Friends

As to a friend has let me down, I can say that I have probably been one who has disappointed. More than anything by the time I would like to dedicate them. I feel that by doing more pressing or urgent things I've left out some important things like growing friendship.

Anyway, I have the luck to have friends who will always forgive me and are in the same situation as me. The University takes us a long time and it's hard to coordinate to get together. The best of all is that even though we see a little, we know that the affection we have does not fade, it's like the last time we had seen were yesterday. I think having that in mind is important to maintain a good friendship, and my friends and I do it.

I think I didn’t make new friends over de Internet; I met all my friends in real life, in school, university and other groups that I participated, and I hope keep this way to make friends.

My experience learning English at University

My experience learning English at the University is reduced to only two semesters, because fortunately, when I give the test that would tell us at what level we would stay, I was at level 3. I can say that my school gave me a very basic base but anyway I appreciate it, because I was not in complete blank.

The first half of this year I studied Pre-Intermediate English with a very nice teacher, who empathized with students and tried to make all the sessions enjoyable activities. As we are students, we are learning, and I appreciate the patience and willingness that she had to teach us.

I think that the practice speaking English improves our level and makes us aware of our shortcomings in terms of grammar, to put together a coherent sentence, and pronunciation. Yet these aspects are very difficult to me, what is more, I think is what I'm weaker, I think I've progressed. To improve I have thought about joining a group of people who agrees online to practice English (or other languages) in a bar or pub. I think it can be a fun and enriching experience at the same time.

On this semester, in which I am studying Intermediate English, I've had a great time in the energetic classes with the teacher and the activities proposed. We greatly appreciate that the teacher take into account our opinion when an activity is proposed. If we have another proposal, we can do it and  there will be no problem.

As for the blog, I can say that although sometimes it propose interesting topics to write about, the posts have always been a headache for me. I'm very slow because the ability to write properly, and does not seem that wrote Tarzan, is very difficult.

These days, the use of English is restricted to read scientific paper, but in very few subjects. In those moments I want the universal language was Spanish, haha.

An evaluation of the 2014

Never in my life has reached the end of the year, I looked back and I said "I’ve had more sorrows than joys" or "more failures than satisfactions", and this year is no exception. When the good things wins to bad, it's because it's been a good year.

As for the difficulties of course is the time to make compatible have an acceptable performance academically, occupationally, with friends, with family, with staff time. I decided, for example, regularly visit my grandmothers and the truth is that I have failed. Hang out more often with my school friends. Also. I feel like a failure because I know that even I though about them, they do not have to know that I do. Lack I spend more time with them and next year I hope to do.

As for the achievements and satisfactions this year i find having been consolidated within the team tutoring in “Programa Académico de Bachillerato”, achieving lift various activities. Also my participation in Las Malezas (The Weeds), a sports and social club where I played football, performed and participate in tournaments and try to hold a workshop on social football for children between 8 and 14 years. This last project we are still planning, but hopefully we will make it during November.

Academically I have had ups and downs, depending on the subject, but there is still time to reverse the situation. I just hope they pass quickly to enjoy a quiet beach on the central coast.

My favourite film

Hello classmates!

In today's post I should write about my favourite movie. In my life I have seen many movies, so it was very hard for me to choose only one. I wandered many Internet sites searching rankings of the best movies of all time and I finally chose "Forrest Gump". If you ask me in one more week, maybe I would say otherwise. Or maybe not.

I chose this movie because it mixes two film genres, drama and comedy, two of my favorite genres, and because I love the story. I will tell you a little. 

Forrest Gump is a young man who seems to have cognitive difficulties, but is humble and innocent. Throughout his life, he becomes a national hero, a great football player, even a better athlete, and a great businessman. Also he appears on the cover of a magazine. The part I like the most is when a lot of people follow him in his career. The reason why nobody does know, however, all they interpreted that there is a reason for protest in his career when in fact one day he decided to run and never stop. Likewise one day he decided to stop. I find it very interesting, as to how everything thinks socially, nothing can be no reason.

