I read with interest Joe Schlechtinger’s letter in which he complained about hearing so much Spanish spoken in San Benito.
First of all, we should all thank him for following in his parents’ footsteps and wintering in the Valley.
Winter Texans are an important part of the Valley those of us who live here year-round appreciate.
As for hearing Spanish spoken, I guess that can be confusing to non-Spanish speakers but we are on the Mexican border and in all border areas world-wide one will hear two languages spoken.
Joe should not be offended if the clerk in the convenience store speaks to him in Spanish.
You can’t tell a book by its cover and many of the customers probably do not speak English.
I would suggest to Joe that he just keep on speaking English to the clerks while learning to appreciate that the Valley is a bilingual area where it’s normal to hear Spanish spoken.
Spanish is a beautiful language and if he learns a few words he might not be so intimidated by hearing it spoken by others.
Spanish will also come in handy on his trips to Progreso.
Sincerely, Taylor Blanton Los Fresnos
