# Meeting English speakers



## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

citlali said:


> People swim in Zirahuen? I was there once but I do not remember. There are some expat as well if I remember correctly.


We went out on the lake in a boat, certainly the cleanest lake we have seen in Mexico. Saw no swimmers, but some expats have houses there. Lots of expats in that area that don't seem very "friendly;" and, the ones I've gotten a few words out of, seem to prefer to speak Spanish. As one told me "I don't usually talk to "tourists", but I'll make an exception in your case."


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

coondawg said:


> ... Lots of expats in that area that don't seem very "friendly;" and, the ones I've gotten a few words out of, seem to prefer to speak Spanish. As one told me "I don't usually talk to "tourists", but I'll make an exception in your case."


What a snotty attitude! I wonder where that comes from.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

Isla Verde said:


> What a snotty attitude! I wonder where that comes from.


It's not so uncommon in smaller towns for long term gringos to avoid tourists who are just passing through. In any sized town for that matter. I guess the tone of how it was said makes the difference.

My town is crawling with ****** tourists in the winter and they are nothing special to me and will be gone tomorrow


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

sparks said:


> It's not so uncommon in smaller towns for long term gringos to avoid tourists who are just passing through. In any sized town for that matter. I guess the tone of how it was said makes the difference.
> 
> My town is crawling with ****** tourists in the winter and they are nothing special to me and will be gone tomorrow


I think you are correct, Sparks. I was kinda glad to see an expat face and a chance to talk, and ask questions, but it was not reciprocal (I was nothing special to them). They had basically formed a "new" life, and they were trying to stay "immersed" in the new, and I was part of the old. They were "busy" with their new life. It was just a different experience. Each to their own, no?


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

coondawg said:


> I think you are correct, Sparks. I was kinda glad to see an expat face and a chance to talk, and ask questions, but it was not reciprocal (I was nothing special to them). They had basically formed a "new" life, and they were trying to stay "immersed" in the new, and I was part of the old. They were "busy" with their new life. It was just a different experience. Each to their own, no?


I stay away from any place where foreigners hang out. The only time I really see many non-Mexicans is in my Spanish class and they are usually European, at the moment it seems to be one Pole, one French, on Brazilian, and an Australian. I guess they are not just European. I do end up spending a fair amount of time speaking English, because I lead a couple of English conversation groups for Mexicans that want practice speaking English.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

I don't make a point of looking for foreign tourists to hang out with, but if I ran into a pleasant one (or two) in the course of the day, I would be happy to have a friendly chat. And I certainly wouldn't speak to them in Spanish if it were obvious they were English-speakers - what a petty thing to do!


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Isla Verde said:


> I don't make a point of looking for foreign tourists to hang out with, but if I ran into a pleasant one (or two) in the course of the day, I would be happy to have a friendly chat. And I certainly wouldn't speak to them in Spanish if it were obvious they were English-speakers - what a petty thing to do!


I suspect that living where you do, you see a lot more English speaking tourists than I do. I can go six months or a year without running into anyone whose native language is English. When I do see an English speaker it is one of the two that live a few blocks from me. There is a Peace Corp volunteer a few blocks north and a retired expat a few blocks south. I run into one of them on the street once every few months.

I do get a fair number of Mexicans who like to say something to me in English. Every morning, I pass a guy who enunciates very clearly "Good morning, How are you". Always exactly the same thing. I don't know if he speaks English like a native or if that is the only thing he knows. He has been saying exactly that to me every morning for years.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

If it's an in passing kind of encounter .... you may test your "opponent"  with a phrase or 2 of Spanish. If they get little or none of it .... suggest a Spanish school or a ruin or other tourist attraction..

I help tourists looking for stuff in stores, banking problems, when/where is the local market, etc. I don't ask the usual "where are you from" or answer it. I've lived here 9 years does not satisfy most tourists.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

TundraGreen said:


> . Every morning, I pass a guy who enunciates very clearly "Good morning, How are you". Always exactly the same thing. I don't know if he speaks English like a native or if that is the only thing he knows. He has been saying exactly that to me every morning for years.


