Mexican adventures: Finding kindred spirits
I just returned from eight great days in beautiful Riviera Maya, Mexico. Not only was the scenery breathtaking, but for me, just stepping off the plane and walking into the Cancun Airport was like paradise. All of the signs, advertisements, etc., were in Spanish. Spanish was in the air and I felt such a sense of joy. 
In the state of Quintana Roo (which is known for tourism), many speak varying levels of English. Because I will be returning to another area where only Spanish is spoken in a few weeks, I was looking forward to the opportunity to practice my listening/speaking skills, but found that this was not such an easy thing to do. Many of the people I encountered wanted to speak to me in English, even after we had a few exchanges in Spanish. At first I was puzzled, but then after speaking with a taxi driver about this dilemma, he explained to me that in the same way I am interested in practicing Spanish, they are equally interested in practicing English. So it is basically a battle of "practicing".
I did however, run into several kindred spirits with whom I was able to practice, including the taxi driver. They graciously spoke almost entirely in Spanish with me. We spoke in English at various times when they were interested in learning some English words and expressions they didn't understand.
So all of this has me wondering. Has anyone else experienced this "battle of language" so to speak? If you are at an intermediate level like me, do you share the same excitement when you encounter a "kindred spirit" who enjoys sharing their language with you?
11 Answers
I lived in Mexico for 50 years. Forty of them learning English, so as a Mexican learner of English I took each and every chance to speak to native English speakers that happened to be in my country. Just for practicing mine.
To Nicole:
My wife is fluent in both languages,and it is true that this has both helped and hurt my learning as it is convenient at times to speak in English.But among our circle of friends ( an older group) there is no English spoken. As I move around the city I encounter someone who does speak some English and because of my obvious gringo appearance will speak to me in English, It always results in a chat and an exchange of thoughts in both languages. a very refreshing experience.We are very relaxed here. you will find , I hope ,as I have, that the people are really wonderful and helpful. at this current moment living expense is about 60% of the U.S. depending on where you choose to be. Living in a (foreign) country has all to do with you and your ability to adapt. I am lucky to be a chameleon, and as a result México adopted me. I am quite content to be here and learning the language as a baby would. My friends are kind enough to correct me,and my wife is tired of it! I knew very little Spanish when I came to México a few years ago.
Awwwwwwww Nicooooole, I'm sorry your experience hadn't quite lived up to what you were hoping it was going to be. Such is life, huh? Try and stay away from people who 'monopolize' the conversation/language trading solely to their benefit. Trading, where both get something out of it, is a much better idea clearly (if you're not with people who only know Spanish).
Thankfully, that didn't happen to me in Spain because though I am 100% American, born and raised (on the playgrounds where I spent most of my days, chillin' out, maxin' ou...OK, pointless reference!), my Asian exterior made people that didn't know me think I was Chinese. Since Chinese isn't that popular to learn at all compared to English, I was just spoken to in Spanish. Unfortunately in your case, short of major cosmetic surgery, you can do nothing to change your American exterior.
Glad your back!
EDIT: Ohhh my god, that gives me an awesome idea! If I'm ever on vacation or something in a Spanish speaking country again, I'm telling people I'm from Hong Kong!
-Charlius-
Dakie said:
the first moment to talk your best Spanish to force them to do it.
I really appreciate your input on this Dakie since you live in Mexico. I did as you suggested. I spoke immediately in Spanish. I know they understood me perfectly because they repeated back everything I said to them in English and then continued speaking in English. Maybe they thought I would be impressed by their English. However, I was more interested in practicing my Spanish. 
If I can say something, if I meet a tourist (Which has happened before), I will want to talk to him in English to practice, and that's basically what's going to happen if you find someone who is learning English.
So I guess you are agreeing with the taxi driver I met. Both people are interested in practicing. That was why I was so happy when I met Mexicans who were willing to speak some Spanish with me. I then would speak some English with them. It was a fair exchange of practicing and it was really fun that way!! I met one man who had a notebook with him with six different English words/expressions he was trying to learn. So I taught him what everything meant. He was so happy and so was I to help. I then asked him some questions I had about Spanish and we were both mutually helped. It was real teamwork!!
Paco said:
It really is a wonderful exchange when you have the opportunity to help someone and receive help in return. this does not happen here too frequently for me but yes on occasion it does, and it is always refreshing,
I'm just curious Paco, if you live in Mexico, why is it difficult to find someone to exchange language practice with? Are you in an area where people are not interesting in learning English or is it an area where most people do speak the language?
Also on that topic, did you know any Spanish before moving to Mexico? I don't want to seem like I'm prying. I was just interested in how long it takes to feel comfortable living in a foreign country as far as the language is concerned. I'm not sure if my husband was serious,but since he may be able to retire early, he mentioned moving to Mexico several times while we were there. He was even inquiring with the locals about housing/utility costs.
I constantly meet people who want me to teach them English (which I politely refuse to do) or want to practice their English (which I am happy to do.) There is no shortage of native speakers who speak no English, so practice with natives in Spanish is not an issue.
It really is a wonderful exchange when you have the opportunity to help someone and receive help in return. this does not happen here too frequently for me but yes on occasion it does, and it is always refreshing, Having a modest command of Spanish I am able to explain things as well.
I moved to Santiago not long ago, and I quickly found a colegue here at my company who is learning to speak English (I guess almost everyone here knows at least some English). We walk home in generally the same direction so most evenings after work we pracitce our second languages. I appreciate his help.
In general I´ve found the same type of thing, many people want me to speak to them in English even though it may be easier to comunicate in Spanish.
It was a mixed bag for me in Spain a few weeks ago. Some people could speak little or no English. Others wanted to speak in English. I was in a restaurant and was thinking through in my head what I want to say in Spanish but I could tell that the waiter really wanted to speak English. His English was more advanced than my Spanish lol so I thought - fair enough - go with the English!
I'm glad you had a great time by the way 
If I can say something, if I meet a tourist (Which has happened before), I will want to talk to him in English to practice, and that's basically what's going to happen if you find someone who is learning English.
So try to do your best effort since the first moment to talk your best Spanish to force them to do it.
I have started spending more or less half my time in Mexico. My experience parallels yours. If people know some English, they want to practice it. And, as Mexicans are generally very polite but at the same time somewhat private, it can be hard to create continuing and on-going relationships in Spanish. For this reason I always return to the same household with whom I live when I am there (well, the real reason is that now they are family to me). They treat me as a member of the family, and never seem annoyed when I don't understand a rapid fire conversation. And when I'm there, the only person who speaks English is me.
If you are ever in Mexico City, you will find the cab drivers there are great to talk to. They usually speak no English, but often speak in a very clear Spanish. Often it takes an hour to get somewhere in el DF, so there is lots of time to chat. Once you find a driver you like, get his card and always call his cell to have him drive you around.
Good luck, and enjoy your stay.
J
