Beliefs and teachings especially those of an ethnic group are very influencial and has the power in shaping someone s perspective or outlook on life. Ethnicity refers to the quality of belonging to a population group or subgroup made up of people who share a common cultural background or descent. I am from the Basotho cultural background and I will be discussing the two beliefs / teaching within the Basotho culture. 

My ethnic group teaches the importance of identity and freedom of expression. Honoring totems , praise songs and even story telling is an important element in the Basotho culture as it teaches one to know who they are by practicing "Liboko " which refers to reciting family name clans or totems and this goes hand in hand with "Lithoko " which refers to praise songs or poems that speaks of our roots and origins as Basotho people. One other thing that interconnects with the two mentioned practices is "Litome" which is story telling. All three of the above mentioned are very important and are taught to be honored and  be regarded as highly because they teach us who we are and helps us differentiate between ourselves and other ethnic groups . In addition it helps us with expression, in a world built on colonization and oppressive social ideologies one is able to express herself by talking about their Identity as well as understanding how their Identity came about, this also taught me to never feel outlined or like an outcast because I belong somewhere , this also gives a  platform  of  knowing and understanding the history of those who came before me which gives me a sense of a broader understanding of who I am and what my identity is or how it even came about. 

My ethnic group prioritizes respect more than anything else and this proven by the honorifics assigned to elderly people or even women ,the most common and used ones being "Mme and ntate". 

Basotho people use respectful language when addressing women, this can even apply to younger women. An elderly person can address a younger woman by saying" Mme " which is translated as mother in English all in the name of respecting females.The honorifics assigned to females or even elderly people in general in the Basotho culture taught me about the importance of respect irregardless of gender or even age . Furthermore it taught me of how important the use of language is especially where respect is involved. My ethnic group shaped me into a respectful , principled young woman I am. I can correct men who don't address women the right way and I can correct those who use language inappropriately or disrespectfully when communicating or addressing others because I was groomed by such teachings and beliefs as a Sotho young woman. 

In conclusion, ethnicity plays a big role in how we interact with others,how we see the world and also how we communicate or respond with others. I learnt about my identity in a world full of confusion and false identity and I also learnt about the importance of language and respect especially were  elders or females are involved ,all thanks to my ethnicity beliefs /teachings.

As human beings interacting with other human beings is very important and is part of our nature as social beings. In everything we do we are interacting it can happen by means of contact or none contact networks. Networking refers to exchange of information and ideas among people who share a common professional or special interest. In this reflective essay i will be discussing the different networks I'm part of and how i relate to people in them, as well as what exchanges take place in them. 

Social networking is a big part of my life because i belong to a society, school, family, and even a church. Being part of the aforementioned automatically forces me to engage and interact with other social beings and it varies depending on my relationship with the people. The nature of my interaction is informal and more vibrant when I'm interacting with a group of friends, my peers and my young cousins, interacting with them allows me to be free and doesn't limit my level of speech or engagement. I can relate to everything they talk about and do because we are of the same age group and we are friends, our interaction usually involves giving each other advice, influencing one another but also reciprocating love and care. Now that I'm at school i interact more with my peers and friends but i take to interact with my family back at home using online networking which involves phone call. Video calls and social media platforms. This interaction is the most important one because my family is my support structure and always uplifts me emotionally, the online networking with my family is of importance because I feel supported and feel like I'm not alone because my engagement with them lives me encouraged and supported and it also gives them a sense of relief knowing that I'm far from them but I still get the chance to interact with them.

Interaction and networking are not always informal, when I'm in church I adopt the professional and formal way of interacting mainly because the church is a sacred place and consists of rules and practices guided by the bible. When i communicate with my pastors and fellow church members i am not as free as i am like when communicating with my peers, I always have to be mindful of what I say and how i say it. In addition, in a religious structure like a church my interactions are always guided and controlled by the church rules as well as morals. I address my pastor and leaders in the most respectful way with my head bowed down and my legs a bit bent and i am only allowed to talk to them once given the permission by the pastor s foreseers. Overall, my interactions in a church environment are not flexible and free but they are very impactful spiritually and emotionally, the talks i have with my leaders are uplifting and so i regard my church leaders as my mentors. 

In conclusion, networking is very important because it involves proactively reaching out to people who share similar interests or can provide valuable insights. It consists of benefits such as social cohesion, support, encouragement and collaborations. 

The down chorus of melodic birds songs is what wakes me up ! .The first thing I do after waking up is opening the curtains then getting the view of the beautiful gloomy sun . Now that the curtains are opened I say my morning prayer and then have a mini worship session. All of that makes me feel ready and refreshed to carry on with my day.  

The next thing I do after my mediation is that I do my bed and then immediately go to the bathroom or vise versa . The grumbles in my stomach then indicates to me that I need to go prepare something to eat . My breakfast always consists of rooibos especially because of its refreshing smell. After the breakfast I bath and my bath includes soaps like the "green sunlight" which doesn't smell so good but my vanilla perfume makes up for the smelly bar soap I use. When I'm done bathing I do a mini clean up then prepare to go to campus. 

On my way to school I meet different people , I see different cars and I admire the beautiful trees and buildings. When I get to school my day includes walking in the tunnel and because I'm Claustrophobic I sometimes feel like I'm running out of breath. It also includes walking a distance in order to get to the my classes . The school environment overwhelms me a lot and so most of the time I'm looking at the clock because I can't wait to get home . When I get home I take a nap , eat and then get busy with my school work. 

Later on which is at night , I cook and eat . I  . Now that I'm done eating I drag myself to the kitchen with a painful body to do the dishes .The night dishes are the last thing well "sometimes" because school work keeps me awake! 

Othersness in cultural anthropology is the process in which a majority group views a subordinate group as different and inferior. I personally believe that fear of the "other " or "unknown" is one of the traits of human nature , they often lead to one making assumptions which can promote prejudice and discrimination. According to www . britannia. Com>dictionary prejudice is an unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of demographics..

South Africa is overpulated because of foreigners and they create problems which affects greater society . I hear the many socio economic issues they create. Foreigners are employed and South Africans are unemployed. Foreigners opened churches but they don't pay tax. The country is experiencing load shedding because of the over population.There are several flats occupied by foreigners who are human traffickers and drugs dealers. All of these assumptions about "foreigners" made me realize that I'm being prejudice and discriminatory. All the afore mentioned can be because of different reasons making the foreigners the ", main culprit " for South Africa s problems is unfair. 

I realized that my assumptions of a" single story " made me a supporter of violence because xenophobia has led to to the Rwandan Genocide , WW2 Holocaust as well as many innocent people losing lives in South Africa. A single story is not democratic therefore I choose to be a democrat and not blame foreigners for all my country s problems Just because they are a "minority group " .We are all Africans separated by boarder gates and we are all human beings differentiated by "demographics. 

In this essay I have shown you how assumptions based on one story can lead  to bigger social issues . I have also proven how my assumptions about foreigners were not the whole truth and were biased because one can given many other reasons as to why South Africa has socio economic issues.