My experience learning English at University, a general view

Nowadays, learning English has become into a central part of studiyng any career at University, as well as professional areas. Because of the most current works, researches and innovations are published in English, or traduced to that language, it is essential to manage in which has become almost a global lenaguage. In my personal case, I actually like this languaje, altough I’m still having problems with vocabulary and grammar, so I would talk about my personal experience learning English in the las year.

If I had to talk about the quiality of students’s English, I would have to say that it is very, very basic in general. The reasons of this situation are enough to write an other and extensier essay, but I mention it here because it is a problem that must to be resolved because, as I mentioned in the previous paragraph, knowing English is basic to cope properly in any career. Especially in Psychology, were are taking place different researches and publications, that we have to know, to get an addecuate training as professionals.

In my personal case, I like English, and I have enjoyed most of the classes, but I’m not filling myself prepare as much as I would. I think that in English 4 I’m more prepare than before, but I’m still having some problems, particularly with grammar, as well as my lack of vocabulary. But, I have to say that the teacher have helped us a lot with that, giving us different type of vocabulary related to various situations and contexts. Anyways, I think that the methodology, specially in level four, has been very useful to me, becaues I have learned practical things, taht would help me to speak more fluently, and I think that I can develope in this languaje, in a not very a basic way.

Summing up, I hink that studying English at University is very important, and the way that it takes place here in Universidad de Chile, seems suitable to me. But, like an advice I would tell that it would be very useful to learning some specific vocabulary to each carrer, because that would help us a lot in redinng specific test, also to write articles, or papers, etc. I know that it is a little difficult, but I think taht could be a very useful tool to us as professionals. At last, I haved enjoyed the classes, ther have been very dinamic and clear, and I­’m glad to finish this course once and for all jajaja.

Money

Actually, I really don’t want to be wealthy, I only hope to earn enough money to have a quiet life, and support my parents when they need it. I think that it is unnecessary to earn more money than necessary, because that makes us working too much and worry about banal things. Also, I deeply disagree with inequality, especially in Chile, where the money is so badly distributed. So, if I were a wealthy person, I will contribute to this problem. Although, I could use that money to make projects or invest to help to decrease the inequality. But!…if I had inherit a lot of money, I would probably use it to move out from my parents house, or making a trip, maybe to Europe, to visit other countries, but mainly to meet other people and to learn different languages. However, that inheritance would make me the things easier, saving me a lot of time to have the things that I want to have with the money I earn from my job.

Even though having a lot of money is not important to me at all, if I were rich (only hypothetically), I would invest it in a restaurant, or a coffee shop, because I think that that would be a nice work when I get older, after a life of working in my profession. I always wanted to open a restaurant or a coffee shop, because of my grandmother. She’s a really good cook, and she has always wanted to have her own place to work, and making those delicious plates and cakes. Anyways, I’m still working to do that even I’m not rich.

How green are you?

Well, I think that this theme is specially important nowadays, because of the situation of aur planet related to envaironmental damage. I think that school is the most important place to teach friendly practices, because there is where the kids sepend most hours in a day, but also is very important to teach the kids in theire houses, with the whole family. Also, I’ve learned more about recycling searching on internet, and by campaigns the campus, to separate the trash in different trash cans. Personally, I try to separate the trash in my house, but is a little difficult to me because the containers are a little far of my house, and it makes all difficult. But, in the supermarket I try to buy bread in paper bags, and every time I can I use only one bag in the market.

Related to transport, I try to use Metro always I can, and I suggest my mother to use metro or Transantiago, but she is a fan of her car.... whatever, I can’t do very much, because my house is far of the university, so I decide not to get there on my bike. I use it more like a hobby, but not like a transport. I think that in the city is neccesary to making more cycle ways, to make the journey more safe, and stimulate the use of these green practices. I think taht this is an important issue because in this country the frendly practices aren’t stimulated, and there isn’t interest for the government to improve these area.

Personally I’m not part of any organization, because of my laziness, I admit. but I think that is necessary to begin with little messures at home, and little by little I’m learning about ecological behaviour.

Education

My experience in high school was really good actually, but I think that the quality of my School wasn’t the best. I had good teachers, and I spent a really good time with my classmates. My favourite subject was Philosophy, and I think that is because of my teacher that I’m studying Psychology now. I didn’t like math, that was the worst subject. I didn’t like the subject, neither the teacher. Also, in SIMCE test we were bad evaluated in this area. In general I had a good relationship with my teachers, perhaps because I studied in that school since preschool. The quality of my education was very important to me at the moment of deciding to study at university, but I think that if I hadn’t studied at college prep school, I couldn’t have studied at university. This is important, because I studied in a subsided school, and I think that the public schools are less prepared to educate the students to get to university.

