Student in Post-Colonial Literature Class Excited to Share About Spring Break in the Caribbean

Amanda Ashberry (C ‘19) just returned from a fabulous spring break hopping across islands in the Caribbean. She went to the Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, then finished up the week exploring Cuba. “It was just, like, such a culturally rich experience,” she told us over Skype, holding a margarita the size of her head while she lounged on the beach. She said she was especially excited to talk to her post-colonial literature class about her memories from the trip. 

Other people complain about studying over break, but Amanda got the best of both worlds. She told us that “I actually didn’t do the reading assigned over break. It was about life in Cuba, but I prefer a more hands-on approach.” Instead of reading Pedro Juan Gutierrez’s Dirty Havana Trilogy, Ashberry went bar-hopping, tanning, and asked dozens of locals to take pictures of herself and her friends in bikinis. Wow! She really got the full experience.

We asked Ashberry how taking post-colonial lit helped her gain a new understanding of the places she visited. Her response was extremely insightful.

“My professor taught us that for generations, people in colonized locales have been treated as objects or commodities, which has contributed to their international status of 'otherness' as they strive to fit into a world that they used fit into as a resource for colonial powers. These people and places were often seen as tools, and their literature—creating art and reflecting on these traumatic narratives—gives us a change to breathe three-dimensionality back into these former colonies. I really took that to heart. So, I learned the names of all the people who took my drink orders! And I said thank you in the local languages whenever waiters brought me refills. I think I really get my professor’s ideas now—my classmates have no clue what it’s really like in the real world.”

We’re sure that this revelation is going to go over really when when Amanda finally gets back to class—her tan and sun-kissed highlights are sure to help her nail the delivery.