This article came up on my Facebook newsfeed today and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/themes/big-trips/in-defence-of-the-tourist-trail/
While studying abroad this semester, I’ve come across this idea of “being a tourist” on many occasions. Many have said they want to feel like they truly live in this city and don’t want to act like a tourist – but what does this really mean? I could change my location on Facebook to say I live in “Santiago de Chile” and say that I’m living here for four months, but at the end of the day I’m still a blonde gringa from los Estados Unidos with a clearly non-native accent. I’m doing my best to see parts of Santiago that aren’t just in the three busiest neighborhoods and ask questions of the local people in an effort to immerse myself into life in Santiago. I also really like taking pictures, however, and I’ll risk seeming like a “tourist” if it means I can snap some really cool shots of a beautiful church in Santiago center for me to look back on years from now. I also really like traveling, and Chile is home to some of the most beautiful places for doing just that – they just happen to be popular with other travelers, as well. So I’m trying to find a happy medium: I have an address in Santiago and a Chilean cell phone, and soon I’ll be receiving my Chilean ID. But I also stare at the Andes mountains while on the train to school more than anyone else in Santiago and I’m going to continue to take a ton of pictures at every new places I visit. Here’s to being a touresident!
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/themes/big-trips/in-defence-of-the-tourist-trail/
While studying abroad this semester, I’ve come across this idea of “being a tourist” on many occasions. Many have said they want to feel like they truly live in this city and don’t want to act like a tourist – but what does this really mean? I could change my location on Facebook to say I live in “Santiago de Chile” and say that I’m living here for four months, but at the end of the day I’m still a blonde gringa from los Estados Unidos with a clearly non-native accent. I’m doing my best to see parts of Santiago that aren’t just in the three busiest neighborhoods and ask questions of the local people in an effort to immerse myself into life in Santiago. I also really like taking pictures, however, and I’ll risk seeming like a “tourist” if it means I can snap some really cool shots of a beautiful church in Santiago center for me to look back on years from now. I also really like traveling, and Chile is home to some of the most beautiful places for doing just that – they just happen to be popular with other travelers, as well. So I’m trying to find a happy medium: I have an address in Santiago and a Chilean cell phone, and soon I’ll be receiving my Chilean ID. But I also stare at the Andes mountains while on the train to school more than anyone else in Santiago and I’m going to continue to take a ton of pictures at every new places I visit. Here’s to being a touresident!