The Day I Lost My Aunt - Spain

Transcription

1 Economy & Culture Storybook 22. SPAIN-The Day I Lost My Aunt The Day I Lost My Aunt - Spain Written by Cecil Kim Illustrated by Miguel Tanco Rewritten in English by Joy Cowley big & SMALL

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3 The Day I Lost My Aunt - Spain Written by Cecil Kim Illustrated by Miguel Tanco Rewritten in English by Joy Cowley big & SMALL

4 Today is Saturday, and my Aunt Ana Maria and I are going out together, just the two of us. Aunt Ana Maria said she would treat me because she has got a new job. I am her niece Luisa, eight years old and she is twenty-one, thirteen years older. I don t know why I feel responsible, but when I m with my aunt Ana Maria, it s like I m looking after my little brother Julio.

5 Mom says, Ana Maria, you look after Luisa. She may act grown-up but she s still a child. I know! says my aunt. Don t you think I am capable of looking after one little girl? Mom shakes her head. Not really, she says. I don t know if I can rely on you. Don t worry, Mom, I tell her. We ll be fine. We head towards the busy Barcelona streets.

6 We enter the subway station to take a train downtown. Aunt Ana Maria pays our fare with her transport card. She looks at the timetable and shrieks, Oh no! We have to get that train that just came in! She runs and throws herself in the doors, just as they are closing. It was just as well that I can run as fast, or I would have lost her. A transport card is a ticket that is recharged with a certain amount of money. This card can be used when travelling on the subway, bus or other transport system. It prevents having to find the exact change each time you want to travel on public transport.

7 When we arrived downtown, we had lunch at a pretty outdoor café. I had meat with olives and rice. Aunt Ana Maria ordered *paella and a drink with fruit that had a paper umbrella stuck in it. My aunt gave me her business card with her name on it. I was impressed. Aunt Ana Maria, you must be making a lot of money at your new job. *Paella is a traditional rice dish with fish, shellfish and meat.

8 We ate every bit of our lunch and my aunt looked in her purse for her shiny new credit card. Check, please, she said to the waiter. She signed the receipt for the meal. Again, I was very impressed. When I grow up I want a job to make money like my aunt. A credit card is given to a person by a bank or credit card company. It is given to people who make money and can pay it back. When buying something, or a type of service, instead of paying with money, a person pays with their credit card. The bank or card company pays for the transaction first. Then, after a set period of time, the person pays back the bank or card company.

9 Our next destination was the movie theater. My aunt said, I got this gift certificate for my birthday. It will get us two tickets to see the movie of our choice. We decided to watch Prince Snow White. I wondered what would happen to the prince whose face was white as snow. On a gift certificate is written a certain amount of money. You can purchase an item for the same amount on the gift certificate. You can also pay that amount and buy a gift certificate for someone.

10 Crunch, crunch, crunch! Slurp, slurp, slurp! These were not sounds from the movie. They were my Aunt Ana Maria eating popcorn and drinking soda.

11 As soon as the movie was over, Aunt Ana Maria ran for the washroom. I was not surprised. She had eaten and drunk so much! But where is she go after the washroom. I waited and waited and waited. Aunt Ana Maria, where are you?

12 I lost my aunt!

13 I sat outside the theater and waited but Aunt Ana Maria didn t come. How could this happen? She lost an eight-year old girl at the movie theater! Forget that I was impressed with my aunt. Forget it!

14 A cold wind blew down the street. I saw a police officer on the other side. I had no choice but to ask for help. I put my hands in my pockets and walked towards him. But wait! What was this? It was my aunt s business card with her cell phone number in it.

15 I rushed to a pay phone. Oh rats! I didn t have money. But I met a very kind lady and she lent me her phone card. I dialed my aunt s number. Phone cards are used by either inserting the card into a public pay phone or by punching the number written on the card. You pay a certain amount of money to buy a phone card, then each time you use the card, money is taken off the total amount you paid.

16 Aunt Ana Maria ran to me, breathless. Poor aunt! She had cried so much her eyes were red and swollen. Oh my goodness! Luisa, I m so sorry! I thought I had lost you forever! It s okay, Aunt Ana Maria. Don t cry.

17 On our way back home, my aunt held my hand and didn t let go. Her hand was very warm. I said to her, Oh, Aunt Ana Maria, please don t tell Mom that I lost you at the theater today. She will be so upset with me. I heard my aunt sigh with relief. Okay. I promise I won t tell. Aunt Ana Maria, do you know how much I love you?

