Finally...I will be moving back to America!! (Miami, Hialeah: apartments, for rent)

[DenverLawGal]

This is the only forum I've found that centers on Miami. Maybe I didn't look hard enough. Or maybe I enjoy the ranting and whining. Some posts are funny, some informative. Perhaps I should look deeper for a forum with helpful posters since they are just not located here. I've encountered only a handful of people who seem to be genuinely interested in giving advice, versus the hoards of obnoxious illiterate people.

[DenverLawGal]

You know, I was just reading another post in a diff. thread by this OP, and she says something like, "We can't even live like Americans". I find that statement amusing. What does that mean anyway? What does she think America is? We are a country founded on the backs of the Native Americans. We strode in here, slaughtered an entire group of people, then claimed it as "America". Then we get to read posts like hers saying that she can't live like an American. Makes me wonder.

[305guy]

Where are you moving from?

[DenverLawGal]

305 Guy: Denver

[miamiblue]

Originally Posted by wanttomoveeast

Funny, I enjoy the reverse. I struggle to speak Spanish, but enjoy it when I can accomplish simple things and am able to communicate with someone else. So perhaps I'll enjoy this city, no?

This is true if the person you are trying to communicate with has the same mindframe that you do, and is willing to work with you. Sometimes they are, sometimes they're not. What then? Just something to think about, because as much as I wish communication was that easy, you are not always dealing with someone who thinks the way you do (this coming from way too much experience dealing with those who do not wish to make an attempt).

Originally Posted by wanttomoveeast

What I was thinking was not the other languages besides Spanish you were hearing but how Miami is a diverse city filled with lots of other groups too. It just seems that a lot of people on this forum hate the Spanish speakers and therefore the Cubans and what not and ignore all the other groups. Meaning, lots of hatred towards Cubans, but no problem with everyone else?

While I'm sure that your statements are true with some people, I don't think you can generalize this with anyone who takes issue with some of the incidents cited in this thread. I don't think Spanish is the problem. If you replaced Spanish with Swahili, I think you would still have some of the same issues. It's not about which language is being spoken, but rather the attitude people have regarding communication in general.

I was born and raised in Miami and grew up thinking that if you treat others with respect you will receive the same in return ("do unto others..."). However, when you routinely deal with people who don't give a flying you-know-what about anyone but themselves during the course of your normal activities, it makes you question the human race as a whole. Someone else mentioned that it might just be a cultural difference, and perhaps it is. I'd rather it be a cultural difference than racism, for sure. But I just cannot respect others who do not respect me and other people around them, regardless of their race, nationality, the language they speak, whatever.

Up until I went away for college, I just assumed that this attitude was just how people were everywhere. Eat or be eaten, dog eat dog, etc. I thought that you really couldn't just expect people to be considerate of others during routine interactions and that rudeness was just how a desensitized society deals with all of its ills. However, when I lived in another Florida town for 3.5 years for school, I was shocked to discover that this was not the case. There really is no excuse for treating someone else like crap. When I moved back to Miami, it disgusted me. I thought, well, a place is what you make of it, and if you see a problem, be the best person possible and people will appreciate it. This is true only to a very small extent in Miami for some reason. People are jaded, angry, they're trying to keep up with the Joneses on money that they don't have, it's hot and humid most of the time, there are bugs, there is traffic - these are just excuses I tried to rationalize the behavior with.

I always say please and thank you when dealing with others, I say have a nice afternoon/day/night when ending an interaction. I would say that on any given day I went to the grocery store, restaurant, mall, etc. in Miami, yet I rarely heard these words from people I was interacting with (other than close friends) - even when I approached the situations with a positive outlook and made it easy for them. So, you don't necessarily get back what you project in Miami.

