When Another Spanish Person Tries to Play You

by today’s Urban Chameleon contributor

The other day I went to pick up my headshots and when I approached the counter the woman asked me for my last name, which I replied “Rojas” in my American accent of nineteen years. The woman then turned to another woman in the back and asked her to go downstairs and get the headshots. The second woman turned to me and in an extra thick Spanish accent and broken English asked for me to repeat my name, which I again replied "Rojas" in the same American accent. Assuming I was Latino, home chick begins to go off on me about how I’m pronouncing MY name.

“Your name is RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRoHHHHas”

Mind you I’m Peruvian and only speak Spanish with my family or those who I know speak Spanish but have been in this country long enough where I pronounce my name Rojas with an American accent especially when talking to an American which is what the first lady who I originally gave my name to appeared to be. Further more the goal here was for me to just get my damn headshot not to “Represent.” Did I really need the lady looking up my name struggling trying to figure out how to spell the rolling “R” and the non existing “H” in my name?

However none of that matters because home chick at this point has her finger in my face continuing to tell me off in her broken English no less how I need to always pronounce my name in Spanish which I then flip it and begin to curse her ass out in flawless Spanish. Don’t you know home girl then has the nerve to switch in to French?! I’m like I’ve had enough and call her American boss to explain to him the utter disrespect I just received from this crazy ass chick in two and half different languages. In the end, I was able to receive compensation for the hassle. Probably because I was able to articulate myself in my perfect English that her boss also spoke leaving her ass to figure out how I was conjugating those verbs.

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