Edison, 12 years old,  was a  boy I happened to meet while walking around Quito´s many plazas in the historical center. After roaming around the colonial area of Quito I wound up right in the middle of the Plaza Grande, right across from the Presidential Palace and just a few meters from the main cathedral where I took a seat  to pack up my camera gear.  I saw a group of about 3 kids dressed in torn jeans, bleach stained t shirts, sporting paint speckled faces and dirty hands hanging out next to me under the shade of the palm tree. The kids got my attention because there was something different about them, their expressions were grave and and almost void of any signs of childhood  as they spoke about how business was that day, how much money they had made and other concerns that would have never struck me when I was their age.   They looked more like stressed salespeople on a cigarette break than any kids I had ever known growing up in Chicago.  Even last year when I was an English teacher in South Korea, where kids are in school 6 days a week and have class until about 9 pm each night, the children weren’t nearly as stressed as these children at the Plaza Grande appeared to be.  I proceeded to greet them with a quick “Hola” and began to make small talk, eventually asking them about their work.   Only Edison  seemed interested in whatever I had to say while the other 2 boys, 13-year old Eddy and 16-year old Franklin seemed more concerned about their next shoe shine than my questions.  I offered to buy them some cold cokes for their time and they were in.

Edison like countless boys his age makes a living every day carrying around his shine box and shining shoes for about 40 cents a pop.  At any given time throughout the day in Quito´s plazas you will run into these children, at first it doesn´t phase you that there are so many of them making the rounds until you realize this is usually the time they, boys aged 7-17,  should be in school learning about math, science and language, not roaming the streets for work.   Or should they? As I learned from the boys, many of them came from large families where their small contribution of about 3 dollars a day went towards helping put food on the table, clothes on the backs of the younger siblings and helping with other expenses in the household.  When does this leave time for school? For being a kid? For playing soccer in the street?  Edison, who came from a family of 8, found the time to attend night school where he loves math class and hopes to one day be an accountant.  I asked how much they usually made in a day and they told me that if they made enough to purchase a $1.50 almuerzo, a fixed meal served at many local restaurants, then it was a good day.  I asked them which was the best plaza to work since Quito has so many in  its Old Town to which they replied Plaza Grande.  I also asked about their hours of business and was surprised to hear that it was 7 days a week, averaging about 8 hours a day.

A walk around the plazas  of  Quito would definitely reveal that this life is a reality for many children not only in Ecuador but in many Latin American countries as they shine shoes, sell handicrafts, cigarettes, candies or perform at traffic lights for tips.  I really enjoyed my  conversation with the boys as they reminded me of my own father, who was just a little younger than Edison, when he was also called to help support his family doing a variety  of jobs around town in a small town in Mexico during the 1950′s.  My dad has always been a hard worker, like these boys he shined shoes, he made  leather sandals, and worked so that he could provide for his younger brother and sister.  I could see these kids weren’t too lazy to go to school, just as my father wasn’t, they were just dealt a tough hand in life and were doing the best they could to make life better for others.  They have to make adult decisions while still juggling a full time job and taking elementary school subjects at night.  The kids I had the opportunity meet were bright and articulate and full of potential to succeed.  They demonstrate maturity, responsibility and leadership as they wake up day after day to make ends meet. I just hope that they continue with their studies and give themselves all the necessary tools to make a way for themselves in life.

We sat in the plaza for a good 15 minutes while they got me to agree to let them shine my shoes.  I was wearing an old pair of Chuck Taylors that were falling apart but for the stake of the story I complied and they got to work.  Word to the wise, never get you Chuck Taylors shined, ever because they come out looking pretty bad.  As I spoke to my new shoeshine friend, a group of other kids formed around us and started asking me questions.  At their request, I agreed to take Edison and his 2 buddies out to lunch and we dined on french fries, colas, and fried chicken.