English Language Challenges

My experience in learning English at the university has been quite good. This is my third and last English subject, I entered the university knowing very little English, now I feel that I have learned a lot thanks to the classes. I also think that the English classes have been very entertaining or at least much more than what one expects in a university class.

As for blogging, I think it's a good way to learn about the language and get along using it. There are topics more entertaining than others, but in the same way, it doesn't take long to make the post, which greatly favors our free time.

Despite having learned a lot from these courses, I still need to improve different aspects of my English. Like being able to speak fluently and further expand my English dictionary inside my head. I also feel like I need to learn about certain terms and sayings that English speaking people use, this depends on the part of the world, but mostly I am interested in the United States and England.

I plan to improve this by practicing with my friends who speak English, also by watching series and movies in English with English subtitles. This way, if I don't recognize a word or phrase, I Google it, so it sticks in my memory. Another way I am going to use is to listen and sing songs in English, look for the lyrics, and memorize them.

Outside of English class, I have been using the language sometimes, when I watch videos without subtitles I do the exercise of understanding everything and if I don't understand something I look for it, sometimes I also speak in English with my friends or with my dad, since they master English and help me practice.

Changes to my study programme

Considering that I am a second-year university student and I study architecture, in this instance, I will talk about some changes that I would make in the study program.

About the subjects taught during the career, I believe that sustainability in architecture and its relationship with climate change should be deepened in the study program. On the other hand, I think that there must be compulsory subjects in which it taught about physical and verbal communication, and also about emotional and financial management.

The race could last much less time, instead of five and a half, three years. And in my opinion, the academic load that generates in the students is abusive, regardless of the career. I think that so much academic load is not healthy mentally and neither physically.

Regarding the university infrastructure, it seems to me that there is the main problem, which is urgent and is that there are not enough quality spaces for students to work and study.

It would also be great to have more access to technology within the university, such as computers and printers for free, and even a television to watch football games in your spare time or any other television program. In any case, I think the most important thing is quality and free printers, or at least with a per-student restriction, since, as students, we spend a lot of money printing documents.

Finally, regarding the teaching method, I think it should be much more didactic, maybe some classes in the open-air experimenting with nature, or more tours instead of classes, where you can go to explore and get to know a place in the community.

Personal Opinion

-What is your opinion about buying instead of adopting pets?

There are so many pets, like dogs and cats, that do not have a house or people who care for them, they live in the street, without food, and they don't even receive affection. So I think that buying a pet, knowing that hundreds of pets need a home and they don't charge for that, is somehow a bit selfish.

-What is your opinion about climate change?

Climate change is real, and I don´t understand why there are people that don´t believe it. On the other hand, see the politicians doing nothing to care for the planet, it´s too frustrating because I think that they are the only one that can make a real change, considering that the earth is in critical condition and changes are needed now. 

-What is your opinion about recycling?

I think that recycling may be indispensable in our lives. After the industrial revolution, we started using a lot of disposable things and also a lot of plastic products. Now, considering climate change, we return to the culture of recycling, but many people still don´t know it, even though it is beneficial in economic and health terms. So I think that there should be more education and incentives for people to recycle.

-What is your opinion about legalizing marijuana and other drugs?

My opinion on this subject is that legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco are much more harmful than marijuana in the way that they harm people's health, causing death. Because of this, I think that marijuana could be legal before alcohol and tobacco cause this natural drug is even beneficial for people's health. In the case of the other drugs, I don't know much about them, so I don't have a strong opinion on the subject.

My future Job

When I think about a job in the future, I don't have a clear idea of what to do, like the perfect job for me, and seriously? I don't want to know exactly the plan of my life like others do. 

I only know that I would like a job that has a real purpose, to help people or the environment, without lies to earn more money than necessary. 

If I have to choose different aspects of a job, I would like that allows me free time for sure to do what I want to, see my friends, family, go on an excursion, etc. 

If I have to travel for work, I would love it. I'd rather have to travel a lot than not travel at all. I want to travel in the future.

