Learning English

The English language was extended for the most of countries in the last years. In this context, the learning of this language has been developed in much educational centres.

In Chile, nowadays the learning of English is put into practice since the primary school, in general as a course obligatory. Also, it exist educational centres specializing in your learning, because of the necessity of people for have English as 2nd language it has increased in our globalized system of life.

Most of jobs and the academic programs consider necessary the use of the English language. For example, the publication of an article in a scientific journal, it considers that at least the abstract should be in this language. Also, any courses of the university careers have in his programs, books, articles or other materials of study wich are in English language.

I had English courses in the school and at the University. In the university the English program it was implemented as an obligatory course, and after the test of this language, I was selected for basic level I. In this moment I am in level IV.

This experience was good for to learn specially how to read fluently , but the listening part and the oral skills are very difficult for me and I think that in these four years learning English, these elements have not improve very much. I don’t know if it is a problem with my abilities learning the language, the bad learning at school, if I need more practice or maybe would be necessary to improve the method of learning of English program at the university. Maybe, it can be a mixed of all this elements.

Without a doubt, the learning of English is very necessary in different aspects, for example in academic life or when you visit other countries. However, the preponderance of this language is too much, and this is negative if it lowers the possibility to know other languages, an interesting experience and important for keep the cultural diversity.

In my case, in this moment I have courses of English and French, and in the future I would like to learn Mapudungun.

I need a sabbatical year!

After too many years at school and the university, I consider necessary to have a free year for me, because in my case I need some time to think about my future, to re-consider the idea to work as a sociologist or to take other options in my life.

So, I imagine that in my free year, I would do something to relax, for example, to stay some time in my house in Chimbarongo, or to travel around Chile, maybe I’d go to Valparaíso or to any place in the South of Chile... perhaps this would be an opportunity to visit my family of Punta Arenas, because I have never visited them. Also, in the other extreme of our country, I would visit Iquique because one of my best friends will be mum in the next weeks!!

Well, I think that the possibility to have a sabbatical year is only for some persons because this supposes to have some money (unless that you consider to stay only in your home) or that it isn`t necessary for your family that you work. For this, if I could have a sabbatical year I think that I would work three months to pay this long holyday, to do a painting course, or to learn some interesting things not related with the university.

I consider that a sabbatical year would be a moment to do the things that I haven`t been able to do with the educational responsibilities, for example, to sleep, to visit old friends or simply to have time to share with the persons that I love.

Think Green

The people learn about environmentally friendly practices in different contexts, in the family, the school, with the friends or in the advertising campaigns of eco-organizations. In my case I learn this in my family, but it not of an explicit form because the ecological practices are part of the country life.

In my habits I incorpore the recycling when I separate the rubbish, for example, the rest of food is for the hens of my house or throw it in the ground. Also, I give the glass bottles and tins to my uncle because he sell them. However, here in Santiago is much more difficult to practice the recycling… and in my apartment I don’t have a courtyard or hens and for this I would look for another form for recycling.

I prefer using my legs or a bike when I’m in my hometown. When I go to the university I use the public transport frequently.

I consider that these ecological initiatives are necessary for the protection of our environment. The organizations’ actions helped to solve the problem of the dam in Punta de Choros, for example. However, I don’t join or support any eco-organizations, because this require time and money, and at the moment I don’t have any of them. Maybe in the future…

I’d like to do anything for to help to create conscience about our environment and to learn more about this topic.

For to reduce my carbon footprint I have plants in my house and I am careful with the tipe of foods that I consume, for example, I prefer eating organic products.In our society, specially in Santigo, I consider that it miss more efective public politics, and to consider this problem as a fundamental aspect for the quality of life because in general are most important the interests of the big companies and it exist an irregular fiscalization.

Party

Well, really I don’t know what to write in this post. Cause I’m a very quiet person (maybe too much) and for this I haven't had a crazy or wild party. I could invent something but in this moment my imagination isn’t functioning. So, I will write about the last party that I went, it was three months ago. This was the birthday of my friend Claudia and she celebrates it in The Arcano Pub in Providencia; I went alone as an independent person XD.

Well, I don’t consider this one as a “wild party” but it was a great moment to know new people… and it was funny to stay in this celebration because all the persons were older than me and it was interesting to hear their conversations… there was a woman that related estrange stories and anecdotes.

Also, I remember some years ago, the celebration of the Carlita’s birthday together another (ex) classmates. That night we cooked sushi and we bought other things to eat and drink.

In both opportunities the consequences I think that they weren’t as you imagine (teacher huhuh) because I don’t drink alcohol… my mind was lucid and I can remember everything that happened. I don’t consider that to drink alcohol as a bad thing is only that I don’t like to taste it. So, I prefer to talk, or eat delicious things.

