English language challenges

Today I'm going to talk about my experience learning English at university. I think English is a very important language and a tool very useful for convivence in another countries. English is one of the most used language of the world and many people use it to communicate even in countries that English is not the principal language. 

My experience learning English, specifically in the university... I think it was a great experience because I extended my vocabulary and learned more words to use in the sentences. Use blog for that was a great manner of learn new words, and I always found interesting the themes that we had to wrote. However, I think it is not enough classes for someone who want to speak english in the real life, like have a real conversation with other people, I mean. It is also important this language because it opens the doors to many job opportunities, specially if we are studying something related with science, health, investigation, etc. In fact, the last semester we have a subject called '' Investigación para las Ciencias Farmacéuticas '', and we had to read many science papers about the investigation of diseases, pharmaceutic investigation, medicaments, etc... all in english. There was many students that were uncomfortable with this subject because not everyone knew english very well and to this we must add the technicalities that we had to understand and put in the right context. 

What regards me, I have to improve my pronunciation and continue extending my vocabulary. But I think spending money in English institutes or particular classes it is a waste of time and money. Like professor said, English is in everywhere; In the movies, books, series, etc. And If I want to travel someday to a different countrie I think I'm going to improvise, or something like that. People usually learn languages talking and staying in another countries, like survivence. 

I don't use English daily, so, If I take a course of English, Is it going to be useful? I will probably forget it, because of lack of practice. I only use English for read some things of Physiology or watching series, because I like seeing series with the original audio and English subtitles. 

Changes to my study programme

Hi, in this blog I have to talk about the things that I would like to change in my study programme.
I'm in the second year of Chemistry and Pharmacy and it is difficult to be part of the first generation that has the new curriculum.

The first thing that comes to mind is to reduce the numer of subjects per semester, this causes most students to collapse and do not understand the contents well. There is no time to study so many things if you want to learn well. Also, everyone has a different rhythm for study. Instead of studying so many subjects in a semester, it would be better to give emphasis to a few.  How could we achieve this? By eliminating ''filling'' subjects, these are, branches that in the long run are useless and are forgotten. This is not a crazy idea, in fact in many European countries, even  in Latin America last less than 4-5 years!

Each faculty should have good infrastructure and tools alike. It should no matter from which university you leave. Many times the infrastructure and the lack of tools in the university affect learning. There are universities that have very small libraries, computers that are practically useless. It is not possible that students should look for other spaces outside the faculty to study.

There should be more seminars to learn and practice than so many exposure classes that sometime do not work, because teachers read the same slides they show. There are many things to change.

Summer Holidays

Hi, today I'm going to talk about the plans that I have to this summer holidays. I usually travel to many places in the summer, mostly to the south of Chile and lately to the north of Chile, because my sister lives there. Every year I save money to travel, I usually make a plan of what I'm going to do all the summer. However, this year I forward my plans in winter break. I spent all the money that I saved traveling. Therefore, I think I'm going to do something different and I'm going to work and save money for another trip for the next year. Maybe, make shorts and economical trips, like go to the beach, spent a few days or weekend out of Santiago. 

I think I'm going to visit the nearest places of Santiago that I haven't visited before, like Embalse El Yeso, Portillo, Valle Nevado, Monumento Natural el Morado, etc. Maybe I'm going to visit again Valparaíso, or El Tabo. 

My parents don't like travel too much in vacations, they go usually to El Tabo, because my grandmother has a little house there. But without friends or my sister is boring. I would like to visit places with my cousins, friends or my brothers and nephews. 

If I visit this places, I thing I'm going to make a tour, walk, read and take a lot of pictures with my camera. It's going to be a relaxing and simple vacation. 

PETS

Hello everyone, today I'm going to talk about my pet, her name is Isa, but my family and I call her ''Nini'' (that's a long history)

Nini is a poodle and arrived to my house in 2004, she was a gift for my sister's birthday, but she left the house and Nini stayed with the rest of us. Now she is thirteen years old, so I call her ''abuela'' (with love) because she really seems like a grandmother, walking low and grumble of everything jajaj. She is like my sister, she accompany me when I'm sick, sad, alone in the house. Nini also is like a human, because she understand everything that we talk, she understand when we are mad at her and when she does something wrong.

When she was a little puppy, I was ten years old and I used to play and run with her everyday.

Sometimes I realize that Nini is very old, because she don't run anymore and sleep mostly part of the day, she seems really tired. That make me feel sad because my life without her would be boring, and I think she is unique and irreplaceable.

She makes me laugh, because when is cold she is always next to the stove and fall sleep jajaja

Whereas she is old and cries about everything (she doesn't like staying alone at home) I still love her, because she is part of the family and is very faithful with me and my parents.

Dogs are beatiful beings that deserve much love.

