“You don’t speak Spanish and you live in Mazatlan? Man has my respect for you gone down!”
This is an actual comment, directed to me, from an English speaking client last year. And, NO, he did not speak Spanish either. I am pretty good at responding to people, being speechless is not a weakness of mine. In fact, Selene many times has said, “Gary, let other people talk too”. Ouch. But in this situation, I WAS speechless and embarrassed.
I have lived and worked in Mazatlan for over 3 years and “mi español es muy poco”!!!
Selene and I love to meet new people; this is the best part of our job as real estate agents. People are hilarious.
Another funny comment was made this year to Selene. We had met them at the Marina; they had sailed from Vancouver, British Columbia. Very cool!! Anyway, we walked the Marina together and got into the car. The gentleman looked at Selene and said, “Your Spanish is very good”. Of course, I could not stop laughing. Selene was born in Mazatlan and completed her schooling in the city before moving to San Diego. And yes, her Spanish is, shall we say, “excelente”?
Anyway, back to my Spanish or lack there of. I took Spanish lessons in 6th grade. We had 15 minutes, 3 days a week. The teacher had a German accent. I have forgotten most of it, except for “Gutten Tag”.
When I moved to Mazatlan I was pretty sure I would pick up on the language fairly quickly. Not that I am very intelligent, I just figured I would need to learn the language to survive in a foreign country. Boy was I ever WRONG!
Many people in Mazatlan, and in several parts of Mexico, speak some English. Some speak it very well. In the school system, every school, public and private, offer English classes. When I am in the grocery store and have a question, I find a school kid to ask, “Where is the peanut butter”? They love to practice their English on a real gringo and I am able to quickly find what I’m looking for.
So please don’t let your lack of Spanish discourage or worry you when you decide to move to Mazatlan. Even in areas outside the “tourist” zone, you will find Mexicans who are happy to help you with interpreting signs or finding the “bano”. In fact, the Mexican people are so gracious in helping the “helpless” gringos.
Where I come from, many of us are intolerant of “foreigners” who do not speak English. You will NOT find this attitude among Mazatlecos.
A good friend told me recently, “Gary, you will learn Spanish, not when you HAVE to, but when you WANT to.” I think it was meant to make me feel better. It didn’t.
And still, “ Yo hablo muy poco espanol!” I love Mazatlan and I love Mexico, but most of all I love the people in my new community who accept me for who I am, a happy, maybe a bit lazy, but enthusiastic Gringo!!