La Virgen del Panecillo by Ecuador Turismo

Have you ever went to an event, been into a situation or problem? Did you know that all of those events represent a experiencie that actually shapes your life?

Well, all of us, even if it was once in a lifetime, have had a experience that had an impact on us.

The IB defines Experience as "events, situations and problems that happen to us and have an effect on what we feel or think".

Actually, experiences tell stories of those events, experiences and journeys that shape our lives.

How do experiences shape our lives?

Let's talk about a experience that I had a while ago:

Back in 2018, on december, I traveled to Ecuador. It was my first time getting on a plane. I went with my dad and mom. We actually went to visit my aunt.

I visited a very large statue named "La Virgen de El Panecillo". There we ate "bollos", wich were made of sweetcorn, but it look like a "tamal". 

Tamal by Recetas Nestlé

During the whole trip I drank sparkle water. Also it was pretty cold there. That is why I was wearing cozy clothes.

Definetily it has been one of the greatest experience in my life, for now, I got to visit a new country. 

Now I know that I have to take a medicine to calm my stomachache in order to enjoy the trip.

The shaping of identities. -Exploring good common principles for a digital identity system. Bolychevsky, I. (2018).

Identity is defined as "the fact of being who or what a person or thing is". Identities as one of the main topics of the English ab initio course took us to different corners of the countries to compare their cultures, and how we define and express ourselves.

We explored a variety of aspects that define and shape our identities as human beings. In the context of topics of personal, national and global interest, we navigated into the oceans of our essence and the elements behind our identity, such as:

• Physical appearance, which refers to physical features and characteristics. It includes personality, clothes and personal details.
• Relationships, it would be relationship with neighbors or relationship with family. Defined as a connection with someone.

We went on a journey within ourselves to discover interesting facts about our way of being, our way of acting. Questions that required deep analysis and critical thinking were difficult to answer because we often do not question or think about these behaviors. How do I present myself to others, how much physical appearance matters, how do I express my identity, to what extent do the clothes I wear reflect my personality?, were some of the questions asked in class.

During these classes we did a retrospective at the things we have learned over the years and continue doing to do as habits. How culture and different ways of thinking affect our identity, also depending on the region of the world we live in.

Note: If you want to take a look at the different activities we have done on this topic, please go to "Activities", "Identity" on the menu.