Los Ojos de Carmen English Translation Original RE-EDITED

Chapter 8

There is so much to say about the Galapagos Islands that if I start, I will never finish. Everything I saw and felt in the Galapagos is a good 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 made me feel happy. People do not lie when they say it's paradise and I obviously took all the photos I could. So in California you could see the images again and always remember the interminable beaches of clear sand; turquoise water; the colorful birds; the lava tunnels; dive areas and giant turtles, iguanas and other rare animals ... I will never forget this place. The tour was great. We arrived at the airport on the Galapagos Islands and then took a cruise. The cruiser made stops on the main islands that had attractions such as vegetation, interesting animals, and beaches. When we stopped at an island, a guide took us by special trails for tourists and we explained about the wildlife and flowers of the place and about the species that are in the world. The guide of our group was called 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 was a tourist, but she fell in love with the place so much 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 with a lot of 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 like no other. One of the things that I will remember is always that one day my cousins ​​and I were swimming on a beach, two sea lions approached swimming towards us and it was like they were playing. And a short while later a penguin approached. They were not afraid of us. We swim with these animals and we are totally happy to have this experience. The weather was warm, as I like, and although I felt good with my uncle's family, I felt a special pleasure when I climbed higher on the cruise and let the wind flutter while I saw the sea. It was a feeling of calm to watch the horizon line into the sea and breathe fresh air. The tour was for only five days. However, those few days I made the most of them. On the last day, as usual, I climbed 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. I knew I had seen her, but I did not know where. Then I suddenly recognized her. It was the friend of Carmen, the girl who collided with me in the restaurant. I was very moved, because maybe she could tell me where I could find Carmen. I was about to run to ask for Carmen, but I saw something that left me surprised. This girl stumbled and collided with a tourist and, taking advantage of the man's confusion, took the bill from her pocket and put it away. 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 said, "I'm not going to say anything, I saw you stealing that man's bills." The girl's eyes were terrified eyes that looked for where to run to hide. I said, "I'm not going to say anything, but you have to do two things. With no other way out, she was horrified and silently listened. "The first thing I want you to do is to return that wallet to its owner and the second is to tell me where I can find Carmen. First the girl handed the wallet to the ship's captain. He said she found it lying on the floor. The captain handed the bills back to its owner. Then she wrote me the exact address of the school where Carmen studied in a paper. I never saw that girl again on the boat. I think she was hiding from me because I knew that if I opened my mouth, she was going to have a lot of problems.

