My name is Karolina, and I am a 4th year Psychology student at UBC. I am a Polish -Canadian, born in Poland, but have lived in Canada most of my life. My interest in this course is partially due to my Colombian fiance  – I would like to know more about where my new family is from. My knowledge of Latin America is shallow at best, with most of my familiarity coming from Las venas abiertas de America Latina by Galiano read in another class. It is important to me to know not only what the history and cultural factoids are, but also how they are perceived by both Latinos and the rest of the world. In Latin America I have traveled to Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Paraguay and Brazil. I have a “slight” obsession with Celia Cruz, and a “minor” hatred of corn and corn products (I’m looking at you arepas!). I look forward to this class very much, particularly to discussions.