Spanish in Miami Part Two (Kendall: fit in, lease, homes)

[beanblossom]

Hello! I've been hanging around these forums as a reader only since November in preparation to move here to Miami. We've now been here almost 4 weeks and it is interesting to see what has turned out to be true and not true for us based on what i've read here!

A little background about me first: I grew up reading stories set in other countries and dreamed of someday traveling the world. In high school, I studied spanish, french and german and in college I took russian and finnish classes. My plans to travel the world got put on the backburner when I fell in love with someone who barely left our homestate of Michigan and wasn't of the mindset to live anywhere else at the time. We married young (still in college) and we had kids right away. My dreams of traveling and speaking several languages besides english fluently just fell to the wayside as I stayed at home with the kids.

My husband ending up needing to travel for work and this left us open for job transfers. We finally got the opportunity to move to Miami and I was thrilled because I knew i'd be exposed to other cultures and given the opportunity to speak Spanish. At the moment, I am not an expert or close to fluent, but enough to get basic errands done (i've been out of practice for so long, as i've never had any reason to use it except in Mexico on vacation a few times). I know that as I am exposed to it, i'll become fluent relatively quickly.

Well..............NOBODY GIVES ME A CHANCE!!!!! This smacks in the face of those who whine on the forums about how nobody will speak english to them. I live in West Kendall in an older established neighborhood that is probably 80% latino. Everyone is soooo nice to us and came over with cakes and offers to help. (that smacks in the face of stuff i've read here, too). We have cubans, argentinians, columbians, puerto ricans (and a german family) just on our little court. But when I go on errands to our neighborhood shopping center and the cashier is speaking spanish to everyone in line, she gets to me and looks up and starts speaking english automatically. I feel bad because it is obvious she has to switch gears. She could speak Spanish. I'd be happy! Same with most places I do business at here in Kendall.

I'm hesitant to start off a conversation in spanish to get things moving because I don't want to be presumptious -- especially if I didn't already hear them speaking Spanish with someone else, but even when I know, I feel I might sound condescending speaking spanish. Maybe i've been around too many drunk Anglos on vacations in Cabo San Lucas being snarky using "gracias" and " muy cerveza, por favor" and "Hola!" with the service workers. I just want to fit into my new community and improve my spanish! Ironically, i'm getting more practice on my german skills with my nextdoor neighbor boys who are from Germany. Who knew i'd move to an 80% spanish-speaking neighborhood to practice my german???

[CiXeL]

please tell me exactly where you live so i can move there when my lease is up.

[vpcats]

Welcome to the area beanblossom. Nice, refreshing observations. Thanks for sharing! :-))

[induhvidual]

Beanie,
I loved your post.
The world is not black n white. We all live in the shades of gray area

[mbmouse]

ahhhhhhhhhh To see a nice post in the Miami forum.......you bring a grateful tear to this moderators eye.

[CiXeL]

but please, tell me where you live. i want to move there

[unixpilot]

I'm a little confused by your post...If you really wanted to learn another language why not just sign up for Berlitz or take class at a Community College or something?

Expecting to learn a language based upon chatting it up with the neighbors, or in the line at the Kendall Publix sounds a little naive.

Not meant to be disrepectful, just an observation.

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by unixpilot

I'm a little confused by your post...If you really wanted to learn another language why not just sign up for Berlitz or take class at a Community College or something?

Expecting to learn a language based upon chatting it up with the neighbors, or in the line at the Kendall Publix sounds a little naive.

Not meant to be disrepectful, just an observation.

Once I replied to Cixel giving him all what I thought were helpful hints to learn Spanish, especially easy when there are so many opportunities here. Watch spanish TV, listen to the radio, read the newspaper (with a dictionary by your side), watch movies with subtitles....

Granted these are not the most intellectual means here but it WILL teach you. Beanblossom has a background in Spanish she says. She'll pick it up in no time again if she just practices a little doing some of the above and doesn't have to take time out for formal classes. Maybe that could come later.

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by CiXeL

but please, tell me where you live. i want to move there

Cixel I really don't want to break the positive aura of this nice thread started by Beanblossom but I don't think you would be happy where she's living. YOU don't speak Spanish and her area is 80% hispanic. You probably won't have a German neighbor, nor do you speak German as far as I know.

Remember you don't like Miami and are just trying to get funds to get back home.

I'm sorry but that is what you have led me to believe.

[Magnolia Bloom]

What a great post! I bet some of the latinos who claim that they don't speak English only use that as an excuse not to speak to those who give them bad vibes!

I hope you love Miami!