Below is a comment we received in response to another comment on learning Spanish that came for an ad for bBay (click here to see it)!
“A rather stinging comment from Tom! Many of us have tried for years to learn Spanish, with varying degrees of success, and it is comments like Tom’s that inhibit people such as myself from using more of it. Most of the critisism comes from fellow ex-pats who seem to be very smug once they have mastered the language. The local Jiminatos are very encouraging of any effort. With Tom on the case, I will be very wary now of trying out my Spanish, oral or written.
Indignant!
PS: Please do not print my name!!”
And on that page is the following comment from Prospero:
Thanks for your comment!
I have to agree with Tom’s ‘stinging comment’, though I don’t see it as such. The fact is that a lot of local people feel the same way but they won’t let you know it – out of the kind of courtesy they feel is missing from us! What they say, among other things, is: why should we learn English when they don’t make any effort to learn Spanish – there are people who have been in Jimena for many years and still don’t get much beyond ‘cerveza’. There are several excellent exceptions to this generalization, of course, some of whom came here at a considerable age. After all, nobody expects a ‘mature’ person to speak the language like a native!
One of the purposes of this site is to help redress the balance; to show that we can and do at least try to integrate despite difficulties with the language. But what I find is that the vast majority of English-speaking readers do not integrate even among themselves! The distinct lack of participation on JimenaPulse, where comments can even be made anonymously if you ask for it as you have, is ample proof of that.
A question: how often do you see a mixed table of ex-pats and locals at any of the numerous bars and restaurants around here?
One more thing: language is probably the clumsiest means of communication. What really counts is the willingness to make an effort to communicate beyond ‘buenos días’, ‘gracias’ and, of course, ‘cerveza’. The rewards for the effort are immeasurable – besides, you get to meet some of the nicest people in the world!
JimenaPulse 
I’m with your anonymous commenter on this one.
Most foreigners I’ve met here in Jimena are trying to learn Spanish, or at least using what they have to communicate where possible. O.K. our Spanish might not be polished (yet) but my experience is that it’s well received and encouraged by the locals.
I for one feel offended that you generalise and lump “us” together in a group incapable of asking for more than a beer. (Note to Anonymous: Do you think he’s being smug?) Our levels of Spanish, like us, are diverse. We’re all going to go about achieving our goal of speaking Spanish in our own way, in our own time, and in the process integrate.
Please take the time to re-read the comment from anonymous and reply to him/her. Don’t just generalise, it’s negative and destructive.