hey hi hello

 Hi everyone!! I'm Deeba, and I'm in 3rd year, studying International Relations. I'm taking this course because of the literature requirement primarily, but also because I took RMST 202 last year with some of you and it was fun enough for me to do it a second time. The contract grading in particular was something I really enjoyed because it completely removed the unpredictability that often comes with final grades.

A bit of my background is that I live in White Rock, but I was born and raised in the UK (Manchester to be precise) and moved here a bit before the pandemic. I like drawing, ice skating, and trying out different coffee shops around Vancouver. I'm also an editor for the Journal of International Affairs here at UBC so hopefully there'll be a good overlap between the articles I read and the subject matter of some of these novels. I generally read a variety of genres, but I must confess that magical realism isn't one that I tend to enjoy... so I'm really looking forward to One Hundred Years of Solitude!

These days I read mostly on the bus in the form of audiobooks; I have a long commute and can't read with my eyes on public transport. I think what I'm looking forward to most in this course is the discovery of historically significant novels and a further contextualisation of Latin America, especially with the backdrop of political goings-on. That said, I'm also excited about the books that weren't written by Nobel Prize winners, and those that are more unconventional. Each book I'm sure will have something new and different to offer, and I'm excited to learn as I go. The only one of these books I've already read is A Hundred Years of Solitude by Garcia Marquez (as mentioned already), and truthfully I didn't really like it because I was so confused by all the characters with the same name. Luckily, I was already planning to reread it to wrap my head around it so this will be a perfect opportunity to do just that. Otherwise, I've studied some of Neruda's poems in previous literature classes and loved reading them.

As for the meaning of Latin American, touched upon in the lecture, I think it's so interesting to try and deconstruct what makes up Latin America, and therefore what counts as Latin American literature. I really don't know if there'll be a strong connecting thread throughout the books, and what it may be, but I'm definitely looking forward to finding out.

The question I pose to all of you is: if you could visit any Latin American country/city, which one would it be? Why?

Location: UBC, Vancouver, BC

Comments

  1. Daniel ChoiJanuary 11, 2023 at 7:30 PM

    Hello Deeba, great blog post! I was in RMST 202 as well - it was a great course. It's so interesting that you have been reading in the form of audiobooks. I don't know why, but I have never read/ listened to an audiobook before. When I think about it, it might be because I would fall asleep if I had a voice reading into my ears. Only if I could focus, it will be such a convenient way to do some more "reading". To answer your question, I would like to visit Mexico. I'd love to visit the beaches and the historical places.
    - Daniel Choi

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  2. ChikoJanuary 11, 2023 at 7:30 PM


    Hello, Deeba ☺︎
    I am also taking SPAN312 to fulfill my literature requirement. I am not yet familiar with the contract grading system, but it is nice to know that we can choose our own grade!

    If I could go to Latin America, I would like to visit the Caribbean islands (maybe Roatan?). I would love to scuba dive in a paradise with beautiful white sand beaches and a wide variety of marine life.

    Looking forward to seeing you in class!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Chanya ChawlaJanuary 12, 2023 at 10:52 PM

    Hi Deeba,

    Great blog post! Funny enough I also commute from South Surrey and the long commutes are certainly not the greatest. I do, however, try to use my time to either read (or atleast I try) or to just relax and listen to music.

    I'm also a minor in International Relations taking this class for the literature requirement.

    Looking forward to seeing you in class as well:)

    ReplyDelete

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