Conversacion

I finished my conversation class today. This class met from 4-6 monday through thursday and was really interesting. At first I didn´t even want to be in this class but it was very worthwhile, thought provoking, and language challenging. The class was me, an australian couple, an american ex-pat, and a young american student, and our Oaxacan profesor. We just talked about different topics from graffiti to voting systems, to protests, to south american politics. It was great hearing the different perspectives and always interesting to me how i feel fine about offering constructive criticism regarding the US but do get twinges of defensiveness when others criticize. Part of it, i think, is that I think sometimes it is a simplistic view that others hold about american politics and do not think about the ways in which world powers are pulled and the decisions that are needed when they are expected to intervene in certain humanitiarian situations and not in others. Of course, who chooses what constitutes a humanitarian mission and what consitutes meddling? The other part is, I´m sure, just plain old defensiveness. Nonetheless, it is really good to hear different perspectives while noticing my reactions to them without necessarily giving in to them, though I was quite the debater today.

Dad and I are about to walk up to a cerrito above the city to watch the sunset and maybe grab a drink. It is a beautiful evening and has been a beautiful day.