My experience learning English in the University

In the world there are a lot of countries, with different language. The main world’s language is English and you can hear it in United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Ireland, Scotland, etc.

We speak Spanish in Chile, but to learn English is very important, because there are jobs that require it. For example if you are a flight attendant, a business man or a translator, you must to speak English to communicate with people from other country.

When I was in the School, I always had to learn English. The first time that I had a subject called English was in first grade and I learned how to say the colors, the animals and the numbers in English. When I was in sixth grade I learned how to say the alphabet and exotic animals in English. Then, when I was in the High School, I learned how to make sentences and how to say the verbs in the past form and in the participle form in English.

I learned a lot of things in English in the school and I liked it. Then, I entered to the university and I took a subject called English 3. That subject was very interesting, but I felt that I didn’t learn new things. English 3 was a good subject to practice the English.

Finally, I took a subject called English 4 and it has been very important, because I have learned new things, new vocabulary, to listen a conversation in English and to understand what is it about. The most important thing that I have learned in English 4 is to think in English, because when I have to write the blogs I have to think in English first, and then I write.

In my opinion, to learn English is very important, because is a tool that will help you if you get a job like flight attendant or if you travel to other country.

English is essential in the world today, because the means of transport (airplanes, cruises, etc.) and the communication nets have neared the most remote places. Internet and satellite communication have made that English were very important in our lives.

~ Money ~

Money is very important in the world; Money gives you the opportunity to study in a good school, to study in the University, to have good clothes, to live in a good neighborhood, to travel to far countries, etc.
There are different types of money, for example: the coins, the bills, the checks or the plastic money (credit cards). The most usual kinds of money are the coins or the bills; you can see children with them, buying candies or cookies. Only adults can have checks or credit cards, because they have accounts in the banks and jobs with a salary.
I would like to be wealthy, because I think that is a very funny way of life. I would like to win the lottery or to inherit a lot of money. When I was a child I always watched the Donald Duck’s rich uncle in the TV and I always wanted to be like him. I also watched the movie called Richie Rich and I wanted to be rich and to have a mansion with an amusement park and a water park in the courtyard.
I would like to be rich and to have a big mansion, a lot of cars, a lot of clothes, the latest video games, a big room, the fastest PC, a lot of servants, a lot of yachts, a lot of jet skies, a lot of snowmobiles, a lot of motorbikes and a lot of houses on the beach, in the mountain and in the country.

A Green Planet

I think that there are few places where you can learn about environmentally friendly practices. There are organizations very active about the ecology issue, for example: Greenpeace. You can learn about the environmentally friendly practices if you join to the ecology organizations. You can learn about this issue searching information in Internet, for example, searching information in ecology web sites.
I haven’t incorporated recycling into my habits, because I don’t recycle anything, but I don’t throw the trash to the floor, I throw the trash to the trash can.
I don’t use a bike or a car, I just take the bus. I can’t go in bike to the University, because my house is very far from the there, and I can’t go in car, because I haven’t a car.
I haven’t joined or supported any ecology organisations, because I haven’t time and because is an issue that I don’t know very well. I help the ecology everyday, because I try to don’t contaminate it with trash.
I haven’t done anything else, but I would like to have more time to search information and to learn about this issue. I think that it is an interesting issue.
I don’t know what “carbon footprint” is, but I haven’t done anything, except what I have wrote before.
In our society is missing the conscience about this issue. If all people in Santiago didn’t contaminate or tried to contaminate less, Santiago would be a healthier city, with less pollution. I think that the government should be worried about the pollution, but it isn’t worry, I don’t know why. The government should make a lot of advertising about this issue. I think that the publicity is a good way to make people take conscience.
If the Santiago’s people were green people, Santiago would be a better place to live.

