Global citizen narrative

Most of the volunteer tourists’ narratives were based on facing poverty and portraying the other as abnormal and in need of Western help. However, some volunteers had different points of view and were more attracted by the cultural component of the experience than by poverty in itself. In this case, the other was depicted as different but equal. Charlotte’s narrative is a good example of this.

Chapitre 4. Consuming poverty in the volunteer tourism experience: An ethnographic study in a Nepalese orphanage

“I wanted to discover a new culture, and I had this idea in mind for a long time. This is what I wanted to explain when I asked for my scholarship.

In fact, I considered being born in France and not having lived abroad by my own—I did not live anywhere else than in France. I just have a French point of view and, even more restricted, the life perspective of my parents, for now. There are things that seem completely normal and other things that seem completely strange to me because I am French. I have only one vision, but another person who has another experience will see the same objects, the same idea, but in another way. And I wanted to learn just to go live somewhere else to change my point of view. I would very much like being able to learn not only the French and Nepalese points of view. I would like to learn other points of view and then make my own point of view by actually mixing. I want to learn how to be a global citizen, not being just French or European or now a little bit Nepalese too. I consider myself having a little bit of Nepalese.”

(Charlotte, interview, French)

Charlotte is a 21-year-old woman. She was volunteering at the same orphanage with Alison and me. After getting her bachelor’s degree in biology, she decided to have a break before starting her master’s in education. She wanted to be a primary school teacher. However, she was not sure if she would be able to do so, which is why she chose to volunteer at an orphanage for one year. Charlotte was the only volunteer I met who came to Nepal by herself and not through an organization. According to her, volunteer tourism organizations ask for a huge amount of money that was out of her budget, so she decided to find an orphanage by herself. After six months of research, she got her answer from the orphanage in Nepal.

Charlotte’s focus was on the intercultural experience. As she explained in her quote, her aim was to learn about other cultures and be able to see the world

Chapitre 4. Consuming poverty in the volunteer tourism experience: An ethnographic study in a Nepalese orphanage

from different perspectives. While she makes a separation between herself as French and European and the other as different, Charlotte remained neutral in her description of the other. Unlike John and Alison, who were situating themselves as superior to the “poor” other, Charlotte did not consider the other as different but as equal. Besides, her interest was not in experiencing poverty but in being a global citizen. She was even considering herself as a bit Nepalese after five months in Nepal.

Likewise, regarding her volunteering at the orphanage, Charlotte’s narrative was very reflexive. She was aware of the possible negative impacts of the volunteer tourism. For instance, she was against teaching at governmental schools because she did not have the qualifications and because she realized, through discussion with volunteers, that this could be harmful to local teachers.

“I discovered later while talking with volunteers who opened my eyes to a lot of stuff... They told me, you can take jobs of other locals when you do this because if you volunteer, you are not paid, so the people are happy to hire you in their school, but if you were not there, they would have had to pay someone locally to get this work”. (Charlotte, interview, French)

Charlotte was also aware of the limitations of her volunteer work at the orphanage. While John and many other volunteers were convinced that “poor”

others needed their help, Charlotte’s narrative showed another perspective. She considered the experience as a good way to become immersed into Nepalese culture and at the same time to test her ability to take care of children. As she clarified in the extract below, all she can give is love, friendship, and sharing:

Chapitre 4. Consuming poverty in the volunteer tourism experience: An ethnographic study in a Nepalese orphanage

“I had the idea to help but not because I think they need me, like I have to be there because otherwise it would have no interest because afterwards, once the volunteer has gone, they cannot continue. No interest, and so I had no ... how do you say … expectations. Yes, I did not have huge expectations. I did not think I was going to come and change the lives of kids. I know that here, I will bring them what I can:

help with homework, laugh with them, my friendship, my love—all the love I can give them, a big smile. And I know that I will not change the world in two seconds.” (Charlotte, interview, French)

In this section, I analyzed how the representation of Nepal and the orphanage in terms of expectations and pre-trip experience is fundamentally a combination of orientalism and development discourses. The analysis of three different individuals’ stories shows some commonalities and divergences. Despite their different backgrounds and life stories, Alison, Charlotte, and John decided to embark on the international volunteering journey during a transitional stage of their life. They were seeking a life-changing experience to find a “better self.” In fact, the three of them were “tired” of their life and found shelter in a volunteer tourism program in a developing country. For instance, John was feeling alienated at work and in his personal life. He wanted to break with the capitalist and material world to embark on a humanitarian adventure where he could save vulnerable and poor children. He was looking for a mission to make sense of his life and become a hero. Alison was very depressed and tried to commit suicide twice. Her volunteering journey was a journey into herself in which she tried, as she claimed, to solve her personal issues by discovering the developing world and to feel grateful and privileged about her own life. And finally, Charlotte, who was looking for a global citizen experience, was also tired of the over-competitive environment at her previous engineering school. Before changing her path and future career, she decided to volunteer in another country to both test her ability to be a good teacher and at the same time acquire a new life vision.

Chapitre 4. Consuming poverty in the volunteer tourism experience: An ethnographic study in a Nepalese orphanage