In the movie, Forrest Gump manages to overcome all the difficulties that life puts him, and he... I better not tell you the end, if you haven't seen yet.

I forgot to tell you that the protagonist of this movie, filmed in 1994, is Tom Hanks, who won an Academy Award for Best Actor. The movie also won another awards, like Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Film Editing. It was a very honored film.

My favourite free time activity

I like to do many things in my free time, like to go to the movies, have a picnic in some park, go to a bar with friends, rest in my bed, and many other things, but what I like the most it is to "regalonear". I don't think there is a translation to this word, but what I mean is when you are with one or more people and you are just together, maybe watching a movie, listening to music, resting in a bed or in the lawn. The idea is to be together, doesn't matter what is being done. Therefore, this activity must be done with somebody, nobody can "regalonear" alone. I like to do it with my twin sister or my little brother, also with my mom, even better when we are all together. I also like with my partner or my closer friends, even with my cat!

I think the way I like most is in a bed, watching a movie on the Internet or on the TV, eating something sweet or salty but delightful. These are some of the things which most relax me and I love to do it whenever I can. Maybe I would like it to be more often, but if it were perhaps I wouldn't like it so much. It is like when you eat lasagna every day, at some point you get used to it and you don't enjoy it.

I'm lying. I wish I did it every day.

My Future Job

Hello everybody.

The topic of my post today is Educational Psychology. I’m interested in this topic because this is the area where I want to work when I finish the career. I think this topic is relevant in my field because Educational Psychology can be applied in many areas linked with schools and universities, places where I would like to work. The idea working in this area is that I can develop abilities or skills to collect and analyze information in schools and other institutions of education about their specific issues. That’s why I am studying this major, to help people, like teachers, parents or tutors to enhance learning and also, just like Andy says, to minimise the gap in opportunity between people of different cultures and social levels in terms of education, which translates to minimize the difference in opportunities at all levels.

Some of the issues that I would like to work, in institutional terms, are the problem of marginalization and inequality in the Educational System, also their access and quality. In the other side, in more political terms, I would like to participate in issues like proposals from popular social organizations and citizens to improve education in Chile, also the theme that the social problems have become individual problems, so, the government disassociating itself from these problems, as well the construction of the right to education in Chile.

As regards a future job, I imagine it would be indoors and hopefully in classrooms and offices in schools or universities. However, if the job allows me to travel, I definitely didn’t get angry. Maybe to study the different ways how people teach and learn in other countries, but always to return to Chile. The idea is help here. I hope to contribute to the appreciation of educational psychology and professional participation of educational psychologist that can be integrated as a participatory, reflective and transformative element of education at all levels.

A SUBJECT I ENJOYED AT SCHOOL

Chiloé y Puerto Montt

My best holiday was this summer when my family and I went to the region of Los Lagos, specifically to Puerto Montt, Chonchi, a small town in the Chiloé archipelago, and the places around them. 

We stayed one week in Chonchi, and it was a really relaxing time. We visited Lemuy Island through the daytime to participate in a folkloric festival. The people of Lemuy demonstrated how to shear a sheep and how to spin and after dye the wool. It was a very impressive experience for all of us, specially for my little brother, Vicente. We also visited The Accordion Museum, in Chonchi, that was full of these instruments, all of different ages, besides visiting the Chiloé National Park and Castro, the capital of Chiloé. Again, it was wonderful for all, but specially for Vicente. Because for the kids everything is surprising.

After that, we stayed another week in Puerto Montt, but now we didn't have time to relax, in fact, we only slept there, because we traveled to all the places around that we could. We went to Frutillar, Puerto Varas, Cochamó, Petrohué falls, All saints lake, Puyehue's baths, and maybe I have forgotten some places. I loved this vacation because we could know a lot of incredibly wonderful and beautiful places, but I think that the best thing that I had the privilege to experience was travelling by air. It was the first time that I traveled in a plane and I loved it. I would really like to repeat it.

