so , this is it! the final blog

It's never to late to learn!

When I was 12 years old, I went to the British Institute to learn English. I must admit that I hated, because I had to wake up so early and what is worse is that I had to go every Saturday, so I couldn't party with my friends on Friday night!

My mother always thought that I had this "special gift" for learning different languages, and now I can say that I'm very grateful to her, because English has make everything easier, especially in college and when I have to read scientific articles.

But, I finished the course when I was 15 years old, so I didn't have the chance to practice my English until now that I'm 20.

My experience learning English at the university has been very helpful, because as I said before I could practice what I forgot and also I learnt new things. During this semester it was a little hard and difficult to come to all classes, because I had to study and I was really tired some days, but classes were never boring and I enjoyed to come Wednesday and Friday.

When I was in high school English classes were boring and learning English was just to complete a grade register, so I always wanted to learn real English, not words like cat, dog, window, etc.

Learning English is never free, so I think that I had a good chance to learn it without paying jeje, I mean, I must pay university's monthly payment, but you know it was all included! I also must say that I was lucky because I had the opportunity to learn English with a real English speaker, so learning was like a feedback, where I learnt and I guess that my teacher also did it.

Before learning English at the university, I wasn't very confident about my communication skills because I was constantly thinking if my English pronunciation was good or if someone did understand what I was talking.

Through my experience, I've been thinking that it is very important to learn English from various angles. I need to improve my English skills, such as listening, reading and speaking, the most important. I can't waste my ability and having a gift for languages, so it's my duty to keep practicing, maybe watching movies without subtitles or reading English magazines. But I'm sure that this experience was helpful in many ways. maybe it was the chance to meet again with English, a language that I love and I enjoy learning.

So Joe, I didn't have the chance to say goodbye, but I hope you and your wife have a nice semester ending , and just say thank you for your willingness to teach.

Challenges

Obstetrics and Midwifery is very related to many aspects that are important to our country.

This career must take care for women, not only in their pregnancy, also in their sexual and reproductive development. As an obstetrician, i must learn how to use technological equipment, because we can do ultrasounds to check how the baby is coming or if the fetus might have a genetic malformation. With an ultrasound you can get images in 2D or 3D, being this last one a privilege for those who have enough money, so i guess this could be one critical issue that our government should resolve, every woman, and especially those who are pregnant, needs to have the same attention and medical resources to assure the good health of her baby.

Also, 40 years ago, many mothers died during labour, but now with technology and good professional attention, the death toll has declined.

In social matters, obstetricians play an important role. In every level of health attention, i mean public or private hospitals, we are seen as someone to trust, wich is very important because if our pacients feel safe and confident, they can tell us important aspects of their life and we can help them in a better way. Counselling, listening and general communication skills are essential in this career. Many mothers, especially new ones will need advice and support, so we have to be aware of the social and cultural context in wich childbirth takes place.

Midwifery has a unique position in the health care professions, the service we provide is invaluable, because we are in close contact with people and we can make changes in their lifes thinking of what they really need.

Obstetricians also work in education, and when i say education is to educate our society. We can teach in primary health centers things like: family planning, birth control, breastfeeding, maternal-baby links, how to use condoms and the most important how to prevent sexual transmitted diseades (STDs). In Chile, teenage pregnancy is a very common problem in health matters, this is related to poor people or young women in social risk. So we must prevent this, teaching and counselling in the use of contraceptives.

So the dessire to assist and interest in women and their families through all stages of pregnancy and sexual life, are two aspects that are required to study this career.

Midwifery is a rewarding and challenging career, but it also allows for flexibility of working in every part of the country.

Money makes the world go around!

Hi! Today's theme is MONEY. When you hear that someone says "money is not all, there are more important things", yeah, of course there are more important things like love, health, personal relationships,etc. But money plays an important role in our daily life. If you have money you can have access to many things that can give you a good life quality. Also, money is important if you are planning to have a family, i mean, if you have kids and you want to buy and live in your own house, you must save some money to pay school, bills, medicine for your kids in case they got sick, etc. We all need money!

