meet English speaking Colombianas

utopiacowboy says on Feb 22, 2005, 12:54:

I agree with your first sentence but why limit yourself to the Colombianas that speak English. You'd be passing up 99.9% of the Colombianas out there all just so you could keep on speaking English. Personally I think any guy who is not willing to learn Spanish doesn't deserve a Colombiana. He can just stay home and speak English all he wants to AW.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Feb 22, 2005, 12:59:

maybe it ought to be made mandatory for all attractive colombianas between the ages of 18 and 30 to learn English so that gringos would be able to hook up with them without bothering to learn Spanish...just a thought.
Cheers,
Desi

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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bondjames says on Feb 22, 2005, 14:09:

Even a person who speaks Spanish may preffer a partner that has a bit of English language skills if they are living in the U.S.. Why? Some people can take longer than others to learn a language. Easier transition in the U.S if she already knows a bit of English. Also many men may have children ,family and friends they may want to be able to communicate with their new girlfriend or spouse.
some men do not care about those things I brought up. But for others it is important to have their new spouse easily able to assimilate and communicate with those they love.
It has nothing to do with making things easier for the American man as I feel it is best for both to know a bit of each others language. The reason I learned to speak Spanish (50%+ and still learning)was also because I know family is a big thing with latinas. I want to be able to communicate with her family and friends as well as her. But I also want her to be able to communicate with mine also. It's a two way street!

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 22, 2005, 14:18:

Good response. I agree - it should be a two-way street.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Albatross says on Feb 22, 2005, 14:32:

Desi Yes, that would be a good start... but I also think some culinary arts training would be good as well...

“Democracy - a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H.L. Mencken

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dwmte says on Feb 22, 2005, 15:55:

somebody is lyin... if you believe it's a two way street, you believe in the tooth fairy.

i've been married for 15 + years, we've had two children plus my other 6 children and my beloved wife still doesn't speak english.

she can get around--if she REALLY wants to--but she doesn't want to. we all speak spanish at home.

in the beginning, it was war--i believed in the two way streeet thing--ha! i just got tired of war under my roof. (anybody married to a paisa knows how "right" they are, even when they're wrong) i just discovered it aint important. she don't wanna speak english, fine, we'll speak spanish.

even the kids speak spanish.

dw

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dwmte says on Feb 22, 2005, 15:59:

don't get me wrong... my wife is no 'pueblo simpleton' (with all due respect to the campesinas) hardly, she has her masters in reinaissance art from bellas artes in medellin. she just likes her own native tongue and all the jibe about how much bette off everyone--especially she--would be falls on deaf ears. and ya know what? that's fine. i like spanish too. what's so special about speaking english. i've been speaking it all my life and i don't think it's done anything special for me...especially in ethiopia, nigeria, COLOMBIA, you name it.

dw

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bondjames says on Feb 22, 2005, 19:42:

English may not have done anything for you, but if you plan to live in the U.S. as a couple it really would be best if she spoke English also. If I planned to live in another country with my spouse I would make sure to learn the language as I do not want be limited.
As I stated before people have parents,children,family friends they would like their spouse to be able to communicate with. Not to mention English is important everyday life of working or just getting abou shopping ,working, traveling or whatever. I don't mean to sound harsh but if I knew a gringa or gringo living in South America for 15 years, yet not even wanting to learn speak Spanish I would truly wonder why they do not want to.

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 22, 2005, 19:52:

I am happy to speak Spanish with my wife but she needs to learn English and she admits it as well. Her kids are fluent in English now and if they want to talk without her understanding what they are saying, they talk in English. So here she is in a household where everyone can speak both English and Spanish except her. As soon as she goes to work and she has to use English every day, she will become proficient.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Gomezman5 says on Feb 22, 2005, 20:52:

I think BondJames is exactly on point.. Also,,, I would have absoulutely NO interest in any Spanish speaking person, or any foreign born lady for that matter, if she desired to come to this country to marry me, and had no desire to learn English. And I say that knowing that there is no better non Spanish speaking country than the US, where Spanish speaking people can live their day to day lives fairly comfortable, without ever having to learn English. Nevertheless, you can still only go so far in the US without at least a working knowledge of English. Employment options are limited. Earning capacity is limited.

To be quite honest, logic dictates that more pressure is put on me in having to handle more of the day to day affairs of life even if it is just the two of us living together. I went through that nonsense already. Forget it. It is one thing for people to go to Colombia, visit some Colombiana, struggle to have a conversation while you (a gringo or european man)are on vacation, there is no pressure, no obligations, and related going on in your life. It's a quite another thing to come back to the real world, and go through your day to day life having to manage your affairs, and then the affairs of another, because she can't communicate with anyone in the world that she lives in......Hell no. Before I would even consider marrying one of Colombianas, she will have to make a serious attempt to learn English And I mean she must not just keep talking about it, and then never do it.

