BABY BEGGARS AND
BOAT BOYS
At first they’re cute. Then after you’ve been in, say,
India a few days, they’re not so cute. Now you feel
sorry for them; for their tattered clothes; for their
grimy little faces. Before long, though, the scores of
children who follow you through the streets wanting
handouts become a nuisance. On what’s supposed to be
an exciting and fun holiday, big, sad eyes constantly
remind you of the social and economic conditions that
plague Third Worlds.
Even if you’ve scrimped to save money for this
first-time trip abroad, by comparison, you’re the rich
American.
Anger at the world’s injustice turns into guilt.
India and Egypt are especially riddled with this army
of baby beggars, but the big cities of most
underdeveloped countries have their share. How you
handle the street kids affects your vacation, perhaps
more emotionally than it does financially, for it can
slant forever, your perspective of that country, even
of the entire geographical region.
My first encounter with youngsters who wanted money
from tourists was in Mexico City in the early 1970s.
These children are not to be confused with most of the
shy, rural kids who followed me through their village
streets out of curiosity. The Big City kids were on a
mission. And some – usually the older ones – were
downright menacing.
“Protect you car, senorita?”
Although I didn’t appreciate the entrepreneurial
spirit at the time, I grudgingly agreed to pay a few
pesos for a completely intact car upon return.
Sometimes the kids were still there, waiting for their
hard earned cash; sometimes, they weren’t. In all but
one instance my car was intact, and then, only the
aerial was broken off.
At first, I resented paying them. It was, after all,
more threat than service. But in some places gangs
were going to follow me, begging for money anyway, so
why not “hire” one of them and get the rest off my
back?
In fact, somewhere during that three month tour of
Mexico I learned a significant lesson from those
children: I cannot save the world single-handedly, but
I can shape a philosophy for developing young
entrepreneurs wherever I travel.
Rather than facilitate bad habits, it is incumbent
upon me to practice three disciplines that can help
educate children. At times it was hard to do, but now
it’s second-nature to me. (1) I never just hand out
money, even to the very young. (2) I always select one
child in the bunch, and always insist that he or she
do something to earn the money he’s asking for. And
(3) I always tell the kids why I picked that
particular child. She was the tidiest. He was the most
polite.
Kids need explanations to understand choices. With
explanations, they benefit beyond the few cents I give
them, plus, I don’t feel guilty about pandering, or
worse, about ignoring impoverished children who
desperately need basics like food and clothing.
Of course, kids are far more creative today. Caribbean
boat boys are all over this fluid paradise, and only
the most remote islands are free of the
entrepreneurial group. Not surprisingly, Pacific
island nations aren’t yet overrun with these aspiring
souls.
Yachties are the targets here. And though sailboat or
power boat vacations suggest we can get away from it
all, common sense dictates that the world’s too much
into tourism these days for real obscurity. Eager to
be of service in Puerto Rico or maybe, in the Bahamas,
boat boys show up in the harbor before your anchor is
set. In their competitive frenzy for a new customer,
they have been known to get in the way of anchoring,
which is frequently a tricky activity in a crowded
harbor.
I had this unenviable experience in Dominica. And
while the captain of the sailboat I was on wasn’t too
concerned, the already anchored yachties were in an
uproar. Upset with us and our boat skills? Maybe. More
likely, they were nervous that the boat boys
encircling us like sharks would interfere with the
anchoring process and cause us to swing into their
boats.
Any time of day, boat boys appear at your bow on
surfboards; in dingys; on floating Styrofoam. They
want to be your shore-link, and they’ll bring you ice
or fresh lobster or frozen drinks. They will arrange
taxis and tours. They will do almost anything within
reason for a fee, much like one interesting boy on
Virgin Gorda in the BVI. He taught me how to clean and
cook conch.
But boat boys can be especially frustrating because
they can’t be dealt with in a group like children in
big cities; hiring one won’t rid you of the others.
One comes; he goes. Another one comes; he goes. Even
when you say “Riggio is our boat boy”, this aggressive
lot is undeterred. In some harbors, boat boys keep
coming, they don’t respect customer loyalty, and they
must be firmly rejected before they finally get the
picture…and you get some peace.
These young, Caribbean boys have found an honest,
though pesky, way to make money in the lucrative
tourism industry. And instead of being cursed, I think
they’re to be applauded. Things could be worse: Like
many US youths, they could tote guns.
By Barbara Bowers, © 1993
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