Hola a todos, my name is Johana P. Martinez Vanegas but a lot of people have trouble remembering my name i just go by Jo. I was born in Bogota, Colombia and moved here when i was three years old. Though I was sent to Colombia Every six months so I wouldnt forget my culture and to strengthen my Spanish. Im a Senior at UCF and majoring in Cross-Cultural Psychology, the reason for this is that I love to learn new things from different cultures, I also enjoy traveling a lot, meeting people from different backgrounds, and hearing from them how they live their lives that is different from mine. I took this class because my sister had taken it in Chicago and recommend it to me, she said you learn the real meaning of Feminism and not have a misconception about it. Though to me feminism at first was about females not liking men at all and how things could be better if a female could run this country and other stuff, but so far from what i have read its a totally different idea and as the semester goes im pretty sure ill have a better understanding of the term. Another reason i took this class is that i also plan on studying women in the Psychology field and i felt that by taken this course it would help me get a better understanding of things. Im currently involved in YAYA an association for helping farm workers to be heard and to get better laws for them. Ive been to rallies to help these same farm workers to get help for immigration papers and to promote better treatment for them when they are out in the field. I also help out with the GLBSU or Equal as its called now on campus, by doing volunteer work for example helping out in DIVA INVASION, we also due a GLOW event every last Tuesday of the month, to get the gay, lesbian, transgenders etc community together for a night. Recently i have helped out with an association in Colombia pies descalzo, to try to give a child in Barranquilla shoes and an education. To me doing all this things makes me extremely happy because im helping those in need and those who want to be heard but are sometimes forgotten. I'm also taken this class to learn more about gender roles and how its different from the way i was thought growing up in a strict conservative household. At a young age i was told to do certain things a "female" should do, and to avoid anything that was related to boys. It was very strange for me to grow up in this way of thinking because at a young age i knew i was different from the other girls, i would rather go outside and play with GI Joes then Barbies. It was even harder for me to finally come out to myself that i was gay because that is something that is not talked about at all in my family. If i could change something about myself gender wise is to not have to worry about how im suppose to act to feel welcomed in society but to learn to be more comfortable with myself and the way others view me.
I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus and the blogging protocols.

-Jo