A belief is known as an acceptance or conviction that a particular thing exists or is true usually without any tangible proof. Most of these beliefs are based on an individual’s past.

My cultural background gave me a strong foundation to establish my sense of self as a child. Each aspect of my upbringing has been tied together with the extensive fabric of my cultural heritage, from the customs that have been passed down through the years like what we eat who we worship and what type of people we are to the traditions that marked our daily existence. Strong ties to my heritage, created by the customs and rituals that dominate our lives, are the foundation of my cultural identity.

Respect and being kind to others were the most important things my parents thought me, knowing the right words to say to someone and being able to realise and say sorry to others when you have done something that offends the other person shaped me because now I know that if I do not have anything nice to say I should be quite and now I also know that if I have done something wrong to someone I should apologize without gaslighting or try to reason why I did what I did. But in all that I was taught that I should also stand up for myself but try doing that in a calm and polite manner. 

I conclude how these beliefs shaped my view of the world, influencing my values, attitudes, behaviours and how I will probably pass these beliefs down onto my own children one day.

In my life I have a lot of different networks, but I will rather call them interactions of relationships than networks for example the interactions between me and my family, me and my friends, me and my partner and me and strangers. 

I will write a blog wherein I reflect on my "networks" who is a part of them, how I relate to the people in them and what exchanges take place through them.

The relationship of me and my family: my family is quite small but still means a lot to me from my childhood my main source of love and basic knowledge comes from my family whether it be how to use the potty as a child or learning basic table manners or how to deal with my emotions and build relationships with other people my family is where I find my main exchanges of my life.

The relationship of me and my friends: making friends throughout my life was not that easy for me and my circle is quite small, but my friendships are probably the second hub where most of my exchanges in my life happen, exchanging laughter and care in a friendship can be overlooked but i argue is just as important as any other exchange that you will make in your life.

The relationship between me and my partner: writing about one's spouse may be unprofessional, but this is the most important form of exchanging that happens in my life the exchange of love, care, worries, passions and even day to day experience exchanges. Therefor I include it as at this point in my life the most exchanging that is happening is through my and my partners relationship.

The relationship between me and strangers: the exchange that happens between me and strangers go unnoticed at the end of the day but sometimes it is what makes the day possible for example the exchange of directions I receive from the traffic officer at a broken red light or the cashier who exchanges the groceries I picked out with the money i pay her or even the knowledge my lecturer gives me in class. These exchanges might not seem that important but are usually those that permits us to go forward with our lives.

Interactions and relationships with other people play the most important hub for exchanges to happen, without these exchanges between family, friends, partners and strangers you wont be able to go forward in your life.

Waking up is usually a big struggle for me, after hearing the same default alarm on my phone ring for the 100th time I finally decide to turn it of, turn around and start planning what my day is going to look like. A struggle it  is for me to climb out of my bed and start the day, but here we go!

The first thing I do after getting up is make my bed, a habit that was forced onto me but not doing it just doens't feel right so I pull my sage green bedding tightly over my mattress and put my pillows back into place, undoubtingly the best part of my day is when my black cat jumpes onto my neat bed and ask for her routine cuddles. The morning after is this just a rush of showering getting dressed and hopefully if there is enough time a coffee with two sugars and milk.

Then the worst part of my day starts, the 3km uphill ride with my bicycle to university, when I get to uni I just freshen up in the closest bathroom and the start the walk to what feels like Jerusalem because all my classes are scattered around campus. After class my way home is accompanied by a friend so I walk the first half with her and then we part ways after this I ride back home usually in the hottest time of day, so I just quickly take a shower the first thing a home and then take an hour or two to get all my work done for the day.

By now it is time for supper so I reach to the back of my cupboard to get my favorite flavor noodles and make dinner. This is followed by me cleaning my house, feeding my cat and then going to sleep.

The use of language in literature throughout history has constructed identities and representations of people and places which in truth are stereotypes, exoticization and misinformation that led to the creation of “otherness”.

In order to make this argument I will use examples from Miner (1956) Body and Ritual Among the Nacirema, the TEDTalks presented by Ngozi – The danger of a single story and my own experiences.

In the writing of Miner (1956:504) Body an Ritual Among the Nacirema, Miner wrote that the Nacirema people practices rituals that strangers might find revolting, like the ritual that consists of inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth along with certain magical powders and then moving the bundle in a series of gestures, which in actual is the same as a toothbrush and toothpaste that Miner himself would have already been using since varies forms of toothbrushes and toothpastes have existed since 500 BC. and have been mass-produced since 1780, according to Harper & Row (1987:210) Extraordinary origins of everyday things, but because of Miner’s choice of language in his literature he exoticizes the Nacirema people and makes this ritual of them seem revolting.

In the TedTalks presented by Ngozi – The danger of a single story, Ngozi warns us that a single story should not be our only perspective of a society or place and with this I agree. Through my own experience while reading Miner (1956) Body and Ritual Among the Nacirema, Miner’s writing allowed me to form a negative stereotype of the Nacirema people by viewing them in a revolting and barbaric manner.

After watching the TEDTalk presented by Ngozi I understand that my stereotypical view of the Nacirema people was wrong and that I should not base my understanding of a society from only one writers point of view.