My Favourite Animal

In the post of today I will talk about my favourite animal. When I started to remember what I said as a child gave me a few laughs, because my favourite animal was the bears. Not the polar bear, the brown bear. I liked to say that I liked it because I thought they were not anyone's favorite animal, so I wanted to be someone who would like them. Otherwise, they would not be anyone's favorite animal.

All children said cats or dogs or dolphins even polar bears when they were asked, but neither said brown bear!

This animal lives in the forests and mountains of northern North America, Europe and Asia, and it is the most widespread kind of bear of the planet. I really don't think that anyone wants to have one in your home, in fact if that happened it would be terrible. Even I think it is horrible that they been keep in zoos outside their natural habitat.

So, if someone asked me if I would like to have one, I say of course, a stuffed bear, and maybe I would name it Brownie.

A COUNTRY I'D LIKE TO VISIT

If I were asked to choose a country to visit, I think I would choose Cuba. Maybe because their history, their culture and their beautiful landscapes, specially the beaches with white sand and crystalline waters. Sometimes I like to dream that, after I scroll through Chile, I will save a lot of money and I will travel to Varadero or Guardalavaca, I will swim on this paradise beaches and I'll drink Ron like Jake Sparrow, jaja, it's a joke (more or less).

I would also like to visit La Habana, their capital, and learn more about the culture, the music, the gastronomy and the form of government that they have, which is a socialist republic.

I like the fact that Cuba was a founder member of the Human Rights Council of the ONU, and it also has one of the highest HDI of the continent, that means that have the existence of sustainable development: high human development and sustainable ecological footprint.

I think this country has many things others would like to have. I hope someday I can visit it. 

Visiting Millantú Kindergarten

This time I'm going to write about an academic experience related to the subject Developmental Psychology I. I really like the experience that I'm going to tell you because finally, my classmates and I can participate in a practical activity leaving the classrooms and confront the reality. In this occasion the curse was separated in groups of four people, where each group went to visit a Kindergarten. My group and I went to Jardín Infantil Millantú, a Kindergarten located in the commune of La Pintana, to watch a group of 32 kids of middle level. I must recognize that every time I left the Garten, I'm going out with a feeling of happiness because in all the visits the kids was very kind with us, even more than they are usually, according to the educators. I hope that this experience can be repeat. Maybe in Developmental Psychology II, the subject that I will take next semester, and in other electives courses related to Educational Psychology.

Taca taca

In this occasion I'm going to write about Table Football or "Taca taca", the name of this game in my country, Chile. This game is a board game based on football, who plays on a spacial table with wooden players. I think we all know about it.

Although the origins of this game can be related with United Kingdom, France, Germany and Switzerland, I like the history of the origin of the game in Spain. Alexandre Finisterre, the alleged creator of the game, was injured during bombings in Madrid during Spanish civil war. When he saw so many kids in the hospital with him, where some of them can't walk or run, he think in the idea of the Table Football based on Table Tenis and create the game with the help of a friend who was a Basque carpenter.

Finisterre had to go into exile in France after Franco won the Civil War, and in the course he lost the paper of the patent, so we can't now how the dising or shape are. 

After to live in exile in Latin America, he make some changes in the structure of the game and he spread out across the continent. The "Taca taca" has quickly expanded.

In this days, the "Taca taca" could be played with two or four people making two teams. Each team controls four lines of  wooden players. The human players try to use this tiny players to hit the ball into the rival goalkeeper door.

The table usually had eigth lines of wooden players holders in horizontal bars, and the oficial order of the players are standard.

Line 1	Our goalkeeper	1 player	*
Line 2	Our defense	2 players	* *
Line 3	Attacks form counter team	3 players	* * *
Line 4	Our midfielders	5 players	* * * * *
Line 5	Midfielder of counter team	5 players	* * * * *
Line 6	Our forward	3 players	* * *
Line 7	Defense of counter team	2 players	* *
Line 8	Goalkeeper of counter team	1 player	*

Lev Vigotsky

Although I had heard about this author, I had not been familiar with his work so far. However, I can not say I completely understand his work, or that I share it, but I found interesting study. For the subject of Developmental Psychology I we have had to read it and is one of few texts that I have read with interest.

