? You make the call.

In today's news, the headline reads:

U.S. Tourist Killed in Machete Attack - Guatemalan robbers armed with machetes hack Alaska man to death, seriously injure his wife aboard couple's sailboat…Read Story Here

On Sunday, the wife and I were walking to the store when a car screeched to a halt beside us. There were two men in their late twenties or early thirties in a nice looking car. In heavily accented English, they asked if we wanted a ride. We said no. They then went into this song and dance that they knew us, they were our neighbors on a street we no longer live on, and were insistent that we get into their car. I said no again and kept walking.

I can recall faces and the voices associated with those faces with uncanny accuracy. I can recall names if I make a mental motion picture associating the face and the voice with the name. I am blessed/cursed with a somewhat photographic memory. I remember things, even text, in pictures.

I had never seen or heard these two men before in my life.

They also mentioned living on a street we not only haven't lived on in years, but when we did live there, we knew all the people who lived on the street.

They weren't our neighbors then or now.

Gringos in this town will go to the extreme of wishing me death for making commentary on the darker side of living in Mexico or telling me I need help for my paranoid fear.

You make the call whether you would want to be informed on the real life in Mexico or just the stuff of which delusional fantasies are made of.

Truth will inform you; fantasy could get you killed.

Rest assured that none of those who want to get you to stay in their B&B, hotels, eat in their restaurants, buy their houses, are going to tell you one inkling of the darker side of living or even visiting Mexico.

The proof?

1. In a Spanish School close to where I live, the attacks on the American female students are so common in their specific targeting that it has a name: GROPE AND GO.

2. Take a look at all the Gringos who come here and engage in risky behavior they would not dream of doing in their home city and state. The criminal element in this town counts on the naivety of the Gringa thinking this is a paradise with no snakes in the garden.

3. Gringos are routinely targeted in the tourist area with The Mustard Scam. We would have never heard about it unless warned by the local Mexicans aware of this scam that specific targets Gringos.

The Most Hated Gringo in the World Report – 15

Crime Attacks in Guanajuato

I have written a few articles on the issue of crime in Guanajuato. For my trouble, these stories have helped earn me The Most Hated Gringo in the World title. You would have thought that these articles would have been met with gratitude for the heads up on alerting the Gringos to the possibility of being attacked on the streets. But, oh no. I've been labeled a liar.

When I told the story of my wife being sexually attacked on the street, in broad daylight, not only did the Gringolandians of Guanajuato marginalize the horrid experience my wife and I went through, but they also actually said I made it up.

The most amazing thing to me is that the Fakepats, American tourists, and even some Expats will come to Guanajuato, and in light of the articles I've written, will pronounce the city the safest place they've ever seen. They say things like, "I feel perfectly safe here," then proceed to do things like they would never in a thousand years try in the States.

Young co-eds, graduate students, and elderly women will do the unthinkable and walk back to their houses in the night alone without a thought in their heads that perhaps this is not a very wise thing to do.

I am at a total loss to explain it.

My wife was walking back from the store in daylight when she was attacked.

However, Americans come to Mexico and for reasons that only the Divine must know, they will walk around the city in the night as though they were in a sinless Heaven.

I don't get it.

I was just talking with a young woman who told me that sometimes she just feels like walking back to her host family's home after dark after some event in the late evening.

In that same street where she's staying, a friend of ours has a coffee shop. At ten at night, he was locking up the store when a gang approached him. He was consequently robbed of the day's receipts and stabbed. He lived.

Two American college girls recently tried walking to their hostel in the wee hours of the morning when they were attacked and robbed.

A personal friend of ours was walking home when she was set upon by robbers with guns. The friend with whom she was walking was uninjured but the robbers thought it appropriate to beat up on our friend. She is an elderly woman and was injured.

Why do the Americans come to Guanajuato, or really anywhere, and suddenly all caution is thrown to the wind? Why do they regard Mexico as a place where they will never be hurt? Why do they engage in careless behaviors they would never think to do in the USA or anywhere else?

It is insane.

But, it isn't limited to Americans. I believe their presence will help to draw in a degree of crime never before seen in this town, but this is just my opinion.