Chapter 5

As we had stayed, the weekend we left Quito and went to Otavalo. Carlos, the chauffeur, drove, and beside him was my Aunt Caroline; In the back seat were Isabel and me. Fernando stayed in Quito. He had a party that could not be missed 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 very well. When I looked at those roads, I saw how beautiful Ecuador is, and I felt tiny in the immensity of the mountains. This time I took out my camera and took pictures of everything I liked. Peasants are indigenous people who work the land in the mountains. The vegetables, the vegetables, and the corn that the peasants plant are seen in the distance as square pieces of different colors. It seems as though they had put on the mountain a quilt made with different cloths. I love taking pictures of the landscapes, but I like to take pictures of people. When I saw the peasants dressed in their traditional form with their long skirts, white blouses and gold necklaces, they loaded their baby on their backs, I took a few pictures. My cousin said, "It's a shame you took pictures of my friends because if you just showed the photos of the peasants, you might think we're all indigenous. The comment annoyed me a lot and I said: And what is wrong with being indigenous. Isabel has never seen me angry and was dumb of the impression. After a three-hour drive, we stop at a biscuit factory, which is a species of very rich biscuits. The interesting thing about the factory is that four people are sitting in front of a table that has 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 bought "milk 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: tiles, wood, shadows, textures; But the fact of standing still gave them some beauty. I started taking photos of the old houses. Then Isabel 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 know nothing of photography I said. My cousin's comments were getting tired and I was becoming more and more 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 natives see everything from blouses to pipes. The pictures I took there did seem interesting and different to me. And I decided to go around the market looking for images. My traveling companions were tired and 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 impossible to get lost in. I was fascinated by the colorful market, looms, handicrafts, and Indians dressed in their traditional form. I was going to start, I saw a girl with a beautiful face walking down the street, I was not dressed like the people in the area, but I was dressed in a simple way. She was a mestiza girl of my age, so I approached her and I asked for 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.And besides, although she refused, smiling and not moving the place,I thought deep down, she did want that I would photograph her.I realized something. I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to be her friend. Then she asked if we could eat something together. She told me that she had no money, so I told her that I would and invite her. "I can not delay. I have to go back to the house, "she warned me. Then I saw a place where they sold sandwiches and I told her that we could eat something quick there. She accepted and then we both ordered chicken and soda. At last I knew her name; Called Carmen. She was 14 years old, studying at a night school and also working in a flower plantation. She was in the village of Otavalo because her mother had asked her to make some purchases and phone calls. At home they did not have a telephone and could be called paying from the store. When she told me this, I thought that 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 been delayed and had to leave. She only ate half her sandwich and wrapped the other half in napkins. Wait, but you have not finished eating, I said.She answered me very naturally that half of the sandwich was for her mother. I was speechless. I could not say anything and I was hurt by her poverty: her broken sweater, her old shoes, and her beautiful round, dark face. She got up to leave, and at that moment another girl of the same age entered the restaurant, stumbled and collided with me. She did not blame herself, but she smiled and said, "Hello." Carmen and then she left the place. Carmen looked scared, and without saying goodbye to me, she ran off. I ran out, 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.

Chapter 3

My cousins were my best friends. Fernando had a great sense of humor. It was difficult not to laugh when we were together. Isabel was the 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. Elizabeth was 16; she was younger than me by one year. Although sometimes they fought, both were leaving together to parties and shared the same friends. My cousins were extremely friendly and I was very impressed. I was dealt with as the guest of honor. They were always outstanding so that I felt comfortable, I went to their parties and I was presented to their friends. I had never been with people so friendly, humorous and fun. Every weekend a friend of my cousins arranged a party. I thought that my my cousins were very popular. Then I realized that, in reality, all of them were popular. Everyone knew each other. And if you invited one of their friends to a party, he could bring many more friends who were not invited, and there wouldn't be a problem. In Ecuador a party is not a party if there is no music. You can dance to it all: salsa, merengue, ballenato, rock, pop, techno, hip hop... We went to clubs, but parties in the people's houses were always better. In addition Isabel had no permission to go to the clubs. Fernando could. In Ecuador, one is of age at 18. Another culture shock was the fact that although parties were made with loud music, neighbors did not complain. Nobody called the police. My cousins said that if someone threw parties very often, then yes the neighbors would get angry, but a noisy party one or two times a year was not a problem. I never had much luck with girls. The majority of Isabel's friends were the prettiest and, of course, as I was the special guest, they gave me much attention. I took many photos thinking that my friends back in California would see friends so beautiful that I had. In addition, this greeting with the girls' kiss was a habit that I liked a lot. My cousins went to a school called American College and it was for this reason that his English was so good. It was a bilingual school, one of the most expensive. His friends also went to that school or other bilingual and private schools. Then I knew that this school sang the United States anthem every Monday! My cousin didn't buy gum or clothes or Ecuadorian shampoo; everything had to be American. Something that amused me was that in this country, as in many other countries of Latin America, they have the habit of naming almost all the girls Maria. My cousin's name was Maria Elizabeth Isabel. I met some: Maria Verónica, Maria Cristina, Maria Belén, Maria Gloria. Of all those Maria's there was one that drove me crazy. Maria Fernanda was one of the friends of my cousin and I really liked her. As I was in luck, María Fernanda and I became boyfriend and girlfriend. I spent three weeks in madness. In California I had never so much fun or known as many people as in Quito. In a phone call to my mom and with a lot of emotion I told her what a good time I was having in Ecuador. She was very happy and asked me two things: "Have you taken interesting photos, and how is your Spanish?"

