Hi everyone!

My name is Ashley and I am in my 4th year studying International Relations and Sociology. I am 23 years old and from Langley, BC. Something fun about me is that I grew up on a beef cattle farm for almost all my life, and I got to show them at local fairs like the PNE (think dog show..but replace them with cows:))–I also lived on a dairy farm and had a pig named Peaches. In my spare time, I like finding a good hot chocolate, taking the ferry to the Island for an adventure with my friends, or finding new music to update my playlists. I also love finding a good TV show (my current favs are Yellowstone and The Last of Us!).  I am really excited to jump into the content of this course and get to know everyone throughout the duration of this term!

I chose to register for this course because I chose Spanish as my language requirement for my IR degree, and I loved it so much that I wanted to continue with it somehow. So, I figured taking a SPAN course for my lit requirement would be an excellent route to take! Although I am not super well-versed in literature, I am more than eager to get started and delve into the many books we have the chance to read this semester so that I can have a more balanced and thoughtful perception of these texts and how they have contributed to the LATAM region. Though, I have taken a few Latin American-centered political science, Latin Amerian studies, and sociology courses that crossover with many of the themes we are said to explore this semester, including war, class, globalization, representation, and revolution; so, I am very excited to explore these themes in more depth and within a different lens.

At first, I was a bit confused on exactly what hopscotch was in the case of this class, but the introductory lecture helped me understand that, and provided me with the tools I need to look at the literature we will be exploring in a different lens and to get rid of any assumptions I may have had prior. I think the selection of texts we have will show a great variety (but also commonalities, as mentioned in lecture) in the shared and unshared values and within Latin American cultures and identities. I usually love reading political biographies or historiographies, but I am excited to get the chance to explore other genres, too! I am super excited to read I, Rigoberta Menchu because I got to go to Guatemala in 2019 and learn about the K’iche’ language and culture, and would love to learn more. I think I have read an excerpt from that book, but quite honestly it was 6 years ago so I will be ready for a good refresher on that one:) I found the discussion on magical realism most interesting from the lecture, and am curious to learn of how we can begin to deconstruct such themes and analyze a variety of interpretations and narratives within each.

Question: Have you ever had the chance to go to a country in the Latin American region? Another question: Where is your favourite place to read? Mine is at a cafe or at a park with a river view:)

See you around, everyone! Super excited for this course!