Oh, hi! If you’ve made it this far, you must be one of my classmates/Dr. Paterson herself… or a lost soul who might have strayed a long way off the Yellow Brick Road on their journey elsewhere. Whoever you are, welcome, have a seat (but not on that chair, it has a tendency to stab my friends), and I’ve got some cookies due to be out of the oven in a few minutes. I don’t know about you, but I love to bake, especially when I have company. I get most of my recipes from this amazing, diet-ruining website. However, I’m not to good at tidying up in time, so please forgive the unfinished nature of the site. I’ll play around with it as I go.

Have a cupcake! It’s strawberry cheesecake!

My name is Hannia, I am very close to gaining status as a 4th year student (3 credits away, to be exact) pursuing a double major in English Literature and Film Studies, and am getting too old to continue burning the midnight oil in pursuit of academic excellence. Unfortunately, old habits die hard. I started university wanting to be a writer, but now I’m not entirely sure where I want to end up.

I’ve decided to spend my summer locking down that mandatory Canadian Literature credit for the English half of my degree by enrolling in ENGL 470A with you, and maybe two other courses. This class in particular will be examining Canadian Literature, from the Indigenuous oral tradition to colonial European texts, and the way they intersect or otherwise. At its core, the course is an exploration of stories; where and who they come from and their impact. That is the premise, and our setting is Canada.

I wish I could tie this in to a more meaningful, personal note, but although I am an immigrant to this country and have my own stories/complicated relationship to this land, mine is not really a group that I expect to find record of in Canadian media and be able to explore through the course. The Latin American diaspora seems to have sent most of the creative types to the States. But I do love stories, for they are a rare opportunity to get a taste of what life can be like for someone other than oneself and am stoked to be part of a course that focuses on their power. I’m also excited to share in all of your stories through our blogging assignments. I’ve dabbled in some online blogging myself in the past, and am interested to see how we’ll be using online platforms to enhance our learning. Even if these enhancements might end up happening in the wee hours of the morning for some. (Read: me.)

An artistic depiction of me, embarking on this summer’s journey into Canadian Literature with you.

Now, to explain the blog title. I’ve experienced Canadian content before as part of my Film degree, delving through entries into what passes for our film canon ranging from jaw-dropping, to oddly compelling, and… interesting, to say the least. As far as literature is concerned, though, even my children’s literature class had an overwhelmingly British presence, which is not all that intolerable for me, but it does feel a tad claustrophobic. This summer, though, it’s time to relocate to the colonies for some time, and this will stand as the record of my trip. So, I’ll say goodbye to England and read something new for a change.

Don’t cry, Fielding, I’ll come back for you some day.