My English learning experience in the University

My English learning experience in the University

My English learning experience in the university has been a nice experience, but it has been some complications. I’m not a very knowledgeable in this language. I have a “poor” vocabulary, and still I don’t wide the correct verbal forms... my pronunciation is horrible too jaja! The worrying of this is that I’m not only on this situation. Like me are many students. For that, I’ think that it’s necessary a better methodology to work with people less expert. I’m a person less expert.

Why it’s necessary a better methodology?

At the university enter people from very different social realities. In our country, it means that enter people from very different educational realities too. Some people are more learned than others. This is due that education differences in our country are really appalling. The most of people that enter to the best universities of Chile are from private schools, from very expensive and exclusive schools. Moreover, for their socioeconomic condition, this people have more “english experience” that other people... like me, for example.

However, the english diagnostic exam of the university put in the same group people with very unequal levels of knowledge. Although it can help to learn this language, the most part of the time it generated many difficult to learn english due the great different levels of knowledge of the students. That is clear in the class room: some people participate much, and others we stay in silence the most part of the time.

For these reasons, I think that it’s necessary a new methodology that integrated to people “less expert” in moments where it can less difficult to participate in the class. For example, it can be making new sections, new course; not only have four coursed levels. Definitely, it’s necessary to implement a better work methodology.

If I would wealthy :)

If I would have a lot of money I don’t know if I would be really happy, but I would be a little closer to “the happiness”. I'm not saying that money makes the happiness, but I think that it help so much. I think that to have enough money to live in peace is very important to have confidence and security in other things of the life.
For me, money means something very important: independence. Therefore, money isn’t just money: it means oportunities in our lifes. But, this “thing” must be with caution, because to have a lot of money can be a big problem. I would not be happy making a lot of money without being able to see my friends or my family or my children in the future. So, I think that if I would rich, if I would wealthy, I will be close the happiness, but this happiness it would not be assured.
Now, if I would a great millionaire like Piñera jajaja, or if I would win the KINO, I would leave my money in the bank and I live of the interests. I would buy beautiful homes for my mom, for my dad, for my brothers and for some friends. Also, I would buy an apartment in Buenos Aires, and I would deliver some of my money to the soccer club Universidad de Chile, for they buy good players and we would be champions of the Libertadores Cup, before so much years of suffering.

How green I am?

It's a great question, I had never made that question before. Well, I think I'm "a little green". Usually I don't trow garbage in the street or in public places, and I try to save energy all the time: always I turn off lights and electric households that nobody is using, I drink water in glass (not directly from water valve), and I scold my friends and family when they don't do the same. I say that I'm "a little green" because I do just these small actions, and I could do so much more. For example, I could recycle paper, plastics or organic waste, or I would participate of any eco-organisation... and I don't do that :S

I think recycling habits it must be incorporated from the first years of our life, in the family, in the primary school. If we don't recycle, if we don't limit our energy spends, the planet will be destroy in a few decades. According some research of Green Peace (http://www.greenpeace.org/international/), climate change is a reality more and more dangerous actually, thanks the toxic pollution that it generated for the unlimited activity of the big companies of the world. We, the normal people, can fight against this with public repudiation expressions and with "little" actions like I mentioned before. That is a big problem. We must to take consideration it.

I think that it's a legislation and education problem. Legislation problem because it's in reference to legal limitations of the productive activity of the companies. Our legislative power must to stablish clearly laws on this topic; laws that protect the nature against the economic overbearing activity. And this is a education problem because it's in reference to our daily lifes, with our "little" actions of everydays. We must incorporate green habits in all our activities.

My high school experience

Hello everyone!
I'm gonna to talk to you about my experience in the high school. Really, this has been a great experience, but a bit complicated. I'm studying sociology. Sociology is a wonderfull career, I was lucky to choose this scientific discipline. But this have a problem: it's a very ambiciuos science, it don't have clearly its study field, its study subject. Sociology want to do and to know everything: the culture, power relations, organization ways, social movements, comsuption ways, demographic information, etc., etc., etc. For this, I think sociology is a indefinite science... who much cover, who a bit clutched.
If you ask me what career I would study if I were 18 years old, I would answer psychology... psychology specializing in social psychology (the same thing that sociology jajajaja!). Yes, I would answer that because I think psychology is more clear than sociology; it's less ambiciuos, but it's more convincing.
I think that 17 or 18 years old people aren't prepared to decide what to do for the rest of their lives. At 17 years old you are just a boy/girl. For this, I would say to authorities that they must change system of enter to high school (apart from unequal enter mecanism like PSU). People -in general- need more time to decide what career to study after secundary.
Anyway, I think every person are responsable of their education process, and of their decisions. The important is to admit when you make a mistake, and you must reaction to improve this. Never is later to change or to correct a bad decision :)

I want parents like these!