A dentist in a fairly nice barrio was attacked along with his receptionist. The receptionist fought back and almost had her fingers bitten off for her efforts. Her assailants were intent on rape. She fought and won but not without damage. A week later, her boss, the dentist, was coming into work when he was set upon. He got the crap beaten out of him in broad daylight and was robbed to boot.

The lesson?

You've got to use the same precautions that you would in any big American city. Don't do stupid things. And, as much as it may pain you to believe this, you are a target if you are an American.

That's real life here.

Do not miss the point. What I am not talking about is that this sort of crime can happen anywhere.

What I am talking about is about a targeting of the members of a sub-culture: Gringos. The myth running rampant among lower-class Mexicans is that Americans are all, without exception, filthy rich. If you see one walking the street, especially the retiree-aged one, they are not only an easy knockoff but you are also going to get fistful of money.

While the rich Mexican is certainly targeted and attacked, now there is a new variable added to the mix: Gringos. And, amazingly, Gringos will still go strolling along late at night.

The Most Hated Gringo in the World Report – 14

DEFENDING MY TITLE

I woke up this morning with one goal in mind: Defend my title as The Most Hated Gringo in the World! So, here we go.

Occasionally in online forums, you will find Mexicans following the threads and responding. Not a lot do but when they do it is very, very, very telling. Here's one to get the ball rolling:

"I am Mexican. I also speak English, as you can see. And probably 98 percent of my fellow Mexicans would live in exclusive enclaves and gated communities were they able to afford it. We do not enjoy being poor." – Recent Forum Post

I've noticed the majority of those Mexicans who do break their forum-lurking silences on the Internet express this total misunderstanding of the argument between the true Expats and the Fakepats about the Cultural Imperialism the Fakepats constantly try foisting upon Mexicans.

The Mexicans responding to the arguments tend to express something along the lines of the quote above as their interpretation of the argument.

Some have even gone so far as to accuse people, like yours truly, of wanting to keep Mexicans mired in poverty when we oppose the Cultural and Economic Imperialism with which the Gringos oppress the Mexicans in towns like San Miguel de Allende.

The argument is not about globalization. It is not about Mexicans wanting change for themselves. The argument has nothing to do with Mexicans wanting to weave into their unique culture—a culture nowhere else found on the planet—something that might improve the lives of their fellow paisanos.

The argument is about Cultural Imperialism and the infection of Mexico with aspects of American life for the sheer purpose of profit.

"Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting, distinguishing, separating, or artificially injecting the culture or language of one nation into another. It is usually the case that the former is a large, economically or militarily powerful nation and the latter is a smaller, less important one. Cultural imperialism can take the form of an active, formal policy or a general attitude." –From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Doesn't it certainly beg the question why in towns like Puerto Vallarta, Lake Chapala, Ajijic, and San Miguel de Allende a Gringolandian wannebee, The Fakepat, can move in and never give the language barrier another thought? Accidental? Coincidence? Not on your life!

Just tell me who said Wal-Mart, Applebee's, and God forbid—Starbucks—are Mexican?

Studies have shown that when American tourists come to visit (invade) a foreign country, they do not want too much "foreignness." They want something a little different with a heaping helping of sameness. In other words, they look for something slightly different but not too different. They look for something familiar that is like home.

We saw the truth of this study the last time we went to Puerto Vallarta. We stood watching the ocean liners loaded with Americans and their money come into the bay. Directly across the street from where these floating hotels were docked were Sam's Wholesale Store and Wal-Mart (it wasn't bad enough to have one owned by the same culture-destroying outfit, they had to have two).

When they lowered the gangplanks you would have thought the Americans would have been standing in line to take a cab to the Puerto Vallarta Historical Downtown District to soak up the local (very Americanized culture) ambiance. What did they do? They scurried as fast as their flip-flop clad feet could take them to Wal-Mart and Sam's Club.

Not believing our eyes and thinking we were dreaming, we went straightaway to the line of cab and hopped into one. We were told, at least by this cabbie, that this is what Americans do upon arrival. Few, if any, want to go to see the sights. What they always seem to do, according to this cabbie, is flee to Wal-Mart and Sam's Club and then filter back to the boats. Some make it to the beaches. Some make it to the evening's orchestrated events. The next day, we confirmed this story with residents and shopkeepers.

