Rave: Learning Spanish

My South Padre/Mexico trip will be next weekend.  Although I expect to spend only about 2 hours in Mexico, I'm actually looking forward to this part of the trip even more so than the beach at South Padre.  The water will still be on the cool side at around 75 degrees but with air temps over 80 and a 15-20 mph wind, it will be comfortable for swimming and there may be decent surf conditions.

Where in Mexico:
It's a border town called Nuevo Progreso, which is about an hour west of Brownsville, Texas.  I will park on the American side then walk across the foot bridge, which has been described as a portal to another world.  Except for crossing into Canada, which really doesn't look much different, I have never crossed an international border alone. 

Safety Concerns:
I'm really not too worried at all.  Yes, there are travel advisories in place and I would have serious reservations about going to a border town such as Matamoros or Reynosa because of the drug cartels.  Sadly, I've heard reports of violence against tourists in Cancun, which is a damn shame because that is a beautiful area.  The murder rate of Tijijuana is 10 times higher than nearby San Diego so if I am to go there, I must be extremely careful and most definitely limit myself to a few blocks, which are catered to tourists.  However, Nuevo Progreso is considered to be very safe.  There is a strong police and military presence and it is well known that just a few episodes of violence would curtail tourism and cripple the local economy.   Still, I will be smart and stick to the main road.  No wandering about on side streets and residential areas.  I will drink nothing except Coke and beer straight out of the bottle.  I have researched several restaurants and found several with excellent reviews so I figure that it should be okay to eat there as well.  I may get a cheap haircut and bring back a souvenir as well. 

Language Barrier:
I took Spanish in high school and it was one of my best subjects.  Granted, it was nearly 20 years ago but I still remembered the basics such as how certain letter are pronounced.  I've been watching some free tutorials on You Tube and was surprised by how much vocabulary and grammar that I do remember and how quickly I was able to pick it back up again.  The town is gringo friendly so I don't anticipate any problems even if I spoke only English but I believe strongly in making an effort to speak the native language.  Doing so shows respect for the local culture and will be greatly appreciated by the locals. Similarly, I believe that if you live in the United States, English must be learned and should be spoken in public. I've used my Spanish a few times before including once to a taxpayer from Colombia who responded by giving me a hug despite the fact that I had to bill her for back taxes. 

Current Command of the Language:
I'll be fine for a couple of hours in Mexico and I am excited to actually speak some Spanish while I am there but I've got a long way to go to gain any degree of mastery.  I know enough to order a meal as well several key phrases that should enable at least a brief conversation with a local.  Since I would like to visit countries such as Spain, Costa Rica, Chile and Argentina, I would definitely like to learn more before spending time in those countries.  Some people might laugh at my Southern accent but native speakers say that although my speech is much slower, it is clear and able to be understood.
If you are curious as to what my Spanish sounds like, the following video gives you a good idea:
Spanish with a Southern accent

Comprehension:
I have a much better grasp of written Spanish than the spoken variety.  In the latter case, I can recognize a few words here and there but usually not enough to discern the subject of the conversation.  The reason is that Spanish is one of the fastest languages spoken in terms of words per minute and many speakers do not fully enunciate their words.  Everybody knows that there are differences between British and American English.  The same is true with Spanish.  Spain is different from Mexico, which is different from South America and so on. 

Advice for Learning:
As with any language, the best way to learn is by immersion.  Try to make friends with a native speaker and talk with them in the language that you seek to learn.  When reading and studying, try to think in Spanish rather than simply translating it to English in your head.  Doing so gives it the feel of a first language.  Good luck.