To comment a little about Lev Vigotsky (1896-1934), he was born into a middle-class Jewish family in Russia. According to a provision of the Tsarist regime, only 3% of students in universities could be Jews, despite this, Vygotsky could enter to the University and studied in parallel in two universities Law and History, Philosophy and Psychology, graduating in 1917 from both careers.

For Vigotsky its initial objectives were to organize a psychology with marxist bases and find in this solutions to social problems. For this decides to start from the notions of Marx and Engels that explain how man was taken to work creating tools, which when used in conjunction with others determine the appearance of language and conscience. Another idea which incorporates from these authors is that human conscience is determined by social and material conditions of life.

The fundamental idea of his work relates how human development and learning can be explained only in terms of social interaction. The social environment influences the development, as this is the internalization of cultural tools (like language) which initially did not belong to us, they belong to the human group in which we are born, which conveys the cultural products through the social interaction.

This psychologist, being the founder of cultural-historical psychology, has made ​​notable contributions to developmental psychology, and also in various topics such as the relationship between learning and human development, the relationship between language and thought, the understanding game as a psychological phenomenon, among others.

"La Batucada JGM"

A "Batucada" is a group of people who play many kinds of drums and some other instruments. They almost always have been seen performing in the streets, like in protests or just playing for fun in any corner. In "La Batucada JGM", the members belong to the same university campus, Juan Gómez Millas, but they all study different things. Some are from Film and Television, others from Anthropology, Psychology, Journalism and Science.

In this and other Batucadas, is essential to have some structure, where each person plays only one instrument and has one function. To keep the order they have a kind of orchestra conductor. In the case of "La Batucada JGM" the orchestra conductor also plays the snare drum. The others functions are performed by many different drums. They have a "Zurdo Nº 1" and a "Zurdo Nº 2" which are the drums responsible to keep the pulse. "Zurdo Nº 3" follows a little more complicated rhythm, "Repiques" and "Timba" plays an extremely harder rhythm, and they have a "Chocalo", which sounds like a lot of tambourines, which play a harder rhythm too.

To perform without mistakes, or with a few, the Batucada practice twice a week the rhythms and the signals indicating this rhythms. Although in times it is hard to learn new thing, always the member have a really good time, practicing as much performing in the streets bringing more joyful moments to the marches.

A photograph

The bright side of photography, even though I don't believe that it has a dark side, it is that we can always portray anything anytime. In this case I want to show a photograph taken by Gabriela Solis, a high school classmate who now is studying in Campus Antumapu of Universidad de Chile.  

In this photo you can see a young man playing the drums during a street protest. Notwithstanding he is injured, he can not stop playing along the entire route. This photo, taken in November 2011, at which time all the country was pending and concern about demands of the students' movement, shows the persistence and the uncontainable strength of Chilean students, which still lasts by these days (at least I should like to believe that).

I like this photo not only because it is a really good one, but also I play the drums in protests, trying to bring people a lot of noise but with a little rhythm so that our demands may be heard from far far away. I thank Gabriela for immortalizing this moment.

The outline of the photography said: 

"El grupo Chin chin tirapié acompañaba con su música en las marchas. Este joven tocó durante todo un trayecto, a pesar de tener una lesión. Noviembre 2011"

People help people

In recent times, two severe natural disaster has happened in Chile, the earthquake which had seriously affected the north zone of the country and the fire disaster that took place in Valparaíso city, located in the country's Fifth Region. Notwithstanding of past tragedies, notwithstanding the ineffectiveness of the local and central authorities to planning the cities or supporting the reconstruction, the people have decided can't keep quiet. 