Maybe one of these times, you will have the time to stop and ask him.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

TundraGreen said:


> I suspect that living where you do, you see a lot more English speaking tourists than I do. I can go six months or a year without running into anyone whose native language is English. When I do see an English speaker it is one of the two that live a few blocks from me. There is a Peace Corp volunteer a few blocks north and a retired expat a few blocks south. I run into one of them on the street once every few months.
> 
> I do get a fair number of Mexicans who like to say something to me in English. Every morning, I pass a guy who enunciates very clearly "Good morning, How are you". Always exactly the same thing. I don't know if he speaks English like a native or if that is the only thing he knows. He has been saying exactly that to me every morning for years.


Well, since my neighborhood is not a place where tourists are likely to come, your first comment isn't really the case. To run into English-speaking tourists, I'd have to hang out at the Museo de Antropología and other tourist attractions in the city. I do have a couple of Mexican neighbors who speak English well (both of them lived in the States for years), but we switch back and forth between the two languages when we're together. Otherwise, I mostly speak Spanish when out and about in my barrio. There are a number of Koreans now living in my area, but they keep to themselves, so I have no idea if they speak English or not.

I'll bet that guy who speaks to you every morning knows very little English beyond those few words he says to you. You could stop and have a little chat and then you'd know, wouldn't you?


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

We have lots of foreign tourists in San Cristobal most of them are running around folowing som guides and stay a day or two. Some other are more inquisitive and I met 3 very interesting nice French people. They were from the sough near the Spanish border and spoke fluent Spanish, I met them at an art exhibit , I heard French I responded and we had a nice chat with each other and with a exican lady who spoke fluently as well and used to live in San Cristobal with her French husband.She now lives in Tamaulipas.
The 3 French peoplejoined me in one of my excusion in the back country, we had a grea day, and then they went on to Merida and I went back to what I was doing. You can meet very nice people who are visiting te country no need to be rude.
I rarely speak French or English when I am in Chiapas and I enjoy it but once in a while it pays to speak foreigners. 
I also met a great chocolatier from Belgium just because I recognized his accent...Foreigners her come and go there are rarely here more than a couple of days so no point getting in a knot about it.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

TundraGreen said:


> I also met a great chocolatier from Belgium just because I recognized his accent..


I'm going to guess that was Rony.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

coondawg said:


> Maybe one of these times, you will have the time to stop and ask him.


It is during my morning run. So I am running and he is sweeping. Consequently, I have never stopped for a long conversation.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

coondawg said:


> I'm going to guess that was Rony.


The quote included is not something I ever remember posting. I don't think I would recognize chocolatier or a Belgian. And the link takes me to a different post. I think the forum software is confused.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

TundraGreen said:


> It is during my morning run. So I am running and he is sweeping. Consequently, I have never stopped for a long conversation.


Like I said, to each his own, no?


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

citlali said:


> I also met a great chocolatier from Belgium just because I recognized his accent....


I'm going to guess that was Rony.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

TundraGreen said:


> The quote included is not something I ever remember posting. I don't think I would recognize chocolatier or a Belgian. And the link takes me to a different post. I think the forum software is confused.


Weird, no?


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

sparks said:


> I help tourists looking for stuff in stores, banking problems, when/where is the local market, etc. I don't ask the usual "where are you from" or answer it. I've lived here 9 years does not satisfy most tourists.


As a former new Mexican tourist, I am very sure they appreciate very much your help, as much as I did early on (and still do). And I always asked where they were from, as a way to show that I was interested in them as a person. I did not expect them to be ashamed of where they came from, although some refused to answer, simply saying, "I live in Mexico now". I thought that was a strange response at the time.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

coondawg said:


> As a former new Mexican tourist, I am very sure they appreciate very much your help, as much as I did early on (and still do). And I always asked where they were from, as a way to show that I was interested in them as a person. I did not expect them to be ashamed of where they came from, although some refused to answer, simply saying, "I live in Mexico now". I thought that was a strange response at the time.


When Mexicans ask me where I'm from, I usually say, "I live in Mexico now" too. It has nothing to do with being "ashamed" of where I am from (a complicated answer, in my case) but a way of letting them know that I'm not a tourist and consider Mexico to be my home!


