les yeux de carmen???

Capítulo 5

As we had stayed, the weekend we went to Quito and went to Otavalo. Carlos, the driver, was driving and my aunt Carolina was at his side; In the back seat we were Isabel and I. Fernando stayed in Quito. He had a party that could not be lost and my uncle also stayed. He was busy, working as usual. On the way I got a little nervous because the road was dangerous and full of curves. But Carlos handled it very well. Going along those highways, I saw how beautiful Ecuador was and felt small in the middle of the immensity of the mountains. This time I take my camera and take pictures of everything I liked. The peasants were indigenous people who work the land in the mountains. The vegetables and the corn that the peasants plant are seen in the distance as square pieces of different colors. It seems as if they had put on the mountain a quilt made with different pieces of cloth. I love taking pictures of the landscapes, but I liked to take photos of people more. When I saw the peasants dressed in their traditional form with long skirts, white blouses and gold necklaces, carrying their baby on their backs, I took some photos. My cousin said: - Luckily you took pictures of my friends because if you just showed the photos of the peasants, you might think that we are all indigenous. The comment annoyed me a lot and I told her: - And what is wrong with being indigenous? Isabel had never seen me angry and she was speechless. After three hours we stop at a biscuit factory on the way, which is a kind of very rich cookies. The interesting thing about the factory is that four people are sitting in front of a table that have a lot of dough and these people grab the dough and give it the shape of a sponge cake. Then the biscuit goes to the oven. In other words, everything is done by hand in the factory. We also buy "sheet cheese" which is a cheese that has a very similar taste to mozzarella, but to me it seems a thousand times richer. On the way I was struck by the old houses. There were many. It was sad to see his condition: the tiles, the wood, the shadows, the textures; But the fact of standing still gave them some beauty. I started taking pictures of the old houses. Isabel then made another comment: - If you show them these photos in California, they will think that Ecuador is like this. Better take pictures of other things. - Isabel, you do not know anything about photography, I said My cousin's comments were getting tiring and I was becoming increasingly cold and sharp with her. At last we came to Otavalo and went to the famous market. The Otavalo market is an outdoor fair where the indigenous sell everything from blouses to pipes. The photos I took there I found interesting and different. And I decided to travel the market in search of images. My traveling companions were tired and they stayed in a restaurant waiting for me to return. There was so much to see and lots of interesting things to buy. Neither my cousin nor my aunt wanted to buy anything in the market. Then I thought, "Sure, it's not imported". The fair was not so big and it was impossible to get lost. I was fascinated in the market full of colors, looms, handicrafts and indigenas dressed in their traditional form. I decided to take pictures of people and when I was about to start, I saw a girl with a beautiful face walking down the street. She was not dressed like the natives of the area, but she dressed simply. She was a mixed girl of my age, so I approached her and asked her permission to take a picture of her. She looked at me with her black eyes, she laughed shyly and said no. At that moment I realized that her face was the photo I was looking for; The photo of that girl with that expression so unique and with those sad eyes and at the same time full of life and emotion. I did not take no for an answer. In addition, although she refused, she still smiled and did not move. I think deep down, she wanted me to photograph her. But I also noticed something. I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to be her friend. Then I asked if we could eat something together. Very shy she told me that she did not have any money, so she said that I would invite her. "I can not be late. I have to go back to the house," she warned me. Then I saw a place where they sold sandwiches and I said that we could eat something fast there. She accepted and then we both ordered chicken sandwiches and soda. At last I knew her name; Her name was Carmen. She was 14 years old, studied in a night school and also works in a flower plantation. She was in the town of Otavalo because her mother had asked her to make some purchases and phone calls. In her house they did not have a telephone and could be called paying from the store. When I told you this, I thought I always have my cell phone. I also told her about me and I would have liked to talk more with her, but she said that she had already delayed a lot and had to leave. She only ate half of it on some napkins. "Wait, but you have not finished eating," I said. She answered me quite naturally that half the sandwich was for her mother. I was speechless. I could not say anything and I ached her poverty: her broken sweater, her old shoes and her beautiful round face and brunette. He got up to leave and at that moment another girl of the same age entered the restaurant, stumbled and collided with me. Se did not argue, but she smiled and said: "Hello, Carmen" And then she left the place. Carmen looked scared, and without saying goodbye to me, ran out. I ran, looking for Carmen, but I could not find her anywhere. I walked and asked people if they knew her or if they had seen her, but no one knew her.