I live with my parents, so i don't have to pay bills, and i don't have to manage big amounts of money because i only ask for it when i need to buy books or clothes.

If you want to leave your parent's house, you must earn some money, i think it's the first step to become independent. About two years ago i started to work as a promoter in supermarkets; it felt good because with the money i earnt i bought my own things and i didn't have to borrow money from other people.

I think i'm very good at saving money, i'm very organized and i know when or where to spend it.

But money has bad aspects. In this country if you don't have money, you are nobody. If you want to have a good education you must pay for a good school, and many people don't have enough resources so they can't have access to study or have a professional occupation.. the cost of living is increasing every year. Money makes a country to divide in groups, rich people and poor people, wich i think it's bad because some have all the power and some others must live under the orders from those who have it all. So i think my parents are investing their money in a good thing, they are paying my education so i can be a good professional and contribute to improve my country and help the needy.

My Faculty

Hi! Today's theme is my Faculty. I'm studying Obstetrics and Midwifery at Medicine School in University of Chile. This is a very old building, so i think that important changes need to be done. About infrastructure, like i said before, it's a very old building and maybe it could be more modern, but laboratories and auditoriums are very good and they don't interfere with learning, wich at the end is the most important aspect to evaluate. My faculty has beautiful green areas, wich i think is very important because you can relax and forget for a while books, study, big tests, etc. It also has a special place where you can party with your friends and have a nice time.
I will like to change security. I think is a week point that my faculty and university in general needs to work out. 3 o 4 months ago, strange people started to enter into the faculty, any one can come here because no one asks for ID or special credential, so many thiefs used to come and steal our things. Another aspect that i will improve in my faculty is COMPUTERS!!!!. For example, at this moment i'm writing, and i have to wait 5 or 10 minutes to open another page. Computers in library are very slow, this is very difficult because i think is a big obstacle to study. Many students don't have the money to buy a computer, so they need to study and do their homeworks with faculty's computers. The solution is to buy more computers.
I guess i will solve this situation talking with the person who is in charge of computers, because we pay a big amount of money, and it should be invest in things for students and not only for the university.
And last but no least,my faculty is full of street dogs, so i will give them a long bath because they smell bad, reaaaally bad.

A fat doggy

Today's a free theme, so i'll talk about my dog..
My dog was a gift that i got for my last birthday, at first my dad wasn't agree on having a pet, because our flat is very small, and we don't have a big backyard. But, on November 7th of 2008, a beautiful dog came to my house. Me and my mom named her "Agustina", because we think that if we choose this name my dad wouldn't be so upset (My dad's name is "Augusto").
Agustina's breed is "Basset Hound". A basset hound is a short-legged dog, of the scent hound family, this means that they can hunt and chase rabbits or other animals just by feeling the smell. A basset hound is also known as a "Hush Puppie", because a famous shoes industry used this image for their publicity.
Agustina is a very friendly dog, she likes to eat many food and she's also very lazy. Now she's 1 year and 4 month olds, and she's very large but her legs are also very short, so i'm a little scared because she's a fat dog and maybe in a few years she might can't support her own weight; also she has loooong ears, i mean extremely long ears.. her ears can touch the floor, wich is also very worrying because this makes her prone to ear diseases.
Her face makes her look like she's always sad, her droopy eyes and her long ears force you to don't be angry when she does bad things. Also, when she wants something she starts to howl and barking, and when she wants to get attention she uses a low whine.
Agustina is on the lazy side, and it's really necessary to take her out, if i don't do it , she might start to gain more weight and get fatter than she's now. So, having a dog is useful to have company and also to walk every day and do some exercise.

Where to go and what to do in Santiago

Today's theme is SANTIAGO .. here you'll have some tips to visit interesting and fun places in this beautiful city, and as you can see my FATTY FATTY DOGGY loves this city, so she has her sunglasses on and she's ready to join you ..
Plaza de Armas: This is the most important square in Santiago. It's surrounded of beautiful and ancient buildings (XVIII-XIX century), like the Cathedral Church, the National Museum, etc. Also, there are many scultures of important people who contribute in many ways to our country.
Like any square, there's always space for art. If you want to have a good souvenir or an unforgetable memory, you should pay to an artist (3.000 pesos) for a beautiful portrait of yourself. If you like theather, every day you can find and watch open air theathers, and even if you want to laugh a little, this square has funny comediants and it's a free show.
About security, you must be careful with your personal items, like cameras, bags, etc; many thieves go and do their "job".

