Non-Hispanic whites in Miami-- are they able to integrate well within this Latin city? (Hialeah: high school, to live in)

[OptimusPrime69]

Given Miami's very apparent and dominant Latin culture-- is it possible for non-Hispanic whites to feel welcome and part of this city? Assuming they do not speak Spanish.

I know they only make up about 12% of the population of the city and I'm curious at see how they get on with in Miami. Of course, I understand there are many populations that live within Miami like Jamaicans, Haitians, Hispanics, People from all over the Caribbean, etc...

One thing all these populations tend to share is that they are all from a somewhat similar area--meaning they are all from in and around the Caribbean--they share that bond--they share the fact that they are from somewhere else....a commonality among them.

Assuming non_hispanic whites are from the US-- how are they received in Miami? Are they looked at as tourists? As residents? As Americans? As what? Or

[THX 1138]

Well if you do not speak Spanish, you will never know what they think of you...because they could literally be bad mouthing you right in front of your face to someone else who does.

[FlyMIA]

I know plenty and they do fine. Most of them were born here but I have a few friends who are from NY or Texas and live here now and besides for the usual problems everyone faces in Miami they are fine. IMO the people who don't do well are the people that come in with the mind set that everyone is different and they wont like me etc..

[nolegal10]

I moved to Miami in 2000 when I was 13 and lived in the area until 2010. I always got tired of people speaking to me in Spanish, and would often find myself getting frustrated with it, because I didn't think that I looked like I would speak Spanish. When I would tell someone I didn't speak Spanish, I would get weird look, as if they couldn't believe it. Given, I could've taken Spanish in high school to make things easier for myself but I decided on German instead. lol. All of my friends were Hispanic of some sort so within my circle of friends I was just known as the white girl in the group, but it was fun.

[dsampedro]

This is what I think. I am Anglican married into the Latin culture for the last 30-years and have heard both sides along with feelings of my own... If you decide to live in another country for WHATEVER reason by choice or necessity as a matter of gratitude and ANY kind of interest in your new country I feel a person does have some kind of obligation to learn at the very least the basics of the language of the land. I understand this makes many angry and they say "no, you learn Spanish" but please consider my family fought in the Civil War & WWII and our family suffered many hardships. I truly do not feel learning the language is so very much to ask. Please at least make the effort if for no other reason than for those who have here come before you and died to preserve this country that many now call home. If this is such a very awful request please reconsider the country in which you now reside.

[soulsea]

I am moving to Miami in a few weeks and I sort of take the approach of the above poster but in reverse. Meaning that I'm taking it upon myself to start learning Spanish so that I can better communicate with the folks who reside in the area where I am moving to. This approach is based on a pragmatism towards the culture I am moving to, defined by its actual linguistic characteristics rather than the ones defined by the lines of the US border.

Of course I can stand on principle and keep stating that this is Mericah, and it's up to everyone else to learn to speak English. Although this approach may feel more righteous, it certainly is less practical. The upshot of this pragmatist approach is that I get to learn a new language, which I find fun and challenging. Also this will clearly enable me to bore yet an another cultural subset with my endless unedited diatribes, although admittedly it will be with lesser grandiloquence and penchant for sesquipedalian nomenclatures.

Btw, I am a naturalized US Citizen and English is my forth language, so I myself made the effort to learn it as best I could when I migrated here.

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ETA: On a side note, we ruled out Eastern Shores and sections of Sunny Isles cause Russian is just too hard to learn.

[OptimusPrime69]

Originally Posted by soulsea

I am moving to Miami in a few weeks and I sort of take the approach of the above poster but in reverse. Meaning that I'm taking it upon myself to start learning Spanish so that I can better communicate with the folks who reside in the area where I am moving to. This approach is based on a pragmatism towards the culture I am moving to, defined by its actual linguistic characteristics rather than the ones defined by the lines of the US border.

Of course I can stand on principle and keep stating that this is Mericah, and it's up to everyone else to learn to speak English. Although this approach may feel more righteous, it certainly is less practical. The upshot of this pragmatist approach is that I get to learn a new language, which I find fun and challenging. Also this will clearly enable me to bore yet an another cultural subset with my endless unedited diatribes, although admittedly it will be with lesser grandiloquence and penchant for sesquipedalian nomenclatures.

Btw, I am a naturalized US Citizen and English is my forth language, so I myself made the effort to learn it as best I could when I migrated here.

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ETA: On a side note, we ruled out Eastern Shores and sections of Sunny Isles cause Russian is just too hard to learn.

This leads me to wonder what is your native language and where were u born? Your English is just as good as a native speaker.

[soulsea]

I was born in Paris, but my nationality of origin is Greek. I grew up mostly in Paris and Athens, but my mother lived in Italy so I also picked up Italian from spending a lot of my time there. I moved to the US at the age of 16 speaking fragmented English, and other than a few years away working in London in the 90s I have lived in the US for appox. 25yrs.

So I speak Greek, French, Italian, and English. Mind you, one picks up languages very easily at a young age, so it is by no means any indication of any sort of personal achievement ... more a result of happenstance + necessity.

That's why I'm kind of curious to see how my 45yo brain will cope with attempting to introduce a new language into its diminishing storage space. Maybe its just a natural result of my life experience, but I find the notion of learning Spanish to ease my interaction with the South Florida culture as something interesting and exciting, as opposed to an inconvenient burden.

[flyers29]

I think it can vary a lot depending on where you live/work. You'll probably feel like a fish out of water if you're white in Hialeah, not so much in Pinecrest.

[xS☺B☺s]

You get what you bring brother. Like Soulsea, if you bring an open mind and open heart, everything will open up to you. Come with interest, curiosity, appreciation, fascination - you will receive the same. You can walk through the toughest hoods in OT and get cat calls from the ladies if you bring the love. Miami is full of Cubans, Caribbeans, Latinas, and South Americans. If these cultures interest you, you will have an excellent time. Miami is the doorway to Latin America and the Caribbean. It's the edge of another world. It's a fascinating place. If other cultures interest you, you'll Miami and Miami will love you. And make no mistake - as crazy as MIA is MIA is most definitely bursting with love. It's a hot place. A lot of fun.