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The Changing Face of Latin AmericaOf course, there are some places that never seem to change. I grew up in the mountains of Puerto Rico in a small town named Aibonito…about 30,000 "habitantes." Aibonito looks the same today as it did 30 years ago except for the new McDonalds along the "calle principal." As we all know, when McDonalds (pronounced "Mahk Doe Nahlds") arrives, you know that your time for change has arrived. First of all, you should recognize that almost all Latin America countries are about 10 to 15 years behind the United States in technology and public services. This is primarily due to lack of funds. You know, "dinero. " You should also realize that Latin America is light years ahead of the United States in the ability to develop personal relationships with acquaintances and neighbors. The gap is closing on both fronts…
1. Many Latin American countries are becoming technologically savvy…and wired. This is an interesting phenomena. As people become more wired, more affluent, more refined, they also, many times, become more distant and less trusting. The innocence of life is lost and relationships suffer. Much of the youth of Latin America now resembles the youth of North America; preferring American rock or pop musicians over such time tested favorites like Boleros, Merengue, Salsa, Cumbia and the like. Much of the youth of Latin America maintains a consistent diet of fast food hamburgers and pizza rather than the time tested favorites like "Arroz con Pollo," "Platanos Maduros" and other plates that we yearned for when we were kids. The truth is that much of Latin America is becoming "Americanized." For me, it is sad. For many American business people, it constitutes a "large consumer market that is full of fragmented Latin American businesses offering inferior solutions." Recently, I was in Costa Rica and had several conversations with different Costa Rican nationals. One thing that "jumped off the page," was that many of them were employed by American companies. This is their dream. Work for an American company, make good money, scale the salary scale, and, as we say in Spanish…"¡Adelante!" Well, they don't know about downsizing, reorganization, restructuring and the like…yet. They don't understand that American business is primarily about the bottom line, not long-term relationships. Oh, they will, soon enough. They will find out that "the American dream" in many respects is a cold and distant existence that just happens to pay well…until you get downsized, restructured, reorganized, or generally outlast your youthful usefulness. Of course, three weeks of severance pay and an employment counselor will keep "the dream" alive. Personally, I yearn for the days of old. (I'm only 41 by the way!) The days when stopping by "abuela's" or "mami's" for "café" every morning was the highlight of the day. Days when looking at your watch was unnecessary. Days when Latin America was, well, Latin America. Please don't get me wrong, in some places it still is, but it's changing…the gap is closing…and I think that we, Latinos, may just be buying into the wrong "dream." Piénselo. (Think about it.) At Bilingual America, we specialize in results-driven Spanish training for people who want to develop real relationships with Spanish-speaking people. If that's you, we invite you to either call us Toll FREE at 1-888-850-1555 or visit us on our web site at http://www.bilingualamerica.com. By: Ricardo González, Founder and CEO of Bilingual America 
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