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.