According to a research released this week in UK, and publicated in Guardian newspaper online, british parents are more relax than before about the consumption of alcohol, drugs and sex practice in the adolescent. The research, aplicated to 3.ooo parents of UK, showed that a third of them think these things are an inevitable part of growing up.

25% of the parents admitted they let their children to drink at home from ten years old, and almost a 30% think consumption of cannabis is a normal stage of life. Moreover, the most of them admitted that the virginity is almost imposible after 15 years old.

This phenomenom is asociated to a cultural change in british society, where the parents think that is necesary that boys and girls must have new experiences. Now, "families have become surprisingly open-minded about allowing their children to experiment and find their own way in life", said Frank Furedi, professor of sociology of University of Kent.

I dont' know if I'm so "liberal mind" like british parents (not like to admit that my children drink alcohol from ten years old jajaja!) but I think these things are completly normal in the life of people. Sometimes is well to drink a few of beer with friends to share a great moment, a great conversation. And sometimes is well to smoke some "gift of the nature" to relax and stop our stress-full lifes, too. Off course, I think all excess is bad.

¿And the sex? Sex is the better experience of the life, ¿¡why supress in it!? People must to decide when and with who have sex, it isn't matter their years old. On this point, I think that I would a very "liberal mind parent"... more than british parents :)

More antecedents in http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/05/parents-open-alcohol-drugs-sex

My favourite movie

My favourite movie is "Big Fish", a film of 2003 year direct by Tim Burton, the same director of "Edward Scissorhands" ("The Scissorhands Boy" translate to spanish), "Sweeney Todd" and the famous "The Nightmare Before Christmas".
The first time I saw that movie was with my sister-in-law, in VHS jajaja! ... we cried long minutes after that, like two little childs, because this masterpiece is just wonderful.

Edward Bloom (Edward like the scissorhands boy, one of the many coincidences between the movies of Burton) is the main-character, played for Ewan McGregor (Obi Wan Kenobi in "Star Wars" I, II and III; and Mark Renton in "Trainspotting")) . He's a man that gives magic to every experience of his life, every time that he tells them. Just for this reason his son, Will, thinks he's crazy and lying, and the day of his marriage he got angry when his father stood up to tell the story of his birth, the story of a big fish. From that day, they let of speak for many years... until Edward dead's day. That day, Edward tells Will the "truth" of his life.
The beauty of this story is that it reconstruct Edward's life with wonderful little stories fill of charm and special characters. My favourite character is the witch that finally love to Edward, but she isn't correspond: Edward love Will's mother. Sad, because the witch was very pretty :)
But, without any doubt, the best of "Big Fish" is its finally scene... but I'll not tell you!! The idea is you see this movie. I promess you will not regret.

Santiago, the best city of Chile

A lot of people would say I'm crazy, but I think that Santiago is a wonderful place. I love its streets, fill of lights and noises. If you visit Santiago, the first place that you must visit is Bellavista neighborhood at friday's night. This place is fill of pubs, discoteques, theaters, and much. You can drink beer and dance with your friends until 5 a.m., this is very funny. Moreover, for the kids, in the same Bellavista neighborhood is the Metropolitan Zoo. It's an amazing place; it has more of 1.000 animals of 158 diferent species. Well, if you are in Santiago, you can't lose a football clasical match between Universidad of Chile and Colo-Colo in the National Stadium. It's the most important sport event of the country. The stadium is fill of people singing and screaming for their soccer team, with a lot of flags and artificial fires. The most beautiful experience of your life will be to be in Los de Abajo, the supporters of Universidad of Chile. Well, if you like more quiet prospect, I recommend to walk across the Forestal Park at sunday's afternoon. This day you can asist to puppets performance meanwhile you enjoy a delicious Emporio de la Rosa's ice cream of many weird tastes. Sometimes, you can asist to excelents theater performances at a side of Bellas Artes Museum. All of them, except the ice cream, absolutely free.Finally, you can travel to the south of the city in the 210 bus. This travel is all a mobile party, with music players and many fun (and drunk) people.

