my favourite movie

I don't really know which my favorite movie is, because I always like watching a lot of movies, and I have a really bad memory, so I forget a lot ot the things I watch or read, but I think one that I really like is the science of sleep (La Science des rêves in French, and La Ciencia del sueño en español). The principal characters Stéphane (Gael García) and Stéphanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Stéphane is a really shy boy with amazing creative abilities, who has a job that doesn’t allow him to develop them, so with his great imagination and creativity he creates a world in the middle of dreams and reality. Here he will start creating a relationship with his neighbour Stéphanie, who will be part of this dream/reality mix. The story happens in France, when Stéphane come back to his mother’s house from Mexico, where he was living. My favrite part of the movie is when Stéphane start dreaming, because the places and situations he creates are incredibly nice, and also when he starts dreaming in the reality because it’s eccentric and bizarre. Sometimes for example he changes the reality, the people appearances and put them giant hands or strange clothes or things like that. The principal reason of why I like it’s because of how it shows the importance of imagination, and the possibility of creating new things from it. I also loved that it create so many amazing things with the mind and simple things that we always have, because it made me remember how much I liked creating things and expressing myself through the art.

About Santiago...

I think Santiago has a lot of things to see and do. I think the first thing anyone has to see in Santiago is the center of the city, all the historic buildings and important places like the ones near Plaza de Armas, to appreciate the architecture and the beauty of these places. In second place, to know about our gastronomy and enjoy the flavors and products of our land, is important to visit the Mercado Central, where you can eat fish and other sea products, and a lot of typical Chilean plates. In third place, a beautiful natural place to know in Santiago is the Mahuida Park, where you can enjoy the nature, make picnics, walk up the hill, and do more adrenaline activities, like bungee and things like that. Also, if you are interested in arts you should visit the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, and then walk around, knowing the Parque Forestal, and Barrio Lastarria. In the art aspect I think an important place to visit is Matucana 100, because there you can see not only the traditional or more museum-kind art that is in Bellas Artes. Here you can know more about different artists, some of them younger and with creative art concepts. Finally, if you want to go party, you can always go to a place in Bellavista, for example, if you like salsa you can go to Maestra Vida, or if you just want a beer and talk with your friends there are also a lot of places where you can go in the same area.
It’s important to remember that Santiago has great places to have real good times, and knowing more the place where we live.

A hidden new

I haven't really heard a lot about this new, or at least never accidentally, because it has been kind of hidden for the media. Since I knew about the mapuches on hunger strike, I started looking for more information, because the radio, tv and newspapers weren’t saying anything about it, but in some internet websites I found the information I was looking for. They are around 31 people, from different parts of the country, but principally from the IX and VII regions. They have been not eating for more than 50 days, because they are asking to be judge for the civil law and not for the antiterrorist law that is being applied to them, without considering that that law was created in dictatorship. Also, big problems with that law, is that you are not “innocent until proven otherwise” like in the regular cases, and also, that the witness is anonymous so you can’t know who is blaming you. To all the problems already mentioned we can add the discrimination problem, because with the prejudge that actually exists against the mapuches, just for being accused of burning a house, (with an anonymous witness which you can’t argue with or at least knowing if you know this people, if he or she lives in your town, or whatever) you are immediately guilty… so it’s really unfair, and a violation to the human rights. I think it’s really impressive, because of many things. In first place because I noted how much can the Medias control our life and our knowledge of the world, second, because I understand how this government can speak and refer a lot of other country problem (like the man in hunger strike in Cuba for example) and be totally quiet about our problems, third because I wonder when this country is going to be really a just place if our authorities can’t even talk about our problems, and even less taking the responsibility and working for this people and all the repressed ant not listened ones.

France

If I have the opportunity to travel to anywhere I want to, I don't know what would I choose, but right now I think France would be a good possibility. I would like to visit France because I had always liked the language and all the art and cultural options, and because my cousin lives there since like 20 years, so I just know him this year, when he visit Chile for first time in a lot of time. He is really great, and I like his way of looking the life in general. About France I know it is a beautiful country, with important intellectual and artistic centers, and also, I know it has beautiful beach, like in Biarritz (in the picture), Where my cousin lives. In France I would like to work at first, hopefully in a cinema, a library or an art gallery or something like that, even if I have to do a boring work, and then get used to the language and the life style, and may be study, but I’m not really sure of that… Anyway, I would like to travel a lot, knowing places and people and of course giving my cousin a very long visit.

First semester

The last semester was a very good one in many aspects despite a lot of things that made it more difficult, like the earthquake and other things.
In the university it was a good term… my classes weren’t the most interesting, but at least one or two of them were really great, and I learned a lot, so despite it was really, really difficult, (specially at the end) it was ok. Also with my university friends it was a great semester, I get closer to them, and knew a lot of things about them, what was really good, because with the difficult semester we had on the academic field, having us each other, was really supportive.
In another aspect, with my family things were so much better than the last year, a lot of things started to work, and that was good for everyone.
Another thing that made the semester more difficult was having my boyfriend far, but our relationship worked really well anyway, so despite it was a big challenge for both of us, it finally ended well. I missed him a lot, but having him away give me more time for being with my friends, my family, and also, more time to rest and be alone, so it wasn’t so bad despite now I’m so much happier of having him here in Santiago.
I think all the things I did the last semester worked pretty well, the relations with my family and friends, the projects I worked on, like scout and the academic things, etc. It was finally, a really good semester.

SECOND SEMESTER

task 11

My blogging Experience

When I knew I had to write a blog I didn’t think like.. what a great thing! But now that I think about it, I have enjoyed a lot writing the blog, for many reasons. In first place, I have liked it because I think it has been the most usefull thing for learning english during the semester, it has made me think about many things I’m used to talk about, but in a different lenguage, with different concepts, and present me the challenge of translating opinions or points of view, what has been dervy difficult for me. In second place I have liked a lot the topics that we have written of, especially the last ones, because at the begining we write a lot about the career, and it was boring because when you have been all the day thinking and listening about anthropology, you don’t want to think about that, and in a different lenguage, but then, we start writting about interesting things, like our likes, experiences, and things that I love to talk about. Despites I didn’t like writting about anthropology, I think it was important to, because translating academic concepts, and explaining complex ideas, for me, the most difficult thing of using english.

Using this king of topics, the academic and the nonacademic ones, is very usefull for learning english. The first ones, because, like I just said, thinking in theoretical terms in english (or in any not-native lenguage) is really difficult, at least for me, because finding the exact concept that you need is not easy. In the other hand, the nonacademic topics, were important for learning too, because makes you not only to translate, but to think everyday things in english.

Like I have said, there are many advantages of writting a blog, and it is really usefull for the incorporation of the lenguage. Maybe a disadvantage is that, for those that don’t have a good english level is, maybe, much more difficult that for those who already knew at least a little of english, because it’s like a personal process, and the teacher help you when you need it, but it is still difficult.

So, writting the blog has been a good and usefull experience for me.