Enjoying being a tourist in Israel.
Admittedly, I roll my eyes at tourists. While living in Ireland, I even spoke with an Irish accent to avoid being mistaken for one. Every time I travel, I intentionally forego my white tennis shoes, and I find a guidebook that is unassuming and plain. (Generally, I tuck a guidebook into my purse, and only open it while no one is looking). I brush past slow tourists, and take photos covertly, keeping my camera at my waist rather than up near my face.
But I am beginning to understand that tourists are a good thing. Sure, tourists mean an increased GDP. But more than that, I love seeing local tourists–tourists who explore their own countries.
If 2/3 of Americans don’t have passports, that means that Americans are exploring America on their vacation time. We have disposable income to travel within our own country. In Asia, when climbing Mt. Fuji, I discovered that submitting the mountain is not only a touristy thing to do, but that it is a touristy Japanese thing to do. At the end of the trek, I was surrounded by probably 2,000 Japanese climbers, all enjoying a part of their own country. I have sunned myself on Spanish beaches, where the dozens of Spaniards around me put my pale skin to shame. A country with its own home-grown tourists means a wealthy country.
Conversely, while enjoying a safari resort in Kenya, I looked around and saw lots of plump Europeans. The only Kenyans in sight were the ones serving us our mango juice. The Ghanaian coast beach resort that I spent a night at was filled with white guests and black employees.
Tourism is a good thing. But even more, tourism with local tourists is a wonderful thing. It is a sign that the country is supporting itself. It is a sign that the people of a country believe in their landscape, and that they are proud of their surroundings.
I love tourists. Tourists mean hope for the future.
Only 1/3 of Americans have one. Much of the world wants one. My passport is my most prized possession.
I watched “Meet the Press” this morning, and saw Bill and Melinda Gates discussing their foundation’s philanthropic investments that advance research on HIV/AIDS and promote ARVs (antiretroviral drugs) in Africa. I wish we could all be Bill and Melinda Gates. But I was convicted this morning as I watched the interview and concurently read in the newspaper that Tuesday marks the 21st “World AIDS Day.” I am doing very little to address HIV/AIDS.
As I shift my thoughts toward turkey and stuffing and gravy and green beans and pumpkin pie and cranberries and abundance, I cannot help but think of those that have none. The almost three billion people who live on less than $2 per day have a difficult time getting enough food.
Ahmadinejad spoke the above words on Tuesday night, seeking to pressure Obama into choosing between the two countries. In the same press conference, he declared that capitalist exceses had caused the globaleconomic crisis, as interest paid on investments are considered usury by most muslim sects. Ahmadinejad did not mention his own, perhaps independently struggling economy, nor did he discuss nuclear issues.
Angelina and Brad. Madonna. Matt Damon. Even Paris Hilton has jumped on board. Philanthropy has become increasingly attractive. Not trying to be cynical here, but I am pretty sure that helping the poor is the new black. In an era of corporate social responsibility (which has remained despite financial downturn), of celebrities adopting babies from impoverished countries, and even of local coffee shops promoting “fairly traded” coffee, helping the poor has blossomed into a cultural imperative.
What sounds like a jingle from the 1950s has actually become a very powerful slogan for women’s rights in India. I always wondered if women would begin to gain a foothold in status when the population of sex-selected children were able to marry. Now the disproportionately low number of women can advocate to have their voices heard. Women can afford to be choosy when selecting a husband, and the government of India has capitalized on that luxury.
