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[quote=”maravilla”]same here, orca. i fell in love with mexico when i was 22. i studied spanish off and on for decades so i’d be able to communicate on the 30+ trips i made there in my lifetime. but many people are afraid of other cultures, and a lot of people who moved here only because it was cheaper than wherever else they were livng, not because they had a love affair with latin culture. i will consider myself fluent (even though my teacher thinks i am already) when i can read 100 Years of Solitude in spanish![/quote]
Alas. Maravilla…..I read 100 Years of Solitude many years ago in Spanish but couldn’t keep track of the José Arcadio Buendías so I re-read it in English. So much for my fluency.
SMi couldn’t keep track of that in english; i thought maybe it would be easier in the original language. jejeje
I like David’s “situational” description. While I struggle I typically do ok. The only time I’ve really been frustrated was trying to buy a gas can in a hardware store in Coco. Yikes!:lol:
I speak Spanish more frequently than I speak English here in Miami. All of the people with whom I socialize and many with whom I carry on business have Spanish as their first, and in many cases, their only language.
It has been a major part of my life for over 35 years and it has literally doubled my life experience by permitting me to enter into and interact within another culture, another world. I suppose there has been nothing of more value to me than acquiring Spanish.
And it is a mystery to me how people even consider moving to an unknown country without speaking the language first, or at least soon after arriving. They obviously have a much more adventurous spirit than I do. I suspect the reason many expats return to their native country after afew years is because of their inability to integrate sufficiently into the new culture and I am certain that lack of language is the prime cause of that.
You’re in Miami Sprite? Nice just came back from 10 days there and loved it! Have not been there since the late 80’s when I first discovered South Beach as a cheap, fun winter get away. It was (imho) better then, not the big scene it is today. Beautiful weather for all 10 days! Cool nights hot days on the beach. I just bought a house in West Palm beach, cheaper than Costa Rica, though CR, that’s where my heart is and will start building there this year.
ps. I know your thoughts on the dollar and US economy, I’ve been lucky and my gains in equities over the last 6 months bought the WP house. I’ll be out of equities when the fed shuts off the spigot:D I still think if the US goes the way of the dodo bird, CR and the rest of the world won’t be a very comfortable place to be either. No sense debating it, what will be will be, all we really have is the present moment. But hey, I do have a plan B just in case the plunger team doesn’t show up to save the day.:wink:
Oh yeah to the OP’s original point, you can’t argue that knowing the language of your adopted country is a large benefit and will certainly make life more enjoyable and productive. But I would not put off a move because you cannot converse yet in the native tongue. Immersion is certainly the best way to go about learning a second language IMHO. I lived in France and still enjoyed it without knowing much French, though my ex was native. I certainly missed out at dinners, especially after the wine started to flow. Getting around day to day, for better or worse many knew enough English, that along with my limited French I was getting by. This is my same same experience in Costa Rica, at the beach where we spend our time, all my Tico friends (we have many after 8 years, surfers tend to bond over what we do) speak English and help us with our Spanish. I have not spent more than 2 months at a time there but we still enjoy it fully and of course look forward to speaking better Spanish.
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