Here's a photo that I took today, Nini stayed by my side all  the day because I'm sick at home:

Postgraduate studies

I have never thought about a post graduate studies, at this moment I prefer think about my undergraduate studies and maybe my next step would be a post graduate studies or expend time to win experience.

Currently, if you course a career in the university, you must do postgraduate studies for many reasons, like have a better salary or a good position in your next job and that situation is not very comfortable because when the people have his professional degree, they begin immediately their postgraduate studies, and with this, the country don't have many people working and winning experience. Then when you postulate for a job, you need experience and a Master's or a Ph D, and it requires a lot of time.

I don't know what to do at the moment but if i have to do a Master's or a Ph D I would prefer something related with Pharmacy, like pharmacology, and I would prefer do that in Chile to know the problematic in my country, with this I can help more than if a study outside of the country. I could learn about the problematic in Chile with the medicines, for example in the AUGE system. To win experience i would like to do a part- time courses and work the rest of the time because in Chile, for a job, the most important thing are the years of experience.

My future job

If I finish my career, Pharmacy, I expect a job related with Chemistry or Pharmacy to apply all the things learned in my years at the university, I don't want an administrative job or a office job because it is too boring for me and a laboratory is not a place for me, I hate the routine, I prefer a job more changing, less static, more interactive and more close with the people, maybe in a hospital or another center of health.

If a have the opportunity to travel for study or to generate more experience in my area, I would prefer a long time travel, in many different places to search and learn all the good advances around my career over the world and implement them in the country

I don't think to much in the money, I prefer do the things if I want, the money is a motivation but not a big one. If I have the money for have a good life i would be happy, and if i have a nice job with a good salary I would be very happy. If the people doesn't have complications with the money for have a good life, they would be more productive. We have many to work for a better place to live and the people have much to learn about their duties and rights

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS 

This year, 18th September was different because it was the first time that we had holidays in the university, so a free week was very useful to rest and enjoy this celebration.

On September 15th I was in the ''Quimifonda'' of the University. I really enjoyed this, despite I had to go to the analytical lab (It was so frustrating to see all the people having fun, drinking, laughing ,and us walking to the laoratory jaja), the rest of the day I spent a very good time with my friends and classmates.

On September 16th I took a plane to Calama and reunited with my parents and my sister's family. My family ate all day empanadas, anticuchos, sopaipillas and meat. This was a big challenge for me, because it was my first national celebration without eating meat. I learned to cook ''empanadas'' stuffed with lentils, mushrooms, and others. It was very interesting.

Since September 17th to 23th, I traveled to different places: San Pedro de Atacama, The desert Hand, Antofagasta, Chuquicamata and La Serena, and when I was bored I recognize that I studied Organic Chemistry jaja.

I really enjoyed this vacations! I hope next year we could have more national holidays.

       One of my hobbies is watching movies. I like movies of all categories, specially drama, fiction and horror. It's difficult to choose one, but I think ''The Motorcycle Diaries'' by Walter Salles was a movie that I liked very much. This is a biographical movie about Ernesto ''Che'' Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado and their journey through Latin America by motorcycle, a very tiny and old motorcycle. They made this travel on a break before the last semester of medical school.

There are two things that movies draw my attention: scenography and soundtrack. In my opinion, ''The Motorcycle Diaries'' has the perfect mixture of them. In the first place, the movie expose many landscape of Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia, places of Colombia, Venezuela and Peru like Machu Picchu. Also it shows the inequality and poverty in South America at that time. In the second place, I think Gustavo Santoalalla's music mixed with the beautiful landscape created a perfect combination. Despite I wasn't  interest about the plot when I saw this movie (I recognize that I was interested in the principal actor Gael García Bernal, a mexican actor) it really surprised me.

Here's the route travel by Ernesto and Alberto:

A country I would like to visit

There are many countries that I would like to visit. Countries like Iceland and Ireland because the weather and the landscape reminds me the chilean patagonia and I love that place. I love landscapes full of nature and colours. I also would like to visit sudamerican's countries like Ecuador, Cuba, Perú, etc. So in this case I'm going to talk about Cuba, specially. Cuba is an insular country sitting on an archipielago of the Caribean sea. I would like to visit this place because since I was a baby my father and I have listened cuban music and seen music videos and I realized that Cuba has a interesting history and also a particular landscape and architecture, I think this country has been able to maintain its identity with the architecture and culture's people and I'm very curious about how is life there. However, I would only visit Cuba and not study or working, because I would like to visit many countries before staying in one.

LCH or Large Hadron Collider is a tunnel in the form of a circle a hundred meters underground in the vicinity of Ginebra. Within it scientists can make two subatomic particles reach 99.9% of the speed of light.
Until at one point two particles are made to collide, releasing great energy, very similar to the one that occurred in the Big Bang!

