Day 8: Looking from the outside vs. inside

Before I receive I have to give. Central Lima

(Be sure to scroll all the way down...the video is the highlight!)

Regular Sunday in central Lima, major street parade, book convention, markets, security everywhere, people staring at me being the giant I am, and the regular comments; "hello honeey!", "yo loov yo!", "ooh gringaa!" simply comes with the territory.

So, I figured I would take my friend Seamus' advice and look into public theaters to get the real scoop on social issues in Lima. It didn't take long until I spotted a park some distance away from the touristic areas with an amphitheater and a crowd of Peruvians running over to listen. So I did too. As soon as I came close, the announcer spotted me and called me out.

"Helooooo!!!" "Gringa come over heeere!!"

he sceamed in spanish, waving with both hands in excitement. And since my friend back home had suggested I listen, I decided to learn by doing. When the announcer asked "Que pais es usted?" I answered, "Soy sueca!" ....and the rest is history!

I am not fluent in Spanish by any means, and understood about half of what was said. However, the jist of things are: Peruvians make fun of the fact that Machu Picchu is the only place people go and visit when in Peru. I think it upsets them, because even though it brings in revenue and importance they say; "It's a RUIN!!!". They laugh at the fact that people will buy anything they make. Painted stones, painted branches anything with paint people will buy. And then, offcourse, there are all the sexual jokes. Most tourists probably don't get to know who the people really are in Peru, instead tourists are so focused on the beauty of material things, anything they can bring home to show their family and friends.

There was a scenario in this public theater when a little kid ran into the center because he had lost his parents. The leader asked me: "Tiene hijos como este en Suecia?" I said; "No, solo los ninos rubios!" and he answered in spanish;

"So if we paint him will you take him home?"

Sometimes all we get when visiting a country is a quick snapshot of the place. In my opinion superficially participating in touristic events and commercial activities hardly counts as having been to the country at all.

Tourism is the soap opera version of real life and not a fair representation of the people. We have to interact with humans as humans to better understand the daily life and real struggles people face if we selflessly care about the place we are visiting.

For example, do you know who plays soccer on Saturdays? Who's place friends crash at after having partied until 8am? If they have health insurance? How do their kids get to school? When we are on vacation in a country we simply don't care about learning these things. We don't stop to listen to the people enough. Instead we are so busy focusing on getting that amazing picture to frame on the wall, only for others to admire how worldy we are. I hope we will step it up, and be humanistic travelers for the sake of evolving a generation of responsible global collaboration.

If we don't, where does that leave a country which is mainly supported by tourism?