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LOL. I would not go so far as to call LV's clannishness "everywhere USA."
As someone who interviewed for teaching positions there, I would say it's a bit unique. I was blatantly told by an administrator that he would love to hire me with my qualifications; yet, even if I were hispanic, I could never get my foot in the door as an outsider.
Don't get me wrong, I philosophically agree with their support of their local newly trained educators.
Indeed the Las Vegas area and architecture is very beautiful. The local food is delicious. For someone with a solid job, Vegas would be a great possibility.
We have a relative at Highlands and have never heard of any problems for him. He seems to enjoy it there. But I'm not sure about the public schools in LV.
In answer to the question what small town is not as insular and clannish to newcomers, I can name a few in northern NM: Dixon, Tesuque, Embudo, Aztec, Ojo Sarco, Taos, even Santa Fe, although I don't consider SF small.
I guess I just would never agree that LV is "everywhere USA."
you have to cut the guy some slack, he's from back east, no one fully understands NM unless you were raised here.
Even the Spanish here is not the same as the Spanish you will learn anywhere else. If you learn the local Spanish you will be a curiosity; if you learn to speak another variety (like a homogenized Latin American version, like I do) you will just be another gringo who speaks Spanish and thinks he knows something ("se cree"). I work in a job for which knowledge of Spanish is required (in ABQ), and the first year I got several comments like, "they should have hired a Hispanic for your job, what are you doing here?" I agreed it would have been ideal for a native-speaking Hispanic to be in my job but none applied for it, so here I am.
I totally understand the sentiment behind the attitude. Thanks to the (well-founded) local suspicion of outsiders, New Mexico has been able to preserve a lot of its local culture for a very long time, that's what makes it so unique. Outsiders, I would say, gain acceptance and make friends not by learning Spanish, but by going with the flow and rhythm of life, being accepting and open to the culture and adapting to it. Appreciate and respect the traditions even if you don't choose to partake in them. Trying to speak Spanish with the local Hispanic population (many of whom do not speak Spanish themselves) will seem initially like a nice gesture but will eventually test their patience. (Don't get me wrong, I'm a lifelong proponent of language learning, I'm just saying don't think this one thing is going to help you "fit in")
To understand a little about the local perspective, rent The Milagro Beanfield War if you haven't seen it already.
Even the Spanish here is not the same as the Spanish you will learn anywhere else. If you learn the local Spanish you will be a curiosity; if you learn to speak another variety (like a homogenized Latin American version, like I do) you will just be another gringo who speaks Spanish and thinks he knows something ("se cree"). I work in a job for which knowledge of Spanish is required (in ABQ), and the first year I got several comments like, "they should have hired a Hispanic for your job, what are you doing here?" I agreed it would have been ideal for a native-speaking Hispanic to be in my job but none applied for it, so here I am.
I totally understand the sentiment behind the attitude. Thanks to the (well-founded) local suspicion of outsiders, New Mexico has been able to preserve a lot of its local culture for a very long time, that's what makes it so unique. Outsiders, I would say, gain acceptance and make friends not by learning Spanish, but by going with the flow and rhythm of life, being accepting and open to the culture and adapting to it. Appreciate and respect the traditions even if you don't choose to partake in them. Trying to speak Spanish with the local Hispanic population (many of whom do not speak Spanish themselves) will seem initially like a nice gesture but will eventually test their patience. (Don't get me wrong, I'm a lifelong proponent of language learning, I'm just saying don't think this one thing is going to help you "fit in")
To understand a little about the local perspective, rent The Milagro Beanfield War if you haven't seen it already.
I am not a tourist. Twice I have tried to live in Las Vegas. It is beautiful and love that it has amtrak. I just spent $20,000 on an educaction to get a job if I am lucky in a field that doesn't take a master's degree that I already had experience in. Now I am going to have student loans coming out of my social security.I haven't been able to get an internship in two semesters and was told I will have to relocate clear out of the state or take a job I was qualified for before my educations. this is the second time I have moved out of Las Vegas. Don't get me wrong. there are great people there and it has three colleges and a hot springs. You will have to travel to shop or get a job probably. Every part of NM is different. I have lived in many parts of NM. I wondered here in the 70's and ended up in Toas and love it where I moved to which is an hour from Las Vegas or left. Watch out of that speed trp in Pecos and for road blacks by 84. Road blocks are not constitution al in the rest of the United States. I have great friends in las Vegas but we are all going to have to leave NM to get jobs or move to Albuquerque. No Thank you. Las Vegas is fine in some ways. Housing is expensive for the lack of good jobs. It is fine for a train stop.I am from the west coast but have lived allot of places. The more money you have and can get the higher your understanding. I live down the road from the batman Ranch and he didn't have much to say about las Vegas.
I lived in the Native Amercican part of NM where Spanish people were considered white and I have a hispanic name but don't speak Spanish and am not Hispanic. I moved from Las Vegas into one of those little bean field villages that was stolen from the Apache's. I am treated well here but need to learn Spanish to talk to my nieghbors. Personally I experience the stone wall in Las Vegas. Can't get medical care or even answers to a question from people paid to help me. I look white and have no connections to anything and have to fight for everything out here just to partake in the absolute beauty of the place. There are always people who want to destroy your dreams and peace out in the world and here. How can such a beautiful place suck on so many other levels. We still are in the United States and used to have Civil rights instead of fighting for them or get run off because we stand up for our rights out here.
Las Vegas has hot springs, historical sites, a sweet library, nice little downtown area and a great looking "plaza". I like the second hand stores (old school Schwinn) and found the little theater to be romantic. I've hiked, walked and just hung out there and found this to be a nice little town. It seem some towns just get bad reputations from isolated events or ignorant people, but in reality I think those are few and far between but it just snowballs as the "knitting circles" evolve. Anyway, people should just give it a chance...
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