Capítulo 3

My cousins ​​were my best friends. Fernando had a great sense of humor. It was hard not to laugh when we were together. Isabel was the most sweetest girl in the world. I felt like they were the siblings I never had. Fernando was 19 years old, he was older than me by two years old. Isabel was 16 years old, she was younger by one year. Although they sometimes quarreled with each other, they went out together to parties and shared the same friends. My cousins ​​were extremely friendly and I was very impressed. They treated me like the guest of honor. They were always aware for me to feel good. They took me to their parties and introduced me to their friends. Never have I been with such friendly, humorous and fun people. Every weekend a friend(boy) or friend(girl) of my cousins ​​organized a party. I thought my cousins ​​were very popular. Then I realized that, in fact, they were all popular. Everyone knew each other. And if they invited one of their friends to a party, he could bring many more friends who were not invited, and there was no problem. In Ecuador a party is not a party if there is no music. We dance to everything: salsa, merengue, vallenato, rock, pop, techno, hip hop ... We went out to clubs, but always the parties in the people's houses were better. Besides, Isabel did not have permission to go to clubs. Fernando yes. In Ecuador one is of age at 18 years of age. Another cultural shock was the fact that although there were parties with music at full volume, the neighbors did not complain. No one called the police. My cousins ​​said that if someone goes to parties very often, then there if the neighbors were going to be angry, but a noisy party once or twice a year was no problem. I've never been so lucky with girls. Isabel's friends were very pretty, and of course, as I was the special guest, they paid me a lot of attention. I took many photos thinking that back in California my friends were going to see the pretty friends that I had. In addition, this kissing the girls was a custom I liked a lot. My cousins ​​went to a school called the American College, and that's why their English was so good. It was a bilingual school, one of the most expensive. Their friends also went to that school or to other private and bilingual schools. Then I learned that on Monday at that school they sang the United States anthem! My cousin did not want to buy chewing gum or Ecuadorian clothing or shampoo; Everything had to be American. Something that made me very happy was that in this country, as in many other countries of Latin America, they have the habit of putting the name of Maria to almost all the girls. My cousin's name is Maria Isabel. I met some others: Maria Veronica, Maria Cristina, Maria Belen, Maria Gloria. Of all those Maria's, there was one that drove me crazy. Maria Fernanda was one of my cousins' friends and I loved her. As I was lucky, Maria Fernanda and I started dating. Spent three weeks of madness. In California I would never have had as much fun or known as many people as in Quito. In a phone call to my mother and with much emotion I told her how much was happening in Ecuador. She was very happy and asked me two things: Have you taken interesting pictures? and How is your Spanish?

