Bonus Assignment: Blog # 5

Despite the fact that I have faced many challenges taking this class, I have learned so much and gained a better knowledge about many things, such as social welfare in Canada, different ideologies, citing and referencing, aboriginal people and their lifestyle, and LGBT community. I also learned a lot about myself and about poverty in Canada, especially in Ontario. Most importantly, I came to realize how lucky I am to be here and to live such a good life.

At first, taking this course was overwhelming to me, for that I had to learn so much in such a short period of time. I did not either know what apa style is or how to write in-text citations. Also, I did not know that much variety of words and terms. I was not aware of the searching technique that we learned about at the lab session in September as well. For example, I did not know how much the use of a word or a signal changes the searching results. By time, I started picking up these methods and start applying them not only in this class, but also in my other class too.

At the beginning, I was not aware of the fact that the Canadian social welfare is influenced by the English poor laws. I learned about the deserving and the undeserving poor. I also learned more about Aboriginal people and their lifestyle. For instance, writing the first blog and reading the blogs my colleagues wrote helped me have a better understanding of Aboriginals and where they come from. Throughout the time, I was able to relate to some of their beliefs about life and spirituality. Also, I come to realize that they did not suffer from poverty and barely had to stand against it until the Europeans settled.

Moreover, coming from a family who is politically involved and active, I was familiar with some of the ideologies that we have discussed in class. However, I did not know how similar, yet different they are from one another. For instance, I learned more about the feminist approach, its beliefs, and goals. So far, I came to realize that I share many common thoughts and principles feminist hold. I asked myself at some point the question if I was a feminist or not. Therefore, I know better about who I am and where I stand.

The society I come from has merely any knowledge of LGBT community. I was shocked by the things I have learned and the stories I have heard in class. I understand that our gender is not the same as our sex, knowing the difference between what we desire and who we are. The LGBT group presentation has opened my eyes to what non-heterosexual individuals come across on a daily basis. I started wondering about where I stand and I came to realize that I am one of the LGBTQ. I am interested in educating myself more to become more conscious and understand these individuals just as they understand me.

Since I am in the poverty group, I was shocked that there are many people who live in poverty in Canada. I learned a lot about some of the social policy issues and how they reflected on people and their lifestyle. I also learned that eating healthy food is very expensive here. Thus, many Canadians strive to serve good quality food on their tables and maintain a home for their families. 

In a conclusion, I am writing the last blog entry for this semester with a mind that is full of knowledge and understanding of many things we studied about in class, such as social welfare in Canada, different ideologies, citing and referencing, aboriginal people and their lifestyle, and LGBT community. I am looking forward for next semester and to discover more about life and myself. 

-Farah