My High School Education

My high school education was very demanding, It helped me to confront the University difficulties. My High School is called Instituto Nacional and it is an emblematic School and High School. According to my opinion, my High School is the Best one in Chile.
In my High School I had a lot of different subjects, for example: Mathematics, Language, English, French, Science, Philosophy or Physical Education. I liked them, but my favorite ones were Mathematics, Language, English and French. The teachers were demanding, but they always were able to help me.
My High School’s Technology was very old, there weren’t Data Shows and the computers were very obsolete and old. I never saw a Power Point in class.
The level of education that I received in my High School was a very high one and it affected my decision in life later on. My High School gave me the tools to enter in the University and to be a good student.
I think that the current educational system is not good enough. I would like that the authorities don’t talk too much and that they make deep changes, because good Schools and High Schools are very expensive and poor people can’t access to them. There are few educational opportunities for poor people, but the opportunities exist.
I think that every person is responsible in his own education. The student is responsible for his own acts and if he doesn’t study, he won’t access to the University, or he won’t get a study grant.

Testing the limits of care for older people

In the website “The Guardian” (http://www.guardian.co.uk/) you can find a lot of pieces of news. I chose one of them, because it is connected to my future career. The headline of this piece of news says “Testing the limits of care for older people”.

Summary of the piece of news

Japan is the country with the oldest population. Japan people celebrate the Elderly Day on the third Monday each September. This is a national holiday to honour older citizens.
This Japanese celebration represents the stereotype of the positive Japanese tradition of family care for older people.
An official survey found that there is a high percent of old people who is maltreat or has relation to some form of abuse. In extreme cases, family "care" culminates in homicide.
Japan has neighbourhood mutual help associations (Jichikai). They have multiple functions to meet local needs. Among their functions we can find regular visits to older people living alone.
United Kingdom is interested in the use in Japan of care credits. This system is about earning credits by helping an older person in their neighbourhood. Credits can be exchanged for care of their own parents. This system is similar a voluntary mutual support system and it is operating in 30 Japan localities.
If you can read more about this piece of news, check the link below: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/sep/28/japan-elderly-care-mutual-support

“The Matrix Reloaded”, the best movie

When I was a child, I always saw Walt Disney’s movies and I liked them. With the time, my favorite movies were the action ones, for example the 007 agent’s movies, fast and furious, etc.
Although I watched a lot of movies, I didn’t love any in particular, until I saw “The Matrix”. I liked this movie so much and it became my favorite movie. This movie was the first of a trilogy that is composed by “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions”. Then I saw “The Matrix Reloaded” and I liked it more than “The Matrix”.
The last movie of the trilogy, called “The Matrix Revolutions”, had its premiere after “The Matrix Reloaded” and I didn’t like it. I have always preferred the second movie of the trilogy.
The writers and the directors of this trilogy were the Wachowski brothers (Andy and Larry Wachowski). The main character in the three movies, was Keanu Reeves (Neo was his character).
The three movies had its premiere in 1999, 2003 and 2003, respectively. They were the most watched movies in their years.
“The Matrix Reloaded” is the best movie that I’ve seen, because it has a lot of action scenes and a lot of good battles. The effects and the music were amazing. The best three scenes, according to my opinion, were the fight against vampires scene, the road pursuit scene and the fight against Smith scene.
Actually we are in the year 2010 and I haven’t seen a movie as good as “The Matrix Reloaded”.

Visiting Santiago

Santiago is a beautiful city with a lot of interesting places. I can mention La Moneda, Saint Cristobal hill, a Chilean restaurant, Plaza de Armas, Parque forestal, etc.

La Moneda
La Moneda is the government palace where the president works. Actually you can enter to the La Moneda’s courtyards and enjoy taking photos or just watching them. There are two courtyards calling “El Patio de los Naranjos” and “El Patio de los cañones”. You can’t enter to La Moneda’s Halls because there are a lot of policemen watching the entrances.

Saint Cristobal Hill
Saint Cristobal hill is a place that you must visit. You can see it in every place of Santiago and you can see the statue of Virgin María on the top of it. A lot of people visit saint Cristobal hill to do exercise or just to walk. You can find the Metropolitan Zoo in the hill too.

