Surviving
the clichés
Mirault continues...

• Why don't they speak English?
• Don't drink the water!
• Don't pay the original price - bargain!
• Good Old Montezuma.

Just a few of Mexico's good ole clichés. In this section, I'm going to take the last, first, because I feel dealing with the language barrier will solve a multitude of problems.

Why don't they speak English?
It never fails, in every dance show there is always one person who is indignant about the fact that more Mexicans don't speak English. It's an arrogance I can hardly tolerate of my fellow Americans. Can you imagine your attitude if someone from Greece came up to you, asked for directions and became hostile because you didn't speak Greek? Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? Yet many Americans go to Mexico and expect them to speak English. This happens far too often. It's done not just by dancers but by American tourists. You can hear them yelling in the marketplace because some poor Mexican is only smart enough to speak the language of his native country. When the truth is, it's our fault for not preparing ourselves to visit this foreign country. The solution is very simple.

When you're hired to dance in Mexico, do your best to learn the language. As soon as possible, buy a book or tape and take them with you.

You don't have to be a whiz with languages to be able to communicate basic needs. The difference in the way you'll be treated is enormous. Most Mexicans are good natured, good hearted people. When you make an attempt to speak with them in their language they will usually laugh, and then go out of their way to help you. I literally had people inviting me to their homes for dinner and to meet their families. I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, especially for female dancers, but it is fun to make friends of different cultures and attempting to speak Spanish is the best way to break the ice.

Since I had a six month contract to work in Mexico City, I hired a tutor to teach me Spanish. Berlitz is a wonderful, well known language school but very expensive. In search of another alternative, I looked in the phone book (they have some in English in the hotel). I found many reputable schools including one offering private lessons twice a week, 3 hours per day, for $25 U.S. a month. Such a deal!

It is truly worth the money when you consider how fast you can learn the language. You see, everything you learn in class you can immediately apply. Soon the other dancers were calling on me to order for them in a restaurant or bargain at the market. More importantly, having just a slight command of the language allowed me to get a lot of extra work in dance because I could express my desire to choreograph or be part of another production.

Bargaining at the market
Once you get the hang of this you'll wonder why we don't do more bargaining here in the States. It does take some getting used to. I found myself bargaining from one extreme to the other. At first, I was a little self conscious and felt uncomfortable trying to get an item at a cheaper price, but once I got the hang of it I would try to get everything for free! Bargaining prices in Mexico is as socially accepted as our handshake and a lot more fun. You'll be surprised to see vendors reduce their initial price 50 - 80%. Soon the shopping stories start, “He wanted this much, but I told him I would only pay this much.” Everyone tells their friends what a great shopper they are, but the truth is the vendor wouldn't sell it if he didn't make a profit.

One of the best ways to approach bargaining for a specific item is to decide how much you would honestly pay for the item (on sale of course) and try to talk the vendor down to that price. Then everyone is happy and you can go home and say, “Well, he wanted $40 for it but I got it for $10.”

Important note: You can not bargain for certain things. The prices in the menu of a fine restaurant are not up for negotiating, but very often you can negotiate the price of a ride in a taxi. The important thing in negotiating the price of a cab is to do all your bargaining before you get in. Once you are in the cab, the price is no longer negotiable.

Don't drink the water
The oldest and most talked about cliché concerning Mexico. They seem inseparable. You can't mention going to Mexico without someone saying “Don't drink the water.” The truth is many dancers and tourists have been fine after drinking water in restaurants and nightclubs. Upscale resorts boast about their purified water, but Montezuma has put the fear of God into us Yankees and until Mexico has a national purification system, I can't recommend drinking anything but bottled water. Bottled water is inexpensive and available everywhere in Mexico.

So here is a cliché that will remain for awhile. Remember, it's not just water in its simplest form, but ordering a soft drink with ice is also a main concern. Fruits, raw vegetables and salads rinsed with water have been known to cause an uncomfortable day or two.

The first time I danced in Mexico, I was sick on three different occasions. Of course, I never ate in the hotel, I was always venturing out, eating everywhere and anywhere. Well, when you are doing a fast paced dance show at night with no understudies you cannot afford to be sick. Again, being able to speak a little Spanish saved the day. I ran into a “farmacia” and asked the pharmacist what would help. He showed me a special type of Pepto-Bismol with neomycin. Neomycin is an antibiotic that evidently has an effect on the bacteria that causes us so much trouble. I can't say that it's for everyone, but I was feeling great in about two hours. Ask your doctor or pharmacist before you leave for Mexico if there is anything new on the market that might help.

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