Visual Link Spanish Newsletter (V:2; I:9)

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Spanish Words of the Week -----
Words are taken from the Becoming Acquainted section of our Visual Link Spanish™ Course

	English	Spanish
Monday	You want	(Usted) Quiere
Tuesday	I need	(Yo) Necesito
Wednesday	She wants	(Ella) Quiere
Thursday	to read	leer
Friday	the newspaper	el periódico
Saturday	novels	novelas
Sunday	books	libros
Spanish Review	Be sure to use these weekly newsletters to review the words you have learned from our complete Visual Link Spanish™ course. Click here to continue to learn Spanish.

Spanish Culture ----- Ensenada Mexico Part II

This week I'd like to talk a little more about shopping in Ensenada and in Mexico in general.

As I mentioned last week, we had a great tour guide in Ensenada named Miguel. He had tips everyone on how to bargain shop in Mexico. For example, he said that if you're shopping, and something costs $10, you should automatically offer $5 (half the price). The shop owner will never go that low, but it gives you some leverage to start the bargaining process. Eventually you'll work your way to about $7. After bargaining, you'll usually end up getting things for about 20-30% off. As mentioned in a previous newsletter, you can bargain at any small street shops but generally large department stores or malls will not bargain with you.

It's a little bit different hearing about bargaining than actually being on the streets of Mexico doing it. For example, my wife Melanie had only been shopping in Latin America once, a long time ago, and didn't remember what it was like. When we went by a sidewalk vendor selling hats, we saw one that she particularly liked and wanted to get as a souvenir for her mother. The man started off with a price of $10. I looked at him like as if he was crazy and offered him $5. We went back and forth for two or three minutes and after threatening to buy one cheaper somewhere else, he finally agreed to sell it to me for only $6! At that price, we decided to get one for both of our mothers. As I was bargaining, I could tell that Melanie felt a little uncomfortable watching me try to get the price down so low. She simply wasn't used to the culture of bargaining and felt a little out of her comfort zone.

When you go to Latin America for the first time, or if you have never bargained for things before, it can feel a little awkward at first, but it is completely normal and actually expected. For me, there are few things funner than bargaining for the cheapest possible price on an item. It is a rich cultural experience.

To change the subject a little, our tour guide Miguel gave us a valuable tip for purchasing any type of silver in Mexico. Any time you buy silver, be sure it's engraved with the numbers 925. For example, if you buy a pair of earrings, look on the back and make sure that "925" appears somewhere. If it doesn't, the silver item is most likely fake. Also, one last tip on wearing silver; be sure you don't wear it in the shower! I'm not quite sure why, but Miguel said this was VERY important. (If you know, please e-mail me at dave@spanishprograms.com .)

Moral of the Story: If you go to Latin America, be sure to try bargaining with the people. It is one of the best cultural experiences you can have. It is fun, and you can also get items at great prices!

Sneak peek at next week: Ensenada Part III! Click here to speak Spanish with free Spanish lessons.

¡Hasta la próxima semana! (Until Next Week!)


David S. Clark -- President
U.S. Institute of Languages
dave@spanishprograms.com
http://www.spanishprograms.com

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