1-There are several things I’ve learned throughout this course so far, and it has also been one of my favorite courses as I look forward to every class throughout the week. My top four assignments that have impacted me the most were May Emad’s video, The ikigai guide, creating my own ALTCV, and finally the 4 i’s of oppression. First of all, May emad’s video stood out to me as it made learn about the importance about expressing how im genuinely feeling when i need help and i was also that sometimes people neglect their bodily needs and don’t focus on themselves and in return they don’t realize that their own body is screaming for help and that its actually stressed and needs a break. Secondly,the ikigai guide is truly one of my favorite assignments as it made me reflect on who I truly am and what I’m interested in;moreover, I got to find out what my top values really were, which is something I never really thought of.  really helped me . Creating my own ALTCv was also an assignment that stood out to me as it made me reflect on who I truly am and think about the accomplishments I have achieved this year, however relatively small they are. I’m still proud that I was able to do something that made me proud. Finally, the 4 i’s of oppression video was an eye opener for me as it made me realize that I have biases that I didn’t realize I had before. I also got to understand the difference between ideological, institutional, interpersonal, and internalized. 

May imad’s video:

https://onehe.org/resources/trauma-informed-pedagogy/

4 i’s of oppression video: 

https://www.youtubeeducation.com/watch?v=3WWyVRo4Uas

2- I’ve realized that I sometimes judge the beliefs of others by their nationality, however, my Soliya experience taught me that there is always more than meets the eye within each culture. For example, a person from the Soliya program mentioned that they were from Israel but advocated for Palestinians and wanted the war to end. I thought that all jewish people would stand with their country and I was genuinely surprised when I learned otherwise.  

Self-Identity Question: I am also trying to understand how my cultural background will shape how I interact with others who are from a different country/non arabs. Expectations of Suriya’s Role:I believe that getting in touch with elements of other cultures will expand my own style of communication and help me be sensitized to the intricacies involved in cross-cultural communication.

3- I have come to know that global citizenship requires active and engaging listening to those whose life stories I do not share first hand. “What questions do you have about how to become a better “global citizen”? There is so much in the world that’s suffering, and I want to be able to help and become involved. So a question I have about how to become a better global citizen would be “What is the right way to get involved in issues that are outside myself?”. I would like to use my Soliya experience to help me in learning  about the right way to engage as a global citizen in a digital era where cultural communication norms  may not be in accordance with my own.

4- The Palestine issue has an overwhelming emotional effect  and I suspect this would be one of the more polarizing issues in Soliya. I would strive to be patient and respectful for the course of the discussion and be able to offer all in attendance a variety of viewpoints. I might need help regarding my emotional management and being able to balance the discussion effectively which is why I would request support or guidance from Soliya people to deal with this in a productive way while still educating them and expressing my opinion in a respectful manner.