Reflection #14

This week (aka Monday and Tuesday) has been a whirlwind, and it has only just begun. Trying to finish all of my homework before the break starts is incredibly stressful, but I know that it will be worth it in the end. Putting in all my time and effort in now will prevent any further stress buildup in the week following Thanksgiving. Finishing Todorov this week will ensure a much more peaceful break than if we had continued reading during this time. Although we have to prepare for the second simulation, my team has already met and gathered our thoughts on our strategic plan. Now the only thing left to do before the day of the simulation is to finalize any last-minute ideas and come up with possible counterarguments for the other teams. With that being said, there is not a lot to reflect on for this past "week". Our final discussion on Todorov was interesting but quite technical in the actual content. As PTJ said, the discussion could've gone on for another hour or so to truly unpack all of the material presented to us in Part Four of Conquest of America. I've mentioned in some of my previous blog posts that Todorov's writing is made much clearer to me when I am able to gauge my classmates' reactions to it and their own understandings of the content. Monday's class was a great example of that in that I might've viewed the quote at hand differently from those in my group. A lot of what I took away from the discussion was an inherent need to separate the actual character and their individual actions from their legacy or motivations. A lot of what was said revolved around these ideas, especially with the introduction of the three-axis. The praxeological and epistemic level made the most sense to me in terms of understanding the opposing forces of familiarity and the other. An entire conversation surrounding these two ideas could have composed another class session entirely, but that is just not the way the world works sadly.

Although I enjoy our time together in World Politics, I am so excited to be off for the next several days. Sadly though, I won't be returning to the great state of Texas but rather the garden state. My sister, cunning as she is, proposed that I spend the Thanksgiving break with her because she missed me so much. Later on, I found out that she is moving on Black Friday and needing help, so my mom offered my assistance without my knowledge. Come Friday, I will be moving boxes and furniture rather than shopping the sales or breaking out of my turkey coma. While I'm excited to see my sister now more than twice a year, I'll admit I will miss the traditional trip to my aunt and uncle's house with my mom and my other sister. Traditions break all the time, but I didn't expect this one to break so soon. I guess that is part of learning to be independent and growing up which is essential to the college experience. At least now I can guilt my sister into taking me to see Frozen 2 while I'm staying with her in New Jersey.