Chocomil en Ingles

The children at the landfill are very optimistic despite their daily challenges. Many of them joke around with each other all the time.

On this particular day, I only refilled their chocolate milk cups if they asked for the "chocomil" in English. This should not sound like some language imposition practice, but rather as an opportunity for many of these disadvantaged kids to show off their English language skills.

To my surprise, many of the children enjoyed this policy, allowing them to practice words and phrases like "good morning," "more please," and "thank you." English has found incredible ways to sneak up on many countries around the world. And Mexico is no exception.

Importantly, all jobs in the private arena and most in the public sector require English as a prerequisite for consideration. As a result, legions of posh Mexican families send their children to American and British academies established in Mexico decades ago, where their children are taught to speak English with impecable precision, often with such rigor that no accent is ever traceable. In fact, for some ultra elite Mexicans, American English is seen as such a vulgar and proleteriat form of speaking the language, that they specifically request for British instruction so that their children only speak English with a UK flair.

Unfortunately, those Mexican children that do not attend bilingual schools at an early age will live a life of constant catching up. Many of the children at this landfill have few opportunities to practice their English and to learn new phrases, like "chocolate milk."