I was new to the Soliya program and it was a good experience for me. My instructor encouraged us to join this program and before that I had never thought of joining something like this. Through the program, I was involved in discussions with people from different countries such as Morocco, Pakistan and the United States. It was interesting to meet people from different backgrounds as everyone had a different perspective based on their experiences.

The program was five sessions, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, and I was able to listen to many different viewpoints during this time. I mostly listened during the sessions and didn’t say much at first. I was nervous to speak English in front of everyone, especially because some of them were native speakers. But as I attended more sessions, particularly when talking with my peers who had problems with English, I felt more comfortable and encouraged to voice my opinions.

We mainly discussed healthcare and education, and I found these topics very relatable. In the discussions about healthcare, many people raised the issue of long waiting times and the difference between public and private hospitals. The systems may have varied from country to country, but many of the problems seemed very similar. This made me realize that healthcare challenges are not just in one country but shared globally.

As part of the final project, I also conducted short interviews with two of my friends, one of them is Egyptian (Jomana) and the other one is from Bahrain (Maram). Talking with them felt easier because we already know each other, so they were comfortable sharing their honest opinions. Since we had already discussed healthcare and education during the Soliya sessions, I felt that I had more background and ideas before starting the interviews, which made the conversation smoother.

During these interviews, instead of repeating the same points from the sessions, I noticed how each person connected the topics to their personal life. For example, one of them explained how education choices are influenced by family expectations and financial ability, while the other talked about how students sometimes feel pressure to attend private schools because they are seen as better. Hearing these personal experiences made me understand the topics in a more practical way, not only as general ideas but as real situations people deal with.

Another thing I noticed was how supportive the environment was during the sessions. Some people had difficulty with English, so the facilitators frequently clarified ideas and helped everyone understand the discussion. I liked that the conversations were respectful and there was little or no disagreement, as everyone was willing to listen to each other’s views.

One of the great things about the sessions was how fast time seemed to fly during discussions, which showed how engaging they were. The chat was also useful for me as I was able to follow the conversation and review ideas, and it helped me to better understand the discussion if I were confused about something.

Through both the sessions and the interviews, I felt that I became better at listening and more confident sharing my thoughts. Having the chance to talk with people from different countries and also with people from my own circle helped me connect the discussions to real-life experiences. This made the whole experience more meaningful for me.