Capítulo 1

My name is Daniel and I want to tell you a story. It all started last year when my mom gave me a digital camera. I started taking pictures of anything, flowers, landscapes, my family or my friends. Then I started to see the world with different eyes. I found beauty everywhere, for example: in the shape and color of a leaf in autumn, the grace with which a squirrel moves or the expression on the faces of my friends when they laugh. I started reading about photography. From time to time I went to see exhibitions of photographers and I also started to practice more and more. My mom was very happy and said that it was not common for a teenager like me to have so much interest in art. I decided that this was going to be my career; I wanted to study photography at university. My dad was not happy with the idea. He said that there are too many people who dedicate themselves to photography and who do not earn a penny. My mother, on the other hand, thought that I should dedicate myself to what I liked best. She said that the person who shows professionalism and originality always sees him to be well. My dad was not convinced and reminded me that when I was a child I said I wanted to be a lawyer like him. It seemed a waste to him that a boy who had as good qualifications as I, be a "simple photographer". One day I discovered on the internet a youth photography contest. I thought it was an excellent opportunity. I did not know if I was going to win the contest or not, but it sounded that if I did and they would reward me and that finally my dad would believe in me. I talked about about the contest to my mom. She said that I should definitely participate, but we thought it was best to keep it a secret. My dad did not have to know anything. So, if I won, nothing happened. One week later my mom made a proposal that impressed me. I should talk to Uncle Andrew, who is a distant cousin far away married to an Ecuadorian woman. Now Uncle Andrew and his wife Carolina live in Ecuador and have two children about the same age as me. My mother proposed that I spend a summer in Ecuador with this family. According to my mom, it was going to be a great opportunity to practice spontaneously and also to take excellent photos. She thinks and agrees, that when you go to a new site, you realize details that others do not notice and you can take excellent photographs. It was a difficult decision because my summers were great. In summer I would rest from school and relax; I was hanging out with my friends; I watched the TV; I listened to music and I got on the internet. With my parents we had traveled outside the country very rarely, but to Europe. I never thought to travel alone to a country like Ecuador.

Capítulo 4

Photography was something that I was very interested in, and yes, I took many photos, but in reality none seemed special. They were photos taken in Ecuador but they were exactly the same as the photos I could take in California. And, definitely, I had practiced very little Spanish. I decided to talk about it with my uncles and cousins. At that moment my uncle decided that I should visit the Historic Center of the city. At night my cousins ​​and I went to the center of the city. I felt that it was transported in time because in the center one can see architecture of the time of the colony, that is to say, of century XVI. I took lots of photos. I had not been in the same place before. The churches were so old and lit up and my cousins ​​told me legends as we toured the place. I was delighted and realized that I needed to travel the country. The center of the city was so different to the north. What other surprises could Ecuador give me? It was decided. The next weekend we went for a walk so I could take pictures of the country. The family also realized that it was best to speak only in Spanish with me. However, it was difficult to speak in Spanish with my cousins. We started doing it, but their English was better than my Spanish, so the conversation ended in English. The same thing happened to Maria Fernanda, my girlfriend. I concluded that it was best to speak with someone who had no idea of ​​English and I realized that there were two people in the house with whom I could practice Spanish. The maids spoke Spanish, but although they treated me with great respect, they were not at all friendly to me. It was as if there were an invisible wall between us. I decided to break the wall and help them cook. Maria Rosa and Juana, that's what the employees were called, they laughed in amazement when I told them that I wanted to help. They did not want to accept my help, but I insisted so much that they finally accepted. They actually felt very uncomfortable at first. As I helped them, we talked and I knew a little about the lives of these women. Rosa was 40 years old and lived with her husband and three children. Juana was 22 years old, a single mother, worked in the mom's house at my uncle's house and at night went to a night school. Isabel and Maria Fernanda arrived at the house just as I was speaking in Spanish with the employees. They looked at me strangely, but I thought it was my imagination. I thanked Rosa and Juana for allowing me to talk to them and went to meet my cousin and my girlfriend. As usual with the friends of my cousins, we turned on the radio and sat in the living room to talk. Then my girlfriend left and so Isabel told me something that bothered me a lot. She told me that I should not mix with the servants. This comment was like a punch to me. I felt very bad, as if I had accidentally done something wrong. I just thought I needed to practice Spanish. Isabel made another comment that left me even more surprised. She said that my girlfriend probably thought it was ridiculous that I was mixing with the employees. Then I thought: "One moment ... What is wrong? And I asked Isabel and she answered me: It is a servant. This conversation with my cousin awoke me to a kind of dream in which I had been living and I realized that the Ecuador I knew through the family of my uncle Andrew was the Ecuador of a very small minority. We lived in the neighborhood of the big and new houses, but the whole city was different. The vast majority had small houses and there was poverty. My friends were white and almost all of their friends were white as well, unlike the vast majority of dark-skinned people. I knew only high class people, because it was very important for my friends to know if you were in an expensive school to accept you in the group. We went to the malls where things in the stores cost a lot of money, but there were street vendors, under sun or rain amid the smog selling cheap goods and earning a living. There were guards armed throughout the city to look after buildings and commercial premises, because of course there was poverty and robbery. All my cousins ​​showed me and what they were proud of was the Americanized Ecuador: friends, clubs, shopping centers. That's why my photos were not interesting at all.

