Rachel eager to begin applying the lessons learned while in Cape Town

I am writing this final blog post on my way back from JFK. I think during my time in Cape Town I got caught up in the hype of America, because I was so excited to return home. Being excited to return home however, didn’t mean that I was ready to leave Cape Town. Driving through New York I am realizing I missed how green everything looks but I also miss hearing the mini bus drivers shout out the windows, the streets look too empty without them.

 My last week in Cape Town I spent most of the time at the aquarium because it was my favorite place to be in Cape Town. I finally got to finish my scuba diving certification and I am now a certified open water scuba diver! The dinner for our internships was a great time for the girls I had spent my semester with to meet some of my favorite people! I only wish they had met each other sooner.

I am realizing how much I want to talk about racial and gender topics now. My friends have been asking me about the touristy things I did in Cape Town, but I am more eager no to be able to participate in talks about gender and race. I think now I am realizing that it has been one of the best things I have gotten out of this trip.

For my final paper in Marita’s class I had to address how I have become a global citizen and I wrote that my first step was looking at my own internalized racism. I think this is one of the things that allow me to be a better global citizen because I need to start with myself. How can I expect the world to change if I myself won’t? Another thing I have learned on this trip is how to be an activist, and that will make me a better global citizen. I think I understand now that a global citizen is someone who wants to make a positive change in the world as a whole, not just one country. After this trip I am more likely to stand up for what I believe in and to more importantly, do something about it. As I said in my goals, I want to write letters to my state representatives to rid Massachusetts of plastic bags. I want to see the whole world make this change but I will start small. After this class I will be more likely to participate in a march for something I stand for.

Overall my time in Cape Town is one I don’t think I will ever forget. Not only all the amazing people I met and places I saw but the change I saw in my own self. My next step is to constantly apply what I have learned so that I don’t slip into my old habits.