Quote:
Originally Posted by cantinflashow
Hello All!
My husband and I are considering a move to Springfield because he has a good job offer there. We are a young couple, both highly educated, church-going (Catholic), and very community-oriented. Springfield sounded like a great option, because we are ready to start a family and we would like a different (more relaxed) environment than south Florida. I am originally from MS, and I miss the southern charm more than anything. Perhaps we can find some of that in TN? Long story short, I recently got a shock when I heard the City Manager's ( Alderman's?) remarks about Hispanics. There's been a lot of bad press recently, huh? My husband is a successful, well-respected Hispanic professional. Indeed, we lived in MS in some of the least diversified areas, and he never had any trouble.
I know there are two sides to every story, but am I right to fear that your town is against immigrants and diversity? I've researched it a bit, and it seems that many of the residents of Springfield have the same attitude as the Aldermen/City Manager in regards to Spanish-speaking/Hispanic individuals. Though I am not Hispanic, my children will be, at least in part, and I intend to teach them to speak fluent Spanish as I do and be proud of their heritage.
Advice? What do some of the people who live in Springfield have to say about the town's attitudes toward bilingualism? Diversity? Tolerance? Is this a good move for us? I am very open to learning from people who actually know--I'd love to be wrong about the situation in Springfield. I'm grateful for any words of wisdom you guys can offer.
Thanks a million!
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I can't tell you what it's like all the time, but I can tell you of an incident when we visited Springfield.
My husband is a postal worker, and he had put in for a transfer to the Springfield office.
We both went inside and stood in line, patiently waiting to talk to the Postmaster.
There was a hispanic man in front of us in the line. He was probably in his mid 30's.
When it was his turn the window clerk (female), raised her voice like he was deaf or something. She said, "Do you speak English?" He said, "Yes."
She then tells him, step aside, I'll have to have someone deal with you. She then yelled for some guy in the back to come and wait on him.
I've never seen anyone treat another human being more rudely in my life.
Her whole demeanor changed.
We were next, and after that we weren't really sure what she was going to do.
She turned to us, and the Wicked witch of the North left, and she was all nice a sweet to us.
That is until the Postmaster came. She was ease dropping.
The minute transfer was mentioned she said, "Now, you promised that my daughter would get the next transfer into this office."
My husband realized that he didn't want to be in that office working alongside that woman.
It was obvious that she didn't want to deal with hispanic people, and that she would have made my husbands life a living you know what if he transferred in. He had more seniority than this womans daughter, and he was the person slotted in for the job, but we turned it back in.
Other than that one incident, we found the people of Springfield to be very nice, and helpful.
We met one of the guys from this board, who lives there and had a nice time talking to him.
The town has just about everything you would need.
If you want a Mall, there are several within a 30-40 mile radius.
Nashville is close enough, but far enough away to not be bothered by the traffic.
The scenery is beautiful, but a little too hilly for us.
That was the only drawback.
We were looking for a more flat area with mountains in the background.
We did find a place that we think we would like that we'll be visiting this summer.
Try to come and visit the city first. Get a feel for it.
Go sit in a local mom/pop restaurant. That's where you will find the "heart" of the city. The locals that come and visit, drink coffee, and hear all the local news.
Our particular incident could be due to the fact that this window clerk doesn't like anyone, and is difficult to work with.
Who knows, she could have been having a bad day.
Don't let some disgruntled city official scare you off.
That guy is just a jerk.
When his term is up, he probably won't be voted back in.
I talked to a lot of people about him, and there wasn't a lot of love for the man.
Come and visit the town, and good luck in your adventure in moving.
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Can somebody tell us the truth about the "IMMIGRATION DEBATE"?
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