Capítulo 7

The parties with the friends of my cousins ​​were finished for me because I decided to know Ecuador. My aunt Carolina understood my need to take photos and explore the country, but she also felt responsible for me. She helped me. She did not allow me to go anywhere, but I found several tours where I traveled with groups of people. Knowing that I was getting to know the country through organized tourism, she felt much calmer. Sometimes my cousin Fernando accompanied me on my travels around the country. There was so much to do in Ecuador. The country, despite being smaller than California, has a variety of climates: hot, cold, humid, arid, etc. And climates are stable in each geographic area and throughout the year allowing to enjoy any activity in any month of the year. Fernando liked to accompany me if the tours included activities such as hiking, mountain climbing, kayaking, rafting, mountain biking, snorkeling, diving or any kind of extreme sports. To me, as a good photographer, I was interested in landscapes and national parks, but above all I was interested in people. And despite all the tourism I did through the country, I do not forget the eyes of Carmen. I went back to Otavalo to find her, but I never found her. I knew she worked collecting flowers, but I did not know where. And I knew a lot of flower plantations in the area. It was very difficult to find Carmen. I did a lot of tourism and took quite a few photos, and since I was up and down walking, I spent very little time in the house of my relatives. Inevitably I will stop at the friends of my cousins. I hardly ever went out with them. My cousin Isabel saw me as if I were an alien, because I preferred to be on a walk and not with them. And my girlfriend Maria Fernanda was very angry. Maria Fernanda did not give me back my calls, something she never understood. But the truth is that it was not so important to me. My cousin, on the other hand, decided to give me the cold shoulder. She did not talk to me. That made me crazy, because we were living in the same house. One day I could not take it any longer and asked Isabel: - What's wrong? To which she replied - Nothing happens to me, what happens to you that we are not important anymore? She immediately closed the door of her room in my face. I was very angry and it seemed to me that my cousin was very dramatic. But in reality my cousin was the closest I had to a little sister and her attitude ruined my day. I felt the need to know the country as best I could, but I also felt the need to get along with my cousin. And it hurt that she could not understand that. Fortunately, Fernando was not dramatic. He was still very funny. At least one of my cousins ​​was still my friend. All day I felt bad, but at night things got better. My uncle gave us great news. We gave everyone a tour of the Galapagos. We all went for five days to the "enchanted islands". Incredible, that was one of the most extraordinary invitations of my life. The family had already been there, but for some years, and my aunt told me that it is worth going more than once.