Related to technology, my School wasn’t the best, we had only one data show in the auditorium, and the computer room was small. But, we had a good library, and all the classrooms had the appropriate school materials for each subject.

Well, I think that now that we are in university we are more responsible of our education, and our parents are more responsible of our education in high school. However, in high school a person is responsible enough to look for the best options in education, and we can aleays worry about getting good grades, and learn all we need to get our goals, like in my case, study in Universidad de Chile.

My favorite movie

Well, my favorite movie ever is Clockwork orange, a movie directed by Stanley Kubrik, and starring by Malcolm McDowell (Alex DeLarge), Michael Tarn (Pete), James Marcus (George) and Warren Clarke Dim).

Basically, it is a movie about a teenager gang, where the leader is caught by police, and is subjected to an experiment, that is looking for a cure to violence and reoffends. During the movie, the leader and his gang commit a lot of crimes and acts of violence (they called it “ultraviolence”), and after Alex is subjected to this “therapy” the story turns, and even his “drugos” (that was how he called his friends in the gang) turn against him.

This movie talks about fictitious situations, locating the movie in a future Britain, but really the topics are happening nowadays, like teenage violence and drug abuse.

This movie is based on a book, which has the same name. It was written by Anthony Burgess. Personally, I like two of them, the movie and the book, but the interesting thing about the movie to me is the music, which is almost all of it classical music, changed with a Moog synthesizer. Also, I like the slang very much, called nadsat and the aesthetics, because it is very psychedelic, for example in colours, decorations, wardrobe, etc.

I like the whole movie, but if I had to choose one scene, I would decide for the one when Alex is at the Hospital, after he jumped off a second floor of a house, because he was part of a behavioral therapy, and he feels very sick when he listens the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven. So, he is locked in a room, and can’t bear the discomfort, and he jumped. Finally, he is carried to a hospital, and there the authorities realized that it wasn’t a good method, because it is really dangerous to the teenager. So, Alex is cured from this “therapy”, and the press and the politics take photographs with him, and all kind of stuff that hide the really meaning of this “therapy”, which goes against the free will.

Here in Santiago there are a lot of representative things of Chile, but I think that is important for a tourist to visit other places in the country, which are even more representative and beautiful.

Well, the first place I would suggest to visit is San Cristobal Hill, because from there you can see the entire city. Of course, if you are lucky and it is a clear day before rain. The hill is very nice, it is well taken care and there you can do many activities, like going to the zoo, climbing to the virgin on top by Funicular, a sort of elevator that takes you from bottom to top on the hill. Also you can walk by the hill, and enjoy the beautiful views of different gardens. Other thing that I’d suggest is to visit the center of the city. There are many historical places, and it is well known for being the most important part of the city, in relation to the civic activities. There is La Moneda, which is the Government house, and all the secretary of states, the Post Office building, the Cathedral, and a Museum of natural history. All these buildings are placed in Plaza de Armas, which is an important place in the city too. Plaza de Armas is a good place to do an historical tour. Finally, I would recommend a good place to know our food and drinks. La Piojera is a Chilean restaurant which is well known for being a popular place, in Spanish we said it is a “guachaca” place. There you can drink Terremoto, a drink made of a type of soft wine (pipeño) and ice cream. Besides the drink, you can eat typical food, like Cazuela, Empanadas and Pastel de choclo. Anyways, I think that wherever you go, you will find good sites, and nice people.

A Piece of News

Hello!

I´m going to talk about a piece of news that happened last week, but to me it is very important because it is still happening and today it is a very important topic. It was last Thursday, when a group of students of the Architecture and Town planning Faculty of Universidad de Chile decided to demonstrate against the university education, and they walked down Alameda, the most important Avenue in Santiago. This piece of news appears in the newspapers, on radio and on some TV channels, because of the violence of the police.

Well, the demonstration itself is not a big surprise, because the students are permanently expressing against the problems of education, and mainly the students of Universidad de Chile. Either the demonstrations in general, because people is taking part of the issues of the country, and they are getting out to the streets to express their dissatisfaction.

The problem is that, in this government in particular, the police action is getting stronger. In the Faculty, for example, the police used for first time a kind of weapon to break up the demonstration that wasn’t approved. It was a kind of paintball weapon that the police used to mark the students that were suspects of making disorder. This police action has many problems: first, it was not an approved procedure to dissolve demonstrations, because these paintballs could be very dangerous if it heats you on the eye, or another part without the appropriate protection. Second, it is against the right of people to demonstrate whenever they want. The fact of marking suspects is a big offense to the citizens and goes against our free speech. Finally, the action in FAU was excessive, and the police caused structure damages too.

To me the police action is very worrying, because every day is getting stronger, and I think that our free speech is decreasing. The kind of news that I would like to hear, could be about the citizen demonstration done in a pacific way, and supported by government, because the public opinion is very important to make the things in our country :).