1. Cognitive / Intellectual Learning

One of the most impactful things I learned intellectually was from this video. The video focused on the idea of prejudice and unconscious bias, and how they affect the way we see others and the world around us.

A key idea that stood out to me was that people who believe they have no bias at all are often the most biased, because they do not reflect on themselves or try to change. This made me realize how important self-awareness is, and it pushed me to question my own assumptions and biases. The video also explained the concept of “priming”, which means that we can be influenced without even realizing it. For example, in the experiment mentioned, one group of women was told they were bad at parking, while the second group were told that this is Avery false accusation and were encouraged to prove that stereotype wrong. Turns out that the first group significantly underperformed, while the second group actually out-performed men. This showed me how expectations can directly affect people’s behavior and performance. Another example was the image that many people interpreted as a dog, even though it did not clearly show one. The interviewer told the audience that there is something to be seen, which is what motivated people to image  ore see something in the picture that was actually not meant to show anything. This demonstrated how our minds are influenced to “see what we expect to see.” This helped me understand that bias is not always intentional, it can be automatic and unconscious. The speaker also discussed different types of bias, including how we treat people differently based on whether they are part of our group or not. This helped me understand how othering happens in everyday life. Finally, the video suggested ways to reduce bias, such as reflecting on ourselves, being more aware of our decisions, and respectfully challenging others. This made me realize that reducing bias is an active process, not something that happens automatically.

This made me learn so much more about how bias works on a deeper level, especially how it is often unconscious and shaped by our environment. It also helped me understand that everyone has biases, including myself, and that recognizing them is the first step to changing them.

Remaining Questions & Soliya :

A question I still have is how we can fully overcome unconscious bias if it happens automatically without us realizing. I hope that through the Soliya experience, by interacting with people from different cultures, I will become more aware of my own biases in real situations and learn how to manage them better.

  • Somatic healing session:

From the somatic healing session, I learned so much about the connection between the mind and body, and that human responses are influenced by both cognitive processes and physiological states. The session introduced the idea that different types of stress or reactions may require different approaches, depending on their source. It also showed that awareness of physical states, such as breathing and tension, can be used as a method to better understand and regulate responses. I also learned specific methods such as breathwork to regulate the nervous system and grounding techniques like the orienting method, which help shift attention and create a sense of safety. These concepts helped me understand anxiety in a more structured and practical way, rather than seeing it as something random or uncontrollable.

Remaining Questions & Soliya :

A question I still have is how consistent these methods are across different individuals. Through the Soliya experience, I hope to explore how people from different cultures understand and manage their reactions, and whether these approaches vary depending on their background.

From the TED Talk “How language shapes the way we think,” I learned that language is not just a tool for communication, but also a system that shapes how people understand and interpret the world. The video explained that different languages can lead people to think differently because they organize ideas, time, space, and experiences in unique ways. This helped me understand that knowledge and perception are not universal, but can be influenced by the language a person speaks. I also learned that relying on only one dominant language, such as English, in areas like science and research can create a limited and biased understanding of the world. This shows the importance of linguistic diversity in developing more inclusive and accurate knowledge.

Remaining Questions & Soliya :

A question I still have is to what extent language influences thought, and whether people can fully understand perspectives that are expressed in languages different from their own. Through the Soliya experience, I hope to interact with people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, which will help me observe how language shapes their perspectives and expand my own way of thinking.

“How’s Your Heart?” was the first video I watched in this course, and it felt very warm and meaningful to me. I learned that our feelings and mental state affect how well we can focus and learn. The video introduced the idea that effective learning does not only depend on cognitive ability, but also on whether a person feels safe, calm, and mentally present. When a person is in a state of stress or “survival mode,” their ability to focus, process information, and engage meaningfully is reduced. This helped me understand learning as a holistic process that involves both emotional well-being and intellectual engagement. It also highlighted the importance of creating environments that support mental safety in order to improve understanding and participation.

Remaining Questions & Soliya :

A question I still have is how educators or group environments can actively create a sense of emotional safety for everyone, especially in diverse settings where people may have different experiences or sensitivities. Through the Soliya experience, I hope to observe what factors make discussions feel more open and comfortable, and learn how different people contribute when they feel genuinely heard and supported.

