In This Country

"I didn't know you could do something like that. I sure didn't know a girl could do something like that." Page 106

To me, these sentences were wonderful and horrible at the same time. It made me so happy when Nadira realized that she could actually do something wonderful in this country and that her sister wasn't better than her. At the same time I felt horrible she didn't know that a GIRL could be a geologist. The way she was raised has affected how she thinks about the world, gender, and attitude. I wish she would just prop open her eyes and stare at the outer world for a while. This quote also confused me. "I didn't know you could do something like that." confused me because I wonder if she was refering to college in general, studying, geology, or collecting rock samples. Other than that miner confusion, the quote struck me because it had two different meanings and backgrounds to it.