On the other hand, I would prefer a job where I have to move a bit to one where I have to sit all day. This is healthier, I know that now the jobs are more and more sedentary when doing everything on the computer, and that is something that worries me since sitting all day is going to harm our health a lot.

Regarding money, I do not expect too much money. I would be happy to have what it takes to live well, and with a little more to be able to save it or invest it later in something else. I would still like to have enough to be able to travel on holiday. 

A holiday

In January of this year, I went to the south of Chile for a holiday with my friends. This trip was organized several months ago by me and my closest friends from school. The plan was to go camping somewhere nice, quiet and as cheap as possible since we are all students and we don't have much money.

After investigating various Chilean tourist attractions, we decided to go to Cochamó, a town near the city of Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt. We plan to go to the camp in Cochamó for a week and then stay a couple of days in a hostel in Puerto Varas.

Finally, the holidays began on January 15. That morning we flew from Santiago to Puerto Varas, then we took a bus to Cochamó. The bus dropped us off where a 3-4 hour trail begins to the La Junta Valley, where the camp was located. We arrived at the camp at around 7 in the afternoon.

It is a beautiful place, between huge stone mountains and with a lot of vegetation, next to the campsite a great river of crystalline and icy water passed. There we spent 6 days camping, we trekked in different mountains, we explored forests, we bathed in the river every day and there were also some natural stone slides, this was beautiful and very entertaining.

After very beautiful and intense days in the valley, we spent 2 nights in the city of Puerto Varas, where we rested, slept on the beach, and took the opportunity to go to the Casino to party for a while. Cochamó is undoubtedly an incredible destination and I highly recommend it if you like nature and trekking.

The country I would like to visit

 The country that interests me most to go to is Spain.

I like to go because I would learn a lot about my career, the architecture in Spain is so important, you can find different architectural styles and beautiful and old buildings. In this way, buildings show you the history of architecture. 

On the other hand, according to what I have been told and I have seen from the country, the people there are very good people and very cool, they have a lifestyle in which they enjoy food and good times. Urban planning is also very different and works much better than here. This something that I´m so interested in.

Another reason I would like to go is that being there I could get on a train and go to Italy or France, which are countries that are close and I would love to visit.

I plan to go on an exchange to Madrid next year and work and study there, look for a job as a waitress or whatever. If I cannot get the exchange I would like to freeze my career to go to Spain, and there I would look for work and sign up for a course in urban planning, design, or architecture.

A photograph

I´m not a fan of photography, but it has always brought me very powerful feelings, like art in general.

I feel that photography speaks an unknown language, to which each one attributes a meaning, there are shapes, colors and textures that each person interprets differently, this happens unconsciously.

That´s why I consider photography to be therapeutic, since it leads you to find yourself and your deepest emotions for a moment, it´s everyone's decision to face them or simply evade them.

This image was taken in Queens, New York by Eric T. White, he´s an American photographer. I couldn't find the exact date this photograph was taken.

The image is a bit strange because a mirror is used and this produces a pretty crazy optical illusion, you can see a woman sitting in the sand and very close to the water on the beach, she´s hugging a mirror and only her arms and legs are visible, which are duplicated in front of the mirror.

The truth is that it was very difficult for me to choose a photograph, there were many that I liked, especially those that show nature, but then I found this image that I had saved a while ago.

It seems to me that the composition of this image and the optical illusion that it generates is very interesting, it made me feel many things, at first a shock since it was difficult for me to assimilate its content, but then I felt it very warm and like an invitation to flow. It generates a rather strange contradiction and I like that very much.

Movies and series

This series is very well known as it has been very successful, I bet many of you know it or have seen it, but if you haven't seen it, I recommend it.

"Friends" is a comedy series set in New York City, created and produced by Marta Kauffman and David Crane. Its launch was in 1994 and it was finished filming in 2004, it has 10 seasons and each of them has around 20 episodes that last approximately 20 minutes.

It is about the life of a group of friends (Chandler Bing, Phoebe Buffay, Monica Geller, Ross Geller, Rachel Green and Joey Tribbiani), how they face different situations, go on adventures and accompany each other through thick and thin.

