What is the English translation for chapter 2 in Los ojos de Carmen?

Answer 1

Carmen's Eyes

Chapter One

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.

Answer 2

Chapter Two

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 my parents because my uncle was perfect "gringo" and his two sons, Ferdinand and Isabella, also looked very white as. 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 Meow and a dog named Crazy. Nobody in the family cooked, cleaned the house or took care of pets. They had two employees 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, but I figured as 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?

Answer 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 had 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 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 Yes. 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 Elizabet Isabel. I met some: Maria Verónica, Maria Cristina, Maria Belén, Maria Gloria. Of all those Marias 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?

Answer 4

You can't really expect somebody to translate an entire chapter for free. See if you find an existing translation somewhere. If you don't, you can hire somebody to do the translation for you. For example, you might hire somebody via ODesk or ELance. Typical prices for translations vary between about 1 and 5 cents a word. If that is too expensive for you, you can use Google Translate or a similar free online translation service. This won't achieve a high-quality translation, but you might be able to get the general idea.

Answer 5

Capitulo cinco, the eyes of Carmen.

Answer 6

B