Plot: She is the daughter of a Peace Corp doctor, raised in a third-world country. Her father thought sending her back to the US after her mother's death would give her new opportunities. New indeed! She finds herself surrounded by celerities who have lost touch with what life is all about. Homesick and experiencing culture shock, she heads back to her father, with five burnt-out popstars in tow. How does trading spaces change all their lives?
Behind the Plot: My class spent our Senior Trip in the Dominican Republic doing missions work, but we got to go back to a five-star resort at the end of every day. Even now, three years later, the images of the children and the villages I saw remain fresh in my mind. And I'm haunted by the memory of two teenagers who begged us to take their baby brother home to America with us, because they knew he would have a better life away from the poverty they faced. I suggest that you not attempt this one unless you have the experience to make it believeable: just seeing the pictures on TV is nothing once you're actually surrounded by naked children whose stomachs are bloated from starvation and who simply want you to touch them and make them feel loved. |