I started seeing it last year after many people recommended it to me and currently I see it from the beginning a second time (lol). I like it a lot because, despite being pretty extensive, It has a not very structured plot, which makes it nice and quite fun to watch, it also happens to me that I can see it and do other things at the same time, such as drawing, sorting out, playing something, etc. This series doesn´t have a consistent plot between chapters, each chapter has a different plot and that means you can watch it with someone who has never seen it and this person will understand what is going on.

My Favourite Piece of Technology

To be honest with you, until a while I didn´t manage at all well in the field of technology, in general I didn´t use much a television neither a computer so I rarely had to use one, the only thing I did use was the cell phone but still used it for the most basic things and without much interest in understanding all its functions, the operating system and those things. Anyway, I was not attracted to technology and basically used it only to watch movies, series, contact people and from time to time I needed a computer to do basic tasks.

Today I can say that the computer is my favorite piece of technology because I´ve discovered wonderful applications and I feel that everything I need to do about technology could be done from it.

I still not have a computer of my own yet but I share a laptop with my stepfather because he only needs it 1 or 2 days a week at certain times and I use it all the rest of the time, on vacation I practically never used it but since we entered class I use it every day to have classes and do all the respective jobs and assignments. In a while, this laptop will become my own and that makes me very happy.

I personally think that today living without a computer would be quite complicated since it is not socially accepted, because I could not study or do any paperwork or communicate with someone, but Looking at it from another perspective, I believe that computers and technology in general inhibit the development of the mental and spiritual potential that we human beings have.

Why did I choose my carrier?

Hi! Today I'm going to talk about the whole process that led me to decide that I wanted to study architecture. When I was a child I wanted to be doctor, veterinary, artist, scientist and many others professions, it was funny because every day I woke up wanting to be something different when I grew up. Then when I was about 10 years old a great interest in architecture appeared to me, I loved to draw houses and buildings that I liked or imagined and the whole theme of design and interior design, by the way I really liked crafts, my favorite subject at school was art and math so I really wanted to study architecture for 4 or 5 years until I started high school and university fairs.
 I started to like sciences like physics and chemistry a lot and I put so much effort into my academic performance that I put aside my artistic passions, that's when I decided to study civil engineering, during the first 3 years of high school I was very determined but then when the future looked closer I started to doubt, I still wanted to study civil engineering although I wasn't sure of that decision, I surrendered the psu aspiring to study that but one day before the test scores are turned in, I dramatically changed my mind, I don't know exactly what happened to me but it was at that moment that I wanted to study architecture and do what I really like.
Now I'm in my second year of the career and I really do not regret my decision, I think the faculty is wonderful and I have met incredible people, I really liked the carrier and I feel like I'm in the right place.
In the future I don't have a very clear idea of ​​what I want to do but I would like to introduce myself in the use of sustainable materials and structures and the study of new technologies and mechanisms to build, I would also love to do something about urban planning in Chile, as I think that there are many problems in this area and it is damaging our quality of life.

My autobiography

Hi guys, my name is Catalina Gallardo Verdugo and i'm gonna make a short introduce of myself so we can get to know each other better. I'm 19 years old and I was born on March 21, 2001 in Santiago, Chile.

 I’ve been living in Santiago my entire life, we moved home a lot of times but now I live in a beautiful house with my mom, my stepfather and my old brother, he’s 22 years old and studies law, we have never had a very good relationship but we love each other, about my mom and my step father, they have been together for 12 years and they are a very happy couple, I really like having them in my life. On the other hand I have a little sister of 1 year and a half years old named Florencia, she’s the daughter of my father and my stepmother, they have been married for 5 years and now they are very happy raising their precious little girl, my family is a little confused but I love each one and I’m deeply happy with them.

About my studies, I were in 4 differents schools and quite different from each other but finally I graduate in the Nuestra Señora del Loreto’s school on 2018. Now i’m in the second year of architecture studies in de University of Chile.

In my free time I like to draw, listen to music, see the sky and nature and I would like to read a book.