When she was eight, Shakira's father declared bankruptcy. While the details were sorted out, Shakira stayed with relatives in Los Angeles. On returning to Barranquilla, Shakira was shocked to find that much of what her parents owned had been sold; as she later said "In my childish head, this was the end of the world." To show her that things could be worse, Shakira's father took her to a local park to see orphans who lived there, sniffing glue. The images stayed with her and Shakira said to herself "one day I’m going to help these kids when I become a famous artist."