So let me propose the question: "Just for whom is the infection of Starbuck's in San Miguel de Allende and the most recent infection of Applebee's in Guanajuato and the coming Wal-Mart for anyway? Your average Jose and Juana Mexican? Or for the elite? I mean who would pay eight bucks for a cup of coffee and for a meal that would be the month's wage for an average Mexican family?

These places are here to attract the American tourist and American Fakepat.

I know an American lady who was so delighted when the Applebee's opened in Guanajuato she could not flee there fast enough. The prices are outrageous. The Mexican elite from D.F. and the American Gringolandians eat there. Need I say another word?

The Mexicana whose point-of-view I quoted above is mistaken.

The Gated Communities and Exclusive Enclaves are in Gringolandias because the Americans want to be gated off from Mexico. They demonstrate by their constant attraction to these Cultural Isolation Fortresses that they want nothing to do with Mexicans, Mexico's language, and Mexico's culture. It has nothing to do with "richness" versus "poorness." It is not an economic question. It is a question of Cultural Imperialism, straight and simple.

And, regarding this Mexican's statement:

"And probably 98 percent of my fellow Mexicans would live in exclusive enclaves and gated communities were they able to afford it."

This is a hypothesis that cannot be tested. Just what proof does this Mexicana offer to show the veracity of her proposition? None. Do I need to go on?

Yes. I must.

"'Cultural imperialism' can refer to either the forced acculturation of a subject population, or to the voluntary embracing of a foreign culture by individuals who do so of their own free will." –From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A few years ago, a fellow from SMA sent me an email in which he said that if any Mexican in San Miguel de Allende resented and cannot accept that the Mexican's existence in life is to serve the American population then that person is welcome to live elsewhere.

Now, I am done.

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LATEST CRIME REPORT IN GUANAJUATO

The Most Hated Gringo in the World Report – 13

Perhaps I was before my time, as they say, when I began writing about American Expat's Cultural Imperialism in Mexico. You would think from the histrionics in the Gringolandians (note I do not say Expat Community) who have emailed me death threats for my views, that I was the only one on the face of the planet who had made the observations I've recorded online and in print about the Gringolandians.

Well, things have changed.

In spite of all that work I've done to earn my title as The Most Hated Gringo in the World, I now have competition. As I've written before, it is not that I actually did anything to earn this title. I am unworthy. All I've ever done is make observations and decided to tell The Plain Truth About Living in Mexico.

Now I have competition.

A gentleman wrote in an online forum regarding Expatriation to Mexico issues:

"I met a woman in San Miguel once who said she'd lived in Mexico for 37 years and never had to speak a word of Spanish. When my partner, David, told her he was taking Spanish lessons so he could maybe get to know some Mexicans, she replied, 'Oh, my dear, they are really not that interesting.' How she knew that, I do not know."

This was one in many quotes in a post in which this man told of his experiences growing up in an international context and what he has been observing in the Gringolandians in Mexico. He goes on to say:

"I know many wealthy Mexicans who, alas, seem bent on living the same empty and meaningless sorts of lives people in the US think are normal--isolated from their neighbors, their families, their people, the real world. I do not think this is the way for a sane person to live, but that is just me."

Though I've made the same observations for years now, I get the hate screed telling me I am the most despised Gringo ever to come to Mexico.

I wonder if this guy gets threats for making these comments?

This astute fellow ends his forum communiqué with this:

"But, in my earlier letter I was referring to middle-class gringos who come here and suddenly think they are upper class. I find they usually do not like the Mexicans or Mexico and constantly complain about this or that inanity and inconvenience. I have been known to complain about the lack of, say, razor sharp cheddar cheese or rye bread, but even those little luxuries are becoming more and more available. I find myself deliriously happy here. I feel Mexico is my home, and I love it."

An interesting thing to note is that in all of my writings not once did I ever say I "hated" living in Mexico. And yet, the extent of the collective reasoning ability of the responses I've received from my "Want-To-See-Me-Die" fans is:

"If you hate it so much here why don't you leave?"

