VolunTourism: The Price You Pay (Or Don’t)
Buenos Dias a Todos! Greetings All from Argentinian Patagonia!
I am currently spending some time in the Area Natural Protegida Rio Azul (the protected natural lands of the Blue River watershed – roughly 150,000 acres in all) as guests of the Jordan Family [Stewards of the Land Ethic Action Foundation (LEAF) and La Confluencia - a self-sufficient organic farm and lodge conceived as a replicable model for small-scale sustainable development and protected natural areas].
Last weekend, we spent the evening with the Kramers – Franz and Maria and three of their children (five in all). It was bread-making day, so in the midst of our visit seventeen stoneground wheat loaves passed to and fro between the kitchen and the large oven they have in their barn.
The family, it turns out, had moved to the 290-hectare spread in 1983 from the south of Germany. Franz and Maria explained that they have for the last decade or so hosted a group of ‘botanicos’ – botanists – who come to the region to observe the unique species of the biosphere. Glistening in the candlelight their eyes danced as they recalled the memories of their experiences and how the word-of-mouth advertising from the ‘botanicos’ had assisted them in hosting other groups during the months of January, February and March over the period. Even a few WWOOFers (willing workers on organic farms) had ventured to their space during that stretch of time.
Freshly made breads and cheeses graced the table along with cherry and cheese pastries. Franz was in a didactic mood and shared a number of stories – each with a moral:
The Fisherman’s Tale
There was a man lying on the beach one day. Another man walked up to him and asked why he was lying on the beach. “I have finished my fishing for the day, and now I am taking a siesta.” The other man scratched his head a little and asked, “Well, why don’t you spend more time fishing?”
“Because I want to lie on the beach,” he replied.
“But, you could spend more time fishing and get a small boat. Then you could get some employees and have them use the boat. And then you could get a loan and get a bigger boat. And then you could open your own fishmarket. And then you could get another boat…”
The man lying on the beach suddenly interrupted him and said, “So that I can lie on the beach, yes?” The other man bowed his head and walked away.
‘Doubting Franz’
One day Franz was out driving and found a man pulled off to the side of the road having difficulty with a Mercedes Benz. He was a nearby resident of the Patagonia area. As Franz described it he was taking apart the motor with a screwdriver, a hammer, and a pair of pliers; apparently, the engine had thrown a rod. The gentleman told Franz he was doing just fine, but as Franz left, all he could do was shake his head in disbelief. (Franz smiled with a slight smirk as he described this part of his tale.)
About a week later, Franz came by and the young man asked him to help him push the car up a hill so he could ‘pop-the-clutch’ to start it. They did this in numerous ways; Franz remained incredulous. Finally, the young man asked if he would simply take him into town to the mechanic. (Again, Franz smiled that wry little smile.)
A couple of days later he was driving by the young man’s place and saw the Mercedes parked at his home. He stopped in to ask what he thought was a very pertinent question: ”How on earth did you get the car home so quickly?”
The young man turned to him and said, “I had a wire crossed when I put everything back together. It was very simple for the mechanic to fix.”
And with a smile, tinted with humility, Franz bowed his head at the conclusion of his narrative.
The Price You Pay Or Don’t Pay
Franz told us that he has been in the firewood business for a while. He cuts wood and hauls it to different locations throughout Patagonia. He has worked out a barter & trade system with his clients. They give him sheep, or building materials, or labor hours – whatever he needs or can trade for something he needs. The going rate for one of his clients, in terms of sheep trading, is one cubic meter of firewood for one sheep.
He went out one day to this new client’s home with thirty cubic meters of wood, unloaded it in fifteen or twenty minutes, and returned with his customary thirty sheep. The following year, one of his sons took out the wood to the same paisano; he came back with five cubic meters of wood and thirty-five sheep. “What on earth did you do, son? We had an agreement of thirty cubic meters of wood for thirty sheep.”
“Father,” his son said, “I spent two or three hours with the farmer talking about his family and many other things. When we had unloaded what he felt he needed he told me to take thirty-five sheep.”
Franz’s face gleamed as he looked straight at me and said, “So much for German efficiency.”
Parallels For VolunTourism
I share these stories from my voluntourism journey – none of which have anything to do with voluntary service, of course – yet, each story, as I was listening to it and have since reflected on it, was speaking infinite wisdom – wisdom that can and should, I feel, be shared with those in the VolunTourism Community:
Story #1 – Most residents do not want voluntourism to take over their lives. In essence, if voluntourism can provide some additional income, a means to alleviate some of the immediate challenges faced by residents, then this is more than sufficient. They do not want a big boat, a fishmarket, or a long, drawn-out and circuitous route to ‘lying on the beach.’
Story #2 – If you have ever spent time in communities, one of the first things you will discover is how much can be done with so little. I tell you that some of the residents in the communities in which I have spent time must be Zen Masters. Their ability to take inventory of the items at their immediate disposal and to intricately weave them so as to complete the task at hand is jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring creativity at its best.
Story #3 - I have written about the importance of relationships over the years, most recently in this blog post. The story that Franz shared generates a couple of points on the subject. First, the importance of listening and interacting with residents. And, damn if this isn’t a hard task when you are busy volunteering while harboring a ’mindset of accomplishment.’ Voluntourists must learn to let this go. I know it has been the hardest thing for me, personally; but it must go.
Second, and equally important, is the notion of what is enough. Be cognizant, as you are progressing through your voluntourism experience, to be on the lookout for what is enough. It may be food; it may be labor; it may be conversation; it may be how ‘dirty’ the shared bathroom is getting; it may be anything – but be aware, as consciously as you can be, and act accordingly.
For the paisano, he only needed twenty-five cubic meters of wood, no more. He didn’t need thirty-five sheep, either. And one could speculate as to why, on so many levels; the point being, he knew ’what was enough.’ If you are going to be a top-rate voluntourist, voluntourism operator, host community, or anyone else connected to this genre of travel & service, the lesson of ‘what is enough’ could prove to be the most valuable lesson of all.
Ciao, Ciao.
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