Maybe in the next years I could have a wild and crazy party… but I won’t write it in this blog jeje

Music

I like different kinds of music and groups and for this it is very difficult to decide for one. In general I listen to pop and traditional Chilean music.

One of my favourite pop groups is Mecano formed by Ana Torroja, Nacho y José María Cano, because their songs have a particular sound with the electronic mixes specially in their beginning when they worked together with Hans Zimmer for example.

This Spanish trio, very popular in the 80s, have six cds approximately but also they have records of concerts and material not published. My favourite material is a dvd with a live concert at the end of the 90s because I enjoy the voice of Ana at that time. They separated and nowadays everyone does their own careers as singers but it is not the same.

In my romantic side, I like Laura Pausini. Last year I went to the concert at the Movistar Arena, her vocal quality is incredible and she is very nice.

In the traditional Chilean music I really like Violeta Parra. I consider that she is an important woman because she collected different musical forms through our own country and she showed them in other countries such as France. The contents of her songs refer to elements of our own culture and she does social criticism with this. She was a great artist because she practiced the music and at the same time she was painter and sculptress for example. I recommend you her website: http://www.violetaparra.cl/.

Also I like Congreso because they are spectacular musicians; I attended a concert this year in the Municipal Theatre and the musical quality was fantastic.

Well, I think that the music and his its different kinds are element very important for our culture.

Lastarria

After the Bicentenario weekend and all the movement, food, travels, meetings with family and friends, it would be good to do any activity or visit a place to relax.

Well, I don’t know very well Santiago, but to relax I walk regularly on the Santa Lucía hill and to see Santiago from the top. After going to the hill, it is interesting to go to the neighborhood Lastarria and to go to El Biógrafo Cinema.

I discovered the neighborhood Lastarria when I studied architecture and I drew sketches of the road and buildings. But I knew El Biógrafo Cinema because a friend invited me. Her boyfriend worked in that place and for this reason we can get in for free... huhu. This place is very special because it is an art cinema, and keeps the form of the old cinemas. I know the “cojo”... he is a very nice and interesting man.

In Lastarria you can find many restaurants, coffee shops, arts galleries, cultural centres, museums, and some days there is an antiquefair.

I don’t remember exactly the times that I’ve been to that place, but maybe, at least, ten and the most of the time I go with any friend.

To conclude, I recommend that place because has a beautiful architecture, you can do different activities and it has a great historical value. Also, for its characteristics is an important place in the cultural landscape of Santiago.

To visit this place I think that you should have money, but walking along is also good activity.

The National Holidays

I will celebrate this special national holiday in Chimbarongo. I'm going to be with my family and it’s very important for me because on 21th of September is my birthday, and I will celebrate these days before returning to Santiago.

I think that for this celebration isn’t necessary to spend much money, it’s depends on the person, for example, my family spends money especially in food… my mother cooks tasty empanadas!!

I like the week of the National Holiday to rest, and the possibility of doing funny things such as flying kites. Also I would like to learn to dance cueca.

Regarding to the celebrations of our bicentenary I think, that this isn’t very special because the authorities and the government do a show with this, we can see the use of the image of our national heroes, the monuments, etc… and the creation of an national imaginary based on wrong interpretations of our history, for example, as Gabriel Salazar says, the recent closeness of the monuments of Carrera and O’Higgins as a form of reconciliation has no sense. I think that is funny to celebrate but also it is the moment to do a necessary and real reflection about our country, for example about the situation of Mapuche and the public education.

Privatisation...

I think that the privatisation of the state universities is a problem very important because the education is a central factor for the development of our society. However, in our country this system doesn’t help to create a society with more equality and opportunities for the students with less economic resources.

With the previous years experiences is possible to think that the privatisation will impose in our state university system, and I don’t think that the current president of the government will change this system.

I'm not very sure about the solutions for this problem... maybe it is necessary to do other forms to access university or to find the form to create social conscience about this problem and to put pressure on the authorities to stop the process of privatisation.

I don’t think that this government will privatise the Universidad de Chile. At least four years I consider that it is not sufficient for this, and I imagine that the public tradition of this university and the students' movement will do anything to stop the privatisation. However, I think that this university isn’t public totally because to study here at the moment is very expensive.

Italy or France

I’d like to visit Italy because is a country with an interesting history and beautiful architecture and places to know.

I think that it is necessary live in this place for some years if you want to make new friends or to know more about the characteristics of it society, traditions or style of life.

I’d like to go with some friends because it is funnier and you can share the experience.

