# Moving!



## LizzyBenz (Oct 16, 2012)

I'm moving to Playa Del Carmen the beginning of next year - any tips for a first time expat? 

Any job opportunities for someone with a Bachelors and Masters in Business? 

I'd love some advice, I'm excited for this new adventure!!


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## kito1 (Aug 4, 2012)

HI! I am not a new expat but am new to Mexico so share your excitement!

Why are you moving to that area? Are you moving with a spouse for his job? I don't work so probably am not the best person to ask about the work permits needed but I know that you will need a sponser or something like that to get a legitimate job. 

Do you speak Spanish? If not, my first piece of advice is to learn it! That area will have lots of English speakers but it will make a huge difference in being able to do things on your own.


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## LizzyBenz (Oct 16, 2012)

I am working on learning Spanish right now, I've taken classes over the last year and I finally sucked it up and bought Rosetta Stone. I feel confident that once I get down there, I'll be able to learn quickly. I'm living with a friend, in a local part of town, so it'll be sink or swim for me.


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## kito1 (Aug 4, 2012)

Are you planning on coming down for the long term or is this just a sabbatical from your work back home? I am afraid you may be shocked to find the pay will be peanuts compared to back home assuming you are able to find employment. 

Again, I don't work so am probably not the right person to ask about these things but hopefully someone on here can give you details of what you need to do to get a legitimate job.

I have heard many people have had good luck with Rosetta Stone. For me, it was a waste of money as I would space out when trying to do it. I actually learned the most when I had a BF who didn't speak any English, LOL


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

You said that you had a business degree. Best options are usually to be sponsored by a company as having unique talents and then move into Mexico.
I'm not real familiar with Playa del Carmen but expect that a lot more of a resort area than an industrial one so expect that you would be limited mostly to international resort companies. You might get on Playa del Carmen sites and see which companies are there and prepare resumes that identify "unique" talents you can provide. By the way, unique pretty much in the eye of the beholder so up to you to market yourself.
Since you want to move there you could probably negotiate a deal beneficial to you that also saves the company money versus moving somebody temporarily.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

kito1 said:


> I have heard many people have had good luck with Rosetta Stone. For me, it was a waste of money as I would space out when trying to do it. I actually learned the most when I had a BF who didn't speak any English, LOL


I always tell my Mexican English students that the best way to learn the language (apart from taking classes with me, of course) is to develop a friendship of any kind with an English-speaking expat, preferably not one who speaks Spanish well.


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## kito1 (Aug 4, 2012)

Honestly it was hilarious seeing the 2 of us together after awhile. I could understand him about 90% of the time and he could me about the same. However, if someone else started talking to me in Spanish, I was often LOST! He would then "translate" to me *IN SPANISH* and I would respond back to him in Spanish which he would sometimes have to clarify to the person speaking. People couldn't figure out why I could not understand them but I could him... the trick was that he knew what words I knew, spoke slowly and didn't add in a lot of extras to confuse me. My Spanish is horrible, I have no grammer at all, NOTHING, but I am not shy and can talk up a storm, I just sound like an idiot doing it no doubt... 


I am determined to spend the next 6 months in school at least part time trying to actually learn correct Spanish!!


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

It sounds like you will do well, kito1. If you aren't afraid to talk to people you have a huge leg up in the game.

I remember a guy I met when I was in a Spanish school in Morelia several years ago. He was spending a year in Latin America and could barely speak Spanish but he had no fear of talking to anyone at anytime using what little Spanish he had. Plus, he was studying in schools as he traveled.

I saw him again 6 months later and he Spanish had become extremely good!

I know other people who have lived here for years who can barely cobble together a sentence in Spanish. I think the biggest difference is having that "no fear" attitude of putting the language in play at every opportunity. Since you have that attitude, I suspect you'll do great, especially if you just add a bit of formal study to your learning equation.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

kito1 said:


> Honestly it was hilarious seeing the 2 of us together after awhile. I could understand him about 90% of the time and he could me about the same. However, if someone else started talking to me in Spanish, I was often LOST! He would then "translate" to me *IN SPANISH* and I would respond back to him in Spanish which he would sometimes have to clarify to the person speaking. People couldn't figure out why I could not understand them but I could him... the trick was that he knew what words I knew, spoke slowly and didn't add in a lot of extras to confuse me. My Spanish is horrible, I have no grammer at all, NOTHING, but I am not shy and can talk up a storm, I just sound like an idiot doing it no doubt...
> 
> 
> I am determined to spend the next 6 months in school at least part time trying to actually learn correct Spanish!!


That's a cute story. You were lucky to have a boyfriend smart enough to figure out how to modify his Spanish so you could understand him. 