A special term

The last term was a very intense time for me… I lived some experiences that changed all the perspective that I had about my life. I think I’m not the same person that started the year 2010.

As I said, in the last term I lived very special and intense moments. In the beginning of the year I worked in a important telecommunication company to pay a holydays with my girlfriend (oh… now she is my ex-girlfriend, but about that I will write in other moment). After two stressfull months –that I met wonderful people– she and me could arrive to Buenos Aires, just the day of earthquake… but this is other story. That was the first time that I was out side of my country. It was a beautiful experience. That city is a great place to know. I loved it.

But this isn’t all. Well, this year my brother Cristian get married, too… We lost him, forever! That was at finally of February. It was a nice moment, emotive, with a great party after. I enjoyed it.

Anyway, in the university, the last term was something “weird”. As time goes by and the final of the career it’s close, the uncertainties come up. I had reflect very much about this… will I have a job? Am I good in this? How will be MY future? I think constantly in these ideas, and I get scared…

Well, 200 words aren’t enough to write about the last term… sometime in the future I will write about my other experiences about that time.

My blog experience

Write a blog was very fun for me, especially because the topics chosen were very interesting. I don’t talk about these commonly, and it was nice treat at this time.

I think that a blog is a good chance to improve our way of writing in english, but it’s necessary to take it more seriously, with a greater commitment, and try to make it without the help of online translators jajaja! Like any form of generating knowledge, it can be good if people put all their effort and commitment to practice them. I assume that I lacked a bit of effort in this.

But, in general, write a blog was a good experience. I had fun thinking about each subjects and reading what my classmates wrote. Considering my fellow students and career, I realized that there are many things that I didn't know about them, simple things that we never talked. On the other hand, considering my colleagues from other courses and careers, I met new points of view on things, very interesting opinions to share. I think that is the great strength of this experience: sharing, show our points of view and listen the point of views of others.

Anyway, I think that I will not continue writing, either on this or any blog. I like be a little anonymous, that only the people closest to me know what I do, feel and think. I'm not saying that those who have a blog are few discrete
and need to scream to the world their private lives. No. It just isn’t something appropriate with my personality (this may be because I didn’t grow up with computer and internet). Anyway, it was nice writing here.

Now, I just hope that come holidays. I will sleep a lot the first days, and then I find a part-time job to save money and visit my niece in Valparaiso. There are only three weeks.

Good luck everybodyl!

Across the sea

This is something that I think permanently. It doesn’t mean that I don’t like my career, but I always wonder if this is truly my passion, the activity to which I'll devote all my life. Sociology is a beautiful discipline, but it raises me questions, sometimes I find little serious as a science, too abstract. It's something that makes me dizzy very often.

I have other interests, some even a bit irrationals. Apart from the desire to be guitarist of a rock mega band (as Gun’s N 'Roses) or Manchester United's striker, I think I would love to work on a boat.

Since childhood I have had the dream of traveling across the Atlantic in a fishing boat, work cleaning the floor or washing dishes, or cooking, but knowing hundreds of ports in different countries. I think I have this dream due reading tales of pirates. I'm very curious to travel, to know the world, but I don’t like it's something "off", for pleasure. I like the idea of traveling with little money, sleeping on the streets, with odd jobs, meeting different people, improvising the language, communicating with gestures and signs. So, I think that if I didn't study sociology, as well as working on a boat, I would devote myself to something related to tourism. The only problem is I'm bad with foreign languages, especially with the english jajaja!

Yes, I think it may be something related to tourism management, promotion of tourist centers in my country: to travel, tours, camps, entertainment, events, parties, etc. Displaying the culture and customs of my country and its most beautiful places. Chile is a beautiful place for tourism. We have thousands of miles of coastline, the majestic Cordillera de Los Andes, the wine valleys, forests of the south, Pascua Island, the old neighborhoods of Santiago, and so on.

But this is not entirely incompatible with sociology. I can use the knowledge of sociology to help generate tourist centers of economic development for the community, and involving people in the processes of economic growth in the country. I would one day realize these aspirations.

