Spanish speaking, what to expect?

[allredcon]

I'm going to be spanish speaking and staying in the United States, Hartford to be exact. What can one expect, culturally? Is it really all that different? Honestly, I WANT to have culture shock when I get home.

[john doe]

I would imagine that you will be associating with Hispanics from a variety of countries with a variety of traditions. I would guess that most of them will hail from Central and northern South America. I would guess that you will run across some illegals, and they may be mistrusting of Gringos coming into their homes. Most of them will also be trying to find a way to fit into American culture as you are trying to learn about theirs, and there will be many opportunities for the free exchange of both.

[Wingnut]

In the Hartford mission it's doubtful you'll end up with culture shock. New England is very heavily white. I lived on the Connecticut coast for awhile after my mission (Spanish speaking in California's Central Valley), and worked in a medical office that accepted uninsured and even undocumented patients. The majority of our Spanish speakers were from Ecuador, then El Salvador, then Guatemala. There were a lot of Brazilians, too, but they speaking Portuguese. You'll probably end up working with them some anyway.

[allredcon]

Yeah, I got a letter from my mission pres. I will have to learn a little Portuguese too, which I'm very excited about.

[BenRaines]

I served spanish speaking in Florida. Quite the melting pot from Mexico and Central and South America. What I have found after 35 years of speaking spanish as a result of serving a mission is that you get out of it what you put in it. Many of my friends served in Mexico and came back having had many native spanish speaking companions. I never had one.

I spoke better spanish and speak even much better spanish now and most of them have forgotten how to speak.

Apply yourself to serve the Lord and you will be blessed. In Florida I did not teach one lesson in english. I doubt the same will be true in Connecticut.

Ben Raines