I don’t really think about my identity much and who I am, but some activities we did in class made me think about that, such as the activity we did where we wrote down 10 words about our identity, then we kept removing some of them gradually. It was hard for me to decide what to remove and what to keep, and I also think that this decision would differ from who I’m sharing those identity words with. This exercise made me think of who am I, and what really makes me, myself. Another activity we did that made me think about my identity was the Alternative CV assignment, this activity also made me think about myself and what I would like to share about myself with others.

I didn’t know what the difference was between equity and equality before taking this course, but when we discussed them in class, I understood that equality was the people having equal amount of resource, but this might not necessarily be fair because not all people are the same. On the other hand, equity is people getting what they need, to all be the same. This also lead to thinking of the privilege that I have that other people don’t. The privilege walk exercise made me think about the people that unwillingly has less privilege than others just because they were born into having a less privileged identity, especially the people who doesn’t have the privilege of something permanent and can’t be changed such as having a disability.

I already knew what bias is but what really stuck with me was the part of the video we watched in class(https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/day-learning-2013-binna-kandola-diffusing-bias?__cf_chl_tk=Yjjs5pwLpsCbRabx7KuNDYbil807VyZc7ggOrpSyt9I-1730095116-1.0.1.1-KI4bhhexZDK2ge.nbZN4tA3hIHZsPuc6PwCkHSKnC4Y) where Binna Kandola said that bias isn’t always intentional, and that everybody is biased whether they realize it or not. This was eye opening as it made me think about a lot of people who talk about certain topics, and I started to realize that they were biased when talking. I also think that knowing this and keeping it in my mind will help me approach conversations more thoughtfully and prevent assumptions in my soliya meetings.

This course was overall eye opening for me as all the things that I learnt was already around me, but I just didn’t think of them before. In terms of soliya, I think that talking with people from other cultures is going to add to my knowledge as I’ll get to know and understand the difference between my culture and others generally. I expect my identity will shape my Soliya experience in several ways as I interact with people from other cultures. My background, values, and life experiences influence how I perceive others and how they might perceive me. For example, my cultural background may give me certain perspectives or assumptions that differ from those held by the other people I’ll meet in soliya from different regions. I hope that the soliya meetings will allow me to have a better self understanding and develop a better view o how my identity shapes my worldview. One key lesson I’ve gained is that meaningful interactions with people from other backgrounds require active empathy and a commitment to understanding their perspectives without judgment. I feel like that if the Palestine issue came up in soliya, I would try to have a respectful debate on what I think, and why. I would also to try to prove my point with actual facts. But unfortunately I don’t think I’m qualified to have a debate like that with someone as I don’t have enough knowledge to explain my views.