Well, at the moment I’m not saving money to go here... I need to finish the university and to find a job. Maybe in the next years I will consider the possibility of going to another country to continue studying. In this case, I think that France would be my election because in this place the sociology of art is more developed than in other countries, and this is an area of the sociology that I’d like to learn.

The first term of 2010

My first term was difficult because I had some academic problems especially with Statistic IV, I failed twice!!

I have some confusions with my decision of studying sociology, sometimes I think that this is a mistake.. but I don’t know.

But, also I lived good things! I participated in an research about the popular poetry and with my classmates went to Portezuelo. This experience was very interesting to learn more about the “payadores” and this is a beautiful place… I really enjoyed it!!

Also, I knew a new friend, her name is Kaitling and she was in a class of rural sociology in a student exchange program. She returned to the USA two weeks ago but we continue speaking.

My blogging experience

I enjoyed to write in my blog and to read the posts of my classmates, but sometimes when I had less time I did not enjoy to write my post because is an obligation. But maybe is my way of thinking because I don’t like the sites as facebook, fotologs, or blogs.

However, I think that the blog helped to improve my English, for example, I learned more words increasing my vocabulary and now I can to read more easily. This is very necessary for me because I might can read texts or books for my courses in the university, or to write any article in the future. Also, I need to understand when exist webpages with informations about investigations or studies that they are written in English language.

In my opinion the advantages of blogging are the possibilities for to learn the forms of redaction in the English language with the constant exercise of to write different topics every week and to read the post of my classmates and comment on them. Also, the blog is an opportunity for to share histories and opinions with my classmates. Nowadays, considering the importance of internet, it is a good idea to use this element as form of learning.

I consider that the disadvantages of blogging in the English class maybe that isn’t a very dynamic system for me... sometimes this is a bit boring. Also, in my case I need a form for to practice the listening in English because this is most difficult for me, and is necessary for to have a good conversation in this language.

Well, I can say that for me to create this blog was a good experience but I confess that I’m happy because this is my last post of this semester jijij

Good bye!

Photograph

This photograph was taken by my friend Claudia Acevedo. It shows a road of Valparaíso in January of 2010, and she took it in your holidays.

I like it because this is a beautiful place, and I like the perspective of this photograph even though my friend isn’t a professional photographer (she is sociologist). When I see this image I would like to walk in this road as these persons of the photograph.

Also, this place is very important because you can see the material heritage of our country, for example in the image you can see the old buildings with his special form of construction and the “adoquines” in the road.

Although in this case the architecture is very important, the immaterial heritage is important too, for example would be very interesting for me to can know anything about the histories of the persons who live in these buildings, because your testimonies are a part of the history of our country.

Also, in this image I can see that the first floors of the buildings are used as commercial centers, and this demonstrate that this place can have the same form a long time, but the history of your residents are in a constant movement. For example, I imagine that the clothes of the girls isn’t the same that your grandparents used, and probably your way of thinking changed too.

I love this place although I don’t know this road of Valparaíso. I want to visit it in the next weeks when I finish the works and exams, for to relax me and to know more about this place, maybe I will try to take a good photograph for other post jijij

Mi work of Rural Sociology

A few weeks ago I did an interview for a work of rural sociology, and I must do an analysis about the rural history, the institution of the “Hacienda” and the process of the “reforma agraria” for example.

However, the most interesting about this work is that I went to place called Peor es Nada, where live don José, my interviewee. He is a very nice and interesting person; He tells me about your life and your rule as leader of an “asentamiento” in this place when was the process of “reforma agraria”.

The moment of the interview was very funny because I went with my family and they participated of the conversation… I think that they missed that the interview was for a work and my idea was to hear only to don José! XD

Then of the interview we went to visit some relatives hadn’t seen in a long time. It was very moving for me, in special when I saw to sister of my grandmother; because they are very similar and she did me remember her. She gave me apples and very delicious quinces !!!

Well, finally the most important thnig don’t was the work of Rural Sociology.

Lolitas in Chile

The last year I and my classmates did a work about the “Lolitas” in Chile... and well, my friend is Lolita and for this I'm interest in to write about this.

What are the Lolitas? or who is a Lolita?

This is a subculture that it has your origin in Japan, that it mixes the afterpunk and the glam with elements of the aristocracy of the Rococó and Victorian time, and modern elements.

This subculture has different styles and the clothes that they use are very expensive, but only if it is of an original designer, and for this in Chile some Lolitas make your clothes or buy other similar products. Sometimes they can buy for example a dressed of an original brand, but for this they to buy in the abroad, and it costs at least $150000.

For this investigation we use a method that is call participant observation. In this case we assist to your reunions and we participate of your different activities for know him.