My niece in a picture ;)

This photo is very important to me. Really I don’t know if this can be considered truly a photo; it’s a 3D image, an ultrasound which show a very special person for me. I present you her: she is my niece, called Violeta, and in this picture she was 6 months old. Now, she is just a few weeks before of birth.

She will be my first niece, the smallest “little person” of my family. I’m very excited about her birth, but I'm also a little sad because I'm not sure if I can be with her on this important day, as she will be born in Valparaiso, 120 miles away. Anyway, I hope visit her very often, even though it will be expensive.

I love this image. The photographer was the doctor jajaja! She looks like her mother Evelyn, especially in his chin and mouth. Also, I hope she will be so nice and funny like her, and that she inherits the intelligence of my brother Cristian.

The last weekend I visited them. It was nice, I had fun. Evelyn is very fat jajaja! ... obviously due the baby. She moves very slow and gets tired quickly. She said that she gets bored much because she spend all day at home watching national television, without going to walk or work. (It's assumed that on monday she was going to hire cable television). She showed me all the clothes of the baby, and it's very pretty. My niece will be seen beautiful with all those clothes.

My brother Cristian appears to be quiet, but I think that he is a bit anxious (there is little time for the great day!) Anyway, he looks very happy for his first child. He is a great person, taught me important things that I hope Violetita will learn too... Nobody teaches you to be parent. That can only be learned in the practice. But I think that the most important thing is to put love in every day and every moment of the family life. The house of Evelyn and my brother is full of love... I'm sure that they will be excellent parents.

Vamos Chile MIERDA!

I’m very excited because the World Cup will come soon! I love football, I breathe football, I eat football, I feel football every day in every moment of my life. So, I'm very happy because the World Cup will come soon.

The first World Cup that I remember was in U.S. 1994. I remember that my older brother was watching the final game, Brazil against Italy, while my mother ironed clothes. That day, Brazil was crowned champion.

Also, I remember fondly the World Cup of France in 1998, with the goals of "Coto" Sierra and the great "Matador” José Marcelo Salas. At the time that television spent most of the matches, I was in school. On then I was 10 years old, and I was just a young child as nice as I’m now jajaja!

For the 2010 World Cup, I think that Italy will win the trophy. The "azzurri" are a spectacular team: Buffon, Chiellini, Pirlo, Gattuso, Rossi, they are great players. Moreover, I believe that Brazil, Spain and Argentina also will be stars of this important event.

But undoubtedly the biggest surprise of this World Cup will be my beloved Chile. Hand in hand with Marcelo Bielsa, the selection of my country will show a great display of football thanks to players like Bravo, Medel, Vidal, Isla, Beausejour, the talented Alexis Sanchez and Jorge Valdivia, and striker "Chupete" Suazo. Matias Fernandez is a "wimp colocolino" and should not be a starter. So, I think that Chile will pass 8th-final without problems.

I can only say Vamos Chile MIERDA!

Arctic Monkeys

I didn’t want to write about this topic because for me it’s very difficult to decide which is my favorite band. Whatever ... My favorite band is "Arctic Monkeys."

The band it consists of Alex Turner (vocals, guitar), Jamie Cook (rhythm guitar), Matt Helders (drums and vocals) and Nick O'Malley (bass), this latter joined the band in June 2006 following the abandonment of Andy Nicholson. They are british, specifically from the city of Sheffield, at north of London. Their music style is indie rock. Their first two singles "I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor" and "When The Sun Goes Down", went straight to number 1 on the list of UK singles. Their albúm debut, “Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not”, holds the record as the biggest selling debut album in his first weeks in the UK, beating to “Definitely Maybe”, the debut album of the legendary Oasis. The band won the "Best New Act" in the "Brit Awards" 2006, and maked history in NME Awards 2006 by becoming the first band to win the award for "Best New Band and Best Band British "in the same year.

I love this band because their sound is varied and novel. Their music is unlike anything I've ever heard before, is very special: sometimes distorted, sometimes melodic. I really like the sounds of guitar and drums.

As I don´t know english, I don’t understand the 100% of lyrics of their songs. What make me crazy is overcoat the sound. Anyway, my favorite song of “Arctic Monkeys” is "Mardy Bum". This song is about a boy who remembers the good times with a ex-girlfriend who has now become a bitter.