Capítulo 8

There is so much to say about the Galapagos Islands that if I start, I never finish. Everything I saw and felt in the Galapagos is enough subject for another book. It is the most beautiful place I have ever known in my life and the mere fact of being there makes me feel happy. People do not lie when they say it's a paradise and I obviously took all the photos I could. So in California you could see the images again and always remember the endless beaches of clear sand; Turquoise water; The colorful birds; Lava tunnels; Diving areas and giant tortoises, iguanas and other rare animals ... I will never forget this place. The tour was great. We took the airport to the Galapagos Islands and then took a cruise. The cruise stops in the main islands that had attractive like vegetation, interesting animals and beaches. When we stopped on an island, a guide took us on a special trails for tourists and explained us about the wildlife and flowers of the place and about the species that are unique in the world. The guide of our group was named Kathy and was from England. She had a lot to say about the islands and was very enthusiastic showing us the wonders. She told us that the first time she was in Galapagos, she was as a tourist, but she fell so much in love with the place that she decided to stay there and got a job as a guide. Knowing the beauty of the islands, her decision did not surprise me. I learned that more than a beautiful place of much tourist attraction, these islands have a scientific attraction too. Charles Darwin was on these islands, researching and studying and here was where he developed his theory on the adaptation of species. Galapagos is a natural park as there is no other like. One of the things that I will always remember is that one day my cousins ​​and I were swimming on a beach, two sea lions came up to us swimming and it was like they were playing. And in a little while a penguin approached also. They were not afraid. We swim with these animals and we do not feel totally happy to have this experience. The weather was warm, as I like it, and although I felt good with my uncle's family, I felt a special pleasure when I climbed to the top of the cruise and let the wind ruffle me while I saw the sea. It was a calm feeling to look at the horizon line in the sea and breathe fresh air. The tour was only for five days. However those few days I took advantage of them to the maximum. The last day, as usual, I went up to the top and saw that a girl, one of the people who cleaned the boat, looked very familiar. When I see a face, I never forget it, I knew I had seen it before, but I did not know where. Then suddenly I recognized her. It was the friend of Carmen, the girl who clashed with me in the restaurant. I was very moved, because maybe she could tell me where I could find Carmen. I was going to run to ask for Carmen, but I saw something that surprised me. This girl stumbled and collided with a tourist and, taking advantage of the confusion of the man, she took the wallet from his pocket and kept it. Obviously it was she who had stolen my wallet in Otavalo. I felt many things at the same time: anger and fright and I wanted to shout: Thief, thief! But for some reason I do not know, I did not. I ran to her and faced her. I told: "I'm not going to say anything, I saw you stealing that man's wallet." The girl's eyes were terrified eyes that looked for where to run to hide. I repeated: "I will not say anything, but you have to do two things". Without another movement, she was horrified and silent. "The first thing I want you to do is return that wallet to its owner and the second thing is to tell me where I can find Carmen". First the girl handed the wallet to the captain of the boat. She said she found it lying on the floor. The captain returned the wallet to his owner. Then she wrote me the exact address of the school where Carmen was studying in a paper. I never saw that girl again on the boat. I think she was hiding from me because she knew that if I opened my mouth, she was going to have many problems.

Capítulo 10

There was little left to return to California and these two months in Ecuador had been fabulous. The had been excellent. The only thing that bothered me was my relationship with my cousin Isabel. It had gone from bad to worse. My aunt noticed this and talked to me. "I do not think it's fair that you take it so badly. I do not understand them. But I think you should talk. Especially now, before you get back together," said my aunt. "But Auntie it is not me; She is the one who behaves badly with me. She is the one who has changed with me," he replied. "You may be right, Daniel, but anyway, for a small thing, you can not lose the friendship they have had. I'm going to talk to Isabel too." I told myself that my aunt was right and that same night I asked Isabel to take a walk with me in the garden of the house. I did not know how to start the conversation. The only thing that happened to me was to ask: "Why are you so mad at me?" By the way, Isabel was honest and she told me: "We are not important to you." I was amazed at her feedback, and I immediately told her that she and her family were very important to me and I asked her: "Why do you think that?" "Because one day you decided that you no longer wanted to spend time with me, my brother, or my relative. All you wanted was to go to Otavalo to see that girl. You forgot Maria Fernanda. Suddenly you did not like the festivals, the people we introduced you, or the places we went to." "Isabel, your family has been wonderful to me. This very grateful for everything and spend very being with you and your friends." "Did you know that my family had planned a trip to Europe, but when we knew that you wanted to come, we decided to stay?" "Oh no I had idea." "But you simply decided that we are not important." "Not Isabel, it is not true, you are important. What happened is that I came to know Ecuador. You, your family and your friends are a very small part of ecuador, that I tried to know, but I just wanted to see more. It may seem strange to you, but you need to see more." "If I look weird" said Isabel angry, "I wanted you to see the beauty of Ecuador. Try to understand me. For me the beauty of Ecuador is what makes it a unique country. I think that I like taking photos. For me the interesting photos of Ecuador are not Americanized things. Interesting photos are different things that catch my eye. Commercial centers, luxurious buildings or rich people are things that I can find in the US. In my trip and in my photos I have tried to capture what is unusual, what is different, what catches my attention." My conversation with Isabel was long, but in the end she entertained my point and this is her. We did not hug and we stayed as friends. And so we continued during the few days I had left in Ecuador. Two days before I flew to America, my cousins ​​organized a farewell party. I have to admit that I had never felt so popular in my life. That he told everyone at the party.. I told everyone, "My house is your home," because I really wanted them to come to California so I could be as kind to them as they had been with me. To keep in touch we exchanged email addresses.

