Time Zones and Tourists

My body has no idea what time zone it is in.

Since traveling I have not changed time zones yet and here I am up wide awake way to early in the morning! Why body? Why?

Good thing I am now packed and my baggage is underweight!!! I had to get rid of a lot of things because when I came over to this country I had 28 Kilos...we are only suppose to have 20. Now I am down to 15! I feel very proud of myself!

Today was an interesting day where I learned something about my self (I like when this happens) I realized that I hate being a tourist! Absolutely hate being treated like one...ewww...just don't like it at all.

First off you get bombarded with men coming up to you asking if you want a taxi ride, or if you want to be taken on a tour, or if you would like a smoke.

No sir. If I wanted any help I would ask you. Please go away and stop coming up to me.

oh! And they make you pay waaay more and that bothers me!

The taxi man claimed his meter was broken so he charged over double what it should have cost. I should have never gotten in, but I was tired, hot and hungry and just wanted to be on some stable ground.

so my frustration stemmed out of me being tired...like an ugly flower...well that was the picture in my head, but maybe it was more like an ugly weed....whatever it was I had to get rid of it because it was not pretty....

When I was younger I loved dressing up like Harriet Tubman. I would put cocoa powder on my skin, and get dressed up. (She is one of my favorite woman that have ever lived) I wish that I could still get away with that now so I wouldn't look like a tourist. If I could some how disguise my self and be "one of the people".

I want to get to know the people, dive into a culture even if I am only there for a few days. Maybe I have too high of expectations or maybe I am just tired of being hassled.

I haven't been a tourist in a long time. When I visit another country I don't like to go to the "touristy" places. I want to see a true picture of the country and the people, not the show that is put on for the rest of the world.

Can't I just be a traveler passing through and not be considered a tourist?!?

At least in the last country I lived in I was a teacher, I had a title, it was given to me and I accepted it because it was true. But here I keep having the label "tourist" stuck on me and I keep throwing it off only to notice 5 other stickers on me that say the same thing! It's like the attack of labels! Like a car that has too many bumper stickers on it to really pay attention to any of them.

Yes, that is the picture I have. Me being an old, blue, well traveled car and me passing through a city to enjoy the sighs and then all of the sudden *BAM!* a man puts bumper sticker on me that says "TOURIST" then *BAM! BAM!* another person does the same thing, next thing I know I am surrounded by a huge group of men in white robes throwing bumper stickers on me that all say the same thing....

good thing I'm not dreaming or this might be a nightmare! (what a vivid picture that was in my head)

bottom line: I should get sleep