Post 10: This year...

Hi veryone today I´m going to write about this year, 2013. Well, this have been a very move year, and I will try to summary.

First, this year I´m twenty years old, it´s a little bit difficult to me accept that I´m not a little girl yet, and it is very funny because when I was a little child I expect  a lot about it, something become real, but something not.

Good  things that have happened to me this year are for example I learned to swimm, and I met Omar, my boyfriend. Also I have made very interesting investigation works for classes, and I have learned awesome things and met wonderful people, for example at "La Victoria", a place where I did a work about muralism.

The situations that did not got so well are more related with my family, conflicts and my mom´s health. We, as family, are trying to keep it as best as possible, but for all that,  I´m a little bit tired and I just want to rest.

My achievements are related whit the same problems, I have had many complications but, I dont give up, I have passed my subjects at the University, and I hope do the same this semester.

I would liked get more organized this year, but I didn´t can. But I know this next year I will get it to be less stressful, and maybe can get a part time job.

This has been a difficult year to me, but I think difficulties could be an opportunity too, so I am trying to become my problems to learn and grow.

Working in "Republica Dominicana" school...

Hi everyone!

Today Im going to talk about a project that Im doing this semester for the class "advice to educational institutions". Me and 3 classmates are working in a comunitary school, "Republica Dominicana". This school is now a little bit famous, because TV news have made many reports because it is a school that has been closed, but that has been taken by the parents, and now continues to operate with the support of volunteer teachers from our University.


They are proposing an alternative type of education based on libertarian education, where are no ratings, awards and punishments. And therefore, where children can learn and develop in a community atmosphere, and dynamic classes.


For purposes of this work, we had to work with seventh grade. They must do exams at the end of this year, and such tests depends on the continuation of the alternative education project.

We go every Thursday and took activities to help them improve their performance in the subjects while improving school life. But it has not been easy.

In the class are only about 10 children, and that after the closing of the school, many went to other schools. But these children, although few, seem to be many more. It was hard to get their attention and take them  part in the activities.

It has been frustrating. And I'm very worried that they do not pass the exams and the school is closed for good.

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.