And so begins the new semester...

This semester, I am dealing very much with interesting topics.
Sociocultural lenses through which one can view Germany; portrayals and interpretation through film

I've got to read a lot for a class about literature throughout le monde francophone. I am really interested in reading Gabrielle Roy's "Bonheur d'occassion" because it takes place in the neighborhood I lived in for most of my years in Montréal. It's a neighborhood in grand transition, and is much "better" now than it was in the past (although many people still have a terrible perception of it).

This will be really interesting, as I've got to read books from all over the world. I can't just read authors from Canada and France. In fact, I'll be intentionally avoiding French/European-Francophone authors. I will still read authors from QC (specifically, books based in Montréal, as I find this beneficial), but the authors I choose will all be from the unfamiliar francophonie.... places that are very foreign to me, cultures and traditions I don't understand entirely. Canada and much of Europe, it's easy to adapt those worlds to what I know. I want something that challenges my mind, makes me think, provokes me. I want some discomfort, some questions, something that forces me to see the world from a different perspective.

Tolerance and love for all humankind comes from understanding. We will never understand each other if we assume we are all the same. We share many things, but we are wonderfully different. Some say the world is small, but I think it is really quite a big place to explore.