Intercultural Maturity

1. “What Kind of Asian Are You?” (Understanding Bias and Respect) What kind of Asian are you?

This short, funny video made me realize how easily bias and racism can hide behind casual questions. The man in the video keeps asking the woman, “Where are you really from?” even though she already said she’s from San Diego. It showed me that what might seem like an innocent question can actually make someone feel like they don’t belong. It reminded me of a moment in class when Dr Maha asked a guest the same question, but the guest answered comfortably. That confused me at first, it made me think that the way we ask the question really matters. I learned that asking, “Where are you originally from?” can be respectful IF it’s said with genuine curiosity and after getting to know the person a bit, not as a first question that defines them. The question I still have is: how do we balance curiosity about someone’s culture with respect for their boundaries? In the Soliya experience, where I talk to people like Ann, who is Jewish American, and others from different backgrounds, I try to connect through shared experiences instead of labels. I’ll focus on questions like “How has your background shaped the way you see things?” instead of “Where are you from?” That small change in phrasing feels much more human and open which makes the Soliya experience much more rewarding.

2. The Privilege Walk (Seeing Inequities Up Close)

In the privilege walk activity, I played the role of a Sudanese Muslim immigrant in Egypt. As Dr Maha read different life scenarios, about living situations, jobs, or safety, I kept stepping backward. By the end, I was far behind most of my classmates. It hit me how privilege shapes people’s chances and how easy it is to overlook that if you haven’t lived it. It was eye-opening to realize how many daily things I take for granted, like feeling safe, or having access to opportunities, are not the same for others. I learned how many layers of inequity exist around us quietly, especially for marginalized groups like refugees or minorities. This taught me empathy in a more practical way, not just feeling sorry for people, but understanding how systems disadvantage them. Still, I’m left wondering: what can I personally do to support or advocate for these people in a meaningful way? In Soliya, I feel that hearing Jasmin, a Black woman living in American in my group, talk about her struggles with job discrimination in the U.S. made me even more aware of how universal these issues are. The experience helps me connect what we learn in class with real people’s stories, teaching me to listen deeply and reflect before I speak.

3. Chimamanda Adichie’s “The Danger of a Single Story” (Beyond Stereotypes) Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story | TED

Adichie’s talk made me realize how easily we fall into seeing people through just one story. When she shared how people assumed she was helpless because she was African, it reminded me of how often media only shows one version of a place or a group. I saw how stereotypes don’t just come from hate, sometimes they come from ignorance. It made me think of how we often describe refugees, for example, as only victims, without seeing their strength, dreams, and individuality. That realization taught me to be careful about the “single stories” I believe and repeat. I still wonder: Why do media only show the one version of a group? What benefit do they get? In Soliya, I heared people’s stories directly, which is the best way to break stereotypes. Listening to others’ lived experiences will help me understand the “many stories” that make each person who they are.

4. The Four I’s of Oppression (Seeing the Whole System) Legos and the 4 I’s of Oppression

The video about oppression taught me that inequality doesn’t just come from bad people, it comes from systems. I learned about four connected parts: ideological, institutional, interpersonal, and internalized oppression. For example, the idea that poor people are lazy (ideological) becomes reflected in laws and policies that give them fewer opportunities (institutional). It then shows up in jokes or mistreatment (interpersonal) and eventually leads people to feel ashamed of themselves (internalized). This video mattered because it connected everything we’ve been learning, it showed how racism, sexism, or classism are not isolated. They work together to keep people in their “place”. It helped me understand that real change means addressing all four levels, not just the one. My question is: how can I recognize my own role in these systems and make sure I’m not unintentionally reinforcing them? In Soliya, I hope to practice awareness during the remaining sessions, noticing how social systems affect my peers differently. Talking to people from different countries will help me see how oppression looks in different contexts, and how empathy and awareness can challenge it.

About the Way and Me I View the World

I’ve learned that I often see the world through the values I grew up with in Saudi Arabia, like respect, modesty, and using faith to guide what’s right and wrong. These values shape how I talk to others and how I see my community. But through what we learned in class about identity, bias, and empathy, I realized that my way of seeing things comes from my culture, and other people from around the world may have different values that are just as meaningful. This helped me understand that my “normal” is not everyone’s normal. I still wonder how much of what I believe comes from my own thinking and how much comes from what I was taught growing up. I also wonder how I seem to people from other cultures, if my respectful or quiet way of speaking might sometimes make me look distant or shy instead of polite. I expect my identity as a Egyptian Muslim will influence how I interact in Soliya program. I will naturally bring perspectives rooted in faith, family, and collective responsibility. But I also hope to listen more than I speak, to understand how others’ beliefs and experiences shape their truths. I want to use the Soliya experience to be more aware of how I express myself, to notice not just what I say, but what it shows about my culture and way of thinking. By talking with people from different backgrounds, I hope to understand myself better and see how others view the world. I also want to learn how to share my thoughts in a way that feels true to who I am.

Learned Outcomes in terms of Interactions

I’ve learned that interacting with people who are different from me starts with listening, not judging. Through what we learned in class and in Soliya, I understood that everyone’s behavior and opinions come from their culture & experiences. I realized that sometimes I make quick assumptions without meaning to, and that true understanding takes patience and empathy. Another question I still have is how to keep an open mind when I strongly disagree with someone’s opinion, especially about sensitive topics like religion or politics. I want to learn how to stay respectful while also being honest about my views. I believe Soliya  can help me become a better global citizen by learning how to communicate kindly and clearly online with people from all over the world. It’s teaching me how to express my ideas without offending anyone and how to understand people whose lives are very different from mine. I believe this experience will help me interact better with people from other cultures by reminding me that even when we disagree, we can still connect through respect, and also that we all have a lot of shared characteristics no matter where we come from.

Palestine Issue being Bought up

When the issue of Palestine came up in our Soliya session, the conversation became tense. Anne shared that the rise in conflict had made her feel unsafe and that she was scared to say publicly that she is Jewish because of growing antisemitism. I could feel how personal and painful that was for her. At the same time, two people from Lebanon spoke about how the war had directly affected their lives, one even had to move to Turkey because of it. It was clear that everyone in that moment was speaking from real experiences of fear and loss, but from very different sides. It felt less like a debate and more like several people trying to make their pain heard at once. If I had been able to direct the discussion, I would have encouraged everyone to continue sharing their feelings while helping the group recognize that all forms of suffering are valid. I would try to connect their experiences by focusing on shared emotions, fear, loss, and empathy, rather than political sides. It would be important to help everyone see that understanding someone else’s pain doesn’t mean ignoring your own. The kind of support I might need is guidance from the facilitator on how to create that emotional balance, how to acknowledge each person’s story with care, and how to gently link different perspectives without making anyone feel dismissed.