Learned Intellectually

Chimamanda Adichie’s The Danger of a Single Story

From Chimamanda Adichie’s The Danger of a Single Story, I learned about struggles and experiences that people might never fully understand unless they have lived through them themselves. It helped me understand the power of speaking up and sharing our experiences with the world, and how much of an impact our stories can have on others. I also understood the beauty of our differences. What makes us stronger is the fact that we are not all the same. If we all looked alike, had the same backgrounds, and shared the same experiences, life would be so predictable. It is our differences, our pasts, our childhoods, and our experiences that add depth to our stories and shape our identities. For Adichie, growing up in an African culture and experiencing the world as a Black woman are important parts of her identity, and her story would have been different if she had grown up in different circumstances. I think that is what makes our individual stories so meaningful.

The Spent Game

The Spent game was very eye opening. I felt a lot of empathy for people who struggle financially, and it helped me understand how difficult it can be to make decisions when you have limited resources. It taught me the importance of setting priorities, thinking about the consequences of each decision, and trying to make the best choice while sacrificing as little as possible. Sometimes, people have to make difficult decisions not because they want to, but because their circumstances leave them with very few options. This experience reminded me that we cannot always understand someone’s situation simply by looking at the choices they make.

The Syrian Article Reading

The Syrian article reading helped me understand how language and storytelling can shape the way we see war and the people affected by it. It challenged me to look beyond headlines and statistics and recognize the individual stories, emotions, and experiences behind them. Intellectually, it made me think more critically about how the media represents different cultures and conflicts, and how listening to people’s personal experiences can challenge my own assumptions.

The Activity: “Write Down One Thing About Yourself That People Would Be Surprised to Learn”

This activity made me reflect on something I had never really thought about before. I always say that I know myself, that I know what I like, and that I understand who I am. However, when I was asked to write down something about myself that would surprise others, I suddenly could not think of an answer. This surprised me because I realized that, even if I know myself in many ways, there might still be things I have not fully explored or understood. Something that seems obvious to me might actually surprise someone who has just met me. This activity made me feel that I need to take more time to reflect on myself and discover the things that make me who I am.

Learned About Myself

So far, my experience in this class has shown me that there is still so much to learn about ourselves, even when we believe we already know who we are. I had always thought that I knew myself, what I enjoyed, and what was important to me, but the activity that asked us to write something about ourselves that would surprise others made me reconsider that belief. It helped me realize that we might not know ourselves as well as we think we do, and that there is always room for self-discovery.

I also came to realize that my experiences and values have shaped the way I see the world, but that does not mean everyone will see things the same way. Through Soliya, I hope to understand people from different backgrounds and learn more about how their experiences shape their perspectives. I want to become more willing to challenge my own assumptions and understand that disagreeing with someone does not mean I cannot learn something from them. To me, knowing myself also means recognizing that I can grow, change, and adapt without losing my identity.

Learned in Terms of Interactions

I discovered that interacting with people who are different from us requires more than simply respecting them. It also requires listening to them and making an effort to understand their experiences. Adichie’s The Danger of a Single Story opened my eyes to how quickly we can form opinions about people based on what we know about them, even though there may be so much more to their stories. The Spent game also taught me not to judge people’s choices too quickly because we cannot always understand the circumstances they are facing.

In my opinion, being open to different viewpoints, even when we disagree, is an important part of being a good global citizen. I still find it difficult to remain open-minded when I strongly disagree with someone, especially when the topic is sensitive. Through Soliya, I want to learn how to have these conversations without immediately judging others or making assumptions about them. I also want to improve my listening skills instead of focusing on what I am going to say next. For me, being a good global citizen is not about knowing everything about other cultures; it is about being willing to learn, ask questions, and understand people beyond my own perspective.

Palestine

If the topic of Palestine or the current war in the Middle East came up during Soliya, I think I would have to be extra careful with what I say because I do not know where the person I am speaking to comes from, what they believe, or what they might have experienced. These topics are very sensitive, and something that might seem like a normal discussion to one person could be deeply personal to someone else.

At the same time, if someone wanted to talk about it, especially if they were Palestinian, I would listen with my whole heart and try to offer them the support they need. I would not want them to feel as though they had to explain or defend their pain. If I had the opportunity to help guide the discussion, I would want everyone to feel comfortable sharing their experiences without fear of being judged. I think the support I might need from the facilitator is guidance if the conversation becomes too emotional or sensitive. I know I will not always have the right words to say, but I believe that sometimes simply listening and being there for someone can mean a lot.

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