After I moved to Vail I learned something. Well actually it was after I was there for a bit. After I became a local of sorts. Yes there were people that lived there their entire lives and are local or native, but then there are the people that live there, work there, and become almost indistinguishable from a “local” person. When you become one of these “locals” you probably don’t know it until something happens. The tourists come.
I was everything but born in Vail. I worked there, lived there, knew people and hung out with people that were born locally. I hung out with people that were in the valley for over 20yrs. On all accounts I was local. I realized this one day, maybe a year into my 3 year stint when the tourists came.
You live somewhere year round you start to think of the place as yours, my valley, my mountain. Then the Texans, tourists, outsiders come and you feel like a swarm of locusts has descended upon your home. I have the same feeling right now in China. The city that I am in is hosting the World Choir Games. So there a tons of foreigners in the city.
What does this make me feel like. I’ll be honest. I’m no longer special. No longer one of a few but a one of the many. I am grouped into the tourist crowd. I can no longer speak Chinese because I am grouped into the nonspeaking crowd. I am an outsider for the next week. I don’t like it. I also don’t like the fact that tourist come in and do whatever they want. Trash the mountain, China, Vail, whatever it is. It’s polluted by the tourist. I suppose that at one point I made people feel the same way. Although I am much more respectful then some people.
I want to speak Chinese, learn the culture, etc.. Not just roll in take advantage of what have you and roll out. Yes this is a generalization of a lot of things. But it is what it is.
I’m sure right now the Chinese people looking at me are thinking the same thing. What the hell is the white guy doing here. Taking our jobs, dating our women, making more money then I can. Guess it’s just the way it is.
Even when there is a new foreigner in town. You start to feel like you’ve lost some of your specialness. Ans lets face it, we all want to be special, stand out, be given attention.
Life is just one big competition. There’s no way around it.