Introduction to Crossing Boundaries

Well, this is my very first post! Hello! This is my first time using a Blogger account, so I hope this doesn't look too atrocious in its final result. I must say, though, that this is not my first time running an online blog. In the past, I have utilized LiveJournal and DreamWidth, so I am hoping this will be a similar experience. I'm kind of nervous, though, as this is the first time I've had to use a blog for a class. I hope this will still seem professional whilst still from the perspective of a first-year student.

That being said, I suppose I should elaborate on why I've created this blog. To be honest, I'm not quite sure, heh. I know it's been instructed to do so for my Crossing Boundaries class, and so I'm sure I'll be posting up my personal opinion about the books and articles we read here, but...I'm not exactly sure yet. My apologies! I am hoping my blog will not be as ambiguous as this introduction is becoming.

To be more...definitive, I suppose, I can explain the motivations behind selecting this class, as well as what intrigues me about it! First of all, the instructor. I previously had Ann for my Introduction to Creative Writing course, and she taught me how to strengthen my writing. It was not until then that I realized I focused far too much on the abstract and not on the concrete images, concepts, and circumstances that arose in not only my fiction, but also my non-fiction. Though sometimes I questioned her implementation of certain ideas (such as making the images in my poem "Ignis" to be more personal, rather than sticking to more flowing and imaginative pictures), I knew that she only wished to support me. I am thankful for having her not only as an instructor, but as well as an academic advisor, and so I am appreciative that I can have her yet again for this seminar course.

Secondly, I have an interest in different cultures. With my minors of international studies, sociology, and cultural anthropology, Crossing Boundaries exemplifies exactly what I would like to do: write and analyze how different cultures interact with one another. I feel that this is important not only in understanding others, but as well as one's self. As an individual of mixed heritages, my hope is to further understand myself and the struggles that my ancestors have had to overcome in order to create who I am today, thus possibly giving me a mission in life. Due to my diversity, it has always been difficulty (and essentially impossible) to find someone exactly similar to me, but something that I have always found fascinating is that I have been able to relate to someone else no matter what their race, ethnicity, gender, or religion may be. By taking this course, I hope to further understand how these connections have happened over history and how our world has transformed from them. 

Well, I really hope this didn't bore you down too much, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy!