Okay Toronto. the blog assignment is... do you consider yourself a tourist or traveller?
now, i got this assignment in the middle of the summer and STILL have no come up with an answer. SO, I think i'm gonna be diplomatic and say, "I'm a traveller who enjoys tourist attractions". I think this best suits me because to me, a traveller is someone who understands their responsibility as a global citizen and is concerned with knowing the stories behind the fascade, even though sometimes its fun to revel in the spectacle of tourist attractions. I'm only human and going on camel rides and nightly dance shows ARE FUN! so there.
It's hard to explain but i feel like in the village, where i had my extended stay, I was a traveller. I had the time to listen to stories and get a good hold of how the community functioned. I think when I left the village to do our Masai Mara and Mombasa trip, I was more of a tourist. Not that I didn't engage in conversations with the locals, but they didn't know me and knew I was only there for a few days. We held eachother at arm's length.
I think now that i've come back it's easier to say i'm a traveller because the people i talk to are really impressed with the fact i know so much about the people i lived around. But i may still consider myself a tourist because i don't know any whole truths. At the end of it all, i'm still and outsider and that in itself created a divide between me and the Kenyans I formed friendships with, be it for 3 months or a week.
I STILL don't know... what do you think?
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LOL I liked how you phrased it! "a traveller who enjoys tourist attractions!" I think anyone that travels always wants to enjoy some sort of tourist attraction! Ain't no denying it! But seriously, without seeing the attractions I don't think anyone would be able to fully appreciate how fortunate they truly are (maybe its possible that you've seen more of Kenya, then the ordinary indigenious person themself?). You would never be able compare and contrast where you stayed vs. the attractions vs. what is here, at home without seeing the fun stuff. And the fact that you reflected makes the biggest difference. To determine if you are a traveller or a tourist, I think it really depends on what a person's motive and purpose was for going on a particular trip. For a lot of people who are tourists, I think most of them just want to be able to say, "yeah i went to so and so". Sure, they could be among the locals, but do they come back a little wiser, and a little more humble? Or do they come back a little more arrogant? I know our talk was very short the last time we met, but the fact that you have so much to share, and so much to advocate for makes me believe that you are definitely not an ordinary tourist. That's cause ur a traveller that enjoys tourist attractions. ;) lol god im corny.
ReplyDeleteSandy!