There was an earlier post about this,I gave it a lot of thought before writing this.
I am an old gringo that has lived in Mexico since june of 2005 and still struggle and get scolded over my errors in the language.I am still working and enjoying the everyday life here in the north of Mexico.
I am a legal residident here now and our group of friends has grown to more than 60. There are no English speakers in our group other than my dear wife.
Our group includes people from all carreers from buisness man to government official- to restaurant owner to skilled labor and all in between.Ranchers masons mechanics and a few very rich.
What I favor most is the open mindedness of our group. When we gather --all topics are on the table and strong debates may ensue. discussions last to the wee hours of the morning. we all hold our own opinions , and express our points of view--and present our evidence-but however strong our arguments may be we respect and honor the opinions and feelings of our group wthout regard to our own- and remain friends at the end of it all. This is an openess and a willingness to debate and discuss that in my opinion has been lost in the country I fought for.