An Eye Opener
Easter Island is amazing but there are many cultish, strange things that the average tourist doesn´t get to know because of how blindingly beautiful it is.Number one- practically everyone on the island is related, but that doesn´t mean that their "family" lives in a "family" atmosphere, or are even friends for that matter. Imagine having four brothers and sisters by your mom and dad and right across town lives your half brother who is the same age as you. And he is in your high school class.
Tourism makes competition fierce among vendors, and it is often a cousin or uncle you are competitng with. And if you get in a fight with your mother in law- be careful because she might have her husband´s brother, who could possibly be your child´s math teacher, come and steal the roof off of your house. And you can´t really escape because the next town is 3500 kilometers away. Although you could hide in a cave if you wanted to.
The seemingly lawless of the island doesn´t help anything. Although there are cops on the island, the are really there to establish a "presence" and not to actually do a job. If you are caught speeding or your vehicle isn´t registered, it doesn´t really matter.
And jail?! Hahaha. What a joke. If you are sentenced to time, all it really means is that you get to have a free bed, breakfast, and dinner since you are allowed to leave during the day to do whatever you want.
What kinds of crimes exist there anyways? You´d be surprised. A man sodomized his girlfriend last year with a beer bottle- and now he´s dating her friend. If an indigenous Rapa Nui rapes another Rapa Nui- nothing will happen to him. They will just blame it on their "savage blood". Schizophrenia might also be used as an excuse.
Easter Island is the epitome of "living in the present". Most people make a few bucks and its gone the next day. But its ok because tourists keep coming and spending money anyways. Think about it- if you can charge $3000 per square meter for a painting, then you shouldn´t have too much trouble buying beer for yourself and friends. Plus, if you don´t have food, you can always go fishing or go to Aunt Maria´s house and she´ll feed you.
I think that in the end it was all so shocking to me because I apply my cultural standards and what I know to their way of life. It would be interesting to see what they would say if they were to come to my hometown and make their own judgements of how we live on a day to day basis.
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