2. Intrapersonal Learning: Understanding Myself

This course has helped me reflect more on myself and the way I view the world around me. One of the first activities that really impacted me was creating the ALTCV. At first, it felt like a fun and creative task, but as I worked on it, I realized it was actually pushing me to think deeply about who I am. It made me question what I truly enjoy, what I prioritize, what my hobbies really are, and what actually defines me as a person. Growing up, I often felt unsure about my interests and what makes me feel at peace, so this activity pushed me to question and understand myself more.  It forced me to reflect on all of that in a way I had not done before.

The game activities we do at the beginning of almost every class also played a big role.  The questions, such as what makes me feel content or what matters most to me, often took me time to answer. I can’t answer them quickly, and I find myself thinking a lot before responding. This made me realize that I might be more disconnected from myself and less self-aware than I thought I was. It also made me realize that I am not as self-aware as I thought, and that I sometimes feel disconnected from my own thoughts and feelings.

In terms of how I view the world, I started to notice that I often see things from my own perspective without questioning it deeply. I realized that I tend to assume that the way I understand things is normal or shared by others, without always considering that people come from very different backgrounds and experiences. This course pushed me to step back and think more about how my own experiences, environment, and identity shape the way I see others and interpret situations. It made me more aware that there isn’t just one way of seeing the world, and that understanding others requires more effort and openness than I initially thought.

I feel like being in a space with people from different cultures will push me out of my comfort zone. It will make me question things I usually don’t think twice about, like my opinions, reactions, or the way I communicate. I think this kind of environment will naturally make me more aware of myself without me forcing it.

Through the Soliya experience, I hope to learn more about myself by observing how I react in real conversations with people from different backgrounds. I want to pay attention to how I listen, how open I am to different opinions, and how I handle disagreement. I believe this will help me become more self-aware and understand myself better, especially in situations that are unfamiliar or challenging.

3. Interpersonal Learning: Interacting with different people

I actually learned to give my self the chance to interact with people who I believe are a different from me. I learnt to try to engage more with everyone without stereotyping of judging anything. An activity we recently did that really helped with that was the field trip to Tahrir campus where we got to sit and talk with foreign students who are learning Arabic. While I would not normally talk, start a conversation or interact; I actually unexpectedly enjoyed the activity a lot. I enjoyed just the very different experience of talking to someone from a whole other country and background, yet talking my native language. It was such an unfamiliar experience but in a good way. It was just so interesting! Before this course, I feel like I would naturally hesitate to start conversations with people from different backgrounds, even if I didn’t realize it.

Through this, I learned that interacting with culturally different people was something I simply did not pay much attention to before or make the effort to do. It made me realize that the main barrier was my lack of initiative. The experience showed me that when I do take that step and engage, the conversations can be interesting and meaningful.

A question I still have is how to consistently be open and respectful in conversations, especially when discussing topics that might be sensitive or when I strongly disagree with someone. I want to understand how to express my opinions while still respecting others’ perspectives.

Through the Soliya or GCC experience, I hope to improve my ability to communicate with people from different cultures in a more thoughtful and respectful way. I want to learn how to listen better, avoid quick judgments, and respond in a way that keeps the conversation open instead of shutting it down. I also want to become more aware of how my words might be interpreted in a digital space, and how to communicate clearly and respectfully even when there are cultural differences.

Overall, I hope this experience will help me become a better global digital citizen by making me more open-minded, more respectful in discussions, and more confident in interacting with people from different backgrounds.

4. Palestine, the Middle East, and Difficult Conversations in Soliya

If the topic of Palestine comes up in Soliya, I know it will not be a neutral discussion for me. I already have a clear position, and for me it is not just political, it is something I see from a human perspective. I believe that what is happening to Palestinians is wrong, and that shapes how I will enter the conversation. I am aware that other people in the group may see things very differently, and that this could make the discussion tense or uncomfortable.

Regarding the situation with Iran and the Middle East, I personally feel uncomfortable seeing the region constantly involved in conflict. I do see it as a complicated situation, but I also think that some actions come as responses rather than starting points.

If I were able to direct the discussion, I would try to keep it grounded and not let it turn into people just arguing or trying to prove each other wrong. I would rather focus on understanding why people think the way they do, even if I disagree. I think asking questions and letting people explain their perspectives would make the conversation more meaningful than just stating opinions.

The kind of support I would need is a space where I can speak honestly without feeling like I have to hold back everything, but also guidance to keep the discussion respectful if it becomes intense. I also think I would need help staying in a listening mindset, especially when I hear opinions that I strongly disagree with.