18 ABOUT THE STORY ABOUT THE COUNTRY Various Methods of Payment Hello Girls and Boys, I am Luisa from Barcelona, Spain. This story is about the day I couldn t find my Aunt Ana Maria. She wanted to celebrate her new job by taking me to lunch and the movies, and that s when we lost each other. Did you notice the methods of payment, other than cash, that was used this day? Credit cards, gift certificates and phone cards can all be used instead of cash. They may not look like money but they are more convenient, and they should be managed like money. I was very grateful to the lady who let me use her phone card to contact my aunt. Sincerely, Luisa Let s Think Where is money made? What are some methods of payment, other than cash? What is a credit card society, and why is it important to manage your line of credit? SPAIN: Luisa s Homeland Area: 506,030 km2 Capital: Madrid Major Language: Spanish Barcelona, the City of Architecture Spain is located in southwestern Europe between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The country is bordered by France to the north, and to the west, by Portugal. Spain enjoys a diverse cultural heritage that includes Flamenco dancing, bull fights, and is rich in music, art and architecture. Home of Many Famous Artists A few of the many notable painters are Diego Velazquez, Francesco Jose de Goya, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and Salvador Dali. Velazquez was a court painter to the king in the 17th century and Goya was the greatest Spanish painter of the 18th century. Picasso and Dali are two 20th century painters. The Economy of Spain Spain is a highly developed country, advanced in agriculture, textiles, metals, chemicals and tourism industries. Olives are the most famous agricultural product of Spain. High-quality olives are cultivated along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Spanish olives, olive oil and olive products, are marketed world-wide. Barcelona, the second biggest city of Spain, is the birthplace of painter Pablo Picasso and architect Antonio Gaudi. The city is paved with grand architecture everywhere. Parc Guell by Antonio Gaudi

19 ABOUT THE ECONOMY Cash Payment Cash is the most common method of payment. The Korean currency is made in the Central Bank of Korea. The exchange value of the coin or bill is printed on it. Exchange value refers to the quantity of other goods it can purchase. There are variations in ink, paper and metals used in printing money in different countries. Coins and bills of the same value must be consistent in size, weight and shape. Normally, money looks different in each country and has a different name. However, the Euro currency was introduced in 1999 to encourage European integration, by bringing many European countries under a shared currency. What Is a Credit Card? A credit card is a method of payment by which you purchase goods with credit and have the option of paying money at a later time. The Diners Club credit card was the first credit card to be introduced and was issued to customers to use at designated restaurants, allowing them to pay later. Credit card holders pay a membership fee to either the bank or the credit card company. Accumulated interest fees from monthly bill payments, are the profit of the bank or the credit card company. Credit card transactions The Euro, a step towards European integration The Importance of Good Credit Card Standing Credit refers to the trustworthiness that one will repay a borrowed amount of money by a set date. In a credit card society, an individual can purchase goods, even when she/he does not have cash on hands, or borrow money based on credit standing. Although good credit is not tangible, it is important. If an individual uses a credit card but fails to pay the bills, he/she ends up with bad line of credit. The consequences of a bad line of credit include denied issuing of credit cards and difficulties finding employment. On the other hand, financial institutions will be in favor of those with a good line of credit, often lending money at lower interest rates. Methods of Payment Other than cash and credit cards, what are the other methods of payment we use? Public transport passes and telephone cards are methods of payment in advance: you deposit a fixed amount of money and the value of the card decreases with every transaction. Gift certificates are also a method of advance payment, where goods or services of equal value can be purchased. Membership cards issued by many stores or airlines, are also considered a method of payment because points accumulated for every dollar you spend, can be spent in exchange for other goods or services. Korea, a Credit Society Let s Talk! Various methods of payment ABOUT THE ECONOMY Children don t have credit cards, but when they become adults, the credit system will be more dominant. It is very important that we learn about the credit system early, and adopt healthy attitudes to credit. For starters, we must plan and think ahead before deciding to use a credit card. It is so easy to purchase things you don t necessarily need because of the option of paying later. It is more beneficial in the long run, to use one or two credit cards instead of many. You must hold on to your credit card bills for at least a few months. Let s look at the different methods of payment! 1. Look around your house for money from different countries. 2. What methods of payment are used in your house? 3. Look through family credit card bills with your parents. How much was spent on which items? 4. Create your own methods of payment; e.g. vouchers for chores, snack coupons, etc.

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