iExamen 2 - Bendu Kaba

As each class day goes by, I get to value and understand the significance of emotional intelligence. That understanding one’s self and one’s emotions can help facilitate our reactions. So, iExamen 2 was very insightful in seeing how others react to a more aware of reaction self.

I completed my iExamen 2 on Saturday weekend with full motivation to try to be my best self. It is best to note I can be a little sarcastic or sometimes very blunt with my comments, as everyone who knows me understands that. Additionally, I like as little social interaction as much, but because of quarantine and Covid, I have wanted more social interaction. However, I usually have my phone on Do Not Disturb throughout the day. Not to be standoffish, but I am not a fan of being on the phone. This day, I told myself I would turn it off and be more open and receiving to everyone. To this little action, the reactions I received were the best. My sister is in college in Emmitsburg, so she does not always call, but when she does, I miss her phone calls; however, today, I answered, and she was so surprised. A similar thing happened with my parents; they traveled to Liberia recently, so with the time zone, it has been tough getting ahold of them, but they called me in the morning, and I picked up right away. My mother’s response was, “Wow, you finally picked up.” This evoked laughter from my sister and me. However, it is made me realize how standoffish it is. It makes people think I am unreliable since if anything happens, I typically will not respond as fast as they need to.

As for my sense of speech, I grew up with three older sisters who are also very blunt, and we tend to poke fun at each other, which can sometimes be harsh. This day I chose not to; I tried not to say sarcastic unneeded responses. Though I did not go anywhere and was mainly interacting with the same people, it was difficult. When I said kinder things, mostly random, my little sister would think I am subtly asking her for a favor, which I found funny.

Though I try not to be intentionally mean and hurt other people’s feelings, I was extra careful in trying not to come off as such. When texting my friends, even when we are joking as a response to a video or an event that occurred, I kept finding myself deleting my response and re-writing it to make it as kind and as difficult to interpret it as mean as possible. Though my friends did not have a humorous reaction, they could understand some shifts in my responses.

This iExamen has not only allowed me to be more aware and observative of other reactions to my actions; it has allowed me to analyze my behaviors. It felt good to see my family and friends smile in response to my random, “You look beautiful today,” or “I love you.” comments that I do not typically say. It made me appreciate and kind of regret, not always being this nice. Though it was somewhat tricky and kind of awkward, it was a great experience. My definition of being a “good person” refers to trying your best to make others happy and helping them. If everyone understood this concept of emotional intelligence and be more positive, the world would be so much better.