Maria, who is a close friend of mine, and happens to be Puerto Rican like me, has always had relationship trouble. One night over dinner at Outback Steakhouse, she told me about her worst experience in the 'dating world' yet.
It was a blind date; Maria was only informed of two things: his name, Edy, and that he was Ecuadorian. So, wanting to make a good impression but not knowing what to expect, Maria wore her favorite backless blue dress, and three-inch heels. When Edy had arrived to pick her up, she opened the door and was greeted with the reaction she wanted. Edy grinned from ear to ear, grabbed her hand, spun her around, and said "que hermoso lomo tu tienes". Her dress suddenly felt too small.
What Edy had said was, "what a beautiful back you have". While what Maria had heard was practically "you have a back like an animal". Clearly, this had come off as rude, so Maria closed the door, and ended the date sooner than planned.
Lomo in Puerto Rico means the back of an animal- usually referred to a cows; while in Ecuador means, a back.
Although both Ecuador and Puerto rico's languages are influenced by African dialects, Ecuador, unlike Puerto Rico's country, has many different sections within that speak different languages ("Puerto Rico's"). In Ecuador, there are over twelve different languages spoken, like, Kichwa, Secoya, Cuaiquer, and Shuar, just to name a few; this has an overall effect within their general Spanish language ("The Language").
In tears of laughter, I explained to Maria that lomo, in Ecuador means back. This made me think of all the other misunderstandings in the world just like this, and how many potential relationships ended because of the different type of spanish they spoke...
We had a good laugh, and Maria was delighted to find out she didn't look like a cow in her backless blue dress.
Work Cited
"Puerto Rico's History". Welcome.topuertorico.org. ND. Web. Accessed 28 Aug. 2017
"The Languages Spoken in Ecuador". Studycountry.com. ND. Web. Accessed 31 Aug. 2017
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