Tamos sala'o

This is why we say "estamos salado," we're jinxed, except with a local accent it sounds more like "tamos sala'o."

I preface my comment by acknowledging that no doubt there are some skilled language instructors in Zihuatanejo.

Decades ago I asked an ex-pat American how I could get Spanish instruction in Zihuatanejo. He paused and said, “I guess you could come to Zihuatanejo to learn Spanish, but it would be like going to Alabama to learn English. Everyone would know where you learned Spanish.”

He went on to describe that he had moved to Zihuatanejo in the early 70’s and learned by living. Several years later when he thought his Spanish was good he started driving around Mexico. People would struggle to understand the Spanish that he spoke with no problems in Zihuatanejo.

I have had two employees for years. I converse with one of them in Spanish. I am unable to understand the Spanish of the other, older employee. The younger (early 60s) employee has to “translate Spanish to Spanish” for me to understand.