Carlos and Patrick

Carlos is a 13 year old boy that I met in Peru. This boy had my heart from the first moment I seen him. It was maybe one or two in the morning and my friends and I were out enjoying a night out in Peru. This little boy with a bucket in his hands approach our table. As he gently opens the bucket the smell of Peruvian potatoes hit my nose. "Tu quieres papas?" Carlos asked. I shook my head no as the guy, who is Patrick, begins to dig in his pocket for loose change. Patrick is hungry and Carlos needs the money. I looked at Carlos with sorrow in my eyes and started to wonder why was this little kid out on the dark, dangerous streets of Peru at one in the morning with no parents along his side. I asked him, "Por que estas aqui en le noche con papas?." He said he was trying to make money for his family because his sister was in college. I was so hurt. Why should a child have to worry about something so costly, something that at his age should not be in his head. At his age he should be playing sports, going to school, but yet he is on the streets of Peru. Let this be a realization for the people in the United States. I say that because despite how the people in the States feel about our country know we are a rich country and these third world country try so hard to get what we have even in our "recession" that we so much complain about. There are so many people that wish they had half of the opportunities we have in the States; Free public Education for example. All schooling from preschool on up cost money in Ecuador and Peru. In these countries if you are born poor it is most likely you will remain poor because of the issue with education. If you cannot get into school you go to the streets. You do what you have to do to survive and it breaks my heart to know in the States we have high drop out rates, people running the streets because they feel like its quick money or is better. Take advantage of what we have in the States because it is so many people who wish they could do what we take for granted.I realized this once leaving the country so I wanted to share this information make people aware of what is going on in other countries. As I said before its hard to come up from the poor here in Ecuador and Peru, but I did meet one guy who still is very poor but not as poor as he once was. Yet he is blessed for the things he has. His name is Patrick, the guy who was digging in his pocket for Peruvian potatoes. Patrick story touched me so deep I spent my last two days in Peru with him, and I feel that everyone should hear his story. Patrick is from Lima, Peru. He is twenty-three years old and has a little boy that is one year old, and a wife that he has been separated from for two years now. He currently live in Mancora, Peru which is a beach town for tourist. My heart goes out to Patrick for he is fighter. He left his family in Lima to move to Mancora to make money for his family. He had to come by himself because he knew he would not had been able to provide for his family a place to sleep, food, or any of the essential things in life we sometimes take for granted. In Mancora Patrick started off as a Tut Tut driver. They are the taxi drivers in Mancora. Patrick now working at a bar in a hostal known as PK's has a serious problem. He try's to escape from his everyday troubled mind by doing many things such as drinking too much, and doing cocaine. He tries to smother his problems with these drugs. As we talked I asked him why does he do it to himself he said he has many problems and when he is messed up he does not think about them. I told him that it makes no sense because when you come down from your high the problems will be there waiting for you to solve them. Patrick would tell me I am so much better here I have so much money. I send for my child even if that means I cannot eat. I started to think to myself that is not much money if when you provide for your child you cannot even feed yourself. He said that life for him in Mancora was so much better. How could this be I thought to myself if he was still poor. I went to where Patrick works to find behind a big door a mattress with holes up against a wall. I asked him what was that doing there. He told me that is where he sleeps, no covers, no sheets, no pillows, only a mattress that even a dog would not sleep on. It made me cry inside. Here is this man fighting to come up from nothing and still has nothing. I wanted to take him home with me. He is such a great guy despite the obvious. Sometimes in the States we judge so fast and never get to understand anyone story. I will never forget Patrick or Carlos for they are just two people out of millions that are stuck in an never ending cycle to become more than what they were born with.