Chilean Restaurant
You can visit a Chilean restaurant to taste the Chilean food. You can visit “El Chilenazo”, “La Piojera”, “El Quitapenas”, etc. There are different typical Chilean food such as “Pastel de Choclo”, “Cazuela”, “Empanada”, etc.

Plaza de Armas
Plaza de Armas is the principal square in Santiago, it shows the cero kilometer and is in middle of the Santiago. You can see the post office building, the cathedral, the municipality, etc.

Parque Forestal
The Parque Forestal is a long park that covers the side of the Mapocho River. It is a beautiful place that have a lot of grass and trees, is the perfect place to buy an ice cream and to have a good time.

Bullying at school

Bullying is a reality that Chile has confronted the last time. The percent of bullying reports in Chile increase to 57%.
According to the last studies, Chile is the country with the worst times in the schools. Children are exposed to mistreat in their schools and it can be the start of big psychological problems, for example, we can mention stress, depression, shyness, etc.
This piece of news surprised me because I didn’t think that bullying was a big problem, I thought that it was a problem of few people. Now I believe that Bullying is the result of a bigger problem of the Chilean society, the violence. Every day we listen on the radio or watch on the TV news about homicides, murders, theft, etc. It means that the violence is getting the king of our actions.
This is a piece of news that shows the reality in the schools in Chile, a very bad reality. I think that the solution is that the Government take part in the family of problem children and help them with them violence. I think violence in the family is the key of the violent children.
I would like to hear or to watch on TV positive pieces of news, because our times, we only hear about negative piece of news, like natural disasters, tragedies, violence, etc.
I would like that all pieces of news were about good things, because I think that it would change the mind of the people and they were less violent.

France, Je t'aime

The country that I would like to visit is France, specifically the city of the lights, Paris.
When I was a little boy, I studied French in the school and I liked it so much, because the pronunciation is beautiful. The teacher spoke all in French and I always thought that it was the most beautiful language of the world. The French classes were very good and I loved them.
With the time I grew up and understood that I would like to visit France and learn all about the French culture. I think it is a very interesting culture.
I would like to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Arc De Triomphe, the Palace of Versailles or the Louvre museum. All of them are beautiful monuments that represent the French essence.
I would like to live in France for a while. I think that living in France for two or three years would be an unforgettable and a beautiful experience. Although I would like to live in France for a time, I wouldn’t like to study there, because I think that it is easier to work in other country than study there.
Finally, I would like to say that France is a beautiful country, with a beautiful language and with beautiful monuments. To visit France is the dream of my life.

First Term, 2010

I am Maximiliano Becerra and this is the first blog that I have to do this term (second term, 2010).
The last semester I learned a lot of things, like to make a blog or to post in the blogs of my classmates. The class of English 3 that I had was good, but I think that this time, it will be better.
I am psychology student and I think that my career is very interesting. During the first term I had different subjects, specifically neurophysiology, social psychology, developmental psychology, psychopathology, statistic 2 and psychological theory and processes. In those subjects I learned things like the brain’s parts, how to compare two groups, a control and an experimental group, how born the Freud’s theory or how to work the social interaction. In English 3 I learned new vocabulary and to use it in a conversation or in a redaction.
The last semester I didn’t do sports activities, because I used the time only to study. The result of that sacrifice was that I got a lot of good marks and I learned perfectly the contents of all the subjects. The bad side of this is that I wasn’t a lot of time with my family. I hope that this semester I can to be with them more time, because they are very important to me.

Second Semester 2010!!

