This has definitely been an interesting semester to say the least! Last semester we covered a lot of pre-columbian and colonial history, which is all very interesting but sometimes it is a little difficult to truly process as a reality because it happened so long ago in a place with a history and background than our country. I would say that I got a similar feeling from this semester for a very different reason. I think we all grew up hearing that we were lucky to be born in the greatest country on Earth and I think that learning about all the things that the U.S. did or assisted in has been a little mind-boggling. We were told that we were "the world's superhero" but never told how much we hurt Latin American countries in the name of capitalism and "democracy." It has been interesting for me to come to terms with the realities of how countries interact and what it means to be the "good guy" or the "bad guy." I truly think that, at least some of the time, the actions that the United States took in Latin America came from a good-hearted place rather than always one of manipulation and greed. I think that there were truly people who believed that their actions would help the countries they were interacting with, even if the end result didn't portray this. This class has definitely inspired me to look at history from multiple perspectives and that what we are taught is not necessarily "the truth" but rather one person's view of the truth. Maybe truth is just that, one person's perspective.
On a lighter note, this has been an interesting class and semester for me, personally. I broke my foot pretty early on in the semester so it's been a bit of a struggle! I have definitely learned a lot about myself this semester, particularly how much I can take. I don't think I have ever worked this hard in my life and I don't think that I have ever, EVER been under this much stress. That being said, I've made it through and, honestly, I think that I have handled it really well!
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