For the city of Arica, in the north, Bolivian students are delivering aid, handing out bottles of water and tending to people who needed help. In all regions of Chile the help are being organized to bring to both places volunteers and all types of inputs. In the hills of Valparaíso the removal of rubble and the general cleanup has already started, and many people wants to help. Collection points are in every school, every university, every neighborhood council, every community organization and all of them are receiving construction material, water, medical supplies, hygiene supplies, towels, blankets, baby and adult diapers and others basic needs products (about the clothes, they are grateful but they don't need more clothes, because they are completely provisioned) and everybody have helped in one or the other way.

About how it have been the help, I think and I hope that in this case the people will not only be present a week or two, in this case the people will not rest until both places are up again and all the affected people can leave the tragedies behind.  

My useful piece of technology

If I wanted to talk about my favourite piece of technology, I think I will choose the refrigerator (maybe because what it contains), but in this case I will talk about my computer, my useful piece of technology. I don't really think that I'm in love of my computer, but I must admit that it makes my life so much easier. I recived it about two weeks ago because the one that I had was taken by the nice people who enter to our house the last month and take every technological things and another things of value. I certainly think how lucky I am, because if we don't have an uncle who works in an auction houses, we would take years to recover all the thing. To reduce the expenses we used the savings that we have to buy new mattresses, jaja. Maybe the next year.

I really like my new computer because is faster than the last one but I still do not understand windows 8. I use my computer almost every day mostly to study or work. I also use it for watching films or TV series online, I can listen to music and watch videos on youtube too. I think it will make no difference in my life if I lose again, because I can always ask to borrow one to some friend or came to the university. 

My expectations for a new semester

In this semester I take four subjects of 2^nd year of Psychology, one of 3^rd year, English level 3 and a CFG, what means a course of general formation that the University provides. The one I take calls “Más que una pasión: el fútbol como cultura”, what it want to say "More than a passion: football like culture". From this course I don't have many expectations, because when I went for the first class I don't find what I'm looking for. I had hoped that the course dealing with political, cultural and social issues taking football like a educative tool, but instead is like a meeting of hooligans or football fans. But well, we will see what happens. In any case, this course is in the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, just where my sister study Industrial Design so at least we have lunch together on Tuesdays.

In extracurricular activities I participated in a student magazine of Psychology with classmates of different grades. Our expectations for this semester include bringing more people who like the idea of a critical psychology and publish a new number. In the Batucada, where I play a drum, we want to practice more days a week to play better rhythms at the protests. Furthermore, in the Tutorials Program of Bachillerato, another organization where I work, we are just starting to plan the sessions of the semester.

With Las Malezas, my sport, cultural and social club, want to successfully complete the project of have legal personality an organize different kinds of activities for our neighborhood.

So, my expect from this new academic period is to pass my subjects and have a good time doing the rest of thing I like to do out of the classrooms.

A few things about me

My name is Daniella but everyone calls me Dani (big surprise). I’m from Santiago, the capital city of Chile, and I have lived all of my life in La Florida, a commune located south of Santiago. I was born on September 7^th 1992 so I’m 21 years-old, also my sister Gigi who was born just behind me. Beside her I have an older brother, Stefano, who’s 24 and a younger one, Vicente, who’s 8.

I entered to school Raimapu in 1997 and I graduated in 2010 from the same school. I met there ones of my best friends with who my sister and I trying to go out often, however, even though we don’t see us a lot, the friendship always persists. In 2011 I entered to Universidad de Chile to study Bachillerato, an academic program with two mentions, of which I chose Humanities and Social Sciences. I also met awesome friends there with who I'm always in contact. In 2012 I studied Occupational Therapy, but I changed my mind and also changed the career, so now I’m studying Psychology, in 2^nd year finally.

In the University I participate in a few groups like in a student magazine of psychology, in the Batucada of campus playing a drum called zurdo and working in the tutorials program of Bachillerato. However, the best thing I like to do is play football with my neighborhood team. Our club’s name is “Las Malezas”, what means The Weeds. That’s because we are so bad, but the bad weed never die. Now we are working in a project to organize a wide range of sports, cultural and social activities.