Everyone must face the bizarre process that is changing from a child into a grown up. Growing up is often perceived as a simple and carefree period within one´s life; but in actuality, as a teenager in Ecuador, it is fair to say that is a very difficult ordeal.  Growing up is an arduous process; it is a set of phases which are conflicted with contradictions, relations, and emotions.

While one commences the slow and troubled process of becoming an adult, contradictions arrive because of the constant input of concepts and ideas from outside sources. Opinions are constantly altered by the way one is forced to comply with everyone’s different points of view. These views, at least in Ecuador, come from past generations and from those who are around one’s self. Beliefs usually contradict one’s actions, and therefore lead to the creation of teen angst. In Ecuador this is manifested from the large input of information coming from both cultural and outside means. Teenagers in Ecuador are now in liberty to use the internet and see what is going on in the outside world, which is very different from Ecuador’s strictly conservative society; in the sense that foreign ways of thinking are not smiled upon.

Growing up is a process in which interaction is almost unavoidable. This leads to the creation of deeper or lesser understanding between different people. One’s most direct source of contact is of course family. Then, most complicated of all, there is the large social group that is "friends.” In Ecuador, friendship is usually something very superficial. To a degree it is because of the large separation between social classes. There is still no open mindedness enough for there to be communication between people with different wealth. This creates a very disturbing hatred between social classes which may be the main cause of disintegration in the country. Relationships, like friends, are usually based on how well two people will fit in a social class. While growing up, this superficial cultural boundary creates a sense of painful disintegration which is crammed with indescribable hate.

Emotions cloud one’s perception while growing, clogging ideas and spawning situations that may not coalesce directly with one’s understanding. One of these emotions is love. In Ecuador, there still exists a very old perception of what is an acceptable relationship, which usually involves presenting one’s self to the parents of whomever one wants to be with. Another emotion is hate. Hatred makes life confusing and doesn’t allow for one to experience all the joys of the past. In Ecuador, a lot of the higher class is not able to adapt to freedom and responsibility as a lot of kids depend on their parents for everything. This is why it is important to mature fast in Ecuador, as the shock of realizing it too late can leave one really misplaced in the operations of society. Another emotion seen commonly while growing up is depression. This is easily the most complex of all emotions, and accounts for the largest part of the struggle that is growing up. Depression arises from the questioning of the purpose of life, and can only be overcome when one creates his or her own reason to live. Universally, one has to find a purpose to live, and this I feel is the essence of being a teenager.