EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

As I sit and reflect on my recent study abroad to South Africa, I noticed the impression that the trip marked in my life. I am not the same woman that left the Bahamas for the United States over a year ago. I didn’t imagine that for me to see a change in myself, I had to relocate and travel to other parts of the world. I have matured to a level where I can be more openminded, appreciative, and understanding of people from other cultures and origins. The study abroad program gave me a better understanding of my own origins while stripping me of my limited western cloak of understanding.  My values, outlook, attitude, skills, and abilities have changed. Simply stated, I have matured through experience and exposure.

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The program helped me to experience new cultures, but I did experience my own form of culture shock with a change in values. As soon as I arrived in South Africa, I realized how parochial my thoughts of the country were. I had biasness towards the advancement of the resources that the country already had and the livelihood of the South African people. One strategy that helped me to eliminate my partiality was being openminded and observant. For example, in the first week of studies, I noticed that people were very segregated. At the university, the students gathered in their native groups; they rarely integrated with persons of a different origin. I learn that this was a direct effect of the Apartheid era. I was troubled by this because the affects limited the potential of the student body. The students were more willing to interact with persons from a different continent or country than they were to their own people. At the same time, I understood the other reason why they maintain their cultural circles. They value the customs, language, and mannerism of their implicated tribes. As soon as I observed that fact, it made me question my own values.

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In some fashion, learning to adapt required a change in my attitude and outlook. One of the biggest challenges in adapting to the South African culture was adapting to the diversity. I had an incorrect presumption that South Africans or African in general were of the same race when in fact there are multiple ethnicities. Therefore, the country promotes a pride in being culturally diverse. Because of this, the trip also changed my outlook on life. I now see what gains importance. In particular, I evaluated who I am, what I want to be, and what I want to accomplish. I know that I identify with my Caribbean origin. This is the language that gains familiarity, but I want to be more culturally sensitive and diverse. I am now more absorbed in the quest to find out more about the similarities between South Africa to my own native people. Consequently, in the next five years, I plan to travel more and interact with people from other areas of the globe. In doing that, I hope to increase my global knowledge and networking skills.

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By the same token, as I gained a better outlook on global matters, my skills and abilities improved in the way that I approach social issues like racism. I am not saying that I was not accustomed with the forms of racism; I learned and experienced racism from another perspective. Firstly, I realized that racism in an issue not limited to the western hemisphere; in fact, it originated in the east part of the world. To add, racism takes many forms other than the common categories of appearance, gender, sexuality, etc. It can be a mental manifestation formed from cultural influences, personal experience, or differing values. I noticed often that many people mistake racism for cultural pride. Sadly, I also found that I was concealing a subconscious form of racism against persons unlike me. Considering that I developed the skills and abilities to be tolerant of differences, non-judgmental, self-aware, and empathize.

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In closing, it took some time for me to notice how much I have matured during this study abroad. The experiences and exposure was the necessary part in developing new values, outlooks, attitudes, skills, and abilities. Self-awareness in the key to my personal growth while gaining a better understanding of my international experience. It also reinforces the notion that professional and career development depends heavily on my ability to be conscious of my own character, feelings, motives, and desires as I interact with other people. From now on I will frequently take an introspective look at my life to ensure that I am maintaining my set goals.