Travel is a luxury and I feel that it always has been. In the economy that we are in, at least in America, I can say that the expense to travel is enough to show what a luxury it is. I wouldn’t necessarily say it is a right because if it were then everyone should be granted that right, and some people aren’t. Some people are in predicaments where they are stuck in one place, and could risk getting deported if they leave the country they are in. Some people want to leave, but they cannot due to external circumstances that are not in their control, or not their fault. This is why I believe that travel cannot be a right. I do feel that it is to an extent a responsibility, but at the same time it cannot be expected of every person if it is such a luxury, and a privilege.
I feel that being abroad as an American has been a very interesting experience, especially in a place where I couldn’t speak the language fluently. I felt very out of place in a way that was a step up from how I felt in America. Since I grew up in a predominantly white area, I am used to being the only person of color in a room. It actually felt like a culture shock to not be the only poc in the room once I came to college. So in that aspect, traveling isn’t uncomfortable for me. What did make it harder was not being able to speak Spanish. I think that is what truly pushed my experience to be a huge culture shock. The language barrier is what made me feel out of place, and it was the first time in my life where I was in a place that I couldn’t speak the language the way I wanted to. I think it was an essential experience for me to have as a tourist. I am glad I was able to push out of my comfort zone more. I feel like learning about colonialism and tourism while being a tourist felt very weird and uncomfortable. I didn’t want to be seen like a tourist because it felt embarrassing, even though thats exactly what I was. It is a shame to see people in the film cannibal tours behaving and acting the way they did. I wanted to act like I was better but in a way I feel that we are all implicitly doing things that we probably shouldn’t be doing without even thinking about it. I am very appreciative of the way that we were treated as tourists in Merida. I don’t think we deserved the special treatment but I am grateful for it.
Visiting Chichen itza was when I felt most like the typical tourist. It felt so wrong being there when I knew that I was amongst the very crowd of tourists that I am sure the locals resented for many reasons. Walking past all the vendors trying to support their family’s selling goods to tourists made me feel a responsibility to spend money. It was the least I could do for being allowed to visit. Even though I did buy something, it still felt like I needed to buy more. Learning about how the local Mayan people still had to pay to visit this Chichen Itza felt aggravating. It reminded me of when we watched the Florida Project, and how the people that had to deal with the outskirts of this tourist attraction couldn’t even afford to experience Disney. Also hearing about how part of the Maya Train project is planning to build hotels right next to Chichen Itza and Uxmal was also heartbreaking.
My perspective on Europe’s relationship to the rest of the hemisphere has changed drastically since this trip. there is a lot of history about the Maya people in Mexico that I was never educated on. It was fascinating to learn about the colonization of Maya civilization and how it was even somewhat parallel to US history. The play that we saw by Christi Uicab was eye opening with the way she presented the story of her name and learning to love her culture and heritage. I was surprised to learn about how Maya people were treated differently simply based on the way they looked. It really comes to show that history all around the world is somewhat parallel and it does repeat itself.
In conclusion, I feel that I have learned so much in this past month about colonialism, and the history of the Yucatan peninsula. It is something that I have never learned before and I am truly appreciative and grateful for the opportunity to be fully immersed in the area while learning about it. It was an unforgettable experience and I have learned a lot that I will be applying into my life going forward.
