Speaking Spanish in the U.S. vs. Mexico

I know very little Spanish. Much less than I thought I would know by now.

However, I no longer find myself saying "hello" or "good morning". Saying "hola" or "buenos dias" has become first nature.

So, when in the U.S. and ordering food at Chipotle, I found myself saying "hola", "gracias", etc. But, I was not confident enough to do my whole order in Spanish. When I went over my order in my head, using Spanish, I figured I could do it fine and they would understand.

But, is it rude to use my broken Spanish in the U.S., when speaking to a bilingual Mexican? Especially if I am just saying "hola" or "gracias"? Part of me thinks it is. Especially, since I don't know if the Mexican is a first or second generation Mexican-American. For all I know, they don't even speak Spanish.

Mexicans are very proud of their culture and heritage. So, I am pretty sure that the parents and grandparents make sure the kids grow up speaking Spanish. They may not be able to write in Spanish, but surely most know how to speak the language.

But, I don't want to assume and be rude.

So, while I wanted to practice my Spanish in the U.S., I was very hesitant to do so.

In Mexico, when I am speaking my broken Spanish, I feel like people don't hold it against me. I feel like they are happy that I am at least making an effort to speak Spanish. Clearly, everything would be easier, on both sides, if I knew more Spanish. But, I am not hesitant to try to put sentences together.

Going forward though, I need to put a much larger emphasis on learning Spanish!