I am in Houston for the National Championship game. Dad played for the University of Washington so we’re here for the game.
Anyways. I have only been here for 2 days and am already tired of all the people who don’t speak english and all the advertisements for illegal immigrants. This is America not Mexico.
Had to go down to the front desk of a nice hotel just to get someone who speaks English. Enough!
I speak English, Norwegian, Russian, Arabic, and Korean either fluently or conversationally and have a gift for linguistics, but I absolutely refuse to actively learn Spanish.
I don't allow a word of it in my house and the only Spanish I know is what I've picked up passively which I then use to eavesdrop of the Spanish speakers who are constantly talking shit about the rest of us.
When someone asks me if I "habla", I tell them "absolutely not, learn English".
"I speak English, Norwegian, Russian, Arabic, and Korean either fluently or conversationally and have a gift for linguistics"
I take my hat off to you, sir! That is a talent of which to be proud.
As for the rest of your post, 100% yes!
Thank you! It's not as difficult as one might think, especially when you're living and working in a foreign country and have almost total immersion.
Bottom line, it's about respect and communicating with local populations in their language. If you're going to live in their "house" you need to learn their language. I don't expect people to speak English to me when I'm in their country unless I'm in the hinterlands of Scotland and/or Ireland and everyone is speaking Gaelic!