PS Mexico: Loco por ti

Part of my morning routine is to have my yogurt and toast or yogurt and pastry (with water, with Silvia thinks is really weird) and then to go back upstairs to put on my make-up. On my powder is a small green sticker in the shape of a heart that states “loco por ti”, or “crazy for you”. I got the sticker from one of the many children who are working at all hours of the day in Mexico City. I was riding home on the subway around 9:00 or 9:30, about as late as I feel safe riding the subway alone, when a small girl of 7 or 8 hops on the metro with a boy of 12 or 13, maybe her big brother. The girl is dirty, her eyes are very tired and her shoulders are drooped. She is here to work. This is the second time that I’ve seen this poor girl who, instead of playing with dolls or pretending to be a Disney princess, is trying to earn a small income so that she can eat. She passes out stickers to every forth or fifth person on the subway, which takes a few minutes because the subway is a big car. Next she goes around with a small dirty plastic cup to ask for money. I don’t usually give money to beggars…but I gave this poor girl a ten peso coin which is the same as a US dollar. I kept the sticker to remind myself to be grateful for all that I have.