We all come from different backgrounds and we all experienced different realities. Our conceptions of the world shaped how we are socialized and our daily lives experiences. A prejudice is a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. We as humans do have prejudices and assumptions about other people's lives without knowing them. My ethnic group has shaped my worldview in terms of not having preconceptions about other people and their backgrounds , always be kind and mindful of other people.

Speaking of kindness the first teaching that comes to mind is Ubuntu, " a person is a person through other person". Ubuntu is the nebulous concept of common humanity. The belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity. Acts of kindness and humanity, such acts could be as simple as helping a stranger in need or much more complex ways of relating with others. A person who behaves in these ways has ubuntu. This teaching has shaped me to see the world with a better view. Life can be bad sometimes but a little kindness does make life just a little better.

A much more traditional belief is one of many of my Zulu culture teachings. As a Zulu girl I was taught to always behaving in a respectful manner. Wherever you go you represent your family, your church and most importantly your culture so the way we behave is very important in our culture.  We do not really get to experience life our other peers because our culture believes that life truly begins after the age of 21. A huge ceremony is thrown to celebrate that huge milestone because then you are considered somehow an adult at that point. I respect this teaching because it has shaped my worldview positively.

These ethnic beliefs have taught me that as a person I need to respect myself and others. Respect their different opinions and beliefs. We all live different lives and learning about other people's lives can have a positive impact on your life. Just like how J Cole said in a song , " no such thing as life that's better than yours". It is important to love and value your life and experiences with respects of others too.

A kinship is a tie that connect people together, it is built on the biological and social links between people. It is a network of bonds between an individual, their blood relations, marriage relations and relations through adoption. There are two basic kinds of kinship ties. Those based on blood that trace descent and those based on not blood related ties such as marriage and adoption.

My kinship networks are my close family and my extended family. Since the passing of my mother I have lived with my grandmother in her house and if there is one thing you should know about living at your grandmother's  house is that it is everyone's house. So practically I grew up in a house full of aunts, uncles and cousins very loud but very loving home. My network consists of my entire blended family.

I relate so much with them because of the family dynamic we have, surrounded by love and family values. The kinship system we have provide each person a defined role in the family. We support each other and value our culture very much. Life lessons are passed through laughs in the dinner table and life just seems worth living at that very moment. I relate softly with my aunt because of her motherly instincts and how she reminds me of my mother. In my kinship with my grandmother I find comfort in her softness and kindness  and relate to how she didn't allow life to define her journey. My extended family then extends my perspective on how I view the world. 

Through my kinship with them I can see different personality dynamics and how we all just blend together through genetics and mostly love. The exchanges that take place through them have molded me into the young woman I am together. Kinships are very important because they help maintain unity and harmony. 

A day in my life, 06:30 my alarm rings and I know its time to conquer the world or this Psych test I am writing in a few hours. (Heavy sigh)...well that's how I start most of my days, a little scream keeps the doctor away "negative reinforcement" trust me I know. After a few minutes of procrastination I finally hop out of bed. Shower time is my favorite time of the day  because I get to be by myself,  sing and have a little pep talk with myself.  After ten attempts of trying to get the correct water temperature and multiple song shuffles I finally finish my "me time" moment. As soon as I open the bathroom door reality hit, if I am not late I am too early I can never win honestly.  A phone call from my grandmother always starts my day on a very positive note, a little encouragement and a bible verse for sure gets me on a very good mood and I get ready to take over the world after that.

Staying off campus means being earlier than my fellow students in most cases because if you do not wake up you will surely miss the shuttle. Using the shuttle has really helped wake up very early if I want to get all my things done. I get early to my Psychology class and get to chat and discuss the anxiety we have towards the test we're writing. An hour later I get up from my seat with a smile ...wait did I ace that test? One can only hope in these hopeless situations. The following class is SANL of course its Wednesday! The classes are usually timid and moderate, we sit and listen sometimes interact with our lecture. Social anthropology is one module that challenges me but mentally and academically I really do need to sort out my business regarding it.

My day is over as soon as my classes are over. Other than not having a social life I also have tons of sleep so it really doesn't bother me when my day ends early because lucky for me it means more time to sleep. I can strongly confirm I have a pretty similar everyday routine. If it is not the cold night breeze from my open windows waking me up it is hunger. One of the things that I miss about being home is my mom's food because someone please tell how I forget to eat. I am absolutely sure it is abnormal behavior to forget to eat. A bowl of cereal and my favorite show playing in the background for me that is a perfect day.

For the rest of the night I slave away in my study desk until bedtime hits. I can't even remember the last time I slept 8 hours or more since coming to university. Truly speaking am I just a girl trying to survive in this big world. A little prayer and gratitude concludes my day. 

In this unit I learned more about the concepts of othering, stereotypes, misinformation and distortion, I derive my understandings from the readings of Wainana(2005) and Miner (1956).

Othering is the act of treating someone as though they are not part of a group and are different in some way. Similarities between othering and stereotypes are quite obvious. Stereotypes is an unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic. Wainana(2005) talks about how the racist ways Western media depicts Africa with implicit bias and subjective cliches. Misinformation and distortion have altered somethings out or their true form and changed the narrative.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie spoke about how the danger of a single story, it highlighted how important presentation is. To have one perspective about a particular group or society is unfair and unjustified.

In other words stereotypes impose limitations on the people they target, in my personal experience the stereotype I encountered affect me and has been in my mind since then.  I was six years old when I first visited Durban and I was so excited to swim for the first time. My mom's friend at that then asked out of concern I guess, "Oh but can she swim?". At that time her point was valid I was young and maybe she was truly scared I could drown. 14 years later whenever I am in public pools or the beach the very same comments are made and now I know its not about the age or my ability to swim its just the negative stereotype that black people can't swim. Stereotypes affect our lives they exist for that reason it is how you receive and allow them to define you or your society.