Capítulo 6

When I finally returned to the restaurant where Carlos, my cousin and my aunt were, I saw that everyone had long faces. My aunt looked at me with tenderness I wonder: - In the United States is it good taste to leave people waiting for two hours and a half? Oh no! Two hours and half! I had not noticed. I asked a thousand apologies and I promised that never again would happen such a thing. "Okay," Isabel said, "we're going back to Quito. I wanted to stay longer to see if I could find Carmen or someone who knew her. Then I told them that if they did not care, I wanted to stay longer and I could take a bus back to Quito the next day. My aunt said no. She told me it can be dangerous, that I am her guest and that she has a responsibility to my parents. -I want to stay! "I do not think it's dangerous here." My aunt sighed and, again, she said no. She said that if I stayed, someone had to be with me. I decided to stay without my aunt's permission, but just when I wanted to get my wallet to see how many dollars I had, I realized that my wallet had disappeared. Without arguments to contradict my aunt, that same afternoon I had to return to Quito and felt like a fool. Not only lost my wallet with a few dollars, I also lost my credit card and I realized that my aunt was right, it can be dangerous. Carlos, Isabel, and my aunt were sure that someone stole my wallet without my noticing it. Carlos told me that there are very good thieves and that the "gringos", like me, are very innocent and the thieves know that and then they take advantage. My aunt said that luckily they did not steal my passport. On the way to Quito I spoke little and I thought of Carmen. I was a little embarrassed to have such an easy life. I had never met a girl my age who worked full time and studied at the same time and I had never met a girl with a look like that. A photo of Carmen was perfect to win a contest. But more than her face, her eyes ... Carmen's eyes. Although I had a lot of fun with my cousins ​​and their rich friends, this walk to Otavalo served me to understand that the small country called Ecuador had a lot to offer and I was losing it. I wanted to see more things, meet more people.

Capítulo 11

When I returned to California, I had the feeling of having become rich from Ecuador. Not because I had returned with money but because my experience was so great that I felt as if the experiences were gold. And the experiences were something that no one would ever be able to take away in my life. I thanked my mother for having such a brilliant idea and motivating me to go to that beautiful country. I decided that I would definitely return to Ecuador, and I also decided that I wanted to meet more countries and visit the world taking photos. And to finish this story I want to tell some good news and if I won the first place of the photography contest. Now, my mom supports me and so does my dad. Nothing can change my decision to dedicate myself to photography and traveling. I did not win the contest with the photo that I took Carmen, but I did with the last photo I took on Ecuadorian soil. It was an unexpected thing. Before I entered the airport, a child approached me to ask for charity and I saw Carmen's eyes, the same brown skin color and round face. I felt a lot of tenderness and while the boy stretched out his hand to ask I took a picture and then gave him some money. I thought the photo was good, but when I saw it on my computer, the photo enchanted me. As if by magic, the camera captured the emotion in the child's eyes. They were adult eyes on a childish face, sad black eyes and shining. In Quito my friends and family were very happy with the news. Thanks to emails, I kept in touch with them. They also sent me the music in Spanish that is fashionable there and told me that they miss me a lot. I will never forget the tears of my cousin Isabel at the airport. One thing I am sure is that I will see my cousins ​​again. Maybe they'll visit me here in the United States. I'm still in touch with Carmen too. We wrote letters. The letters take longer to arrive, but I like them because I practice my Spanish; The are long messages and I put more feeling. She tells me about her studies and her work. He tells me of her dreams and her desire to make friends. I hope we continue writing and that someday we will see each other again.

