Tal vez uds. son gringos buenos....

On April 30, I posted some photos of a Mexican family playing in our swimming pool with me. Jose posted the comment I've made the title of this entry, which means "Maybe you two are good gringos," which he explained further as not just hanging out with other foreigners. By extension, I also took it to mean that we weren't acting superior or racist.

That phrase of his has been rattling around in my brain ever since. Mexicans are so polite that they are generally not going to tell us gringos if we are doing things that offend or dismay them. But this short comment gets me thinking about some of the reasons that foreigners may not reach out that much:

• I've met some expats here who don't speak enough Spanish to interact much with Mexicans unless they happen upon an English-speaking one, and even then it may just be changing money at Lloyd or some other event not conducive to a longer interchange.
• Other foreigners may just be naturally shy.
• It's easy to create a routine and not go outside of it all that much.

I really think it behooves all of us here to connect as much as we can with the people whose land this is. A couple of world travelers I know have commented that the Mexican people are the warmest and most gracious of the entire planet. You don't have to have traveled much to know that any efforts you make here to reach out to Mexicans will be amply repaid.

When I wrote the book Mexico with Heart a few years ago, I had great fun writing a chapter called 16 Ways to Meet People When You Travel. The link takes you to it. Here's how it begins

Guidebooks don't discuss the single biggest thing that will make your trip a memorable success… meeting people!

The joy of connecting, even when it is brief, can make all the difference in how you feel. I noticed that as I wrote this report, I was smiling most of the way through it, remembering so many good times!

So here is a list of ways to meet people, with examples from our experiences….. Even if you are shy (and I can be at times), you'll find something you can do!