Teatro Municipal de Santiago (Santiago's Principal Theater): If you want to watch and enjoy classic music and ballet dancing, you must visit this place. In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful places in Santiago, it has a perfect white facade. The inside of this place looks like an old movie; a big crystal lamp hanging out the painted ceiling gaves you a view that you'll never forget. This place is located in dowtown, it's very easy to get there.

Cerro San Cristóbal (Saint Cristobal's Hill) : Santiago is like a hole between hills, and one of them is Saint Cristobal's Hill. This place has lot of interesting places, because it's divided in different zones. The typical and well known sculpture "The Virgin Mary" statue, is located at the top of the hill. Also there's a Japanese Garden, it's a very beautiful and relaxing place, and from here you can have excellent shots with your photo camera. And if you like animals, you can visit the Metropolitan Zoo.
And last but no least .. PATRONATO!!!! This is definatly est place for shopping. Here you'll find cheap clothing stores, cheap and yummy food, and also some shops to buy souvenirs for your friends. In Patronato you'll find many cultures, for example, japanese and chinese people have set up their own stores and they sell products brought straight from their countries.
I hope you liked my "mini guide" to visit Santiago. BUT! Be careful, here is a little bit dangerous to walk with big amounts of money, so look out of your things and stay alert! But with Agustina a.k.a fatty fatty doggy you don't have to worry too much!

Music and Lady Gaga

Hello Everyone! Today's subject is MUSIC. There are many kinds of music, so everyone has many options to choose.
With the advance of technology, new sounds and instruments have been included in music allowing the creation of new dancing styles and young alternative artists.
One of the most modern and controversial artists is Lady Gaga.
Lady GaGa is an american dance-pop singer and soundwritter, her real name is Steffani Joanna Germanotta, and her stage name was taken from the Queen song "Radio Ga-Ga". Her music influence is related to pop artists like Madonna, Cindy Lauper and the great Michael Jackson.
The world recognition of Lady Gaga started when she was working with hip-hop singer Akon, she was his songwritter and then he told her that she should start her own career as a musician.
Her first single was "Just Dance", a mix of pop and dance music. At first, I didn't like her music, I thought it was a bad mixing of sounds and my friends were singing this song all day, so I got tired of listening to Lady Gaga. But then, when she released her second single, "Poker Face", I couldn't stop listening to her music.
I've always had a fascination for music videos, the more odd and extravagant, the more i like them, and i think it's a good way to show the world new artists and new kinds of music. Lady Gaga is an expert of music videos, she wears fancy and expensive clothes, the locations and landscapes are awesome, she always has a perfect choreography for each video, so when you watch one of them you wish to be just like her and be in the same places with lots of money, it's like being in another world.
From the beggining of her career, there has been rumors about her sexual condition and many people said that she is an hermaphrodite, but all this doesn't matter because she's a great artist.

TRANSANTIAGO

Today's theme is TRANSANTIAGO.

"Transantiago" is the name of Santiago's public transport, it was created in 2005 and today it hasn't been completed. This new type of transport estrategy has a cooperation of Santiago's Subway. It's based on new routes, and also it has a new system, it's supposed to create less air pollution, wich I think it's a good and "greenfull" idea.

One of the most significant changes that came with the implementation of "Transantiago", was the BIP! Card; this is the new way to pay public transport and it works like this: you buy your BIP! card (for students it's called "Pase Escolar"), and you have to charge a minimun amount of money, for students $300 pesos, and for regular people $500, and the next step is just use it! In my opinion, I think it's an organized and a faster way of paying. Before "Transantiago" we used to pay with cash, so you had to wait for the busdriver to gave your change back, also you don't have to full your pockets or wallet with money just to pay public transport.