Chapter 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. I did not allow myself to go alone to any part, but I found where I was traveling 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 you to enjoy any activity in any month of the year. Fernando liked to accompany me if the tours included activities such as hiking, mountaineering, kayaking, rafting, mountain biking, snorkeling, scuba diving or any kind of extreme sports. As a good photographer, I was interested in landscapes and national parks, but I was mostly interested in people. And despite all the tourism I did throughout the country, I did not forget the eyes of Carmen. I came back to find her. I knew she worked collecting flowers, but I did not know where. There were many flower plantations in the area. It was very difficult to find Carmen. I did a lot of sightseeing and took a lot of time as I was up and down the road, spent very little time in the house of my relatives. Inevitably, I left the friends of my cousins. I was barely seeing 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 answer my calls, something I will never understand. But the truth is that it was no longer so important to me. My cousin, instead, set about giving 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 stand it any longer and I asked Isabel "What's the matter?" To which she replied "Nothing is happening to me, what is the matter with you that we are no longer important?" She closed the door of her room in my face. I was very angry and it seemed to me that my first priority 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 well as I could, but I also felt the need to get along with my cousin. And it hurt that she could not understand that. Luckily, Fernando was not dramatic. He was still very funny. At least my cousins ​​are still my friend. Bad but at night things got better. My uncle gave us great news. He gave us all a tour to Galapagos. We were all going to the "enchanted islands" for five days. Unbelievable, that was one of the most extraordinary victories of my life. The family had already been there, but it had been a few years, and my aunt told me that it's worth going more than once.

Chapter 10

There was little left to return to California and these two months in Ecuador had been fabulous. It 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 realized 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 they should speak. Especially now, before you return to the United States," my aunt told me. "But Auntie, it's not me; she is the one who behaves badly with me. She's the one who's changed with me," I said. "You may be right, Daniel, but anyway, for a small thing, you can not lose the friendship you had. I'm going to talk to Isabel too." I realized that my aunt was right and that I asked Isabel to go for a walk with me in the garden of the house. She did not know how to start the conversation. The only thing that occurred to me was to ask, "Why are you so mad at me?" Fortunately, Isabel was honest and told me, "Because we are not important to you." I was amazed by her response, 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, not with my brother, or with my family. The only thing that made me laugh was to go to Otavalo to see that girl. You forgot Maria Fernanda. Suddenly you did not like the parties, the people that we introduced you, or the places we go." "Isabel, your family has been wonderful. with me. I was very grateful for everything and I had a great time with you and your friends." "You knew 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 no idea." "But you simply decided that we were not important." "No, Isabel, it is not true, you are important. The thing is that I came to know Ecuador. You, your family and your friends are a very small part of Ecuador, which I liked to know, but I just wanted to see more. It may seem weird to you, but I needed to see more. "It seems strange to me," Isabel said to me, annoyed. "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. She thinks I like to take photos. For me the interesting photos of Ecuador are not the Americanized things. The interesting photos are the different things that catch my eye. Malls, luxurious buildings or rich people are things I can find in the United States. In my trip and in my photos I have tried to capture what is unusual, what is different, what strikes me. My conversation with Isabel was long, but in the end she understood my point of view and I understood hers. We hugged each other and we became friends. And so we continued for the few days I had left in Ecuador. Two days before flying to the United States, my cousins ​​organized a farewell party. I have to admit that I have never felt so popular in my life. I will never forget that party. I told everyone, "My house is your house," because I really wanted them to come to California so I could be as kind to them as they had been to me. To keep in touch we exchanged e-mail addresses

