Although I’ve been in the Southeastern United States for most of the last year, I spent most of 2009-2010 travelling in Latin America. I’d like to share some of my photos here, and many of these are also featured on my blog from when I was in Ecuador (http://whereisscarlett.blogspot.com/). Also, I’m sure I’ll have interesting photos from New Orleans soon to share. Here are a couple of my favorites from Cartagena.
Centro Historico en Cartagena
Beach scene from Cartagena
So, I’ve been seeing summer reading lists on various blogs I follow lately. I know I haven’t been keeping up with this blog, but in an effort to revive it, I want to start with a summer reading list. Soon, I believe I’ll be receiving a few reading assignments to complete before the first semester of my Master’s program, but until then, I’m going to be reading various novels and non-fiction books for entertainment only. Below are some I’ve read recently and some I’m currently reading or looking forward to.
A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
This book can be described many ways, but hilarious is a good start. It describes a grotesque, over-educated, under-socialized man who lives with his mother in 1960s New Orleans and his adventures with other unique characters of the city. It’s been funny to me especially since I will be moving to New Orleans in July. I’m thoroughly enjoying this book. (Bonus: I recently took the GRE, and I will tell you that this book is FULL of GRE vocab. haha. Read if you are currently studying for this).
The Island Beneath the Sea (In Spanish, La Isla bajo el mar), Isabelle Allende
I’m also reading this Isabel Allende book simultaneously. I like to read two books at a time so that I can switch according to my mood. This book is another Allende masterpiece. In the past, I’ve read Daughter of Fortune (Hija de la Fortuna) and City of the Beasts (La Ciudad de las Bestias). I love historical literature, and although these do not qualify as that exactly, they always satisfy my desire to read about different regions of Latin America through the eyes of her diverse characters. The Island Beneath the Sea is set in 18th century Haiti and encompasses several different social classes and cultural traditions. I always read her books in English because they are most easily found in English in Mississippi, but since I read Spanish quite well, I think my next task should be to read one in its original language. It would probably be all the more intriguing.
The next two books are ones I read during the past semester in what little free time I had. They were lifesavers when I was deep within thesis writing.
The Help, Kathryn Stockett
I think everyone I know has read this book recently or is about to read it. It’s a beautiful story about a young white girl from Mississippi in the 1960s who wants to be a writer and the unlikely relationship she forms with black housemaids in Jackson, Mississippi while trying to compile their stories for a book. A must-read–especially for Mississippians.
Death in the Andes (Lituma en los Andes), Mario Vargas LLosa
Another great example of Latin American literature, this novel tells the story of two Peruvian officials who investigate various eccentric characters in the Peruvian Andes to determine the cause of mysterious disappearances and deaths in the area. I enjoyed reading about Andean myths and beliefs about spirits in the mountains, and also the threads of a love story told by one of the main characters. This is a complex story and its full meaning is not perceived easily, but it is one of those books that keeps you thinking for a few days.
The next couple books are on my list to hopefully read this month or in July, along with a few Faulkner novels I would like to reread.
In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan
I loved The Omnivore’s Dilemna when I read it about three years ago. I enjoy reading about other people’s eating philosophies, as I have been actively searching my own the last few years. It’s a work in progress, but Pollan’s approach to analyzing the food industry and the health problems caused by overly processed food products resonates with some of my own beliefs.
The Hunger Games, Susan Collins
I’ve been wanting to read this for awhile. I keep hearing great things about it. Although it’s categorized as young lit and follows teenagers, friends have told me it was not your average teenage reading. I’m intrigued.
These are just a few of my choices as of recently. If I had more time, I would have about 100 more suggestions. As it is, this should keep us busy for a few weeks.
Hopefully you’ll hear from me more often now that it’s summer. Happy pool/beach reading!
Though I don’t have the energy to expound upon my thesis at the moment, here are some recent articles that are relevant to my topic.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/opinion/03Raffles.html?_r=1
http://ecopreservationsociety.org/site/index.php/the-news/reforestation-blog/314-sustainable-forestr
For readers that do not attend the University of Mississippi, the Croft Institute for International Studies is the institute that houses the International Studies major at the university. It is a competitive program at the university as you must apply to major in International Studies, and there are several special requirements to complete the program.
Within major, you must focus on a region of the world (in my case, Latin America), a language spoken in that region (Spanish for me), and a thematic concentration (“Politics and Governance” is mine). As a major, you a required to study abroad for at least a semester in your chosen region, write a senior thesis, and take the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) in your chosen language during the last semester of senior year.
For anyone interested, this is the website: http://www.croft.olemiss.edu/home/
As most (all?) of you know, I studied abroad in Ecuador for the academic year last year. Though it was only required that I stay a semester, I would recommend anyone truly trying to learn the language to stay two. I at least doubled my abilities by staying another semester. (Though I could stay 10 more years and still be learning. You are never quite like a native).
Now, to the topic I wanted to discuss: Croft events. Croft has always been very good at contacting experts in and well-known academics within various fields of international studies/relations and getting them to speak and answer questions. Every year, they have a “Fall Speakers Series” open to the public, and many students always attend. I want to discuss briefly some of the most recent events that have been held at Croft.
John Dinges, current professor of Journalism at Columbia University and author of several books
Mr. Dinges came to speak to us specifically about his book, The Condor Years. In my class, History of Latin America during the Cold War, we read this book the week Mr. Dinges came to Croft. It was a fascinating look at Operation Condor, an alliance among various South American countries to fight communist threats and assassinate “terrorists” both in South America and in the United States and Europe. This alliance was formed in the 1970s and led by President Pinochet of Chile. This era in several South American countries was notorious for disappearances of citizens, assassinations, murders, torture, and repression–all led by the military regimes. Operation Condor is an example of how various regimes in different countries worked together to promote this repression and mass violations of human rights.
Mr. Dinges was interesting because he was in Chile when Pinochet came to power and for several years before and after. He has first-hand experience in South America during this time period. Though his speech was not the best I’ve heard, I think this was due to computer issues and nerves. I met him earlier on a small student panel, and he was very knowledgeable about these events and an interesting person to meet.
Bolivian Indigenous Representatives
Another recent event was a panel held by five Bolivian indigenous leaders. There were three women and two men. Two of the women were wearing traditional clothing, and one of them only spoke her native language, Aymara. The other panelists spoke Spanish and their native languages.
The Bolivians were especially interesting because Bolivia (and the Andes in general) has several indigenous organizations (both political and non-political) that are gaining much recognition and visibility in recent years. This is notable because indigenous peoples have traditionally had a tougher life in these countries due to forced labor during colonialism, racism (that is still present today), and poverty. The situation is much more complicated than that, but too complicated to explain here.
The panelists were leaders of various indigenous organizations in Bolivia. They were very confident and proud of their heritages and were ready to continue pushing for their positions in Bolivia. It was very impressive to me because it is very sad to see indigenous people denounce their heritage and try to blend into mainstream society simply because they need more money or acceptance in society.
Anyway, these are some (very) brief descriptions of recent events at Croft. I guess this post is much more interesting for those of you who don’t attend school here, and I hope it was somewhat informative.
I am grateful to be a part of Croft for many reasons. The opportunity to listen to intelligent authors and leaders and learn about cultural and social situations in which I never have lived is truly amazing, and I think Croft is doing a better job every year choosing speakers for events.
The Scarlett Letter 