These are people, mind you, who will live out the rest of their miserable existences on this earth in linguistic and cultural isolation, never knowing the true Mexico, and yet they think I hate this wonderful country?

(What I have expressed is a preference for a different region of Mexico where the expression of Mexican culture is so different it causes the locals to express dismay, to the point of being disparaging, about Central and Southern Mexico.)

Do not miss the point.

These Gringolandians show the utmost disrespect to Mexico and the Mexicans by never learning the language. They are never able to cross the cultural threshold of life in this country and yet they accuse me (who has made and continues to make the effort to learn Spanish and the Mexican culture) of hating Mexico.

Americans are so blind to their own cultural heterogeneousness they cannot see that Mexico is no more culturally homogeneous than America. And yet, I am told by almost every Mexican who has contact in any sort of business sense with Gringolandians that they believe Americans expect Mexico to be the same no matter what city and state one happens to visit in the vast diversity of Mexico.

I had this discussion with a Mexican who has a tour business. He picks up Americans at the border and drives them in a van to Guanajuato. He has conducted this business for years. His overwhelming responses to my interview questions was the repetition of how Americans expect all areas of Mexico to be the same and that sameness should be like America.

But, who am I to say?

I am the most ignorant Expat ever to take a step over the border (my subtitle) and don't forget:

The Most Hated Gringo In All of Mexico!

Mexican Living - So You Want To Expatriate?

(I thought of putting this post under The Most Hated Gringo in the World classification but decided to see if I get hate mail from the Gringolandians first. I can always change it.)

Expatriate wannabes often ask us how we managed our expatriation to Guanajuato, Mexico. They want to know how we overcame the seemingly overwhelming logistics of deciding where to live, if it's affordable, if there is reasonable medical care, how to find housing, can Americans find work, what about visas, and will the culture shock be too great to handle?

All of these questions are legitimate and answers are obtainable if you are willing to do the homework. If I had to narrow it down to two things that are the most important in your quest to expatriate to Mexico, I would say this: research and make an exploratory visit to the city of your choice.

First, take all the time you need to research the city or cites which you are considering. Read everything you can get your hands on--and more--about the regions in which you might be interested. The second thing is that, once you've narrowed your options down to the cities that most interest you, visit as many as you can afford.

This last suggestion, we have found, intimidates many with whom we've spoken about their expatriating dreams. If they aren't well traveled, fluent in the language, or gutsy enough, this thought is a little overwhelming. We found ourselves in the same boat when we reached the point of research overload and it was time to go and have a look around. We were scared but determined.

What we decided to do is what we highly recommend to potential expats--go to language school. This is the perfect way in which to experience the culture, learn some of the language, and see what the country is really like in a safe and controlled environment in the city in which you may want live.

Attending a language school and staying with a local family, in the cities you are considering as your new home, will have the following advantages:

1) You will get "three hots and a cot."

2) You will stay with a family, carefully screened by most reputable schools, who knows the city from the inside out.

3) You will have the support of the local family and school in case you get into a jam.

4) You will be able to see and experience genuine Mexican living in a worry-free environment.

You will get "three hots and a cot". We made our exploratory trip to Guanajuato in February, 2003. In the school we attended, we arranged for a home stay with a local family. We had fine accommodations with an upper middle-class family. The family maid took care of cleaning our room and making the bed just as in a hotel.

In some cases, you can get them to do your laundry--for a small tip. All of our meals were provided so we didn't have to worry about finding restaurants three times a day. You have the option of eating out if you warn the host family ahead of time. The point is that all the arrangements for your needs are made through the school before you arrive. Most schools arrange to have you picked up at the airport when you arrive.

This is, in my opinion, a worry-free proposition. All we had to do is show up at the Guanajuato airport and there was someone to take care of us in a country we knew little about and with our having little to no travel abroad experience.

You will stay with a family, carefully screened by most reputable schools, who knows the city from the inside out. This is the perfect setup! If you are thinking of expatriating to Mexico, what better situation can you find but to be in the care of a Mexican family who knows the city--where to find a place to live, how to set up your utilities, which banks are the best, all the bus routes, moving services, handymen, maids to hire, etc. You can't beat this!

