Hello everyone!  I am Nicole Gross, a first year engineering student here at UBC.  This blog will be focused on my Latin American Studies class, which I am looking forward to!  I took this class because a couple years ago, I embarked on an incredible 3-week adventure to Brazil with National Geographic, and I loved every moment of the trip!  The cultures and beauty of such a place continue to interest me even now; hopefully this class will give me some insight into the history of what I experienced!

As an introduction, here are a couple facts about myself:

• I love travelling, and have been to 4 continents and 10 countries (excluding Canada)
• I am a figure skater and skier, and love all things outdoors
• I am a lifeguard and swim instructor
• Food is fantastic

Upon looking at the first week’s readings and videos, my 3 discussion questions are:

• Since bias is inevitable when examining accounts and narratives of history, is it worth it to look for an unbiased or less biased version of the past?  Do these even exist?
• Why might Alec Dawson suggest that the world views Latin America as a stagnant region, a region without progress?  What might have led the rest of the world to adopt such views, and are these views accurate?  How can we change this perception?
• Is Latin America still in an age of revolution?

Thanks for reading!

Cheers!

Nicole