Notion Anglais "Espaces et échanges"

Spaces and Exchanges

        For millions of years, men have populated the four corners of our planet. These men do not live in the same way, they have different customs, a way of thinking and a different daily life. These life forms are influenced by several factors :

        - the weather can be very cold or very hot

        - the traditions

        - and the culture

Every day, we meet new people, who share our centers of interests or not. The school, supermarkets or public areas become meeting places, places of exchange. In addition, the Internet and the numerous social networks also allow people to meet and interact with people, without meeting physically. These are virtual spaces. There are important exchanges between these spaces, be they social, economic or even political, but above all cultural. Each individual, from an early age, enjoys an education within his family that teaches him different values. This allows him to integrate into the world in which we live and personal experiences allow him to build and create an "improved version" of himself.

When we meet a person of the same or opposite sex, of a different nationality, of a different age, especially when dealing with older people, the exchange is necessarily the only way to learn and discover the person and their morality. When discussing, one is enriched mutually. Then, the trip facilitates these exchanges and these personal meetings.

Then we can highlight the following problem:

In what way does the journey and the discovery of new horizons allow a personal opening ?

To answer this question, we will first study the traditional vision of travel that opposes a more egocentric vision. In a second moment, we will analyze a new way of thinking and traveling.

I- A traditional and egocentric vision of travel

First, large cities are generally associated with noise and especially with a high human concentration. We are surrounded by tall buildings and breathe polluted air. To get rid of stress and change the air, many people decide to travel, usually to exotic destinations ...

Upon arrival, tourists are immersed in a natural environment where the gentle sound of nature is king. They are in the middle of nature, away from pollution, tar and urban pressure.

The trip appears as a way to escape, recharge your batteries and start from nothing in oneself. In contact with their landscapes, travelers feel free and delivered. As we can see in the document "Tell me how you travel," tourists come to countries like Ecuador to be in communion with nature, which gives them peace of mind but also appeasement. In these heavenly places, travelers turn to outdoor activities such as canyoning, climbing, zip-lining or hiking. They are committed to respecting the local nature, fauna and flora that make up the biodiversity of places. The hunting and slaughter of certain animals is prohibited, as well as the collection of some endemic plants in the middle. They must enjoy nature without degrading it and destroying it and supporting the natural and cultural heritage of a place by participating in a positive green tourism.

In some cases, during their escapades, visitors seek to discover the great tourist places that are generally promoted and are very popular. Under the guidance of a guide, they stop at the most famous places of the visited country. Some of its places attract millions of tourists every year. Machu Picchu, for example, a cultural Mecca in Peru, is an Inca citadel located high in the Andean mountains and a mandatory crossing point for tourists. They are ready to face all the difficulties to access and have the opportunity to see what is considered an Inca cultural heritage, a trace left by a very old population. The difficulties of access due to the absence of road, the long and painful ride on horseback, the times of endless waits are not enough to tarnish the envy of tourists.

Pablo Neruda, the Chilean poet, decided to overcome all these obstacles to take a break in the middle of the Inca ruins. Cecile and Margot, the two European tourists, for their part, did not resist the temptation to visit the ruins of Machu Picchu. They took the bus, the train on narrow and dangerous trails and walked for hours to reach the sacred places and discover the wonderful spectacle that the citadel offered them. The plurality of nationalities reflects the popularity of places. Some of these spaces are then victims of its success. These places of identity suffer from massive tourism; the density of people is so important at the level of the old buildings that it unintentionally weakens the foundations of these and risks destroying them forever.

To counteract these negative effects of this form of tourism, the authorities and the government take certain measures and implement several laws: Machu Picchu is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Therefore, the number of visits is limited to 2500 per day to preserve the grandeur and beauty of the places despite the discontent of tourists as we perfectly explain the document "Tourists protested because they were prevented from visiting Machu Picchu ».

For the inhabitants of the host countries, this selection of places visited poses a problem. When we follow a guide, or simply visit the most famous parts of the country, we do not necessarily contact the locals, we do not try the local specialties and our trip is somehow incomplete. To discover their way of life and share their culture, the inhabitants of certain countries use different tools to invite tourists to the heart of their daily lives.

For example, networks are created, websites like "Couchsurffing" where people from different countries can communicate and get in touch to organize their stay abroad. To leave the traditional circuits, and not visit crowded places, vacationers spend their stay in the villages: they live at the same pace as the locals. The exchange is deeper, more surprising. The trip is then more authentic.

According to them, a trip is mostly a human encounter in which travelers share the life and culture of the locals. It assumes a more social and human dimension. These regions are poor in infrastructure but rich in cultures. The pleasant atmosphere guarantees a change of scenery.

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