We stayed with a host family when we came to language school in which the man was an influential lawyer in Guanajuato who knew everyone and anything you could conceive of needing in your expatriating adventure. This was perfect for us and this could work for you too. Networking with the locals is what will smooth your way in your desire to expatriate.

You will have the support of the local family and school in case you get into a jam. I was a nervous ninny at the thought of just booking a hotel and showing up in Guanajuato to do our exploratory mission. I mean, what did I know about traveling or living abroad? Nothing! So having this support system set up through a local language school who found us a wonderful family with whom to stay solved my anxiety.

You will be able to see and experience genuine Mexican living in a worry-free environment. What better way to see what life is like in Mexico but to live with a Mexican family? You have virtually all your needs to taken care of, freeing you to explore with almost nothing to worry about. It truly was the most relaxing trip we've ever taken.

A final tip is to be sure and write some former students, listed on the school's web sites, to see what their experiences were at the school. Get a consensus, if you can, from the former students. We did this and were surprised that some listed on the reference page of the school's web sites were honest enough to mention deficiencies.

A good search-engine term to use to find additional sites is "Spanish schools Mexico". Type that in the search term box of any Internet Search Engine.

Mexican Living Print and eBooks - What You Need To Know When Traveling or Planning To Live in Mexico.

Vince Mira: The Newest Star in Country Music

By

Cindi Bower

What do you get when you take a heaping spoonful of Johnny Cash, stir in a dollop of Elvis Presley, add a dash of Bob Dylan and mix well? You get country music's newest singer/songwriter, Emmanuel "Vinny" Miranda, also known as Vince Mira.

Vince's older brothers discovered one of their favorite songs, "Ring of Fire," performed by Social Distortion, was originally sung by Johnny Cash. Cash's music, similar in style to the norteña sound popular with Latinos, became a regular part of the record rotation on the family's stereo during Vince's childhood.

When Vince turned 12, he started playing the guitar. He knew then he wanted to be a musician. Though Johnny Cash songs were favorites, he realized his voice was not capable of doing justice to them at that time of his life. He started singing the Spanish songs that reflect his Latino heritage as well as songs by Buddy Holly, The Beatles, and Bob Dylan. Those still rank among his favorites. Vince says the older classics are far better than much of what constitutes modern music.

At about age 13, Vince's voice changed suddenly and deepened. He knew the time had come to add his favorite Johnny Cash hits to his growing repertoire. His mom, Lupe Miranda, encouraged Vince to start playing his music and singing at Seattle's Pike Place Market, home to about 240 street musicians. She thought he had a good, strong voice that people would react to.

She was right. At first, Vince performed mainly Spanish songs, which garnered him some tips. When he added some Johnny Cash classics to the mix, people began to take notice of this young man.

One person who noticed Vince was Chris Snell, owner of the Market's Can Can Kitchen and Cabaret. He was on his way to the club one day when he heard a deep, melancholy voice belting out a Johnny Cash tune. Expecting to see a middle-aged man with the lines of hard living etched on his face, he was shocked to see that the song was coming from the mouth of a slender high school kid.

Snell, who has since become Mira's manager, invited Vince to perform at the Can Can club and the rest, as they say, is history.

Besides performing every Tuesday night at the Can Can club, Vince has appeared at several music festivals in the Seattle area, including Pike Place Market's Centennial concert in August 2007 and the Sasquatch! Music Festival in May 2008. He has also appeared on Good Morning America, The Ellen Degeneres Show (she gave him the Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar that he now uses), and on KOMO-TV's Northwest Afternoon program.

In September 2007, Vince cut his debut album at Cash Cabin in the studio where Johnny Cash once recorded. The album, called "Cash Cabin Sessions," was produced by John Carter Cash, the only son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. In addition to Cash staples like "Walk the Line," "Blistered," and "Ring of Fire," the album includes songs written by Mira ("Cold Hearted Woman" and "Lonely Heart"). To celebrate the release of the CD, Vince performed at Seattle's Triple Door Club on February 26, 2008, the anniversary of Johnny Cash's birth.

