Spring break is only a short five days away. You can hear the excitement in the air. Tufts students are buying sunscreen, pulling their bathing suits out from the bottom of their drawers, and getting ready to fly to exotic locations - Puerto Rico, The Bahamas, Cancun, Dominican Republic, Jamaica... take your pick.
Next week, all of these places will be flooded with thousands of college kids seeking the "paradise" promised to them in a glossy brochure featuring bronzed bikini-clad blondes sipping alcohol from coconuts and couples grinding on top of bars. And all for a bargain price.
I'm not here to rain on your parade. Everyone needs to relax, and what better place to do it than a white sand beach with cheap drinks, right? I only would like to point out how glaringly absent from these brochures depicting sun-filled, fun-filled paradises are any references to the people who actually live in them year-round - people who don't view life on the islands as one long, drunken, sun-soaked fiesta. People who work to keep your air conditioner running and your glasses filled. People who clean up your vomit from the night before while you sleep off your hangover on the beach. People who work all day in your $100 a night resort to make $100 in a month.
Most tourists fail to realize that just because they're going to a country and spending money there, it doesn't necessarily mean that these funds are helping out the average citizen. Yes, many of the Caribbean economies largely depend on their tourist industries. Yes, when you buy a plastic hula dancer keychain for your little sister, that money is going into the country's economy. Yes, many people are employed because of travelers like you and your spring break accomplices.
But, despite the millions of dollars made each year in the tourist industries, many countries in the Caribbean remain poverty-stricken. A lack of resources and under-development of other sectors beyond the sun and sand make subservience to wealthy, white foreigners the basis for entire economies. The majority of citizens never see a dime of your American money.
The isolated nature of most touristy vacation spots ensure that most locals have little to no contact with foreign visitors at all, and maybe if you took a second to step outside of your all-inclusive resort, your mile-long pool, or your air-conditioned tour bus, you might actually come face to face with - gasp - the realities of the country's culture.
Yes, I know what you're thinking. You're rolling your eyes and discounting me as another crazy Tufts liberal ranter, but hear me out. I'm not suggesting you spend your spring break in the slums of Kingston or donating all your work-study money to the poor.
All I'm asking is that everyone keep his and her eyes open this spring break. Maybe learn a little about the country's history before getting on the plane. Think twice about which tour company you book your snorkeling adventure with. One may be run by Americans. One may be run by Americans who hire locals and then pay them disproportionately. One may be completely managed, owned and run by locals. Pick the latter.
Try and learn at least a couple words in the language of the country you visit. It may seem very small, but showing that you're at least attempting to respect and understand the culture you are in can make all the difference. Tip. And look around. Who are the hotel managers and night-club owners? Who are the bus-boys and hotel maids? Try and talk to someone who lives there, or even someone who (God forbid) is older than 22.
Be aware that you are visitors wherever you go and it is your responsibility to treat these countries and their citizens with the utmost respect. At the very least, try to see the Caribbean beyond its beaches and acknowledge that life for locals is a reality distinct from your vacation of surfing and Happy Hour.