First, I found Soilya to be fun and interesting.   I always get to interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds because I play tennis, but this program was different because it allows me to interact with people from a wide perspective. We can talk about anything and everything, so I learnt more about life outside of tennis. It was much simpler to get to know everyone in my group because there were only around 15 of us, which was less than I thought.   We were all able to learn more about one another, our backgrounds, and our cultures thanks to our questions.

We had the opportunity to question one another about the social issues that each the community faces, and some people discussed issues related to money, health, education, and even housing. As we discussed what dialogue meant for everyone and the distinction between dialogue and debate, we also posed some questions to learn more about each other’s perspectives. This was an educational experience that helped us get to know one another better. The fact that I always had to think up questions was one of the hardest things for me. I found it particularly difficult to come up with questions for the easy ones because so many ideas came to mind. In one class, for example, we were allowed to ask each other random questions about anything we wanted. For instance, when someone asked me about my favourite food, I was able to ask them more in-depth questions about what they remembered most about their childhood. We also had the opportunity to play spin the wheel and ask each other questions about our favourite things to laugh at, our dream jobs and even time travel. All these factors made it more interesting for me and my group to get to know one another, but they also made it easier for us to embrace one another and realise that everyone has a unique background and perspective in life, which we should always respect even if we disagree. Also, this program helped me know more about cultures and to correct some false information that I had about different countries. All these aspects made the interaction with my group very engaging and joyful which made it memorable.

Near the end of the course, we conducted the final project interviews which was about “how social media affect relationships?”. I got to interview two of my friends about some questions to know their opinion. I asked two individuals a set of questions about the impact of social media on relationships, and their responses revealed both shared views and personal differences. Both agreed that social media can help couples stay connected, especially in long-distance situations, but also acknowledged that it can lead to misunderstandings, jealousy, and trust issues due to misinterpreted actions or lack of context. While one emphasized the importance of transparency and had not experienced issues personally, the other admitted that social media had caused discomfort when others sent unwanted messages or posts caused conflict. Neither felt strongly pressured to post about their relationships, though one mentioned occasional pressure due to social norms. Both agreed that checking each other’s social media was rare because of mutual trust. They also shared the belief that social media usually highlights only the good sides of relationships, creating unrealistic standards. On privacy, both felt it depends on the couple’s preferences, but leaned toward keeping accounts private if trust exists. Lastly, both believed social media tends to make arguments worse due to the lack of tone and the public nature of online communication.

Finally, I think that the interview’s respones was very basic and as I thought it was. I really recommend soliya for everyone as it helps people to interact with other people from different cultures and backgrounds as it gets them out of their comfort zone.