Warning: sweeping generalizations ahead.
I love living in Austin. A big groovy part of living in Austin is meeting recent immigrants from Mexico and other parts of Latin America. I would like to say to all of them: Y’all rock. I can’t imagine doing what so many of you have done, packing it up at home and moving so far away to somewhere where I don’t speak the language. I know a lot of you are horribly underemployed and have to work in the bottom of the food service and janitorial ranks even though you were respected professionals, or at least respected long-time workers, in your fields at home. I have never yet been treated disrespectfully by any of y’all in tany of the disrespectful ways I am occasionally treated by unskilled workers raised in my own country. So many of you, of whose language I can reliably remember only three or four words, greet me and remember my name and have nice things to say to me every day. I hope I’m putting enough into my lame little graciases to convey some of this.
I’m also amazed at how patient and friendly you are with people who try to speak Spanish with you. My husband, the linguist, would like to say a huge “Thank you!” to all the Spanish speakers he knows who so cheerfully and playfully let him practice his spotty Spanish on them. You correct him nicely and encourage him to say more. He has untold trouble getting speakers of the other languages he studies, especially German and Arabic, to do the same. I don’t know if it’s because there’s a cultural reason you like sharing Spanish with us gringos or if it’s just that the friendliest and most generous Spanish speakers move to our neigborhood, but it’s great no matter what the reason.
So here’s my toast: Welcome to Austin, and I’m glad you’re here. I wish you the best.