Blog numero uno

Oh dear, it appears as though I have started a blog. And why would I want to do that? Well, I will tell you right now, friend. As I approach the end of my penultimate quarter at Ohio University, I realize that although graduate school for me has been a stress-filled adventure, I thrive on academic discussions. My interests include, but are not limited to:
1. Feminism and Gender studies (study of gender within the media, studies of femininities and masculinities, the study of women and the environment)
2. Race studies
3. Latin America in general -> Mexico more specifically, and Venezuela on occasion.-> Tijuana/San Diego most specifically. Haiti has also always fascinated me from what I have learned from Randall Robinson and Franz Fanon
4. Environmental Studies- my knowledge of this is more on the political and/or educational side than the scientific side of, say, climate change.
5. Literature (although my formal education seems to be getting in the way of my pleasure reading)
6. Foreign Languages (Spanish and Portuguese)
7....and along with foriegn languages, travel
8. Teaching (something I never thought I would find such an interest in, but now as a Spanish teacher, it's a pretty big part of my life)
9. Film- I love movies. Especially the films of Vincent Gallo, Werner Herzog, Wes Anderson, Harmony Korrine, Lars von Trier, and Alejandro González Iñárritu to name the tip top.

Those are my interests right off the top of my head thinking about classes I've taken, research I've participated in, literature I've read, and things, places and people with which/whom I have come into contact. Of course my discussions on this blog will not be limited to such materials.
Right now might not be the best time to begin such an endeavor, as it will probably distract me from the real tasks at hand in my life, which are:

1. Assignments for my capstone course for the Women's and Gender Studies certificate
2. My thesis on Women and Environmental Advocacy on the US-Mexico Border
3. Lesson planning and teaching Spanish 112- the second in a series of 3 beginning Spanish classes.
4. Figuring out what life will be for me after I graduate with my Master's Degree in Latin American Studies (will I move to San Diego or am I doomed to stay in cold and snowy Ohio, working at Columbus State?)
5. Research assistance-ship hours with my academic advisor/Chair for my thesis committee, Risa Whitson.
6. Planning my presentations for A.) the International Student Union Research Symposium and B.) the Ohio Latinamericanist Conference.

As I finish up my Master's Degree I will probably be blogging sporadically and mostly about content pertaining to my classes and my thesis. As I mentioned previously, I am starting this blog so that I can continue to engage in meaningful and thoughtful "conversation" about my interests and passions. I encourage readers to post comments so that a dialogue can grow from my comments and questions. I welcome your ideas, comments, suggestions and questions. Thanks for reading!