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 22, 2005, 21:36:

My wife has made great strides. She can go out and get the oil changed in her car or get it inspected and do various little errands without my help. In some ways she gets along much better when me or one the kids is not around because she has to do it instead of relying on one of us. This is why it will not be until she is actually working that I think she will become proficient. Her green card interview should be coming up in a month or two and after that, it's off to work!

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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calipro says on Feb 22, 2005, 21:42:

Bond! Bond! There's my little troll. I thought I lost him for good and now I find you guys playing with him over here.

"I met and dated a gorgeous 27 year old who worked for a fashion house, but is actually the designer. Her English is fluent and she looks better than most of the models there."

Bond

Didn't you really mean to say "I met and dated a gorgeous 27 year old who worked for a whore house, but is actually the madem. Her English is fluent and she looks better than most of the models there." hehe!!

Bond Bond says never ever do what Calipro did. Well I taught my ex-wife very good english. It takes more that just sending them to school. You have to talk to them all the time in english and take the time to correct their mistakes in a supportive manner.

Some times they will say something in english so bad that you really are not sure what the hell they are saying. But given the situation and the things your wife usually talks about you probably have a pretty good idea what it is she wants to say so you just repeat it the way it should be said and then ask her "right?" and then smile. It works wonders although you have to be very patient with her.

But don't do what I did !!!

Here is some advice I got from some Mexicans that I work with but sorry to say never followed.

DO NOT teach your wife english. You should learn spanish.

NEVER buy a second car. Your wife has no business leaving the house when you are working. If she needs to go somewhere you take her.

If your wife gives you any lip smack her. You are the boss and never let her forget it.

According to the mexican guys at my work if you follow these three easy steps you will never lose your wife. It seems to work for them. You know there was one mexican guy that refused to hit his wife and guess what she left him. All the other mexican guys tease him about it.

If the three rules seem to hard to follow, you can always choose to marry an older less attractive woman with fewer opportunities to leave you in the first place. That seems to be and attractive option for some board members.

Or play it like Calpro: easy come, easy go;-)

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Gomezman5 says on Feb 22, 2005, 21:52:

Calipro, I have to hand it to you.... You never hold back what you think. Your honesty means a lot....especially when it comes to starting debate, and I have a feeling you just started one. In the meantime, Ximena is most impressive! Definitely.

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Gomezman5 says on Feb 22, 2005, 21:57:

UTY I thought that you were a retired wealthy lawyer that won that big contingency fee after you settled that huge class action suit?

Knowing that, why would you make your wife work after she gets the card? Just let her stick to changing the oil on the car. Or maybe you want to take Calipro's advise?

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 23, 2005, 07:08:

Between us we have 7 children so even though I can support everyone, it is not in the lifestyle to which they would like to become accustomed. This means Mom has to get out there too if she wants to go to the beauty parlor every week. Besides she's a chemical engineer, wants to work, and working is really the only way she is going to learn English.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Gomezman5 says on Feb 23, 2005, 07:17:

7 KIDS ??? Hell.... I would comitt suicide.

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 23, 2005, 08:58:

Kids are fun. In spite of the craziness, I enjoy them.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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miamimike says on Feb 23, 2005, 10:31:

ingles en Miami We have cuban residents here in Miami who have been here 30 yrs. and do not speak english. I find this incredable. in 30 years you could have a Master's in English !!I see this with other nationalities also in varying degrees. This is Sad--these folks cannot defend themselves in the national langauge--they do not understand legal contracts, leases, sales and rent contracts--they are cheated many times. Many times they cannot move out of their little social circle and gain higher paying employment due to lack of english langauge skills. I find in this day of tvs, internet ect that somone cannot learn basic english skills. In Miami, almost every highschool offers free english classes-not the best, but hey, its free to start with. If I was moving to a foreign country, learning the langauge would be my Number One priority to attain functional literacy. Many say you can survive with only spanish in Miami. Myth-this may have been true in 1960 but no so today. If you care to move up in your profession you need english otherwise you will be relegated to minimum wage babysitting jobs in little havana. Times have changed!

On Sept 17, 2008: Senator John McCain said, as he had many times before, that he believed the fundamentals of the economy were "strong."Hours later he backpedaled, explaining that he had meant that American workers were Strong.

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 23, 2005, 12:51:

What? I would say that the reverse is true. You could not get along with Spanish only in 1960 but you can today. It seems to me that Miami gets more and more unilingual every time I go there and I don't mean unilingual-English. Of course I don't live there so you may be right. What do other people think? Is English becoming more or less important in Miami?