"Remember cuddles in the kitchen

yeah, to get things off the ground and it was up, up and away

oh, but its right hard to remember that

on a day like today when you’re all argumentative

and you’ve got the face on"

"Mardy Bum" is a great song. Go over it at this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T0Yb7jkuME
I love it.

Pendrive mp3: the best invention of the world

My favorite piece of technology is the pendrive mp3 ... An pendrive mp3 is a small device that play music and stores all types of computer files. It’s very useful because it helps bring your favorite music everywhere you want! It was created in the late 90's by a group of experts called Moving Pictures Experts Groups or MPEG.
I love my pendrive mp3. It holds 2 GB. I have it a few months ago and, although it is not very expensive, I'm still paying it jajaja! My pendrive mp3 is black and it fit in the pockets of my pants. Moreover, it also can play FM radio. I use it mostly when I travel by bus or metro, to listen news, football games and my favorite records. My pendrive mp3 also can record voices, and this is very useful when I do interviews for the university.
I think that the pendrive mp3 is the best invention of the world! If the mp3 pendrive couldn’t exist, life would be very sad, although people would be more talkative. When I use it I don’t need to talk to people jajaja! With the pendrive mp3 people can move their computer files safely and easily. Pendrive mp3 is the best, like me XD

Niklas Luhmann

Really, I don’t have preference for any sociologist in particular. I think each has contributed a little bit of knowledge to the discipline. However, I consider very valuable the work of Niklas Luhmann.

Luhmann was born in Luneburg in 1927, and he died in December of 1998. He studied law and sociology. He was a disciple of Talcott Parsons, another famous thinker of the sociological theory.

Luhmann is a german sociologist famous for his theory systems. The theory systems is a theory with universalistic claims, it seeks to describe and explain the society and its functioning as a complex communications system. This theory considers that the social reality is fragmented in different autonomous systems, each with its own logic and operating mechanisms.

The main texts of Niklas Luhmann are "Theory of Society "(1993)," Introduction to Systems Theory "(1996)," The society of society "(1997), "The right of society "(2005) and "Science of Society" (1996).

I like this author for its innovative and controversial way of understanding the society. Luhmann is much criticized por this, but his theory is more practical than others theories. I like that his ideas have a precise and orderly logical .

Luhmann is great!

The best gift of my life

I am a fan of the soccer club Universidad de Chile, the "U"; the best gift I've received in my life was the shirt of the "U" for my 21st birthday, just a few months ago. But the interesting thing was not so much the same gift (that I love it!) but the way I got it...

On the night of December 29th I was in my room, close the window. When the clock marked 12, I heard someone singing outside my house: it was my girlfriend, and she sang "Happy Birthday" like a serenade! I got excited and very happy. Many of my friends also looked out the window to see who was singing.

Then, she gave me the gift ... this what was I always wanted! Moreover, this shirt was printed on its back the number and the name of my favorite football player: the number 7 of Diego Rivarola. Really it was a great moment.

The floor is moving!!

The day of the earthquake, I was comfortably sleeping. That was my last day of working (after working for 2 months) so I drank a few beers.

I awoke with a loud noise in my house and I got up quickly. I ran to my living room and there was my cat screaming! I picked it up and we left out of the house. My neighbor was crying and screaming, and there was much noise around. My mother, my brother and his girlfriend were on the second floor and we asked me "Are you okay?". "Yes, I'm fineeee!", I told them. When the moving stopped, I got to see them with a candle. They were fine, too.

Then, we heard radio. Nobody knew what had really happened. I couldn't get back to sleep so I began to order the last things of my suitcase... the next day I had to travel to Buenos Aires with my girlfriend.

Hello brothers!!

My name is Cristóbal. I've 21 years old and I'm in 4th year of Sociology here, in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Chile.

Really, I don't like very much english, because it's something that I'm not good at all. When I was little, I liked the english classes at school, but over time I was losing interest in this language. Now, I'm indifferent. However, I enjoy coming to university to learn a bit about this language, especially because the teacher is very nice :) I think if I gave a bit of more importance, I would know much more and so I could watch movies without subtittles jajajaja!

Well, I'm very happy to publish for the first time in my blog, and I hope it will be fun. Greetings to all my classmates!

Cristobal_THE BEST
........................................................ /eru-ven!