Capítulo 2

When I was sitting on the plane bound for Ecuador, I was a little afraid. I did not know if the decision to travel had been correct. But I had seen photos and videos of Ecuador and it seemed like a great country to me. It was almost incredible that such a small country could have different types of climates at the same time. Ecuador has; The sierra, which is part of the mountains of the Andes; the coast, which is tropical with beautiful beaches; the jungle, which is part of the Amazon and on top of that; the incredible Galapagos islands are also part of Ecuador. My uncle Andrew and his family were happy to receive me. That was also an adventure because I only remembered very little of the face of my uncle. And it was the first time in my life that I was going to live in the house of a family that was not mine. The trip was long, but I had fun taking photos from the plane. Clouds can also have very interesting shapes. When I finally came, my heart began to beat rapidly. I noticed the indigenous factions in most people. Although it is true that in Ecuador there is a small black population and an indigenous population. The mestizos are the result of the mixture that took place more than 500 years ago between the Spanish conquerors and the indigenous natives. The majority of mestizos have brown skin and obvious indigenous features but there are also mestizos with white skin and clear eyes. My Spanish was not perfect, but it was enough to communicate with the customs officers without a problem. My uncle Andrew and his family were waiting for me at the airport. "WELCOME DANIEL" said a sign and it was easy to distinguish my relatives because my uncle was a perfect "gringo" and his two children, Fernando and Isabel, also looked very white like him. Carolina, the wife, looked mixed. It was easy to distinguish this family of white people in the midst of the mixed and indigenous faces of others at the airport. To my surprise all of the family embraced me and both my cousin Isabel and my Aunt Carolina kissed me on the cheek. That was my first cultural shock. I became red with embarrassment after receiving their kisses. Then I realized that in Ecuador, as in other Latin American countries, women greet men with a kiss on the cheek and also greet one another. Men, on the other hand, give themselves a grasp of hands. They do not kiss. On leaving the airport I had my second cultural shock; Two children came to ask for charity. Throughout my stay in Ecuador I got used to seeing these poor children on the street, asking for charity or selling flowers, candy or chewing gum. In California, I had never seen children on the street working or asking for charity. I felt sorry and it seemed unfair to me. I had been recommended that when I arrived in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, I would rest the first few days, because of the height. Quito is the second highest capital in the world. It is at 2,850 meters above sea level. The highest capital is La Paz in Bolivia. Quito is a city built on the slopes of a volcano in the chain of mountains of the Andes, which is called Pichincha. The Pichincha is an active volcano! A few years ago it put so much ash that covered the whole city. Luckily the Quitenos only had to clean the city and there was no major problem. When we got to my uncle's house, it was like being back in the United States. Both Fernando and Isabel had their own computer, the television had cable and the house was very comfortable. Everyone in the family spoke perfect English, so I did not practice my Spanish with them. The house was huge much larger than the home of any of my friends in California. They had prepared a room for me, and I had my own bathroom. They had two pets: a cat named Miau and a dog named Loco. No one in the family cooked, cleaned the house or cared for pets. They had two maids who were in charge of all household chores. My uncle had a lot of money and was surrounded by a lot of luxury. My mother had told me that Uncle Andrew was working for an oil company and that he made a lot of money, but I did not think so much. It was interesting to be there in that rich house and I wondered: How was my stay in Ecuador with that family? Definitely, very different from what I imagined. What kind of photographs could I take?

