No Hablo Ingles: How Mexico's Education System Is Failing Its Students Leon Krauze - Fusion
go to original February 6, 2015

Last weekend marked the U.S. release of “Guten Tag, Ramon” (Good day, Ramon), a film by Mexican director Jorge Ramirez-Suarez. The movie was an unexpected hit in Mexico; more than 1 million people saw it during a surprisingly long run in Mexican theaters last year.

The film tells the story of Ramon, a wide-eyed kid from northern Mexico who, after a series of failed attempts at crossing the U.S. border, decides to take his chances migrating to Europe.

A friend tells him to stay with his aunt in Germany. But when Ramon arrives, the aunt is nowhere to be found. With no fallback plan, Ramon is left to wander the frozen streets of Germany, with barely any money in his pockets, isolated and unable to speak the language.



Ramon’s situation quickly turns dangerous, until he meets a Good Samaritan who offers him room and board. By the end of the film, Ramon has learned basic German and charmed everyone around him with his love of music, dance and contagious charisma.

It’s a compelling story and — sadly — it’s also believable. Left to their own devices, many Mexican teenagers would face similar isolation in a European country. That’s because a surprising number of young Mexicans, similar to Ramon, don’t know how to speak English, much less German.

Read the rest at Fusion

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