The PCV Tourist

     This is what I mean, and please excuse my frankness:
     (I have to preface this by saying that I recently read something similar on another PCV's blog. So kudos to them.)
     There are many types of tourists in this world. But for the purpose of this blog, I'm going to put them in 3 categories:

     #1: There are the all-inclusive-cruise-ship-passenger tourists. Who will book a 4-7 day trip where everything is included for a one-time fee including airfare. These tourists arrive at their destination, while a local will be waiting with drink in hand, ready to serve them. Many of these same tourists, not all, will be the same people who will readily list off all the destinations they've traveled to around the world.
     But where have they really been? In my opinion, this tourist has paid an expensive plane ticket to hear different looking people speak with a funny accent so that said tourist can go back to their master list of Destinations Traveled and check one more off. Sure, it may be that they’ve seen the actual landscape of the country, and experienced its warm tropical weather and fine beaches. But culture? I’m not so sure about that. They've never seen those different looking people in any outfit outside of that ridiculous costume the resort makes them wear. They've never been to their home or ate at their table. They haven't heard them truly laugh, or met their mother, or understand what their daily life consists of. Yet, they will tell you they've been to Thailand, to Indonesia, AND South Africa.
     Really? Have you really been there? I have to admit that this conversation can be quite frustrating:
Bob: Jamaica? You're doing the Peace Corps in Jamaica? 
Me: Yep. Jamaica it is.
Bob: I've been there. 
Me: Oh yeah, when? Where did you go? 
Bob: Oh, my wife and I took a Caribbean Cruise for our 15th wedding anniversary. You wouldn't believe the food on that ship! Anyway, we had a stop in Jamaica. 
Me: Oh. Where'd you go? 
Bob: Oh, in Ocho Rios for the day. Man, those Rastas are HILARIOUS. 
Me: Yeah. Cool.
When what I really want to say is: Bob, let's be honest for a moment. Yes, you have physically been to Jamaica. And if you want to tell people that, then that's fine. But just between you and me, we both know that you have never really, truly experienced Jamaica. 

     Okay, tourist #2. These are the people who would prefer that I call them travelers and not tourists, because they hate that word: tourist. These are the backpackers, the hostellers, the ones who don’t rent a car, but use public transportation. Usually when they travel, it’s for longer periods of time, at least a month. They use Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide to help them experience more, and usually will try to read up on the country they are visiting beforehand. Most of them truly try to get to know the culture in which they are traveling. Many of these travelers have been to a local’s home and dined at their dinner table, they even still keep in touch with some they’ve met along the way. They acknowledge the carbon footprint left behind by their favorite pastime, but they can’t help themselves. They love to see the world. Plus, don’t they lead a pretty conscientious lifestyle otherwise?

     Category #3: The Peace Corps Tourist. That’s us. I mean, we definitely live here. We eat much of the same food our neighbors do. We live off of the same budget that they do. We wash our clothes by hand. We haven’t taken a hot shower in months. We ‘small up’ in the taxis. We are affected by the local politics. For 26 months, we do all this and more. We live as our neighbors, our community and as our Jamaican families do.
     But that’s just it. For only 26 months. This isn’t the whole of my life. Come May 2012, we’ll be moving on to our next adventure. So, no matter what hardships we may face in the PC as a result of living the lifestyle that much of the developing world does, in 2 years it’s over. We all know that. And besides, if we really just couldn’t live without Nutty-Butty bars or rechargeable batteries, our parents can and will send them in the mail. (Thanks guys!)
     The beautiful thing about PC is that for 26-28 months, we move to a country and live like the host country nationals do. We don’t go to work every day and then return back to our protected housing compound, or dine at our favorite restaurant every Friday night while we share our cultural stories over a glass of red wine. But I don’t want to kid myself all the same. Because the future I’m facing is not the future my neighbors are facing. The possibilities for me are not the same as my community. And if it just gets too tough, I can decide to go home, to my personal vehicle, college degree, financially stable family, and boxes of things now residing in Judy’s basement. My Jamaican family doesn’t have that option. If it gets too tough, well, they just ‘deal widit’.
     I do realize that all of us have different motives for travel, some for the beach or scenery and others for the culture or travel hardships. Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that no one should ever travel because it’s pointless, or that they’ll never truly understand another culture. No sah. That’s not what I’m saying at all. I think that we should try our darndest to understand other cultures the best we possibly can….I just think that part of this understanding process is the realization that we’ll never truly grasp the whole picture.