The microagression that I remember from this week is microassult. This particular microagression took place when an openly gay individual was assumed by a friend that because he was gay, he knew how to decorate. I felt that if an individual allows themselves to think that others are capable of certain tasks due to their backgrounds, proves ignorance on their part. For example, it was ignorant for a person to assume that just because an individual is gay, they know how to decorate. If people would take time out to make intimate contact with people that are different from themselves, they would have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with those that are different and/ or alike them. I think that becoming familiar with the differences and sameness will enable one to better understand the “how’s” and “why’s” of other’s actions. A better understanding allows one to appreciate these sameness or difference that individuals have. The way in which I observation experiences from this week affected my perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice and/ or stereotypes on people by giving me better understanding of the importance of why people should not assume that a person is suppose to act a certain way just because their background is different from others. Reference Sparks, L. & Edwards, J. (2010). Anti- Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves.

The one person that I thought was culturally different from me was my next door neighbor Carol. The aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied during this course that were included in their answers were food, language and religion. I ask about their food often because they have family gatherings and the aroma from the food filled the air and smells so good! They eat grilled pork served over rice, seafood, vegetables, etc. One dish that caught my attention was the squid. The squid was rolled up and put on a skewer. They then based with a juice or sauce of their choice and grill it. Carol explained that Khmer is the original language that she speaks. She also speaks English as a second language. I have to really listen to her as she speaks because of her accent. Buddhism is her religion. Thinking about another person’s definition of culture and diversity influenced my thinking by gaining a better understanding of how culture and diversity differs yet is the same. For example, every culture and diversity uses food, language and religion as some examples to describe their backgrounds, however, their foods, languages and religions differ according to background. Speaking with Carol made me realize the importance of incorporating cultural sameness and difference into everyday classroom activities. It is always good if children are introduced to new things at a young age so that they know how to accept the differences as they get older. Being exposed to the sameness and differences at a young age also decreases difficulties in understanding things they cannot touch, taste or experience. Experiencing sameness and difference gives a child that foundation they need to enter this culturally world that we live in (Sparks & Edwards, 2010). References Sparks, L. & Edwards, J. (2010). Anti- Bias Education.

When I think about catastrophic event and only being able to take three small items with me, immediately, I think of the fact that memories are the best things that to have when being separated from the one’s you love. Thinking further, I think of pictures, a jewelry box and my college diploma. The pictures represent family members that have passed away as well as relatives that are still living but could not take this journey with me. The jewelry box is a gift from my mother. This is a very special gift that I cherish and will forever be protective of just because it came from my mother. My college diploma is something I earned in rememberence of my grandmother. Shortly after I began college, my grandmother took ill all of a sudden and passed away. I took this very hard due to the fact that she was my heart and we had a very close relationship. After her passing, my grades began to fall as well as my interest in continuing this particular journey without her. After I began to mentally get myself back together, I decided that I was going to do whatever I had to do in order to complete this degree and dedicate it to her. As a result of this exercise, I learned the importance of getting and keeping a close relatyionship with the one’s you love. Family is very important and I feel so blessed to have the closeness that I have with my family. We may have our differences here and there, but at the end of the day, we still love and support one another.