mmm, i'm gonna tell u my own experience if it helps u, would be great..
I was born in Argentina, and at the age of 20 i moved to Spain, and i had been living in Spain for almost 8 years. And at the beginning ppl didnt understand me that well, even if we speak the same Language, they are quite different. So at that time, i had decided to reorganise my own language, soon i ended up speaking in the same way as Spanish ppl do, i can say that for me, it was a need, as i can tell u, based on my experience that many many Spanish ppl dont understand if they are spoken in a different way, Some do know languages variatios due to mass media, but many others dont.
so my mate, from my experience, i would recommend to u, that it would be better if u learn how Spanish is spoken in Spain, or wherever u go, learn the use of the language.