An interesting activity: the blogs

My experience with the blog was very good, I learned many new things about English writing and that allowed me to develop new writing skills and new reading skills. At first I thought that make a blog would be difficult, but then I understood that the secret of this was the practice.
I think that the blog was a very good idea, because is a tool that let me practice the English writing and reading. I liked so much to work in the blogs, they are very interesting and very good for us as students.
I think that read in English helps me to think in English, because when I’m doing the blogs I must to think in English to can write well.
This blog is the last one in this semester and I will miss make blogs. But it seems that in English 4 I will do more blogs.
I must to say the things that I didn’t like about the blogs, for example to have to do blogs in computers with a lot of problems (sometimes the computers turned off or they hasn’t internet). Other thing that I didn’t like about the blogs was the website where we must to do the blogs (blogger), because I felt that it wasn’t a friendly website, I couldn’t to find the blogs of my classmates easy.
The blog was an experience very good and I feel that I learned a lot with it, for example: I learned to write in English quickly or to think in English to write. Also I think that is a very good idea to post my classmates because it helps me to talk and know people that I didn’t have talked before.
My blog experience was very interesting and I hope to have to do more blogs in English 4, because I think that they are very funny.

My family's Photograph

Today I’m going to write about my favorite photograph. In that photograph I looked good and I was with my family. In that photograph all of us were very happy and there was a beautiful day behind us. The weather was perfect and we were close to the beach. The beach was full of people and the sky’s color was a deep blue. The photograph was taken by an unknown person that was in the beach. Every time I see that photograph I can remember the feeling that I feel in that moment, I can feel happy and without preoccupations. Although I had to study in the photograph’s moment I Feel without preoccupations and that was the best feeling I ever had feel.
That photograph is in a Photo Album in my house and has a huge sentimental price to my and to my family. It was taken when I was twelve years old and in that time my sister was five years old, my mother was forty years old and my father was forty one years old. In that time we have taken a big time of vacations and all I wanted to do was to have fun. That holiday was unforgettable and I would like to have holidays like those again.
The last week I with my family saw the Photo Album and we laugh a lot with some photographs, but we didn’t see the photograph that I was talking about in this publication. In my house are very important the photographs, because my mother enjoy taking a lot of them always. My father at the last Christmas gave her a photographic camera and she was really happy with it.
The photography is a thing that keeps a beauty moment for ever. I love the photographs.

The Things That I Love ~♥

Today I’m going to write about the things that I love. One of the things that I love is to see soap operas, like “El Color Del Pecado”, “Mujeres de Lujo”, “Tormenta en el Paraíso”, “India” or “Acuarela del Amor”. Other thing that I love so much is to see anime, for example “Bleach”, “Naruto”, “You are under arrest”, “One Piece”, “Full Metal Alchemist: Shintetsu”.
In my life there are different things that I love, for example food, music, has fun, sleep, etc.
Foods that I love are chocolates, cakes and every sweet food. Taking about music, I like every kind of music, except reggaeton. I always try to have fun, watching TV or watching anime in my computer. The anime that I always watch is Bleach, because I thing that is very interesting and because in that anime I can find my favorite anime character: I’m talking about Ulquiorra. I think that he is cool, because he is very quiet and intelligent.
The things that I love are very common and they are very simple. But don’t think that I’m always doing things that I love; I have to study and do things that I hate too.

These are the things that I love.

Anime

Today I’m going to write about my favorite hobby: watching anime.
When I was a child I liked so much to watch TV, in especial to watch cartoons. Cartoons were my life! I always remember the time when I didn’t go to school and when I watched TV all day, and everyday. I can remember some examples like Dragon Ball, Ranma ½, Doraemon, Saint Seiya, or some examples older, like Angel, Remi,Marco, Heidi. I remember too others cartoons like Los Picapiedras, Los Supersonicos or Tom & Jerry. Then, when I was older I began to watch anime and that is my favorite hobby at present.
I began to watch anime five years ago and the first one that I watched was Naruto. Then I watched Bleach, One Piece, Code Geass and a lot of them. The best anime that I have watched is Code Geass, but I think that it isn’t the only one; I liked so much Death Note too.
Watching anime is my favorite hobby and I think that is the best. When I am in my house and I haven’t more things to do I always watch anime. It is not very difficult to do, all I have to do is to download the anime and watch it. I always use the website of MCanime (http://www.mcanime.net). In that website I always find what I searching for.