Chapter 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 began to see the world through different eyes. I found beauty everywhere, for example in the shape and color of an autumn leaf, the grace with which a squirrel moves or the expression on the faces of my friends when they laugh. I started reading about photography. Occasionally, I would see exhibitions of photographers and started practicing more and more. My mom was very happy and said it was not unusual for a teenager like me have much interest in art. I decided that this was to be my career; I wanted to study photography in college. My dad was not happy with the idea. He said there are too many people who are dedicated to photography and do not earn a penny. My mother, however, thought that I should devote myself to what I liked. She said that the person who demonstrates professionalism and originality always does well. My dad was not convinced and reminded me that when I was a kid I said wanted to be a lawyer like him. To him, it would be a waste that a guy who had such good grades like me, is a "simple photographer". One day I discovered on the Internet a youth photography competition. I thought it was an excellent opportunity. I did not know if I would win the contest or not, but I dreamed that I would get the reward and finally my dad would believe in me. I commented on the contest to my mom. She said I should definitely participate, but we thought it best to keep it secret. My dad did not have to know anything. So, if I won, we gave a surprise to him, and if I didn't win, it was okay. A week later my mom made me a proposal that impressed me. She talked about Uncle Andrew, who is a distant cousin who married an Ecuadorian woman. Now Uncle Andrew and his wife Carolina live in Ecuador and have two children about the same age as me. My mom suggested that I spend a summer in Ecuador with this family. According to my mom, it would be a great opportunity to practice Spanish and also to take great photos. She thinks, and I agree, that when you go to a new place, you notice details that others do not notice and you can take great pictures. It was a difficult decision because my summers were great. In summer, I rested and I relaxed, spent time with my friends, watched TV, listened to music and I got to go on the Internet. My parents and I had traveled abroad a few times, like to Europe. I just never thought I'd travel to a country like Ecuador.

Chapter 4

Photography was something I was very interested in, and yes, I took lots of pictures, but in fact none of them seemed special to me. They were photos taken in Ecuador but they were exactly the same as the photos I could take in California. And I had definitely 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 from the time of the colony, that is, of the sixteenth century. I took many pictures. I had not been in an equal place before. The churches were so old and enlightened and my cousins ​​told me legends as we walked the place. I was enchanted and I realized that I needed to go to the country. The center of the city was so different to the north. What other surprises could Ecuador give me? I was determined. The next weekend, we were going to take a walk so I could take pictures of the country. In addition the family 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 to do it, but his English was better than my Spanish, so the conversation ended in English. The same thing happened to Maria Ferdinand, my girlfriend. I came to the conclusion that it was best to talk to someone who had no idea of ​​English and realized that there were two people in the house with whom I could practice Spanish. The maids spoke Spanish, but even though they treated me with a lot of 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, 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. While I was helping 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 her three children. Juana was 22 years old, a solitary mother, working in the morning at my uncles' house, and at night she went to a school in Buenos Aires. It was terrible, but in three weeks of being in Ecuador, I had totally ignored these women and only then had contact with them. Their behavior was so different from the behavior of the other Ecuadorians I had met. It was like they were ashamed that I was there with them. Isabel and Maria Fernanda arrived at the house just when 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 then Isabel told me something that bothered me very much. She told me that I should not mix with the servants. This comment was like a blow to me. I felt very bad, as if I accidentally had done something wrong. I just happened to say that I need to practice Spanish. Isabel made another comment that left me even more surprised. She said my girlfriend. Surely she thought it was ridiculous that I was mingling with the maids. Then I thought, "What's wrong with me?" And I asked Isabel and she tested me. It's the servitude. That conversation with my cousin awoke me from 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 poverty. My cousins ​​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 to 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 shops cost a lot of money, but there were street vendors, under sun or rain amid smog selling cheap goods and making a living. There were guards armed throughout the city to look after buildings and commercial premises, because of course there was poverty and robbery. Everything my cousins ​​showed me and what they were proud of was the Americanized thing about Ecuador: friends, clubs, shopping malls. That's why my photos were nothing interesting.

