So yesterday was our Caribbean Student Union meeting (yes, we all know I'm not actually from the Caribbean - fun fact: you don't gotta be Caribbean to be part of CSU) and our topic of discussion was tourism in the Caribbean. Man, so I was excited right! Like yes, finally, something I actually know about because when I go to the Caribbean I'm a tourist bc I'm not from there. And I go there a lot. If ya'll didn't notice my many complaints about missing the Caribbean while I was abroad in New Zealand, it's like my favorite place on Earth.
So anyways. Crystal, the president of CSU, had to be somewhere else during the meeting so she left some other guy in charge and idk who he was but man, he was no Crystal. So he opens the discussion by asking people to name countries people go to when they go to the Caribbean. Not Caribbean Islands, COUNTRIES that people go to when they go to the Caribbean.
So of course I start naming off countries. Bahamas (that one is accepted and he repeats it). My second choice is Mexico. This gets a "No that's not in the Caribbean" and I'm like "uh yeah actually it has a part in the Caribbean along with it's Pacific and Gulf parts" and the guy is just like "No". Then I'm like okay, Turks & Caicos, Cayman Islands, Virgin Islands both US and British and he just ignores me and starts talking back over me when I get to the Virgin Islands. Obviously I can name a lot more but I just shut up because he's talking again so I sit there stewing.
I am so angry over this Mexico comment.
HERE'S A MAP OF THE CARIBBEAN:
Like hun, you might know about whatever country you're from, but when we're talking about like general tourism to the Caribbean, please do not doubt I know what I'm talking about.
And the other people in the room seemed to be getting angry too because the rest of the discussion seemed to only focus on Jamaica when there are clearly many more countries than just Jamaica in the Caribbean.
But back to Mexico. If you look on the map, Mexico has more area in the Caribbean than a bunch of the smaller Caribbean islands put together, so why does that not count as having a Caribbean vacation spot? Cruising is a major form of tourism in the Caribbean and many cruise ships do indeed go to Mexico when they go to the Caribbean! Cozumel and Riviera Maya (Playa del Carmen, Tulum, etc) come to mind. Which, look, Cozumel is indeed a Caribbean island, but guess what country it's part of? MEXICO. Therefore, if Cozumel is a Caribbean island but is part of the country of Mexico, that must mean that Mexico does indeed have part of the country in the Caribbean!!!!
Plus uh, they have Mexico episodes of Caribbean Life (only the best show on television, catch it on HGTV), which obviously they wouldn't put it on Caribbean Life if it wasn't in the Caribbean. (Yes they also have Mexico Life for the other parts of Mexico, but there have been instances where one of the destinations on Caribbean Life have been Mexico.)
Oh my goodness I'm heated. Like don't tell me I'm wrong when I know that I'm not and I have facts to back it up, including, oh look, a MAP!
I bet if he had let me keep listing countries that have a section in the Caribbean he would've also told me I was wrong when I said Colombia or Venezuela, probably even Honduras. Maybe I should buy him a map.
But whatever, someone just needs to ship me off on a boat to my dearest Caribbean Mexico with a fruity little drink in my hand and it'll be all better.
Until next time,
xoxo,
Tasha
PS. Sorry this post is really negative. The next one will most likely also be negative but then maybe they'll start picking up.
