In Nicaragua you often hear in the morning at home or in public: “Buenos días, como amaneció?” This roughly translates to “Good morning, how did you wake up?” Do people really want to know how your day is beginning?
A common response is: “Muy bien, gracias a dios,” meaning “Very well, thanks to God.” Is it a canned response or is it genuine? At my last full-time job, a security guard would sometimes respond “Muy bien porque soy vertical,” Meaning “Very well, because I am vertical.” It took me a while to realize that her response was both a literally and figuratively honest response—she was doing very well because she was alive and standing.
If someone says, “Hey, how are you?” what is your response? Is it just an idiomatic expression or is an honest answer being solicited? Now posting a second time feels much, much better, especially because I rose with the dawn. In Spanish the verb “amanecer” is the breaking of dawn. So, “Como amaneciste?” How did you rise today? Very, very well, and thank you for asking!
I remember having wondered this question myself over 25 years ago when came to Nicaragua. Looking for the verb “manecer” in my fat dictionary, without realising that they was an “A”. Didn’t understand that it was about the dawn, as in my culture the question would have been; “how did you sleep?”. Heading, arising towards the new day rather than thinking how warm and cosy your bed was!
Por arriba! Get up and get going! Oh, the language interpretations perks we can enjy here!
I think it must be a Nicaraguan question, or maybe Central American. They didn’t ask this in either Mexico or Ecuador .. Or maybe they just didn’t ask ME!
Glad you like the blog…. very much a WIP, but it is finally launched.
Huh, they did not ask you that in Mexico or Ecuador? Well, I am sure those many missed times have been made up for here.