Several technological creations have been made thanks to this great collision of hadrons. I think its importance is very great because it is an instrument that could very soon evolve technology and that favor human well-being, providing new technologies for health.

However, despite its great contributions to science and technology, it has disadvantages as the great investment that means its operation.

On the other hand, different theories point to the possibility that we are "swallowed" by a black hole, but there is nothing to fear, since the LHC makes protons and ions collide at very high energy, but these energies are very small compared to what nature is continuously doing on our planet, on other planets and in the atmosphere.

This is a truly gigantic instrument that paradoxically unravels the mysteries of the smallest and could benefit humanity in many ways.

Person/Expert you admire

Rosalind Elsie Franklin (1920-1958) was a very important character who collaborate with science, thanks to her the double helix structure of DNA could be clarified and this was an important fact to understand the life. She graduate of physics, mathematics, and chemist at Cambridge University. In spite of obtaining this colossal information for the science's world, she didn't gain the Nobel Prize, because she died four years before her work was recognized...Instead, they awarded the prize to two scientists, Watson and Crick, and today these names are easily recognized in science books. 

Rosalind Franklin is one of the women forgotten by science, and I consider it very unfair. I like and admired this woman because she achieved many important things despite being inserted in a world of men when the woman was seen like a useless person. Rosalind's history can make us think and realize that woman CAN do things like men. 

Today, I'm proud of all the woman that have gone ahead despite discrimination. Neither man and woman are superior and this thought must be maintained. 

My favourite book and film

I'm not a person of many books and films. In fact, I like some movies because of the soundtracks and I only read books in vacations.  But in summer I went to the cinema with my cousin, we didn't know what to watch until we see the trailer of ''La La Land'' and we decided to watch it. Both of us cried and though that the movie was one of the best, because it has references of jazz music, art, love and also it was very funny. Personally, one of my favourite actors is Ryan Gosling. 

Another film that I like is ''Mr. Nobody'', I consider that the plot is interesting because it represent the Chaos Theory and it made me think about how life directs you to one direction and not another. The same thing I felt when I watch ''Interestellar'', I watched three times because there was so much to understand of the universe and the time... and the soundtrack was made by Hans Zimmer,  my favourite composer.

If we're talking about books, I prefer the books written by latin american autors. When I was in high school I had to read '' Cien años de soledad'', ''El amor en tiempos de cólera'' y ''Crónica de una muerte anunciada'' by Gabriel García Marquez. I also read ''Sewell: Luces, sombras y abandono'', by M. Eugenia Lorenzini, thanks to this book I knew about Sewell, a beautiful place that I want to visit. 

I think that books and films directs you to another world and disconnect you from the real life. There are books and films that offer so much culture and let you understand and think more about things. Therefore, I recommend watch movies that inspire and let you reflect about life. 

A Photograph You Like

Two years ago I took this photograph in Puerto Aysén. My sister lived in Coyhaique, and I always saved money to travel and visit her and my nephews. For me, chilean patagonia is a magic place; I like the weather, landscape, people and culture of that place. 

 

This photograph was taken on a rainy day, the wind was strong and while we were in the car I took a lot of pictures with my camera. Then, we passed by a bridge and I looked to the river. I felt in peace, and very relax. I took my camera and got off the car. This is the result. 

I like this photograph because I love the days exactly like this photograph shows. And  everytime that I see this picture I feel motivated to save more money and travel. 

Now, my sister lives in the north, and I realize that I also like the weather of that place. I think every place has its beauty. So my new plan is go to San Pedro de Atacama and take beautiful photos that represent my happiness. 

MUSIC IN MY LIFE

There is a lot of things that I can say of music. For me music is a scape from the real world. Since I was a child I have been connected with music. I was always with my mp3 player. 

When I was 10 I began to listen rock music, like Linkin Park and System of a Down, but I don't like it very much now. I also began going to concerts.

Now, I listen to a lot of different music, and like much people, the music that I listen depend of my day, and how I feel:

• If I feel stressed, worried... Jazz! Jazz music produce me a peaceful atmosphere and it really change my day. 

Almost blue- Chet Baker

• If I feel Happy: Alternative rock, new wave, blues, also electronic music 

In Between Days- The Cure

• If I want to study: Post rock, jazz, soundtracks, classical music

Olsen Olsen- Sigur Rós 

I could continue and continue...

About music in films, I like all the soundtracks of Hans Zimmer, I also like Yann TIersen and the soundtrack of the movie ''Sing Street'' because I love 80's rock. 

Finally, the instruments that I like is the guitar, the ukelele and the saxophone. But I only play the guitar. 

Giving your opinions 

What is your opinion about smart phones?

I think that smart phones are a very useful implement for communication, and in this time is very important for all the areas. 

