Firstly I want to express how much I’ve enjoyed this class, it is one of the only classes that have felt like a safe space. To thrive in a class like this, one needs to have an open mind, and that will be the basis for this blog post. To have an open mind is to avoid making a judgment or decision about someone or something without full knowledge about them or it. This is a mindset that not only helped me in this class, but also helped me in life as well. To be able to let go of preconceived notions you may have and accept that something can be different from what you think it is, or what you may have known it to be, because nothing everything is black and white, or as simple as it is in layman’s terms. Being open-minded came in very handy because what I learned is not necessarily what I was taught growing up seeing as I am from a different country with a dissimilar culture and preconceived notions. I could have easily shunned these new concepts such as trans studies, body empowerment, etc because it wasn’t what I was used to. This would’ve blocked my ability to learn as I would’ve remained unknowledgeable and unwilling to learn about information that is pertinent to me in the world today and in the new country I live in and in the new culture I live within. It helps me in the real world in the same way. It allows me to stay open to learning, because many a time a friend, peer, or colleague may be talking about something I’ve either experienced or been taught differently, or something I have little to no knowledge about, and I’ve been able to to look at their point of view and open my mind to be able to grasp and better understand it. As someone who hasn’t always been open-minded, I can attest that life, interactions, and just basic understanding becomes that much easier, so do yourself and your mind a favor, and open sesame.