Post 8: How green are you?

Urban veg patch with bottles

Today I will try to think about environmentally friendly practices.

 I think people can learn about this practice easily than before because the information is everywhere: TV, newspapers, magazines and mostly in the internet, because this topic is in vogue. I really don´t know if I have very incorporated this habits in my life because some of that are a little bit complicated to materialize, but I do what I can, like trying to be careful with the natural resources like water and gas. Also I try to recycle wood boxes to make bookshelves, and plastic pans to make vases; also I am making recycled journals, and I sell it in some ecologic fairs.

I don´t use a bike because I don´t have one, and in addition I´m a little bit afraid because I live in a big and dangerous avenue. I even don´t have a car, so I use my legs and the public transport.

A recycled bookshelf with tomatoes box

I have never joined or supported any Eco-organization, but I follow many of those in internet, I read its news, and sometimes they publish very interesting recycling ideas.

I participated in a vegetable patch building in a kindergarten close to the campus. I would like to have my own vegetable patch, but in my home I don´t have enough place, because it is asphalted. But I would like to learn to do a "urban veg patch".

I think our society must regard this issue, maybe teaching environmentally friendly practice at schools, and encourage with community workshop, and financing projects. It could be wonderful if everyone have their own veg patch on their home.

Post 7: Hermann Hesse

Hi everyone, today I´m going to talk about a wonderful writer that I discovered this year: Hermann Hesse. I really enjoy reading, and I do it all the time, beside what I read for classes. 

Hermann Hesse (Calw, 1877 - Montagnola, 1962) was a German writer. He wrote mainly about freedom, nihilism, and love; many times his stories are autobiographic. 

Hermann Hesse

The first time I date with my boyfriend, he took a book on his pocket: Demian from Hermann Hesse. I have never had heard about him. He told me about the story and I liked it. I asked him for the book, but he didn´t bring it to me because he was still reading it, but he bring me another: "The steppenwolf" form Hermann Hesse too. I read it, and I loved it, I felt very identificated with the starring character because he was a lonely man who was looking for himself. 

After this I look for another book in the subway library, and I found "Under the Wheels" from Hermann Hesse, I loved too, and again I felt identificated with the starring character because he was a boy who felt very pressured by everyone and he just wanted to be him self.

Finally, I read Demian, in fact I finished to read it yesterday... I do love it, seriously.

I hope you can read some of those book!

POST 6- Summary: Teaching psychology in schools would encourage more girls into science

The 15 years old girls, who according to diverse studies would be less interested in science and who in addition obtain worst qualifications than boys in this area of the knowledge. But, statistics from the Joint Council for Qualifications show that  they are attracted by the psychology more than other "traditional" sciences as biology, chemistry and physics and not just this: they obtain better results than boys and there represent the most of the pupils, more than 70% of the 55,000, who make up the psychology exams every year. Unfortunately, 15-year-old girls rarely get the opportunity to study psychology as it is seldom offered at theirs schools. In spite of the fact that the psychology is not considered to be all for science, in fact it is the only science of level A which is not considered in the famous list of the Russel Group, which inclines the girls to be significantly attract for topics related to children, at the time the psychology should take more recognition as a science at schools because it promotes the gender equality. These girls will then go on to university and become the scientists of the future so It would be very beneficial to integrate psychology in the schools curriculums as another science, and this way give the chance to the 15 year old girls to balance boys in the study of science.

FREE POST 2: Me & the movies

Cry Baby

To watch movies on my free time is one my favorite hobbies. I like to go to the cinema, but actually I prefer to watch it at home because is more comfortable, I can eat whatever I want, and it does not matter if I fall sleep in the middle of the film.

On weekends, if I don´t go out with friends and even I don´t have to study, I like to spend the whole night watching movies. I have a lot of DVD´s, I´m always buying new ones and the most of them I have watched many times, but recently I watch movies on the internet.

