Pre-Soliya Reflection Assignment

  1.  That game we played September 7th, 2020, brought back tough memories. It made me think of sad times, like losing my grandma because of COVID. I didn’t really enjoy it because it felt like I had to follow rules, not do what I wanted. The limited choices reminded me of another game about domestic abuse, but without the fun part. Still, I learned from it.
  • Watching Binna Kandola’s video about unconscious bias was a big eye-opener. It showed how we all have biases we don’t even realize, which can hurt others without us knowing. Learning this made me more aware of my own biases and those around me. It made me think more about why people might have certain strict views.
  • Making my Alternative CV was fun. It helped me learn more about myself and my classmates. I also enjoyed choosing the layout, colors, and facts about myself.
  • Dr Lobna Hassan’s talk taught me how to treat people with disabilities with respect. It’s important to offer help but also ask if they need it. It made me realize that society’s attitudes play a big role in disability. The main idea was to be kind and understanding to everyone, especially those facing challenges.
  • Reading and annotating the article by Lebanese author Lina Mounzer called War in Translation: Giving Voice to the Women of Syria. Was somehow touching and tough on me because I related lots of things in the article to what I view of people in Gaza. Also reading the comments of the rest of the class touched me a lot. I’m not into reading that much but reading this article made me learn and realize that I might lean a little bit to political readings.
  • In Soliya, I want to listen carefully to others’ viewpoints and explain things clearly without letting biases get in the way. It’s all about making everyone feel welcome and understood, just like we want in our society. I’ll hopefullylearn a lot by listening to others from different backgrounds and cultures. By hearing their viewpoints, I can understand different perspectives and ideas that I might not have considered before. I can also practice explaining my own thoughts and opinions clearly and respectfully, which can help me communicate better in all areas of my life while culture exchanging with the members in Soliya’s

2. Through various activities and discussions we did in class, I’ve discovered aspects of myself that were previously hidden, leading to a deeper understanding of who I am. Meeting people from diverse backgrounds and hearing their stories has broadened my perspective on the world since I did this already several time in culture exchange meeting with Interact clubs in Tunis under Rotary International organization. Questions I might ask myself to prepare for is how to persuade others of facts they’re unaware of while considering that it’s totally fine that we all have different point of view. I think my identity will affect how I talk to people from different cultures in Soliya.How will this happen? Simply I see that I could debate with people who have different background than I do while doing it in a form of a dialogue or conversation so that we both feel excited and discuss new ideas and thoughts.Since I want to learn from them and understand their experiences too. By talking and listening to them, I hope to learn more about people’s different point of view and perspectives.

  1. I see that aach interaction is a chance to understand different perspectives and grow. That’s why the more I interact with people while discussing useful things, the more we both grow and view things in different ways. I have a question. it’s quite easy to implement on my own. but how could other people implement this though? How can I make a positive impact on the world? What actions can I take to promote understanding and cooperation among people from different cultures? Simply it could be the Soliya program. But still. How can we encourage everyone with this? By learning to communicate to transfer a message with a respectful and good manner in online spaces, we both get to grow as I said. It’s supposed to be a win-win action. I’d use my Soliya experience to empower my vision and mindset. Using my experiences as an MUN delegate, Miss Teen Universe Africa, and a frequent traveler, including my contribution in cultural exchange meetings through Interact Clubs, I plan to use my Soliya experience to get better at interacting with people from different cultures as I did with all previous activities.

4. If the topic of Palestine comes up in Soliya, which I highly think it would. I think there will be different opinions shared. Some people might have strong feelings based on their experiences or where they come from. Others might want to learn more about the issue. Even if I found people who don’t care about the situations, I would do my best to encourage them to do so. The discussion could get emotional, but I hope everyone will listen respectfully and try to understand each other’s views. Since I might surprisingly meet people who might be brain washed with what’s going on with Israel and Hamas. If I could lead the talk, I’d want everyone to feel listened to and respected.I don’t think I’d need help I think I could handle the situation but It would also be useful to have some info about the topic to help guide the conversation. My aim is for everyone to feel welcome and valued and not only putting opinions above each other.

AI used:

https://poe.com/s/EALLk6pYaWPiIMjYD43w

https://poe.com/s/EALLk6pYaWPiIMjYD43w