Also in September 2007, Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard got Vince involved in a project with several Seattle musicians who are reinterpreting the music of Hank Williams, Sr. Gossard says of Vince: "He has this incredible gift, this huge sound. And then he's got a real fire in his eye, and he gives it up." (SOURCE)


While he is honored to be compared to the legendary Johnny Cash, Vince says he doesn't want to be locked into performing only Cash hits or even country music exclusively. He wants to expand his repertoire to include music from different artists and genres. He also wants to add his own compositions to the mix.

Given the success he's already experienced in his short sixteen years, it seems the world will be enjoying Vince Mira's voice and music for years to come.

Even if you don't like country music, check out this young man's performances. You will be amazed! (Watch and hear Vince sing!)

More resources

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Mexican Living - Doctors, Doctors, Doctors

I am sick. I don't know what's wrong nor if what I have has an official name. Maybe they call it,

"Ah-ha-now-you-can't-breathe-well-and-feel-like-you-are-going-to-die virus. I don't know. I will probably go to the doctor tomorrow if I am not feeling better.

Going to the doctor in Mexico is simply a delight. There are several reasons for my enchantment with going to Mexican doctors. One is that I can afford it. The best part, in fact, about going to the Mexican doctor is at the end of the visit when you have to pay less than $15.00 for an office call.

This is what you will hear your American doctor telling you,

"That will be all for today. Now be sure to pay your $150.00 DOLLAR office visit fee so you can help make the payment on my brand-new SUV. Be sure to take a look at it on your way back to your little rust bucket of a car. After all you are paying for it!"

You instead hear this from your Mexican doctor,

"That will be $150.00 PESOS (less than $15.00 USD). Oh thank you very much," the Mexican doctor tells you, "you are very kind."

Reason number two why I love going to the Mexican doctors is that, if you are a man, they do not ask you every single time to drop your pants to have a look at that worrisome prostate gland.

If you aren't a man then you have no idea of how obsessive the American medical community becomes about your prostate gland after you reach a certain age! After I hit 45-years old, each time I would go see the doctor, any doctor, they would always want to know when the last time I had my prostate gland looked at.

I would go to the doctor for:

· A sore throat: "Oh, that red throat sure looks bad," the doctor would say, "but let's have a look at your prostate while you are here."

· A cut finger requiring stitches: "There you go. That last stitch went in perfectly. Now strip off all your clothes, put on this gown, and I'll be right back."

· An asthma attack: "Oh, oh, oh my God! The lungs sound fine but I think I hear something in your prostate gland. Quick, let's have a look!"

· The neurologist slithers in:

"I think we need to look at your prostate."

"But doctor," you protest weakly, "I am here because my right leg has been numb for three months."

"Ah, yes. I think the prostate may be causing it. Bend over this table and let's have a go at it, shall we?"

American doctors will go to any means to get to have a look at your prostate. It is as though they win some sweepstakes for the most prostate glands they get to "have a look at." I just don't know!

The third reason I love going to the Mexican doctor is that they actually care about you. I am not making this up: They will call you at home, because they worry about your condition. If you are suppose to return to the doc for a follow-up visit and are one day late they call you to see if you are ok or what has happened to you. Can you even begin to fathom that?

When we came back from a Puerto Vallarta vacation, I contracted a jungle related rash. Don't ask me how. I was not swinging from disease carrying vines or rubbing up against something I should not have been. I just caught this hideous rash.

My Guanajuato doctor was treating me. It was rather a severe case and he got worried when I didn't return exactly on the 10th day he asked me to come back. So he called me up to see how I was doing.

I love Mexican doctors!

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The Plain Truth about Living in Mexico - What You Need To Know When Traveling or Planning To Live in Mexico.

The Most Hated Gringo in the World Report – 12

About nine months into our expat adventure, an adventure that has been marred, to say the least, by the presence of Gringolandians, we begin to get the distinct impression that the vast majority of not only tourists but expats of the American flavor act as though they expect Guanajuato to be just like America.