Marlon Brando as "The wild one"

My favorite movies are old movies, the black and white one. My favorite actor of those movies is Marlon Brando, I love "The wild one" and "An streetcar named desire". My favorite director is John Waters, I like his films because always there is a review of the American way of life in a funny way. Also, the most of his movies are based on the fifties and sixties, and I really like fashion and music from this age, for example I mention "Cry baby" and "Hairspray". "Hairspray" is well known now because it was remake recently.

Yojimbo

In addition I like to make an incursion on another countries films, not just American ones. In fact many far away countries has a rich film industry, and I like because I can learn about another cultures, I mean German, French, Italian, Spanish, or Irak films for example. But I must say Japanese movies has surprised me, because those one are completely different in many ways: the topics, the character and even the time. I have watched some Akira Kurosawa old films about samurai like "Yojimbo" and I think those are master pieces. Also recently I watched a modern Japanese film and it was awesome, it is called "Old boy".

I like some old Chilean movies too, but actually Chilean films are not too attractive to me.

As you can see... I love films!

CULTURAL COLONIALISM

Chile, as is well known was a Spanish colony and they don´t snatch just territory and riches but they remove almost all our original culture inheriting us their language, institutions and costum. 

Nowadays, after many centuries, the situation is not too different. We are in general a producer of raw materials, dependent on the foreign manufactures, and we continue modifying our culture, taking, in pursuit of the "progress" and the "modernity", foreign cultural forms. I must say that, even today we are living a re-colonization period, this time not with wars arm; but with a new arm: the communication and the globalization.

Obviously today exists institutions that regulate the economic and cultural exchanges. But as we can see these are not too fair, and always they go to support the most powerful countries.

One of the most powerful countries today, no doubt, is United State, and this country has with Chile very unfair treaties, a great example is the cinema industry: while they send hundred movies, we just can send a few one because that´s the treaty. And those movies are not made for a Chilean audience, but they can send anything they want, and those movies are not just for fun, there is a comercial background, they sell with they movies their whole way of life: ridiculous modernity, consumerism, superficiality, competitiveness, etc. 

I think we must care about it.

[Post 2] My ideal job...

I´m not sure about my ideal job. I would like to work helping people. I do not want to normalize and stigmatize people , I want to work depending on the needs of the persons and not of the State or the pharmaceutical lobby. Last year I met a transsexuals' organization, and this year I was present at a few workshops about hyperactivity and medication, so I  understood the harmful thing that can be the psychology if this one is focused badly.

I think that I would like to be employed as part of the town halls team at isolated and poor localities of our country, and this way, to help people, from the Community Psychology, to construct from themselves the solution to their problems. I would be very good at a work like thhis one, because I know closely the problems that the segregation and the poverty generates.

A very important quality that I would like for my ideal job, even more important than money, it´s to have enough free time to spend in activities that I like to do like drawing, playing sports and spend time with friends and family; it has no price.

I know very well, it will be complicated to find this kind of job because exists very few spaces to really help people, but I hope I could help to change the assistance for real help.

[POST 1] The first semester this year...

The first semester I did two interesting work for classes. One of them was a Laboral Psychology work with SINTRALOC which is the Union of peddlers, they were very cozy and allowed us to investigate over their particular way of working. Another very interesting work that I realized the past semester was one of Community Psychology on the street art in " La Victoria " which allowed me to know deep histories behind this form of art. 

My tattoo

On the other hand  I really like to do sports and the first semester I decided to try a new one, so I went to the University swimming pool and I took the course. It´s was a little bit difficult because I was afraid but I keep trying. Now I´m not the best swimmer but I can do it. I want to keep on the classes but first I need to get organized with my timetable this semester.

The principal challenge that I faced the first semester was to get used to live again far from the University. Last year I was living with my dad near to the campus, but I had many problems of conviviality with him, so I returned to the house of my mom where I must get up very early to come at time to the classes, but it´s ok.

Also I really like art in general and the first semester of this year I got my first tattoo, it´s a butterfly girl and I love it.