About 36 years ago, I had the opportunity to live in Mexico for two years. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know Spanish. I had never left the United States before. What would happen was a life changing experience. When I was in high school, I took two years of Spanish. Learning by flashcards and just using the language in the classroom wasn't the best practice for me. I only remembered a couple few words. They were words of activities I enjoyed- fishing. Agua, lago and pez. One can't get too far in Mexico with that vocabulary. Flying into the city of Veracruz is a memory I'll never forget. The vast Gulf of Mexico stretching out into the distance. The coconut trees. The security guards on the roof of the airport with their semi-auto rifles. I wondered at the time what I had gotten myself into. Nothing I had done in my life prior to this time could have prepared me for ...