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

I always say, I'm from Texas, but I have been coming to live part time in Mexico since 1999. 
But, in all honesty (and please, no offense intended)Texans seem to be prouder of their state than people I have encountered from other states. Texas has such a "rich" history, having 6 different flags flown over it.
Also, in response to where are you from, I don't think "I live in Mexico now" is a direct answer to that question. When I get that answer, I just respond, "but, where are you originally from is what I was asking?"


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Isla Verde said:


> When Mexicans ask me where I'm from, I usually say, "I live in Mexico now" too. It has nothing to do with being "ashamed" of where I am from (a complicated answer, in my case) but a way of letting them know that I'm not a tourist and consider Mexico to be my home!


I used to never know how to respond to that question. When Mexicans ask, they usually mean where were you born. I can tell them that, but I left there more than 50 years ago, so it really doesn't feel like I am "from" there any more. Generally, I just say I have lived lots of places and let it go at that unless the conversation progresses to the point where I feel like giving out the laundry list of states and countries I have spent time in.

We have wandered pretty far afield from lakes and swimming. If I can find a clean point of separation I will split these posts into a separate thread.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

no ir was not Rony. Thre is more than one Belgium chocolatier in Mexico. We actually have two belgium chocolariers in San Cristobal and hey live and work here.

WHen people ask me where I am from I just say France although I have no lived there for more than 40 years, that is were I am from simple. Where do I live gets more complicated s I just say here .
No need to give a life story to strangers,


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

TundraGreen said:


> I used to never know how to respond to that question. When Mexicans ask, they usually mean where were you born. I can tell them that, but I left there more than 50 years ago, so it really doesn't feel like I am "from" there any more. Generally, I just say I have lived lots of places and let it go at that unless the conversation progresses to the point where I feel like giving out the laundry list of states and countries I have spent time in.
> 
> We have wandered pretty far afield from lakes and swimming. If I can find a clean point of separation I will split these posts into a separate thread.


That is what I am looking for when I ask "where are you from", "where were you born". Sometimes, it can open up a whole new positive direction in the conversation. If the person insists on not responding to me, I figure I am better off just "moseying along".  Nothing lost.

I want to apologize, for I feel that I have steered us off course here, and that was never my intent, but sometimes I put my mouth in gear before my brain. I will really try to do better.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

citlali said:


> no ir was not Rony. Thre is more than one Belgium chocolatier in Mexico. We actually have two belgium chocolariers in San Cristobal and hey live and work here.
> 
> WHen people ask me where I am from I just say France although I have no lived there for more than 40 years, that is were I am from simple. Where do I live gets more complicated s I just say here .
> No need to give a life story to strangers,


I won't "put you on the spot" and ask you which one has the best chocolates. 

If I met you and you told me you were from France, I could practice my 2-3 phrases of French that I remember from my college French classes days; that, sadly, I never used in my life. 

I could also ask you for your favorite "places to visit" when you return to France.  

Then I would get around to asking you how long you have lived in Mexico, and what you like best about Mexico, if you haven't become "bored" by then.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I was born in a place I never lived or spent time there so that is not a very good start for a conversation.. I do no feel from there since I have never lived there that is why I chose to say France and change subject because frankly it is not an interesting subject.

I do not like or eat chocolate so I could not tell you who is the best chocolatier. The people here are pros but I leave the drinking or eating to others.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

coondawg said:


> …
> I want to apologize, for I feel that I have steered us off course here, and that was never my intent, but sometimes I put my mouth in gear before my brain. I will really try to do better.


No apologies necessary. If we gave out infractions for wandering off topic, most of us, including me, would have been banned long ago. It makes for interesting conversation to wander a bit. If it goes too far astay, someone will complain or split it like I did here.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

TundraGreen said:


> No apologies necessary. If we gave out infractions for wandering off topic, most of us, including me, would have been banned long ago. It makes for interesting conversation to wander a bit. If it goes too far astay, someone will complain or split it like I did here.


I agree with Will. One of the things I like about our forum is that participating in it is like having a chat with old friends, even if they are friends we know only on the internet.


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