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.