I have never participated in any international service-learning trips, or travelled to Latin America as a “voluntourist”. In fact, I have yet to set foot anywhere south of the US-Mexican border. That being said, I am truly delighted to be able to travel to Nicaragua this December and engaged in a novel form cross-cultural service and learning. I hope that, with the skills and knowledge I gain in LACS 20, I can make this experience meaningful for both the people of Siuna and for myself.

With regards to tourism, however, I have travelled internationally for the sole purpose of leisure and amusement. During my summer break before college, I flew to China with my family for a month-long vacation. I had live there until I moved to the United States at age 8, and felt pretty confident that I’d fit right in. I couldn’t have been more wrong. While my extended family in Fujian welcomed me with loving embraces, many others (particularly those who sell souvenir in attraction areas) greeted me with gluttonous eyes. To the latter group, I was just a dumb tourist, an unknowing foreigner, and above all, merely a source of revenue. Or at least that’s what they initially perceived me as…

Female doctor who tried to trick us.

That I had moved to the US at an early age did not mean I severed all ties to China. I regularly communicate with family in Fujian and stay up-to-date on the Chinese state of affairs. I was also a Chinese citizen until I turned 18, which isn’t exactly that long ago. Yet when I went back to China, I was made to feel uncomfortable around people of my own race. I specifically remember an awkward encounter with a traditional Chinese shaman/doctor who tried to rip us off. After feeling around my grandpa’s hand for 10 minutes, the doctor listed about twenty things that were wrong with his health. Subsequently, she proceeded to sell us a ridiculously high-priced “traditional” medicine, claiming that this magical elixir was a cure-all for his problems. Hahaha good try. My uncle happens to be a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine and had just given my grandpa a thorough check up a week prior to this. Perfectly healthy. Yet within the span of a week, the female doctor claimed that he had developed chronic diseases including hypertension and diabetes. What upset me the most was that she targeted us “foreigners” and expected us to buy into her almost comical lies. Even if we were non-natives, she should not try to take advantage of us by lying. My family was lucky enough to have insider information and avoided becoming victims. However, I am sure that many of those who came before us fell prey to the doctor and the allures of the unknown.

Don’t get me wrong; I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in China despite of experiences like the one I described above. I’ve broken into the Forbidden City in Beijing and taken selfies with soldiers of the Terracotta Army in Xi’an. At the same time, I learned about the history of the Qing Dynasty and discovered some little known facts about Chinese royalty. Tourism can be simultaneously enlightening and pleasurable, but I hope that my visit to Nicaragua will be somewhat different than trip to China. I want to be treated as a member of the community, not as some guest from afar. Again, I realize that this will take effort on my own part as well, and LACS 20 will help me achieve this.

A refreshing and beautiful view of Lotus Lake.