What I value most about tourism is the exchange between people. Visitors tell us about life in the West, and we tell them what life is like here. I also get the chance to practise my English.
The elders have given young people clear advice: we may admire visitors, but we should not imitate everything they do. They are especially concerned about clothing. Very short skirts are not considered appropriate here.
Nobody says this directly to tourists because we do not want to offend them. A Peace Corps volunteer once explained that this clothing is normal where many visitors come from. I understand that it belongs to their culture, but that does not mean we must copy it in ours.
I also question something our own community does. Some sellers charge tourists more than local people for the same product. They say visitors can easily afford the difference and still find the price cheap.
I believe we are all equal, so why should people be charged different prices for the same thing?
If we ask tourists to respect us, we should also treat them honestly and fairly. Equality must work in both directions.
Many people leave Tafi for better-paid work in the cities. My brother did this. Because he earns more there, he can help support our family and contribute towards festivals and celebrations in the village.
Tourists sometimes make another kind of contribution, or at least promise to. A visitor may hear that somebody is struggling with school fees and say they will write or send money after returning home.
Too often, nothing happens. No letter arrives and no money is sent. The person in the village may continue hoping because the promise sounded sincere.
It is kinder to make no promise at all than to offer hope you do not intend to fulfil.
I do not believe every visitor has to give us money. Friendship should not be based on that. I only want people to be honest about what they can and cannot do.
Tourism allows us to learn from one another, and I am grateful for that. The exchange becomes stronger when both sides act as equals—charging fairly, speaking honestly and keeping the promises they choose to make.