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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miamimike says on Feb 23, 2005, 13:20:

UTC --Depends on Education Level To the college educated immigrants, spanish and otherwise-English is VERY important. To those of the lower educational level, less important. If you talk to any multinational firm--forget it if you do not speak and wriye english fluently. You may be hired, but you will cleaning their bathrooms or selling hotdogs on a streetcorner in Little Havana.

"What? I would say that the reverse is true. You could not get along with Spanish only in 1960 but you can today"--yes in minimum wage jobs or for those without legal working papers. Most people who have struggled in their countries to attain a University Degree are not satisfied for long with these menial jobs where, in many cases, they are exploited and abused. BTW, many of these latin immigrants are exploited by their own Nationality here in the states, not by American employers. These Educated types soon get the picture "If I want to extradite myself from the dregs, I better get my english up to speed". The reverse would be true for us, that is, if we went to a non-english speaking country with the idea of working in a professional capacity, would we survive by speaking english only?.

On Sept 17, 2008: Senator John McCain said, as he had many times before, that he believed the fundamentals of the economy were "strong."Hours later he backpedaled, explaining that he had meant that American workers were Strong.

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 23, 2005, 13:57:

Thanks for the response. What you're saying is certainly true here in San Antonio. Sure you can get a job if you only speak Spanish but if you want a professional job, you can't get by only in Spanish. This is what I tell my wife, the nightshift cleaning crew where I work - they all speak Spanish. If that's not what you want to do, you must learn English.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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miamimike says on Feb 23, 2005, 16:54:

UTC-Have a German Friend ... who came to this country in her mid 30s. She was a Nurse I worked with in Cardiology and what she did was nothing short of amazing. She never took a formal english lesson in her life after she arrived here and she was self taught 100%. She went through the text books at home, listened to radio and TV in english 100% at home and then went through Nursing school here to graduate with a BSN cum laude at a Florida University. She tested out for her GED before entrance to the University and then took 2 years of college english at the university level passing with As. She has just a hint of a Germann Accent. They say some have a better inate ability to learn a langauge and I am wondering if she ws not of these gifted people or did she just persevere until she perfected it? Whatever, she truly is amazing. She writes equally as good in english.

On Sept 17, 2008: Senator John McCain said, as he had many times before, that he believed the fundamentals of the economy were "strong."Hours later he backpedaled, explaining that he had meant that American workers were Strong.

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 23, 2005, 17:00:

Wow. That woman is amazing! You're right - was it perseverance or ability?

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Lionheart says on Feb 23, 2005, 17:28:

miamimike - German/English I went to school in Germany and English is mandatory for every school level (you have 3 levels depending on your abilities). She might not have continued English to the end of school, but I believe 4-5 years are minimum. As tough as German schools are, you remember the basics somewhere in your grey cells. I even remember having to learn English, and it was my mother tongue until I was 8. Boy, did my English teachers hate my American accent and spelling. I got the British workover special training ... nothing made easy for anybody. By the way I got an A after 3 years there in German ... nothing like having to learn the hard way.

I assume your friend had several years of English, it was just dormant. Listening to radio and watching TV brings it back out, studying books helps even more. And for all of you, if you have kids under 10, force them to become bilingual at least, add a 3rd language if possible. They will thank you later. Just don't make them learn Latin, please...

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miamimike says on Feb 23, 2005, 18:24:

Lionhart not sure.. if she even finished highschool. I know she had no diploma from Germany because she had to sit for the GED test. She also related she had come from a very poor family.But to get all A(s) in University level english courses,considering its not your first langauge, and she was in her mid forties when she attended the University, is all pretty amazing in my book. Hell, they have American students who have studied english for 12 years prior to the university and they can't pull A(s). Inate ability, maybe.

On Sept 17, 2008: Senator John McCain said, as he had many times before, that he believed the fundamentals of the economy were "strong."Hours later he backpedaled, explaining that he had meant that American workers were Strong.

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Lionheart says on Feb 23, 2005, 18:31:

different school systems I am not sure which school level needs to be completed in Germany to be GED approved. It's like comparing apples with oranges. Being from a poor family shouldn't have an effect on her education, aside from maybe having to go to work earlier and dropping out of school, but then you still get an apprenticeship. Something I really miss in the USA.

Back to Colombia ... do apprenticeships exist there?

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Hunter says on Feb 24, 2005, 14:04:

Lionheart You are presuming she was from West Germany, before the unification.

Hunter

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Lionheart says on Feb 24, 2005, 14:22:

you are right Hunter, mea culpa If she is from East Germany Russian was mandatory 2nd language, with other East European languages following for 3rd. English and French were rarely offered in normal schools. I totally forgot about this possiblity.

In this case miamimike's friend made a great achievement. I have noticed that East Europeans in general can be very dedicated learniners. If she was even able to loose most of her accent, even more amazing, Esat German dialects are very dominant.

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