The ending

Dear fellow readers, today is my last day I will blog about the beautiful area of Western Sahara.
If you didn't know, I've been traveling basically, by myself. I haven't been on a tour group. It was just me spending time to get to know the locals of this area.

Why would I travel alone? Because I am not afraid. There is no reason to be afraid. I am traveling as a political act. What that means to me is that I am trying to spread the message that there shouldn't be fear involved when going to new places that people in America are afraid of.

I've spent time in class to learn that places, such as Iran and Israel, are places that Americans tend to be afraid of. I know it's not anyone's fault, but the truth is, there's nothing to be afraid of. Palestinians, Sahrawi, Israelis, what ever you can think of, they are just regular people like you and I. I feel as if the American government makes those places seem as if you'll get shot once you enter, but that's far from the truth.

I know terrorism has been emphasized and has plagued our country, but it's not just our country, there are other countries too. In my opinion, we fear more about terrorism than something like a school shooting. School shootings are much more common than a terrorist act. But yet, for some reason, we think people with yellow-brownish skin have bombs attached to them. I read this book about traveling as a political act (Travel as a Political Act by Rick Steves) and he mentions several things that have stuck with me.

One of those sentences mentioned how he was in Iran once and he saw an American tour group walk through the streets, clenching onto their belongings, as people, like you and I, had to look at the tour group and see the fear people have because of stereotyping and subliminal messaging. Now, put yourself in the place of one of those people witnessing the fear that an American tour group has because of your race and ethnicity. It makes you feel upset and hurt.

We have reasons to fear, but those people in the streets, are regular people. They eat everyday, they have kids and families, they have movies and nightclubs, but yet we act as if they are going to kill us.

People, we don't need to live in fear anymore. That's why I've traveled to Western Sahara alone, to show you that everything is okay, in fact, without this fear anymore, I get to explore places that I thought were terrifying as a kid, and it has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Everyone has been so nice and helpful to me. They treat me as one of their own, so why do we treat them as terrorists? That's what traveling as a political act means to me, it means to travel to places that Americans fear to go, and to come home and spread the message about how amazing these people are. So, fellow readers, go out and explore the world. Spread the message!

The beauty of the desert lands of Western Sahara, the tastes of spices, the night life, and so much more was worth everything. To experience Western Sahara on my own, was the most intoxicating and incredible experience I have ever had than when I've gone to places in tour groups. Thank you for reading my blogs! Hope I've inspired some of you!