And I am not expecting utopia, because I know that I'm not going to hear "have a nice day" from every store clerk or restaurant server, and that is not the point anyway. But I also don't expect to be treated like a piece of crap, either, and this was all too common (and according to friends and parents, still common) in Miami. It's about mutual respect, not entitlement. Miami needs an attitude adjustment (and a whole new non-corrupt set of leaders) to become human again. For now, it's kind of a big pile of steaming bling.

[compelled to reply]

I think that "wanttomoveeast" was talking about on the forum, but relating the problem to real life, you are being accurate. I'm actually thinking about on that TV show where they walk around and just give people stuff on Sunday night (what is it called)? I was watching it and they were in Miami. One of the people gave everyone in the gas station free gas. I noticed that half of the people in the store didn't even seem to care, a lot of the people had blank stares on their face (as in they didn't seem to understand what happened), and only one person bothered to show any type of positive emotion. I have had very mixed good/bad experiences down there, but your post reminded me of what I saw on the TV...

[nitokenshi]

If you move to another country you should mix and mingle not turn it into your home country. If your going to do that then why did you come here?

I think the OPs last sentence was warranted and she should not get jumped on by people who do not live here. For any of you out of staters that think we are making things up then come here. I bet you wont last a yr and you will be posting the same thing the OP did.

[DenverLawGal]

Compelled: Yes, I was only speaking about this forum. I don't live in Miami and therefore don't spout any opinion about it. I firmly believe that you cannot possibly give your opinion on something you know nothing about. I've been on this forum for quite some time, interacting with posters, so I feel I can post my opinion about this forum. Please note, in most of my posts I am specific about my thoughts of people and opinions, I almost always point out that I am talking about this form.

Anyway, I have travelled to many South American and Central American countries, both the cities and the country. What I found interesting was the assumptions Americans (and myself made about other people in other cultures and countries). We tend to be very selfish (Americans) and assume that our customs and ways are like everyone elses, and our customs and ways are the only right way. This is just silly.

As far as trying to communicate with someone in another language and having them not want to do this, such as me struggling to find the right word and them not having patience or the want to help me --- I've studied Spanish for years now and still struggle. So many times do I get made fun of, ignored or what not. It's something that I don't enjoy, but also something that I don't give up on. Half of the people I speak with are amused and speak back to me, the other half sometimes make fun of me or just refuse to try to talk with me.

[compelled to reply]

I like Broward County and Palm Beach County better. I think Broward is more diverse and people mix better, also helps that the general quality of life is objectively a quantum leap from Dade. I.E more areas are safe, traffic is no comparison, the "attitude" level is more moderate although still in your face more like a city up north. I think Palm Beach County is a generally pleasant envrionment, in an Orange County sort of way, but probably not the place if you are looking for diversity. Diversity tends to equate crime in PBC, more like other parts of the US. All and all I wouldn't suggest Dade County to most people, and it has nothing to do with the cultural origin of the people.

[DenverLawGal]

I disagree. The OP's last statement was just horrible on so many levels and doesn't really pertain to where she is living or why she hates it. I think that is why some people here, including me, barked back at her.

This statement by you: "If you move to another country you should mix and mingle not turn it into your home country", is exactly what I think the OP was refusing to do.

And I'm not living in lala land, I know that I might very well hate it there. If so, I'll come back to the west and say, well, I tried, didn't like it. Or I'll go up the coast. Or something. But not spend my days and hours giving everyone grief who wants to move to Miami. No one ever claimed that Miamians were "making things up".

This thread is getting tiring. We have beaten the dead horse people. Sheesh. At one point I was starting to enjoy the adult conversation I was having with Compelled about race relations and stuff. But as I type my response to you Nitokenshi, I begin to feel like I'm talking to a child.

Originally Posted by nitokenshi

If you move to another country you should mix and mingle not turn it into your home country. If your going to do that then why did you come here?

I think the OPs last sentence was warranted and she should not get jumped on by people who do not live here. For any of you out of staters that think we are making things up then come here. I bet you wont last a yr and you will be posting the same thing the OP did.