Cover Story - Children holiday abroad

- Contributed

Up, up and away! Many young Jamaicans will vacation abroad this summer.

Avia Ustanny, Freelance Writer

MICKEY MOUSE. McDonalds. Endless shopping. No Mommy around. The pleasures of vacationing in Florida are savoured by 13-year-old Lisa who insists on going there every year. Never mind her mother's ability to afford it. Speaking with Outlook, her mother said that she had told her that since she now carries an adult fare she would not be able to go. She almost cried. Then her mother compromised. Her sister, with whom she would be staying abroad, would pay half the fare. In early July Lisa will be leaving for another summer of fun.

Hundreds of children from Jamaica board the planes this time of year, every year, for a vacation spent with relatives and friends of the family abroad. It is something their parents have learnt to budget for. The popular destinations, according to information from the national airline, Air Jamaica are, beyond a doubt, New York; Miami; Orlando (because of Disney) and Fort Lauderdale. Children are sent to Canada and the UK as well. The Eastern Caribbean is not left out.

Fares vary according to destination as well as age of child: Children between 8 years and 12 years pay 50 per cent of applicable adult fares to US and the Caribbean: 67 per cent of applicable adult fare to the UK, 75 per cent of applicable adult fare between US and EC as well as to Toronto. Children between 5 and 8 years pay 50 per cent of applicable normal adult fares to US and the Caribbean children between 2 and 5 years pay the cost of stewardess escort and one adult fare.

Economical

Would it be more economical to keep them around, here in Jamaica during the summer break? While some parents admit that the payment of fares is a real strain, others say no. Thirty-three year-old June who has been sending her daughter to New York and Florida (alternating each year) since the child was five years old, says that paying her fare to either destination costs less than keeping her here for the summer. "The cost of summer school here is between 8 and 10 thousand dollars. Then there is lunch money every day which is $200. Added to this is the cost of feeding her at home and paying the weekly helper."

Twelve-year-old Keisha will be going to New York this year to stay with her aunts and uncles. Usually she would go to her cousins in the Eastern Caribbean, but her aunts want to see her this year. Laverne, a single parent, is proud of her daughter's independence and considers the summer jaunt a way of increasing this even more.

Exposure

Janet Crick, national director of American Field Service (AFS) intercultural programme which sends Jamaican children away periodically, agrees with her. Last summer (Summer 2000) the AFS sent Jamaican students to Mexico and Canada, primarily for language exposure. "We are hoping to offer more in the Latin American area," said Ms Crick, noting that the intercultural learning experience is considered very valuable.

"We are living in a globalized world. It is very important to know and understand different people. It creates a heightened sense of tolerance for other peoples and races, breaking down the stereotypes. Exposure to a foreign language and to different ways of doing things adds to their whole perspective, especially for the young. One of our mottos is that we are building global citizens. One danger is that you will always run into people who have stereotyped others. Be aware of what you stand for and hold on to your own personality and beliefs."

The AFS also runs a "24-hour emergency service" for its students who are abroad.

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