The Spanish Dude

Most people learning Spanish are trying to avoid that feeling.

You know the one.

You can’t find the words.
You don’t understand theirs.
You hesitate.
Everyone’s waiting on you. Staring at you.

For a long time, I thought the goal was to get past that.

And it is.

But the fastest way to get past it is to put yourself into that situation on purpose.

Because that’s the only place where all that studying actually turns into real conversation.

That’s what we’re doing in October.

Costa Rica.
10 days.
15 people.

This is not for people looking for a tour or beach vacation.

This is for people who want to be put into real situations where speaking Spanish is the only option.

If that sounds like a bad time, skip this.

If it's what you’ve been looking for, link is in the comments!

Yesterday was “A Day w/ The Dude” here in Puebla, Mexico.

At one point, an attendee told me something interesting.

He said he almost didn’t come.

Not because of safety. That wasn’t it.

But because of everything he’d been seeing and hearing.

All the politics.
All the rhetoric.
All the stuff that’s been going down with Mexico and Latinos for the last 10 years.

He thought it might be… awkward.

Like people might be cold.
Or want to argue.
Or bring up U.S. politics every five minutes.

And honestly?

I had the same thought before coming back.

But here’s what's actually happened.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had real conversations with 50+ people here.

At taquerías.
In parks.
At meetups.
Random conversations that turn into something.

Politics has come up maybe 3 or 4 times total.

That’s it.

Everything else?

Normal. Friendly. Open. Human.

I’ve been invited into homes.
Pulled into plans.
Introduced to friends.
Ended up at things I never would’ve found on my own.

Same as it’s always been.

And that’s really the point.

For all the noise in the U.S., not much has changed here.

If anything, this trip just reinforced something I already knew:

Most people don’t care where you’re from nearly as much as they care how you show up.

If you’re open, people are open.
If you’re curious, people lean in.
If you treat them like humans, they do the same.

Simple.

But most people never test it.

I’m glad he came.

Because the truth is, he almost talked himself out of something that ended up being a great experience.

And if you’ve had that same hesitation lately…

About coming to Mexico (and not staying in a resort).
Or traveling in Latin America in general…

Don’t. Seriously.

Turns out, the world hasn’t changed nearly as much as the United States has.

Hasta luego,
Jordan

P.S. If you missed out on the Puebla day, keep an eye out next week. I’m putting together something even bigger.

Something I’ve always loved about traveling is seeing brands long forgotten by American audiences still going strong.

I remember hearing that Baywatch was the #1 show in the world long after it was off the air in the US.

When I landed in Europe for the first time, I was shocked at the bands that were still touring.

Now in Puebla, Mexico, I’ve seen Woolworth and Sears. Sears is even an anchor at a fancy mall.

It must've been right around this time of year. 2003.

I was traveling from Panama City to Mexico City. Four months, by bus, boat, foot and “thumb”.

No plans. No reservations. Barely any internet. Definitely no phone.

Just one day at a time.

I know it was 2003 because we had just bombed Baghdad. (Sorry! 😬)

And I know it was around this time of year because of what happened when my bus pulled into Antigua, Guatemala that night.

I expected a quiet little town. Walk around. Find a place to sleep. Drop my bag. Grab some food.

Nope.

Instead… chaos.

Crowds everywhere. A massive procession moving through the streets. Smoke filling the air (incense). And these insane "carpets" covering the cobblestones.

Not rugs.

Carpets made of flowers. Huge, detailed, colorful… and people walking right over them, destroying them in the process.

Then came the floats. Massive wooden platforms carried by hundreds of people. Slow. Heavy. Silent. Emotional.

I had never seen anything like it.

So I grabbed someone on the street: "What is going on?"

SEMANA SANTA.

I had randomly landed–at 9pm, with no reservation–in one of the most iconic places on Earth to experience Holy Week.

It's like showing up in Bethlehem on Christmas, or Times Square on New Year's Eve, with nowhere to sleep. 😅

I eventually found a place, where I met a lovely Dutch couple who explained everything and took me to dinner. Dank je! 🙏

Here's what I didn't know before that night: Easter isn't just a day.

There's a whole system behind it–a calendar that stretches across months.

A calendar that even includes Carnaval.

Yup, Mardi Gras in New Orleans is part of this.

Here's how it flows:

🎉 Carnaval / Mardi Gras: One last big party, before…
🙏 Lent: 40 days of fasting and reflection
✝️ Holy Week (Semana Santa):
--Palm Sunday (yesterday)
--Holy Thursday
--Good Friday
--Holy Saturday
--Easter Sunday 🌅

That wild parade in New Orleans and those slow, emotional processions with flower carpets in Guatemala?

All part of the same system and calendar.

Now, I know, for a lot of you, this is old news.

If you grew up Catholic or in a Latin American family, you learned this before you could read.

But this one's for people like me.

And if you're learning Spanish, this matters.

The more we understand “la cultura,” the faster we learn the language.

It gives us things to talk about, ask about, connect over.

Culture matters.

And in many Spanish-speaking countries, Semana Santa isn't just a holiday–it's the holiday.

Schools close. Businesses shut. Entire cities move.

It's woven into the culture in a way no textbook ever taught me.

Otherwise… I would've known better than to show up in Antigua during Semana Santa expecting to find a bed on the spot. 😂

🔥 The first day doesn’t count. 🔥

I’ve gotten lots of emails over the years like this:

Someone goes to Spain… or Mexico… or anywhere Spanish-speaking.

They finally try to use their Spanish…and it goes badly.

They stumble. Freeze.

They can barely get “hola” out.

The other person takes one look at them… and switches to English. 😭

Or they say something, get a response they don’t understand, nod, smile… and walk away with something they didn’t mean to order. 😬

Or, even worse… they start avoiding situations completely.

They see an opportunity to use Spanish… and don’t take it.

They lose the experience and the practice.

Then they go back to their room and tell themselves:

“I don’t know Spanish as well as I thought.”

“I can’t do this outside a classroom.”

“I’m just bad at languages.”

But none of that is true!

Here’s what’s actually happening:

👉 The first day doesn’t count.

I’ve been speaking Spanish for 25 years.

I’ve used my Spanish in most Spanish-speaking countries.

And my first day in a new place?

It’s still rough.

Every time.

If I haven’t spoken Spanish in a while, I feel slow.

Off.

Rusty in a way that surprises me.

But day two is so much better than day one.

And day three is even better than that.

Always. No exceptions.

I first noticed this playing tennis in college.

After time off, my first session back was always ugly.

Slow. Clunky.

I’d think: I’ve lost it.

Then I realized:

👉 That first session doesn’t count.

It’s just the price of getting back.

The second time out?

Whole different ballgame.

Plants follow this pattern too! (Is this related? 😂)

When a tomato plant first sprouts, those first leaves don’t even look like tomato leaves.

They’re just generic.

The real ones come next.

The second set of leaves is the first real set.

Using your Spanish works the same way.

Your mouth has to warm up.

Your ears have to adjust.

Your confidence has to catch up.

💥 Bad first interactions aren’t failure. They’re required.

You don’t get to the second interaction without going through the first one.

That’s not a flaw.

That is the process.

The only real mistake is retreating.

Because when you go back to your room and stop trying…

Day two never comes.

Day one just repeats forever.

But push through, and something shifts.

You catch yourself mid-conversation thinking:

“Oh… I’m actually better than I thought.”

Don’t judge your Spanish on day one.

👉 Day two is the real day one.

Good night, Puebla.