That's My Story

YOU SAY “POTATO” AND I SAY “PAPA!”

Originally published in Western Outdoor News the week of Dec. 25, 2006

PHOTO: “I did not say you looked like a horse!” Spanish class was never this fun nor were the study groups this entertaining. Ok, try this…”Yo quiero Taco Bell!”

I was thinking about some unusual gift-giving this holiday season. I like doing stuff that’s out-of –the-ordinary. I know you’re reading this and Christmas is already over, but the new year is still coming up. I hope you got your new reel or found that gift coupon for the rod you’ve been drooling over but how about something that’s going to give for a long time to come?

One of the funniest things I enjoy about living in Mexico is listening and watching gringos (me included) butcher Spanish. It’s not even “Span-glish.” It’s just non-sense that even makes my Mexican friends cringe, grin and laugh. They love hearing us speak Spanish and love our attempts to speak it. However, sometimes they don’t want to seem impolite by correcting us or are merely entertaining themselves listening to us hack away!

For example, I’ve heard tourists merely add the letter “O” to the end of every English word and “El” to the front and think they are speaking Spanish like some mangled form of pig Latin. “Can-O you-O bring-O me-O El glass-O of El water-O?” Or the never-fail classic, simply saying it LOUDER will mean that the other person will understand you.

After 11 years living in the Baja, I admit that even my own Spanish has a long long way to go. I should be more fluent and I can get sufficiently to handle my business and most mundane things. However, in a social situation where folks start talking about something else beside tuna or the ocean or how many beers are in the cooler and I’m lost!

Look, I had the usual few years of Espanol in high school like most of us and even a year in college, but still couldn’t talk my way out’ve a Taco Bell. Even living and working in Baja, my exposure to the language beyond my captains and immediate circle of associates was limited.

That’s where actual language immersion school comes in. I don’t have an ear for language like some folks. I don’t have the time to go back to school either. Forget books and memorizing conjugation. Several friends who had become fluent originally referred me to the school in La Paz appropriately named “Se Habla. . . La Paz.” http://www.sehablalapaz.com/

Operated by the personable director, Juli Goff, they specialize in small and private classes. Usually the ratio is 4 or 5 students to 1 professor with a focus on conversational Spanish as well as specialized Spanish for the medical and legal fields. Private classes or couples packages are also available. A week of classes is a couple hundred bucks. They can even arrange staying in a local home with room and board for a few hundred more so you can really immerse yourself in the language!

I took a few private classes myself and what an eye-opener! My professor was fully trained and spoke “gringo English” and stopped me from mis-pronouncing words; cleared up phrases; went over questions I had always had about the language as well as slang, not to mention finally telling me a certain phrase that my captains were always using when they referred to me! A-Ha!

For example, I learned that when I thought I had been ordering “onions” (cebollas) with my meals, I had actually been ordering “horse” (caballos). I learned that certain hand gestures, perfectly acceptable in American culture are considered bad manners in Mexico. Stuff like that. Little nuances like that make all the difference…especially if you have to eat it! I think I learned more in a few hours than in many weeks back in school.

Several friends have taken the course for a week then vacationed for a week then gone back. Some people visit the city yearly and make a point of taking a few weeks of classes or brush-up classes. In the evenings, Juli arranges things like going to the movies for all the students or having barbecues or other social activities where the students can more fully practice their Spanish. It’s a lot of fun.

I know this is a pretty shameless plug which I try to avoid in this column, but the point I wanted to make is that Se Habla. . . La Paz is one of a number of growing language schools popping up throughout Mexico. I have friends that have attended immersion schools in Mexico City, Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta. Imagine.

As the lines between countries become blurred, as we become more multi-ethnic and the boundries of commerce and society become more enmeshed, think how great it would be to have a “new code of communication!” Be able to chat with employees and friends better. Travel and order at a restaurant without nervousness. Be able to read signs. Have an actual conversation about the weather and politics and families with your next fishing captain! The possibilities are endless. For the cost of a day or two of fishing, you’ve opened up whole new worlds. The gift of language is a great thing!

Final thing: Don’t forget that in 2007, you need a passport to travel to and from Mexico and the U.S. Don’t wait until the last minute! Happy Holidays everyone!

That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.