Capítulo 9

When we returned from Galapagos, I only had one week left in Ecuador. The first thing I did was go to Otavalo. My aunt always worried about me, she asked Carlos, the chauffeur, to take me. So I went for the last time to try to find Carmen's eyes full of emotion. I waited at the end of her school and saw many faces similar to hers, but my heart was pounding that the girl on the boat had lied to me. But she did not lie because Carmen was laughing with a friend as they walked to the exit door. I approached her and when she saw me, she was very scared and said to me worried: "I promise that I had nothing to do with stealing your wallet." I smiled and said: "I know that it is not." So, "what are you here for?" I wonder and in that moment invites her to eat something. "I have to get back to my house soon. I can only stay for a little while, " She told me. Since she could not stay long, we entered a place where they sold sandwiches, but this time I bought three sandwiches: one for me, one for Carmen and one for Carmen's mother. I told her how I had managed to find her and where I had seen her friend stealing. Carmen confessed that when her friend stole my wallet, she was very frightened because she did not want to accuse her friend, but she did not want to rob me either. She did not know what to do. Then she ran out of the place. Then she realized that doing that was very silly because then I was going to think that she was compliance with the robbery. And she also realized that it would have been best to convince her friend to give me back my wallet, but it was too late. Carmen saw that she spoke with much contempt and much anger of her friend and said: "My friend's name is Antonia and she is not a bad girl." What happened is that her older sister is very sick. She has cancer and the treatment is very expensive. It is difficult to pay for a good doctor and hospital. Antonia is desperate. I felt very sorry for Antonia and according to what Carmen told me, Antonia's life was difficult. Carmen's life was also difficult. So different from that of my Ecuadorian cousins ​​who lived in their glass bubble. But I thought that my life was also different and much easier than it is also different and much easier than the lives of people like Antonia and Carmen. I thought that in a way I also lived in a glass bubble in the United States. Carmen was the older sister of four brothers. To keep the family her mother worked all day in a factory of looms. Carmen's father had long since abandoned the family and did not help economically at all. That's why Carmen had to work to help with the expenses of the house. I tell you that the majority of workers in the flower plantation are young women, teenagers like her. Many women already have children and almost no one has time to go to school. Most work overtime. Luckily Carmen's mom lets her go to school in the evenings. In the work on the plantations there is a risk of getting sick, because a great amount of chemicals are used. But it is a job where money is earned, so despite the risk Carmen works on the plantation six days a week and in seasons like February 14, she is required to work seven days a week and miss classes. I thought my life was so different in California. I was full of technological toys: the cell phone, the computer, the iPod and the digital camera. When I was not studying at school, I would surely be resting, laughing with my friends or playing video games. Carmen did not stay long with me. She told me that his mother was very strict and that if she delayed a lot to get home, she was going to have problems. I said goodbye to her, but before I asked her to let me take some photos. A bit embarrassed, she accepted. I realized that I accept she felt compelled. She was shy. So, out of respect, I decided to just take a picture to remember her in california. When I said goodbye to Carmen, I had not heard her more. She gave me her address so I could keep in touch by letter. Carlos, the driver, and I talked all the way back to Quito. He told me that the plantations give a lot of people work. Carlos also told me about his life and the lives of the people of his country, and he gave me his views on politics. I was very happy to be able to converse with him and feel that we could be friends. After arriving at Quito, I saw the eyes of Carmen everywhere: on the guard that the house of my cousins had swept; In the eyes of Rosa y Juana, the employees who work in the house. And in the children of the street who sell caramels or flowers. Communication with Carmen was difficult because she did not have a telephone. And not even think about a cell phone. She lives a different life. I thought about her all the time. When I saw how my cousins ​​and their friends dressed in branded clothes and shoes, I remembered Carmen, her humility and her poverty.