With this experience and reading some theories of authors, we can to conclude that In Chile the Lolitas are not a subculture as in Japan, this is an urban tribe if we read the ideas of Maffesoli, because in Japan your origin is a protest against the machista culture and this have an individual orientation, and different of this in Chile they have an collective orientation in that the emotional relations are important.

My netbook

My favourite piece of technology is my netbook.

The last weekend my mother and my brother went to buy it because my notebook had problems with the screen. It was very bad.

I use my netbook for to do my works of the university, for to see any things in internet, and listen to music, to save archives, important documents or pictures.

I need to use my netbook everyday because I work in the website that I administer and I read the news, my email and speak in the chat of gmail in internet.

I like the netbook because is small and light, and for this is more practice for me when I need bring it to university or to houses of my classmates when we do works in groups. The white color and designs are very beautiful. However sometimes is difficult for me read in a small screen.

For my life, I think that without it would be more difficult in the aspects relatives to my role of student, and in the communications with my friends, but I think that for my life in general it is not very important or essential.

I hope that this netbook work without problems or simply I will try to live without it.

Water

Today I went to forum about the water and I will speak about this.

In this forum the expositors were experts in the topic of the water: agronomic engineers, a sociologist, representatives of the RANQUIL (Confederación Nacional Sindical Campesina), and a journalist that he does a documental about this.
In our country exist nowadays an interesting and important debate about this topic because in the south there are hydroelectric projects that affect the natural landscape and to people that live in this places.

And in the north, the problem is with the mining companies, because these extract the water of the places that are important for the people and for your subsistence.

The most of expositors explain that this is a social, economic, politic and cultural problem that it has your origin in the normative because this is not specific about the water resources and this it enables that the economic interests of transnational companies are more important than the little farmers, for example.

I think that these reflections are important because we use this element every day but many times we don’t think about this.

This forum is an initiative of the project of The Popular University of our Faculty and his idea is to create a space where the different organizations have a dialogue with academics and students for to produce a common knowledge.

My favourite website is....

I enjoy visiting the website www.nucleoarteycultura.com.
This page is of the “Núcleo de Estudios de Artes y Prácticas Culturales” of the Sociology Department, University of Chile.

This website present differents sections that you can see. In the menu you can access to information about the integrants of this group, to know your activities and projects and to read an archive with the past reunions.

Also, in the principal part of page there is an area with information that it can be interesting for the persons that studies topics related to arts and culture, for example information about a new related publication or any activities such as seminaries. In the final of the website you can see the images about the study lines too.

I visit this website everyday and I like it because with my brother was the creators and I’m the administrator jajaja. However the most interesting is that this website is an instrument for show the important work of a group of persons that investigate about the arts and cultural practices and studiants that we hope to learn more about the sociology of arts.

Also your coordinator is my teacher Marisol Facuse, a very nice person!!

Popular Chilean Poetry

This holiday, in January I did the transcriptions for an investigation project. I think to write about this.

The interviewed was popular poets, they do “canto improvisado” or “paya” and some practice the “canto a lo divino” too. They are very interesting persons because your life is dedicated to practice this traditional art, and I admire to the payadores because they have an incredible capacity of improvisation. In the festivals or shows for example, they can to ask to public any sentence (in “octosílabo”) and they create a “décima” in this same moment!!

I’m very happy of to participate in this project because I can learn how this traditional art exist nowadays, in the voice of persons that practice it, and with the direct observation of festivals, I can learn about the public of this popular art too.

I think that the popular poetry is an important immaterial heritage for our country and for the society in general and so in this case is very interesting the point of view of the Sociology of Arts.

My experience about of the earthquake...

This day I was in my house, in Chimbarongo. That night I was drawing in my bed, and when the earthquake began my house and all things were moving. In this moment I got up and walked to search my mother and my brother. We went out of the house and then walked in pyjamas for the road to Grandfather’s house for to see him.

I was very worried because my father was working in the night and I couldn’t call him because the telephonic service was in bad conditions. Also, I thought in my friends and persons that I love. Well... the most important is that all they are ok.

I think that in this type of moments I learn to appreciate the more important things of my life... but I don’t want other earthquake!!

Hello!

Welcome to my Blog!

My name is Marcia and my nickname is Cubito. This is mi first blog and this is for the English Class.

About me, I can say that I live in Santiago but I'm from Chimbarongo, a very nice place. I'm very quiet; I like drawing and painting when I have some time. I'm amateur but I want to do a course about this. Also, I study Sociology and specially I like the Art and Culture Sociology.

I hope that this virtual space helps me to learn english, beacuse whit this I can write about me and to see the blogs of my classmates. I think that they are very nice persons and with this blog I hope to meet them.

Bye!!