Spanish group brings Hispanic community together in central NH

LACONIA — People with smiling faces pause their conversations to welcome anyone who walks in. Introductions are made, and immediately, offers of food and drink, whether it be a homemade Spanish rice dish with shrimp and chicken, Tamarindo Jarritos, or Domino’s pizza. This casual group averages about 15 to 20 people each time they meet and includes everyone from beginners and native speakers. This is the Spanish-speaking-only group that meets every first Friday at Lakes Region Community College.

Rosa Blais and a couple of her Spanish-speaking friends wanted to raise their kids bilingual. Blais, originally from Spain, and a couple of her friends from Cuba, Colombia and Mexico began meeting casually to speak Spanish, bringing their kids with them. That was roughly 20 years ago, and as their kids grew older, they realized how beneficial it was to have a group who spoke Spanish in a state with a small population of Hispanic and Latino residents. In 2012, a slightly more formal group started meeting in a library, then bounced around to a couple Mexican restaurants. They most recently settled in at the LRCC. Blais is proud that this group became a way for Spanish speakers to congregate on a regular basis.

“There's a lot of Spanish speakers and Hispanics in this area, but you don't see it as a community,” she said. "There's not an area where they're socializing, shopping. They're integrated into the community, so you just don't realize how many there are, but there's a lot.”

Other than English, Spanish is the most commonly spoken language in New Hampshire, where almost 3% of the total state population speaks it and 35% of the population who speak languages other than English speak Spanish, according to a 2023 brief by the New Hampshire Center for Justice and Equity using U.S. Census data. The brief also noted a 2% increase in the Hispanic population within Belknap County from 2016 to 2020, accounting for roughly 1,200 people. This growth in Spanish speakers makes interest in a group like Blais’ grow.

But Blais made it clear it’s not really an organized club. She has no agenda, and there are no lessons or meetings; just social conversation.

“We don't have a goal. We don't hope to grow or not to grow, or to offer any kind of service or anything. It's very, very social. Everybody brings a little dish to share if they can, some people coming right from work.

"The group itself is not formal at all.”

The group is open to anyone who would like to speak Spanish. They welcome people of all fluency levels. Rachel Billin, another original member of the group, is white, and was born and raised in the Lakes Region. She has always had an affinity for learning Spanish and speaking Spanish for 30 years, and earned a minor in college in Spanish. She studied abroad in Guatemala and traveled to Mexico and Costa Rica, as well. The group has been a great way for her to keep up with her Spanish.

“It's a really good opportunity to get together and practice Spanish,” Billin said. “Sometimes it's hard to find someone to talk to [and] if you don't use it, you lose it. And it's a good camaraderie. There's people [who have] been coming for years and it's nice to have friends and connections.”

Blais also finds the group useful for her, even as a native speaker.

“I speak Spanish with my family; my mom is from Spain,” Blais said. “But the Spanish you speak at home is kind of limited. So, it gives me wider topics to speak about, because conversation brings up different topics.”

Another native speaker, Santos Pineda from Honduras, joined the group about a year ago. While Pineda has been living in the U.S. since 2017, he only speaks a little English. Despite the relatively low Hispanic population, he talks about why he chose New Hampshire.

“There's a lot of mountains,” he said. “It reminded me of my country.”

Pineda was brought to the club by Billin, his girlfriend, who thought he would enjoy connecting with fellow Hispanics to meet new friends. Pineda, in an interview that was translated by Billin, talked about why he likes the group.

“I met more Latinos there. I hadn't met very many,” Pineda said. “And I made friendships. Not just Latinos, the Americans, too.”

Because Pineda is still learning to speak English fluently, the Spanish club has been a way he can learn English, while helping others with Spanish. Billin provided an example she noticed when they were with the group.

“Last time, he and a new woman from Texas — she barely spoke Spanish, he doesn't speak much English — they sat there and were going back and forth with each of their little bit of language. He was teaching her a little Spanish and she was teaching him a little English.”

Attending this group is like a choose-your-own-adventure story. How you approach what it offers is determined by what you want to get out of it. But at the end of the day, it’s all just for fun.

Toward the end of the gathering, people began dancing to music. Pineda and Billin danced together, while Blais danced in a group with other people kicking their feet, moving their hips and wiggling their fingers. As the group grew tired, they all gathered to take a group photo to commemorate this moment. It became clear as the night closed that Blais and her friends have created a gathering that will continue bringing together a community to exchange rich culture and beautiful language in between the responsibilities of everyday life in New Hampshire.

To learn more about the group, join the Facebook group “Latinos en New Hampshire” at facebook.com/groups/1064186597468152.