Nowhere else in the world you will be able to see such a big mix of cultures like you can see in Miami, from Cuba to Argentina, from Dominican Republic to Brazil, from Colombia to Italy, from Russia to Turkey, you name a country, you will find citizen from that country in Miami somewhere, guaranteed.
Speaking with a friend once in Miami I heard this: “There is no one person who lives in Miami that is actually born and raised in Miami, everyone has an accent and you will get away much better speaking Spanish than English, or let’s say learn Spanglish it will be easier for you.”
I fell in love for Miami the first time I landed there, back in 2007; I still remember the drive from the airport to South Beach, All night long by Lionel Richie was on the radio and just to see the skyscrapers off the causeway made me so happy, so relaxed, so… at home.
You can find everything you want in Miami, at any time of the day and night. Stores open 24/7, clubs and bars in continue expansion everywhere, amazing hotels, posh restaurants, fast boats, luxury boats, celebrities filming reality shows and music videos, designer stores and malls, art fairs, boat shows, exotic cars, if you are up for the holiday of a lifetime, Miami is the place to be.
The party town of South Beach goes even crazier during the Miami Music conference week, that collides with spring break (Easter holidays for American colleges and university) with music events everywhere, international DJs, pool parties and so much fun going on, the perfect setting for an European party-goer.
But what about the language “barrier”? As Italian who moved to the United Kingdom I learnt that everywhere you go in the world the English language should be predominant, or at least everyone will understand you, well you are wrong, this is not happening in Miami.
The city is nicknamed the “Capital of Latin America”, is the second-largest U.S. city (after El Paso, Texas) with a Spanish-speaking majority, and the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality.
Cubano estadounidense is the way forward in Miami, most of them live “normally” within the American citizens, most of them are born and raised in America as American citizens themselves, in most of the cases grandparents or relatives are Cubans, and they switch perfectly from Spanish to English and viceversa, have good jobs in Brickell Avenue and Downtown (the Financial district) and enjoy all the beauties that the city offers to them. I know a few of them who are Americans with Cubans parents and they have never been to Cuba, how crazy is that?
Unfortunately not everyone is completely “integrated” in the society, minorities still are not able to speak English at all and they end up working as contractors for builders, plumbers or whoever wants to help them out, for no more than 80 US Dollars a day, just enough to get rice and beans. If by any chance you are driving up SW 8th Street (Calle Ocho, the heart of Little Havana, the Cuban neighbourhood) and you see lots of people standing outside The Home Depot (DIY department), well those people are willing to work for you for the day, of course if you will have to speak in Spanish with them.
I personally love to discover new places and Calle Ocho fascinates me in a crazy way, all these Central and South American restaurants, bakeries, coffee shop (I fell hard for Cuban coffee with condensed milk, I love it and it’s great to go party after had one, because you won’t be able to sleep!). Festival and parades take place here, the famous ones are the Three Kings Parade on the 6th January and the Carnaval, you won’t miss them if you will be in town.
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