Speaking as a former Spanish teacher and current English teacher, I think it's wise to learn how to speak Spanish correctly before your "horrible" Spanish becomes "fossilized", which will make it very hard to change the incorrect linguistic habits you've picked up. I think that learning to speak Spanish correctly (I'm puzzled how you could speak it at all if you "have no grammar") is the right thing to do if you plan to spend much time in Mexico. It will make your life easier and it shows respect for the people and its culture.


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## kito1 (Aug 4, 2012)

Indeed, learning by immersion has it's place but also has it's limitations, that is why I am going to attend school.


but.... enough about me and my linguistic limitations, hopefully someone can help out the OP!!


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Isla Verde said:


> I always tell my Mexican English students that the best way to learn the language (apart from taking classes with me, of course) is to develop a friendship of any kind with an English-speaking expat, preferably not one who speaks Spanish well.


It is called a "diccionario con dos piernos". 

I have several times developed friendships with people I met when I advertised for an intercambio. I have found that unless I actively seek out people to talk to, I don't get much practice. I don't know whether it is because I am not very outgoing, which is true, or because most Mexicans are busy with their families, but I find it difficult to find people to just hang out with. So several times, I have actively sought people who wanted to practice their English in exchange for my practicing Spanish. Some of the people I met that way have become close friends. 

Currently, I also pay the lady who cleans my house to come by a couple of times a week for an hour of conversation. She needs the money, I need the practice and she is interesting to talk to. One advantage of her is that she speaks no English and is not trying to learn so the whole time is spent in Spanish, in contrast to intercambios where we spend half the time in each language.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

kito1 said:


> Indeed, learning by immersion has it's place but also has it's limitations, that is why I am going to attend school.
> 
> 
> but.... enough about me and my linguistic limitations, hopefully someone can help out the OP!!


Good luck with your Spanish classes! I think the best way to learn a language is to jump in the deep end of the linguistic pool, or perhaps in the kiddie pool to start, and combine this with formal classes as you are planning to do.


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## kito1 (Aug 4, 2012)

Isla Verde said:


> (I'm puzzled how you could speak it at all if you "have no grammar")


As a teacher I am sure you will be horrified but: 

I will try to give a few examples: 

Yo quiero ir para tienda por pepsi. 

or

Tu quiero ir para tienda por pepsi?

yo ir para tienda por pepsi ayer. 

or 

tu ir para tienda por pepsi ayer?

You can probably understand what I am trying to say but the grammer is horrible and I have no idea how to say this correctly so I just say what I know. I can't conjugate at all either. 

I probably have 1000 or more words in my vocabulary box, I just don't know how to put them together correctly.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

kito1 said:


> As a teacher I am sure you will be horrified but:
> 
> I will try to give a few examples:
> 
> ...


I know there is a store and a pepsi involved there somewhere, but I am not sure who is going or when.

Obviously, you cannot carry on much of a conversation without knowing how to conjugate a few verbs, in the present at least and preferably at least one past and future tense as well. But, vocabulary combined with hand gestures will get you a long ways in countries where you really don't know any more about the language than a few words.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

kito1 said:


> As a teacher I am sure you will be horrified but:
> 
> I will try to give a few examples:
> 
> ...


Ay, ¡Dios mío! Those sentences are enough to give a Spanish teacher a heart attack, but I congratulate you for having the courage to share them with us. 

Something like this one - "yo ir para tienda por pepsi ayer" might work in Chinese, which I've been told doesn't change the verb to indicate tense but just adds an adverb, in this case "ayer", to indicate the time, but doesn't work very well in Spanish. I take it you didn't study Spanish in high school. Have you studied other foreign languages besides Spanish? That should make it easier to pick up the nuts and bolts of putting a sentence together in Spanish. 

Keep us posted on your progress. Where are you planning to take classes?


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## kito1 (Aug 4, 2012)

LOL...

I will translate 

Yo quiero ir para tienda por pepsi.
i want to go to the store for a pepsi
or
Tu quiero ir para tienda por pepsi?
do you want to go to the store for a pepsi?

yo ir para tienda por pepsi ayer.
I went to the store for a pepsi yesterday
or
tu ir para tienda por pepsi ayer?
did you go to the store for a pepsi yesterday?

My first year or so traveling in Central America I had a translator with me all the time, and learned absolutely no Spanish, nothing! I probably knew 2 dozen words total. Then spent about 3 months with the BF (a very patiant man ) which is where I picked up the vocabulary but never learned to conjugate or use un,el una or ?? 

My poor teachers at school have their work cut out for them!


