30 years in Spain and can't speak Spanish
Sunday, March 7, 2010 @ 11:27 PM
Manilva, where we live, has been all over the news for the past couple of days due to the huge number of problems caused by the persistent and torrential rains that we've been getting.
On "España en Directo" on TVE1 tonight they were showing an urbanisation in Manilva that needs to be domolished like now. The rains have literally moved the whole lot and it's all falling down now.
It's a terrible thing to happen to anyone and I really feel for the residents of the urbanisation.
However, two of the residents they interviewed on the TV were English. One has been here for 12 years and the other for 30...yet neither of them could speak Spanish. They needed an interpreter.
I'm not being cold hearted and I really do feel for them, but how can you possibly live in a country for 30 years and not learn the language? Especially considering how different Spain was 30 years ago when probably very few people in the area spoke any English at all.
The mind boggles.