Just checked out some of your other videos and I really appreciate this channel! Love that you’re educating people about the real culture of Puerto Rico. So many people come here and don’t care to learn. This is so needed! ❤
I agree that when I visit Puerto Rico, most people in San Juan can speak and understand English, and when I go out to like San Sebastian and Mayaguez, most people can't speak or understand English. When I go to Puerto Rico, I don't want to learn a little Spanish, I want to become fluent and try my best to speak Spanish. Sadly last time I was down there and I walked around Viejo San Juan alone, I tried practicing Spanish and some people made fun of me.🤦♂️But it's not all bad, some people switched to speaking english because they picked up on my struggling and just switched to speaking English but I would continue to practice my spanish even when they switched to English. Hope things are better when I go down there on the 6th next month.
I think thats a common experience that people switch to English out of courtesy. Sorry people made fun of you!! I'm sure your Spanish will grow once you spend more time here.
@thenearhorizon It's alright, I have thick skin it doesn't bother me much, plus my family makes fun of me all the time when I come down there, I'm used to it. But from time to time I do get the feeling that I'm an interloper in some places in Puerto Rico. And yes, I need spanish all around me and to be there longer that'll make me learn better, with repetition, I'm surrounded by English everyday so everytime I learn some more spanish, I end up forgetting some of it because I rarely use it in my daily life.
I speak very good Spanish. 50% of the time I lived there people would still respond to me in English, even when their English was way worse than my Spanish. Some even seemed to take offense when I initiated conversation in Spanish, as though I was making the assumption they didn't speak English and that was somehow rude. But I would agree. If you live there, then learn Spanish. It will get you out of paying an inflated electrical bill estimate from LUMA. On the flip side, I want to see PR prosper, and having the ability to work without restriction with any business in the USA makes for a huge opportunity for the locals if they learn English fluently. I hate to see PR residents underpaid, and I personally think the low wages are largely because of the lack of English fluency.
the low wage is by design, the US can't allow an unincorporated territorial possession to be more successful or be on the same economic level as the real parts of the union (50 states and its capital federal district). It has been like that ever since the US invasion of 1898, the devaluation of Puerto Rico's provincial currency by almost 50% was the first thing the US did, this act sent the entire population to express poverty and dependence.
@@reucat24Maybe it might have been by design before. Now I think the US govn't is ambivalant. US govn't does not care about PR. Maybe for strategic military access to the Caribbean, but beyond that the island doesn't have representation on capitol hill and the US gets very little tax revenue from the island. Essentially the Island is on it's own for the people there to make what they will of it. You ask half of congress and they will probably confuse PR with Costa Rica, and won't know it's a territory of the US. And they certainly won't know anything about 1898. If the economy there grew to 200 Billion a year GDP, then PR might get some attention by capitol hill because Uncle Sam will want to tax you. That's the only reason. That being said, the US government is not stopping anyone there from learning Engish and taking on a call center job with Amazon making 80k a year. The residents just don't know about these opportunities, or don't care to put in the effort to take advantage of such.
Just checked out some of your other videos and I really appreciate this channel! Love that you’re educating people about the real culture of Puerto Rico. So many people come here and don’t care to learn. This is so needed! ❤
Thank you, Michelle! This is one of the kindest comments we have received ❤ Many more Puerto Rico videos to come. Hope you subscribe!!
They don't have to in the rest of the island as people in SJ have because they work at hotels, american companies etc
10 years ago I was in Puerto Rico I traveled from fajardo to mayagues
Cross the Islan in every McDonald's people speak English
@ernestovasquez2274 did you only eat at McDonald’s? 😄
@@dougkalagian I think you like to criticize
Haha not criticizing, just kidding
I agree that when I visit Puerto Rico, most people in San Juan can speak and understand English, and when I go out to like San Sebastian and Mayaguez, most people can't speak or understand English. When I go to Puerto Rico, I don't want to learn a little Spanish, I want to become fluent and try my best to speak Spanish. Sadly last time I was down there and I walked around Viejo San Juan alone, I tried practicing Spanish and some people made fun of me.🤦♂️But it's not all bad, some people switched to speaking english because they picked up on my struggling and just switched to speaking English but I would continue to practice my spanish even when they switched to English. Hope things are better when I go down there on the 6th next month.
I think thats a common experience that people switch to English out of courtesy. Sorry people made fun of you!! I'm sure your Spanish will grow once you spend more time here.
That’s a great point!
Viejo San Juan is a tourist zone
@thenearhorizon It's alright, I have thick skin it doesn't bother me much, plus my family makes fun of me all the time when I come down there, I'm used to it. But from time to time I do get the feeling that I'm an interloper in some places in Puerto Rico. And yes, I need spanish all around me and to be there longer that'll make me learn better, with repetition, I'm surrounded by English everyday so everytime I learn some more spanish, I end up forgetting some of it because I rarely use it in my daily life.
Spanish goes a long way, also the best way to really connect with Puerto Ricans and learn the culture and not feel like an outsider or stranger.
💯
I speak very good Spanish. 50% of the time I lived there people would still respond to me in English, even when their English was way worse than my Spanish. Some even seemed to take offense when I initiated conversation in Spanish, as though I was making the assumption they didn't speak English and that was somehow rude. But I would agree. If you live there, then learn Spanish. It will get you out of paying an inflated electrical bill estimate from LUMA. On the flip side, I want to see PR prosper, and having the ability to work without restriction with any business in the USA makes for a huge opportunity for the locals if they learn English fluently. I hate to see PR residents underpaid, and I personally think the low wages are largely because of the lack of English fluency.
the low wage is by design, the US can't allow an unincorporated territorial possession to be more successful or be on the same economic level as the real parts of the union (50 states and its capital federal district). It has been like that ever since the US invasion of 1898, the devaluation of Puerto Rico's provincial currency by almost 50% was the first thing the US did, this act sent the entire population to express poverty and dependence.
@@reucat24Maybe it might have been by design before. Now I think the US govn't is ambivalant. US govn't does not care about PR. Maybe for strategic military access to the Caribbean, but beyond that the island doesn't have representation on capitol hill and the US gets very little tax revenue from the island. Essentially the Island is on it's own for the people there to make what they will of it. You ask half of congress and they will probably confuse PR with Costa Rica, and won't know it's a territory of the US. And they certainly won't know anything about 1898. If the economy there grew to 200 Billion a year GDP, then PR might get some attention by capitol hill because Uncle Sam will want to tax you. That's the only reason. That being said, the US government is not stopping anyone there from learning Engish and taking on a call center job with Amazon making 80k a year. The residents just don't know about these opportunities, or don't care to put in the effort to take advantage of such.
So no one in Cupey speaks English? Lol
Haha I’m sure there are, it sounds like there are just less English speakers than the San Juan area