There was a time when I was living in 2 different worlds. This was during the summer of 2021. I was starting my first job ever at PINK. It was August 22nd and I was going in for training. Before having a job, I’d never really associated with the public other than classmates at school so having a job felt weird. Maybe it was social anxiety maybe it wasn’t but I know while I was following my manager to the back room a weird feeling was rushing through my body. I knew I was going to have to act a different way than I would act with my family and friends. The language I used with my friends I couldn’t use with my manager. The language I used with my family and friends was more like slang and Dominican Spanish. What I mean by this is a language not everyone is familiar with and it’s also not considered “professional”. Words such as dimelo, que tu quiere, que lo que, or the language I use with my friends, yo, wassup, what’s the word, all of that would have to come to an end when I would enter work. I had to become someone who was professional and spoke professionally. I already had an idea of what it was to be professional because I went to a business high school but like I said I never connected with the public.Â
After training was over I went home and it wasn’t all that weird yet because for training it was through the iPad, I had to read and answer questions. I went back on the 24th for actual work. This time I had to connect with customers and speak professionally. Speaking Spanish with others was the hardest for me because the majority of the people that would enter my store were not Dominican. Their Spanish was different than mine. Mexicans, Columbians, and Ecuadorians were our main customers. I only knew this because they would constantly ask me if I’m Dominican based on the way I spoke. No matter how professional I wanted to sound with my Spanish, I guess you could still hear the Dominican in me. I felt alone. I felt weird. I felt like I didn’t belong. I walked into work every day thinking if I should just be myself and speak the Spanish I know or try to speak Spanish that I wasn’t used to. This is still a constant battle for me because I still feel weird speaking Spanish to someone who’s not Dominican.Â
Spanish is a struggle for me at work as well, after working I honestly realized I’m not as fluent as I thought I was and this is probably since I learned Spanish at home and not out in the real world, talking to people other than my family in Spanish is difficult and I tend to trip on a lot of words.
3. Jennifer – This is so interesting! You need scenes description dialogue CSD to make your story really come alive. I made suggestions in the [ ].
TITLE: PINK — Need a title. In the Pink?
There was a time when I was living in (2 two) different worlds: [CLARIFY — NAME THESE WORLDS. It sounds like you were hired because you spoke Spanish. Were you expected to speak Standard Spanish and having trouble switching out of Dominican Slang Spanish (what is this way of speaking Spanish called???). So the two worlds are the Standard Spanish speaking world of the Pink store and the Dominican Slang Spanish of your home world. ]
It was August of of 2021. I was starting my first job ever at PINK and I was going in for training. Before having a job, I’d never really associated with the public other than classmates at school so having a job felt weird. Maybe it was social anxiety maybe it wasn’t but I know while I was following my manager to the back room a weird feeling was rushing through my body. [GOOD PLACE TO CREATE A SCENE. Don’t just tell me – SHOW ME: DESCRIBE the Pink store. WHERE was the exact location? HOW were you dressed? WHAT did the other workers look like? WHAT were the thoughts going through your head? WHAT did your manager say to you and the others? THEN WHAT WAS THE WEIRD FEELING – SHOW WHAT thoughts were going through your head. WHAT shivers through your arm?]
I knew I was going to have to act a different way than I would act with my family and friends [WHAT were your thoughts?]. The language I used with my friends I couldn’t use with my manager. The language I used with my family and friends was more like slang and Dominican Spanish. What I mean by this is a language not everyone is familiar with and it’s also not considered “professional”. {WIth my friends at home, I usually express myself with phrases such as dimelo, que tu quiere, que lo que, or the language I use with my friends, yo, wassup, what’s the word.
Now all of that would have to come to an end when I would entered the WORK WORLD OF PINK. I had to become someone who was professional and spoke professionally. [SHOW me with dialogue: How do you speak that day at the training session? ALSO did you speak English AND Spanish? Create a scene that shows how the manager spoke to you and how you answered. Also how were you dressed? GIVE DETAILS AND SHOW THIS FIRST DAY OF TRAINING. Also show your anxiety.] I already had an idea of what it was to be professional because I went to a business high school but like I said I [SUGGESTION: but now I would be a representative of a big brand name like Victoria Secret].
After training was over I went home and it wasn’t all that weird yet because for training it was through the iPad, [CLARIFY – did your training happen in person at the store, or did it happen in zoom on an iPad?] I had to read and answer questions. I went back on the 24th for actual work. This time I had to connect with customers and speak professionally. Speaking Spanish with others was the hardest for me because the majority of the people that would enter my store were not Dominican. Their Spanish was different than mine.
[SHOW ME YOUR BEST memory of Scene in your mind: HOW did these Spanish speaking shoppers spoke Spanish. WHAT phrases / words did they say to you, when they asked about the clothes you were selling? SHOW me a dialogue between you and a shopper. Find the best memory of a convo on the job with a customer.] Mexicans, Columbians, and Ecuadorians were our main customers [so ABOVE, EARLIER it’s important to establish where in NYC this store was located. What was the clientele for your PINK store? upper class Spanish speakers from Latin America]?. I only knew this because they would constantly ask me if I’m Dominican based on the way I spoke. (Were the customers stereotyping you, or judging you based on the way you spoke Spanish???)
No matter how professional I wanted to sound with my Spanish, I guess you could still hear the Dominican in me. I felt alone. I felt weird. I felt like I didn’t belong. I walked into work every day thinking if I should just be myself and speak the Spanish I know or try to speak Spanish that I wasn’t used to.
This is still a constant battle for me because I still feel weird speaking Spanish to someone who’s not Dominican. [SO how does this effect you, your identity – what have you learned about yourself through this duality in your Spanish speaking self? Has this dual language identity shaped you as a student?]
Hey Jennifer, good for you on securing the job and pushing through, I too can be a bit antisocial. Also I get where you’re coming from with having to speak proper because i live in a trini household where everyone has an accent or speaks broken english. And at times I find myself using my family lingo in professional settings and i have to catch myself.