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Very true! My wife has a great vocabulary, but won't take the time to learn conjugation. As such, she can't do any better at forming sentences than the examples shown previously.
If you let "501 Spanish Verbs" be your friend for a while, you will discover the 'pattern' and be able to speak. Until then, the eyes will continue to roll; just now while you can see them.

Those translations were your best guess?


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

TundraGreen said:


> Obviously, you cannot carry on much of a conversation without knowing how to conjugate a few verbs, in the present at least and preferably at least one past and future tense as well. But, vocabulary combined with hand gestures will get you a long ways in countries where you really don't know any more about the language than a few words.


Vocabulary and hand gestures, not mention lots of smiles, will help you get by if you're just traveling in a country where you know nothing of the language, but if you want to live somewhere and establish relationships with the people you meet, then a good command of the language of the land is essential, IMHO.


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## kito1 (Aug 4, 2012)

RVGRINGO said:


> Those translations were your best guess?


I could do a little better now if I sat down and tried, yes.... 
 
but this is an example of how I would speak especially when I was first with the BF. He of course did me no favors by never correcting me. I think he was just glad to understand what I was trying to get across. 

Isla Verde - yes, I can get speak a little Arabic but not really sure it is going to help me. And as for classes I am not sure where I am going to go yet. I am flying down next week and going to tour a few locations to see where I like it best. I am actually leaning very heavily towards one but won't know for sure until I get there and see if I really like it. I doubt I will join a class but plan on using private tutors as I don't want to slow down a whole class. 

I feel terrible, the OP has ran off as I took over her thread. Hope she comes back again.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

kito1 said:


> I could do a little better now if I sat down and tried, yes....
> 
> but this is an example of how I would speak especially when I was first with the BF. He of course did me no favors by never correcting me. I think he was just glad to understand what I was trying to get across.
> 
> Isla Verde - yes, I can get speak a little Arabic but not really sure it is going to help me. And as for classes I am not sure where I am going to go yet. I am flying down next week and going to tour a few locations to see where I like it best. I am actually leaning very heavily towards one but won't know for sure until I get there and see if I really like it. I doubt I will join a class but plan on using private tutors as I don't want to slow down a whole class.


I have a couple of Mexican friends who will correct me when I make a mistake when speaking Spanish, but most of the time Mexicans are too polite to do this. The trick is to find a friend who will correct you from time to time, but since you are a beginner (in spite of your large vocabulary), what is often called a false beginner, it would be better to hire a private tutor who knows how to teach, without using much English. That's also something to look for when checking out Spanish classes - a really professional language teacher knows how to get the material across without using the students' first language. Don't worry about slowing down a class - a good school will give you a placement test before assigning you to a particular level.


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## kito1 (Aug 4, 2012)

I think, no I am SURE.. I would need to start out at the absolute beginner level as I do not even know the letters! I do think I would slow down the class after a week or two especially if the other students were half my age... 

I tried classes in Antigua last year but after 3 or 4 days the teacher gave up on me and just spoke English and we ended up just played chess during class. I hope to find a teacher who is very patient and won't get discouraged by my slow progress so easily this time.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

kito1 said:


> I think, no I am SURE.. I would need to start out at the absolute beginner level as I do not even know the letters! I do think I would slow down the class after a week or two especially if the other students were half my age...
> 
> I tried classes in Antigua last year but after 3 or 4 days the teacher gave up on me and just spoke English and we ended up just played chess during class. I hope to find a teacher who is very patient and won't get discouraged by my slow progress so easily this time.


Knowing the names of the letters is not that important. What is important is your eagerness to learn and your willingness to work hard to achieve your goal!

That teacher in Antigua should be ashamed of him or herself. I hope you asked for a refund for the time you spent in class playing chess in English. What kind of qualifications did this teacher have?


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Isla Verde said:


> Knowing the names of the letters is not that important. What is important is your eagerness to learn and your willingness to work hard to achieve your goal!
> 
> That teacher in Antigua should be ashamed of him or herself. I hope you asked for a refund for the time you spent in class playing chess in English. What kind of qualifications did this teacher have?


I agree. Good teachers will speak in Spanish right from the first day and are creative at explaining the meaning of words with gestures and drawings on the board.

And don't worry about being the slowest in the class. The other students will probably be glad when you ask supposedly "dumb" questions. They are often confused by the same things, and just to shy to ask.


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

Hee. As some of you know, I have learned a little Italian, as my daughter is engaged to an Italian, and plans to live there indefinitely.

Last summer, after working with a set of CDs called Instant Immersion Italian, he (an Italian teacher at the high school level with a Masters in Education) commented "Your pronunciation is good, but your grammar is terrible."

It made perfect sense to me, as I had listened to conversations in only one tense, one or two persons, for the most part.


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