When I was an paramed we worked in the very Spanish area of the city. I had a call for a guy going in and out of consciousness and losing breath. I give him oxygen, help him regain consciousness and get in the truck and go to the hospital. All the while I'm speaking not very good English so he has trouble understanding me (it can't be all the alcohol that got him there in the first place). Finally we're checking him in the hospital and I say something in Spanish to the effect of 'My Spanish isn't very good, is it?" and he starts laughing 'si si si!' I switch to English "Except you could have fucking died if you didn't understand me. You should learn English"
thats just it! THEY EXPECT US TO LEARN SPANISH! I studied it then quit when I realized that.
I get hostile when they pull that attitude. When they don't like it, I point south and say Spanish is spoken there, go.
(post is archived)