This is America, speak English
Being Hispanic has always been a big part of who I am and how I was raised. My mother spoke to me in Spanish all throughout my childhood, and the English language was something I picked up watching TV and going to day care.
When I woke up Monday morning, this feeling of dread rushed to my head and instantly made me feel uncomfortable. When I got out of bed, I flipped the mental switch and prepared myself to speak Spanish for the entire day.
Speaking Spanish for an entire day as a part of an immersion essay for my Writing for Mass Audience class, I wanted to put myself in the shoes of an immigrant who doesn’t speak English and could face difficulties communicating with other members of society.
When I sat down and thought about ways to immerse myself in a brand-new experience and leave my comfort zone, I never thought speaking a language I’ve been accustomed to speaking for so long would be bring me so much discomfort.
While it was easy breezing the idea past my family members and speaking to them in Spanish, the thought of trying to communicate with my American girlfriend and people that I usually have no trouble communicating with would bring me so much stress.
Going to class I met up with my girlfriend and I immediately greeted her, “Hola, como estas, Taylor.” Responding confidently “Muy bien, Miguel,” my girlfriend instantly recalled any Spanish she learned from the four years of Spanish she took in high school and her Spanish 1 class she took last spring.
In class, I’ve always felt confident conversing with teachers and classmates about whatever topics we are discussing. Sitting in News Editing on, I was suddenly engulfed by this fear of speaking to the class in Spanish.
The thought of my classmates turning and giving me funny looks put a knot in my stomach that was not easy to avoid. I pictured someone in the class turning to me and jokingly saying, “Miguel, why are you speaking only in Spanish? We know you speak English.”
While students who are also in my Writing for Mass audience class would understand my intentions due to having to write an immersion story themselves, I didn’t want to explain to someone who didn’t speak Spanish that I was doing this for a class.
Why didn’t I speak in Spanish in News Editing that day? Simple, I was embarrassed of speaking a language that I’m so proud to know with someone who doesn’t understand me.
After not speaking for the entire class, I shouted to my professor, “Tenga buen dia, professora Millner!” Starting to walk with my girlfriend, I tried to engage in conversations where I knew she could keep up. After a while, I decided to get comfortable with idea that it’s okay if she doesn’t understand me because I’ll find a way to communicate.
After asking me “What are your plans for the rest of the day, Miguel?” I started to explain that I was going to drive home, eat some lunch and go grocery shopping.
“Me voy para mi casa, voy a comer almuerzo, y despues de todo eso, voy para el supermercado para hacer unas compras que tengo que hacer,” I said.
She gave me a quizzical look and said, “You’re going to need to slow down and break things down for me,” I started to tackle words that she understood. After getting her to understand about a quarter of what I was saying, I broke down the rest of the sentence by essentially playing charades.
“Can you please just speak in English, Miguel? This is cool and all, but I just want to talk to you,” my girlfriend said.
My curly-haired girlfriend Taylor suddenly seemed defeated after using every bit of Spanish she could remember to communicate with me.
Sharing a laugh for a bit, I responded, “Perdon, mi amor, pero no.”
Listening to “Mi Gente” by Jay Balvin on the way home to keep myself in my Hispanic mindset, I quickly ate some lunch and prepared myself to take this project public.
My plan was simple. I was going to a supermarket and ask someone who doesn’t speak Spanish where I could find milk and bread.
Shopping at Walmart on a regular basis and knowing they have plenty of Spanish speakers, I went there first. Searching the aisles for someone that didn’t speak Spanish to help me, I found an elderly woman restocking tomato sauce.
“Hola, senora. Donde puedo encontrar leche y pan?” I said.
Greeting me with a smile, the elderly lady said, “One second, dear. Let me find you someone who speaks Spanish and can help you.”
Despite feeling awkward about having to ask for help, I felt extremely calm knowing that I’d be helped by someone who spoke Spanish.
Two minutes later, I was greeted by Maria, a middle-aged Cuban woman.
Asking me how she could help me, she directed me to the proper areas where I could find both items without a problem.
Knowing that this would be the outcome, I decided to do the same thing, but this time, at a Winn-Dixie in North Fort Myers, where I’ve never seen a Spanish speaker.
“Hello, how may I help you today, sir?” said a cheerful high school girl as I entered Winn-Dixie.
“Hola, estoy buscando leche y pan. Me puedes ayudar?” I responded.
With her shoulders instantly slumping as I began to speak Spanish, she said “Uno momento,” which is the improper way to say one moment, and began to search the store for a Spanish speaker.
For about five minutes, I anxiously waited at the front of the store for someone to help me. As time went by, people began to give me spiteful looks and I instantly felt unwelcome.
After what felt like an eternity, the girl returned to me and said, “Look, the one Spanish girl that works here isn’t here today, so I can’t help you.”
With a confused look, I asked her, “No hablas Espanol?”
“No,” she said imitating a Hispanic accent. “Yo no hablo Espanol.”
Responding “Okay, estas bien,” I pretended to aimlessly wander the aisles in search of what I was looking for.
Staying somewhat close by to the girl who greeted me, I overheard her say to a co-worker, “I hate when Spanish people come in to the store. Why can’t they just learn English?”
Infuriated with what I just heard, I was overcome with this urge to break character and tell her I speak English, among other things.
Instead, I played out a scene in my head of what I would say to her as I walked out of the store.
“First of all, I actually do speak English and what you said is extremely rude and offensive. Oh and by the way, America is the only country in the world that has no official language.”
After having that experience, it really opened a new sense of understanding for me. I realized that I am extremely lucky that I am bilingual, because people go through the struggle of not being able to communicate with others on a more frequent basis than my one encounter.
It really put me in the shoes of an immigrant, who may struggle to find and do everyday things due to rude people like the girl I encountered.
Spending the rest of the day at home with my family, I went to bed with a sense of pride. I was proud to be able to speak Spanish, and I didn’t feel that dread that was looming over my head anymore. I realized there is no need to feel ashamed when you communicate with someone because of who you are, and there is always a solution to solving miscommunication, even if it involves Google translate.