Chapter 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 tenderly and asked me, "In the United States is it good taste to leave people waiting two and a half hours?" Oh no! Two hours and half! I had not noticed. I asked them a thousand apologies and I promised that this would never happen again. "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 I did not impose them, I wanted to stay longer and I could take a bus back to Quito the next day. My aunt told me no. She told me it could be dangerous, that I am her guest and that she has a responsibility to my parents. I want to stay! I insisted. Nothing dangerous here. My aunt sighed and, again, she said no. She said if I stayed, someone had to stay 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 very afternoon I had to go back to Quito and felt like a fool. Not only did I lose my wallet with a few dollars, I also lost my credit card and I realized that my aunt was right, she can be dangerous. Carlos, Isabel, and my aunt were sure that someone stole my wallet without me noticing it. Carlos told me that there are very skilled thieves and that the "gringos", like me, are very innocent and thieves know that and then take advantage. My aunt said that luckily they did not steal my passport. On the way to Quito I talked 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 never had met a girl with a look like that. A photo of Carmen was perfect for 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 trip to Otavalo served me to understand that that small country called Ecuador had much to offer and I was losing it. I wanted to see more things, meet more people.

Chapter 11

When I returned to California, I had the sensation 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 experiences were something that no one would ever be able to take away from me in my life. I thanked my mom for having such a brilliant idea and motivating me to know that beautiful country. I decided that I would definitely return to Ecuador, and also decided that I wanted to know more countries and travel the world by taking photos. And to finish this story I want to tell you the good news and 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 I took Carmen, but I did with the last photo I took In Ecuadorian territory. It was an unexpected thing. Before I entered the airport, a child came up to me for charity and I saw Carmen's eyes, the same brown skin and round face. I felt a lot of tenderness and while the boy held out his hand to ask, I took a picture of him and then gave him some money. I thought the photo was good, but when I saw it on my computer, I loved the photo. 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 e-mail, I keep in touch with them. They also send me the Spanish music that is fashionable there and they tell me that they miss me a lot. I will never forget the tears of my cousin Isabel at the airport. Of one thing I am sure and it is that my cousins I will see again. Maybe they will visit me here in the United States. I keep in touch with Carmen too. We wrote letters. The letters take longer to arrive, but I like it because I practice my Spanish. They are long messages and I put more feeling. She tells me about her studies and her work. She tells me of her dreams and her desire to travel. I hope we continue to write and that someday we will see each other again. END

Chapter 2

When sitting on the plane to Ecuador, I was a little scared. I did not know if the decision had been the right to travel. But I had seen pictures and videos of Ecuador and it seemed like a great country. It was almost unbelievable that a country so small could have different types of climates at the same time. Ecuador is: the mountains, which is part of the Andes Mountains, the coast, it's beautiful tropical beaches, jungle, which is part of the Amazon, and on top of that, the amazing Galapagos Islands are also part of Ecuador. My Uncle Andrew and his family were happy to meet me. That too was an adventure because I only remember very little of my uncle's face. And it was the first time in my life I would live in the house of a family that was not mine. The trip was long, but I had fun taking pictures from the plane. The clouds also had very interesting forms. When I finally arrived, my heart started beating fast. I realized indigenous factions in most people. While it is true that in Ecuador there is a small black population and indigenous people, the bulk of Ecuadorians are mestizos are the result of the mixing that occurred more or less 500 years between the Spanish conquistadors and the indigenous natives. Most mestizos have obvious brown skin and Indian features, but there are also white-skinned mestizos and eyes. My Spanish was not perfect, but enough to communicate with customs officials without problem. My uncle Andrew and his family were waiting for me at the airport. "WELCOME DANIEL," read a sign and it was easy to tell they were relatives because my uncle was perfect "gringo" and his two sons, Ferdinand and Isabella, also looked very white as well. Carolina, the wife looked mestizo. It was easy to distinguish this family of white people as among mestizos 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 culture shock. I got red of shame after receiving their kisses. Then I realized that in Ecuador, as in other Latin American countries, women are greeted with a kiss on the cheek and men greet each other well. Men, however, are given a handshake. No kissing. Leaving the airport I had my second culture 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 gum. In California, I had never seen that children were working in the street or asking for charity. I felt sorry and it seemed unfair. I had recommended reaching Quito, Ecuador's capital, the first few days rest. By height, Quito is the second highest capital in the world. It is at 2,850 meters above the sea level. The highest is capital La Paz in Bolivia. Quito is a city built on the slopes of a volcano in the chain of the Andes Mountains, called Pichincha. The Pichincha is an active volcano! A few years ago threw so much ash that covered the city. Luckily Quitenos just had to clean up the city and there was no major problem. When we arrived at my uncle's house it was like being back in the United States. Both Fernando and Isabel had their own computer, the TV 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 bigger than the house 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 (Meow) and a dog named Loco (Crazy). Nobody in the family cooked, cleaned the house or took care of pets. They had two maids who were in charge of all the household chores. My uncle had money and was surrounded by luxury. My mom told me that Uncle Andrew was working for an oil company and earning a lot of money, I figured out that much. It was interesting to be there in that rich house and I wondered how my time would be in Ecuador with that family? Definitely very different from what I imagined. What kind of pictures I could take?