That observation soon blossomed into the full-blown fact that most Americans who visit or move here expect Mexico in general, not Guanajuato particularly, to be just like America.

I began calling this a Gringolandia Fact after interviewing Mexican nationals in Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, and Puerto Vallarta. All the nationals with whom we spoke unanimously said that they believed Americans act as though they think and expect that everything in Mexico should work like things work in America.

Some of this works out in seeing Gringas (a female Gringolandian) march up to Mexican woman sitting on the sidewalk feeding her child a torta and lecturing this woman on how she should be feeding her child a bowl of Special K. And, if you tell the Gringa that not only is what the Mexican lady was feeding her child is none of the Gringa's business, but also that the Mexican woman doesn't understand a screechy old Gringa's English, the Gringa will say in hushed tones as though talking about National Security Secrets,

"Oh, she understands English but is pretending she doesn't."

Americans, I am convinced, believe that most sincerely.

Another thing Americans seem to think on a massive scale is that they can jump the border and get a job.

We've heard this over and over again in emails and in forum posts. They announce on the forum they are coming to Mexico, they are going to live in a resort, and be a plumber (or real estate agent or whatever).

"My name is (Name Withheld) and I have a teenaged son. We are moving at the end of the year to Guadalajara. I'm taking plenty of money to not have work for a few years but want to work after a couple of years after knowing the culture and language well!!! Could I make a living being a plumber or repair person there?"

First Mistake Americans Often Make

"I'm taking plenty of money to not have work for a few years…"

This guy might as well put a magnetic sign on his van reading, "Rob me, I have plenty of loot!" Or, put a big neon, billboard sized sign on his casita saying, "I'm rich. Please break in my house and steal from me."

You would be surprised (I'm not) at how many Americans come to Mexico and pull this same act in various forms. They must think that to advertise they have money on the Internet, where no evil demoniac would possibly lurk, is a real safe thing to do.

If this guy will post online where he is moving and that he is coming with bounty for all, then just imagine how long it will take for him to get ripped off in Mexico.

Second Mistake Americans Often Make

"… want to work after a couple of years after knowing the culture and language well!!!"

Admirable.

Highly unlikely.

America has a less than 9% bilingual rate. That has got to be comprised of the foreign population who live there, wouldn't you think?

Of those Americans who attempt learning a second language, less than 4% actually do.

Though admirable, this guy's statement, if coming from a typical American, shows he hasn't a clue how to go about second language acquisition and yet he goes on in the forum post to say,

" I speak fluent work Spanish!"

You can bet the farm on the fact that whenever an American claims second language acquisition fluency that they are NOT fluent in any sense of the word.

Now, I am not being catty here at all. What I am being is hyper-realistic. Americans do this all the time. They think that because they can say a few words in Spanish, as the result of work contact with Border Jumpers, that they are fluent. Out of what kind of frame of reference can an American make such a claim of their language proficiency? They can't. The 4% failure rate in America's second language acquisition speaks for itself.

I acknowledge this guy's desire. However, his work Spanish is never in a million years going to get him through the very formal Spanish needed to obtain an FM3 work visa.

Third Mistake Americans Often Make

Furthermore, he will never, ever be able to work as a plumber. They are plentiful in Mexico and legally he won't be allowed to. You can't do a job Mexicans are qualified to do. You can buy or begin a business and hire Mexican plumbers but work as a plumber? Not on your tool-belt life.

This assumption is all too commonly heard to be a coincidence. I have many Expat, not Fakepat, friends who have begun businesses in Guanajuato. The nightmare in trying to obtain working papers and permits is almost beyond comprehension.

Work Spanish fluency, whatever that means, is not going to guide you through the process.

What should guide you in the desire to live in Mexico is come here not as a cup half full but totally empty.

What you think you know because you've worked with Hispanics who are in America will not serve you at all.

Americans make such a grave error in believing that because they had a Mexican maid or handyman in America and ate at Taco Bell that they have the Mexican culture thing down pat. Americans have trouble understanding their own culture.

How then can they come to Mexico and expect to get along well?

Culture and language? Not a problem. I had a Mexican maid back home and worked with illegals in construction. Two years top! That's all I'll need!