As you can see, all my comments at this moments have been good.. yes, I like Transantiago! It might be a controversial and crazy opinion, because most of the people doesn't like our actual way of transport.

Chilean people are used to criticize everything that's new. The first thing we do is look for all the bad things, but we never take the time to see the good aspects of an iniciative that's made for us.

I know we have to wait for more time (and even hours) to take the bus, i know the old busses were faster, and i know that many of them used to leave us out of our homes.

BUT, i also know this:

*Transantiago has allowed disable and handicapped people to use the bus. The old busses, used to have big steps and the access was very difficult, no weelchairs were allowed and there wasn't space for them.

* The old busses used to contaminate the air in a higher way than the new ones.

* Busdrivers have a fixed wage

* Old people and pregnant woman are being more respected, and there are special seats for them.

I could go on and write a long list of possitive and good points, but I guess I wrote more than 200 words.

And last but no least: I'm a short person, so my legs are also short and little, and to be honest I don't have too many sport skills,whatever! When I was 10 years old, i was going to my grandmother's house and when it came the time to get off the bus, I was going down those big steps, and the busdriver didn't wait for me, and he started to drive so.. I fell down the stairs, i injured my knees and elbows trying to keep my body balance, but when I was on the floor, I looked like Spiderman and of course everyone was laughing at me!

In conclusion, i had a traumatic experience, so i rather prefer to use Transantiago, than the old, trashy and ugly busses.

Bye!

A COUNTRY I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT

Hallo! =) Wie geht es dir?

If i had to choose a country, it would be Germany. I've always thought that Europe is the cradle of many important cultures, science and art, but Germany has something special.
My family is related to Germany in many aspects. My mother is half german and half chilean, her mother was born in Berlin and her dad was born in Chile.
In 1973, my dad was having big problems with Pinochet's government, and he escaped to Germany. He always tells me that it's a great country and that if i had the chanche to visit this place, i shouldn't think it twice. So i have many reasons to choose Germany as my favourite country for living, travel, etc. But this choice is not only made with my parents comments and experiences.
When you visit Germany is like living history in places where it really happened. Ruins, monuments, concentration camps, etc. In 2009, after 20, 50 or even 100 years ago, the places kept their essence and you can reconstruct history and be part of it.
Many important scientists, musicians, artists and world leaders were german, so i think it's good to be in the country where all the things we actually know and study were created.
I would like to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, a concentration camp, it was the biggest extermination centre in the history of nazism. Also i would like to visit the ruins of Berlin Wall, and go to the Oktoberfest and drink lots of german beer.
And the last reason: i love the german language. I studied german last year, but i didn't have enought time for it and university, so i had to leave it. But i can say my name, my adress, etc. and if someday, i had to be alone in Germany, i wouldn't be so lost and confused. So maybe i could finish german in Germany and not in Chile, it would be a nice and unforgetable experience.
That's it, i guess i wrote more than 200 words =)

Auf wiedersehen!

FIRST TERM: GOOD AND BAD POINTS

My experiences during the first term of 2009 were very good.
I learned how to handle my time, to be more responsable and also to be more tolerant.
The hardest subject was Cell Biology, it was very stressful and i had to dedicate much more time for studying than the other subjects. One of the challenges i had to face was stop seeing my boyfriend for many days , or even weeks. It was very hard because we started to fight and we were never used to that. I also stop seeing and hanging out with my friends, my weekends became in the only moment i had for naps, watch tv, or just do nothing.
In my "free" time i learned how to dance salsa, rock and roll and merengue; it was very funny and interactive, i cleared my mind of homeworks, exams , and many stressing situations.
But if i had to compare between first term and second term of 2009, i would definetly said that first term was easier. Now i'm having the most difficult subjects, all in one, Histology, Fisiology and Inmunology, so i guess second term means: NO SLEEPING-NO EATING-NO RELAXING- etc, etc.
In conclusion, my year started in a good way, i met new friends, i learned many things but most important, i learned from my mistakes and the problems i had during the first term of 2009.