Chapter 9

When we got back 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 driver, to take me. So I went for the last time to try to find Carmen's eyes full of emotion. I waited at the exit of her school and saw many faces similar to hers, but my heart was beating, thinking that the girl on the boat had lied to me. But she did not lie because Carmen was there laughing with a friend as they walked to the exit door. I approached her and when she saw me, she was very frightened and said in a worried way "I promise you that I had nothing to do with stealing your wallet." I smiled and said, "I know that. "So, what are you doing here?" she asked, and at that moment I invited her to eat something. "I have to go back to my house soon. I can only stay for a little while," she told me. Since she could not stay long, we went to a place where they were selling 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 said that doing that was very silly because then I was going to think she was an accomplice to the robbery. She also realized that the best thing would have been to convince her friend to give me back my wallet, but it was too late. Carmen saw that I spoke with much contempt and much anger of her friend and said, "My friend is called Antonia and is not a bad girl. What happens is that her older sister is very sick. She has cancer and treatment is very expensive. It is difficult to pay a good doctor and hospitals. 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 my Ecuadorian cousins ​​who lived in their glass bubble. But I thought that my life was different and much easier than the lives of people like Carmen. I thought in a way I also lived in a glass bubble in United States. Carmen was the older sister of four brothers. To keep the family, her mother worked all day in a loom factory. Carmen's father had long since abandoned the family and financially for nothing. That's why Carmen had to work to help with the expenses of the house. She told me 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 allows her to go to school in the evenings. In the work on the plantations there is a risk of getting sick, because a lot of chemicals are used. But it is a job where money is earned, so despite the risk, Carmen works in 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 tech toys: the cell phone, the computer, the iPod, and the digital camera. When I was not studying at school, I would probably be resting, laughing with my friends, or playing video games. Carmen did not stay long with me. She told me that her mother was very strict and that if she took too long to get home, she would have problems. I said goodbye to her, but before I asked her to let me take some pictures of her. A little embarrassed, she agreed. I realized that she accepted because 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 was sorry that I had not met her any 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 Ecuador exports a lot of flowers and that the plantations give work to many people. Carlos also told me about his life and the lives of the people of his country, and gave me his views on politics. I really enjoyed being able to talk to him as well and feel like we could be friends. After arriving in Quito, I saw Carmen's eyes everywhere: in the guard who watches over my uncles' house; in the eyes of Rosa and Juana, the maids who work in the house, and the street children who sell candy or flowers. Communication with Carmen was difficult because she did not have a telephone. And do not even think about a cell phone. She lives a different life. I thought about her all the time. When I saw my cousins ​​and their friends dressed in brand-new clothes and shoes, I remembered Carmen, her humility and her poverty.