What is your opinion about women in the military?

I think that is important to include women, because they have the same capacities like men.

What is your opinion about the Chilean politicians?

In my opinion, Chilean politicians are bad catalogued, and they have a big history of faults.  I think it's time to change, to include new people which are not entrepreneurs, people that are not characterised for having money.  

What is your opinion about violence on television?

I honestly feel that violence on television is not a bad thing, but children shouldn't watch it, because is a bad influence for their future. 

What is your opinion about fortune telling? 

In my opinion, I don't believe in fortune telling. I think it's all part of coincidences of life. 

What is your opinion about soap operas on Chilean TV?

I think that soap operas are all the same and show the typical chilean's life. It doesn't contribute to the culture. 

What is your opinion about legalizing marijuana? 

I'm convinced that if Chile legalise marijuana, it would be all the same. Because people use marijuana now, independent of laws. Moreover, sick people would have the opportunity for eliminate pain and have a better life. 

What is your opinion about climate change?

I think the world depend of us, so we have to change ours customs and be more careful about not throwing trash, not contaminate, etc. 

What is your opinion about cloning?

I suppose that cloning it would be one of the biggest steps in science of this century.

What is your opinion about recycling?

I think all of us should have this custom in our lifes. It is very important, because it'd contribute to stop the climate change.

What is your opinion about ''barras bravas''?

I sincerely don't like football, so I don't understand the passion that people have to their teams. 

What is your opinion about legalizing abortion in some cases?

I think that woman has a decision of her own body. So nobody should decide about keeping or not keeping a baby. 
  
  

Your favourite piece of technology

There are many useful pieces of technology today. But I have realized that my favourite is the notebook. I use it all the time, even more than my cell phone. The first notebook I had was mine and my sister's. We used to play a lot of games. Then my sister went to college and she had to use the notebook to work, so my dad bought me one. I used to play and listen to music all day in it.

But times change and the technology too. Today, I use my notebook everyday, is the perfect tool for study, read and search information that I need, and in my free time I watch series and movies. I like it because you can do whatever you want in it. 

I recognize that I depend a lot of my notebook. Firstly, I can't study without it, and if I have physical material for study I use it to listen to music. I can't study in silence. So I think, in my opinion, that my life without the notebook would be difficult for my study life, and also boring. But for people in general I think that it wouldn't be terrible, not at all, because people usually use more the cell phone.

Why did you study your career?

 Since I was a child, I have been a changing person. When I was five, I wanted to be a dancer, a few years later, teacher. But as time went, I didn't know what I wanted to be, and sincerely, I didn't care, because I was too young to decided my future and be worried about a far future. Then, when I was twelve, I went to a new high school, and I learned a lot of things, knew excellent teachers and persons. That helped to decided my future. So when I was in second grade of high school, I chose the humanist elective program, but a few weeks after that I realized that I liked more the Scientific elective program. I was two years deepening my knowledge about chemistry and math, and I enjoyed that. 

 I realized that my favorite subject was math, and finally, in my last year of high school, I decided to study Chemistry Engineering, and for that I had to study for the PSU test. I was so nervous that year and also tired, because I was in the high school and preparing me for the test. There wasn't much free time. But, as the months went, I was more confident. 

Finally, I had the required score to study Engineering, but I was so confused, because I discovered that I wasn't happy with my decision. With the preoccupation of not know what career choose, my dad presented me to a professor of the Fac. of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, this person told me about how great is the career of Chemistry and Pharmacy. I realized that I wasn't happy with engineering because I like the health area, the investigation, and science.

Now, in my second year, I can affirm that my decision was the best. I like to be in the laboratories although is difficult. I have learn so much of chemistry and have also meet a lot of friends. Besides, the faculty is twenty minutes of my house, so I'm very comfortable there. 

My preoccupations now is study, and study, and more study. I don't know the kind of job I would like to have. Maybe I would like to be in a hospital, maybe in the investigating area, or in a laboratory, I don't know yet. But what I know is I'm happy with my life now, and everything is going great. 

Hi, my name is Fernanda Opazo, and I'm nineteen. I live in Renca, Santiago,  with my parents and my dog, Isa. I'm studying Chemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Chile. Before that, I went to a high school called Liceo 1 Javiera Carrera, in Santiago. We are five persons in my family, but my brother and sister have an own family and house in Santiago and Coyhaique, respectively. So yes, I'm the youngest of my family.

About my hobbies, I'm always trying to learn different things. So I'm not a person of one only hobby. But actually, I'm on the swimming CFG, and before that, I went to basketball. But, outside of the university's activities I like to run, dance and go out  with my friends. I also like listen to music, go to concerts and the biggest hobby that I have is traveling. I'm always saving money for that and I hope to know all the beautiful places that Latin America has, specially Chile.