Lost in Translation

Down the street from our new home in Ecuador is a local pizza shop.  One evening a day or two after moving into our home Alayna and I ventured out for a taste of the local flavor of pizza.  Upon arriving and deciding what we should order, a family size cheese pizza, I began to order entirely in my limited Spanish.

I said, "Uno queso pizza familar por favor."  Right away I knew something was wrong because the pizza man said "no" which I quickly translated into English to mean "no."  However, I did not understand what exactly was "no".  So I said, "Si, solo queso pizza."  The man responded, "no queso."  I then pointed toward the menu where it clearly stated they sold quesso pizza, at which point the man said something very fast and long.  I looked bewildered at Alayna hoping she might I have understood some of what he had said and asked her "What did he say?"  The man then responds, "Oh, you are American I thought you were from Europe or something."  

After a brief laugh over the incident we were able to order in English.  The pizza mans name is Ray.  He is from Ecuador, but lived in the U.S. for 20 years.   Not only did we find a good pizzeria just down the street, but also found a man we can communicate with as we are learning Spanish.  Pray for Ray as we hope to talk with him more in the future. Also, continue to pray for us as we begin full-time language learning on Monday.