In tribute to Ulquiorra Schiffer: 2001-2010

My Cell Phone

My favorite technologic object is the cell phone, because it is very comfortable. With my cell phone I can call my family, my friends or other people. The cell phone is an amazing creation, because I can play with its games or take a lot of photos. In other words, the cell phone is like a photographic camera or like a videogame, but both in the same little machine. You can keep files in different folders. Also you can ingress to Internet and check your mail.
In our days, cell phones are smaller than before; you can carry them in your pocket and you can find them in different models, in different colors and with a lot of different characteristics.
The OMS has discovered that cell phones don’t produce cancer. This is very important, because now you know that using cell phones don’t entail a deterioration of your health.
An advantage of the cell phones is that you can call to others in every moment or in everywhere. And you can find to others persons in the place where they are, for example: in the church, in the bus, in the university, in the cinema or in other country.
I get my first cell phone two years ago and now I got other one. I use it for listen music, for take photos and for keep archives. I use the cell phone everyday. I can’t imagine a world without cell phones.
The cell phone is a thing that includes a lot of different technologic objects. That is the main cause why I choose it like my favorite technologic object.

Soraya Montenegro the best actress forever!

I like so much this soap opera, especially a character called Soraya Montenegro. She is a really bad woman and she makes suffering to his crippled stepdaughter (Alicia).
The plot of this soap opera is about the romance between María (the protagonist) and Luis Fernando. Soraya try to interfere in this romance, but María get married with Luis Fernando and the Soraya’s plans didn’t work.
I decided to write about this soap opera because my favorite actress works here. She is Itatí Cantoral, but in the soap opera her name is Soraya Montenegro. She works with a lot of actors, but I think that she is the best of all. There are a lot of moments in the soap opera that I like, for example when Soraya falls from a fourth floor, or when she hits a Calixta (her maid), or when she tortures to her stepdaughter with tarantulas, or when she says “What are you doing kissing to the crippled woman” to Nandito (the boyfriend of her stepdaughter).
Soraya makes me laugh, because she is so funny and her performance in the soap opera is amazing.
I think that Soraya would be the protagonist of this soap opera, because she is the best.

here I leave some scenes of Soraya if you want to see her:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKgPiHwzD8g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLm8pxELqsM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwu7FoAqywg

Bye!

Carl Rogers

Carl Ransom Rogers was born on January 8, 1902 in United States. He studied agriculture, history and religion. Between 1945 and 1957 he was professor of psychology at the University of Chicago. When he was 55 years old, he became the first president of the American Academy of Psychotherapists. Rogers' theory is very extensive. He wrote 16 books and a lot of articles describing it.
Carl Rogers is the precursor of the client-centered therapy and it is a very important contribution in the psychology. His theory is known too like Person-Centered Approach (PCA). A thing very important in PCA is the empathy. This empathy must to be present in the relation between the patient and the psychologist.
I like the Carl Rogers' theory because I think that it is true, the empathy is a thing very important in the therapy and in all the humans relations. Also, I think that the PCA is the true way of the therapy.
I think that the Rogers' contribution is very very important and it must to be studied for the present psychologist and for the future generations.

Da Cor Do Pecado

When I’m in my house I see a Soap Opera called “El Color Del Pecado” everyday in the television, in the national signal. It is transmitted between Monday and Friday in the “Red Television” Channel. It is a marvelous, wonderful, amazing and entertaining Soap Opera with an interesting plot.
The name in Spanish of the Soap Opera is “El Color Del Pecado”, but the name in Portuguese is “Da Cor Do Pecado”. That the reason of the title of my writing.
The main character is confused, because there are two important persons. The first one is the rich man’s son, called Paco, and the other one is an old girlfriend of Paco, called Preta. I think that the main character is the relationship between Paco and Preta.
The antagonists are two persons too: Barbara and Tony. They try to get the fortune of the Paco’s Father.
There are other important characters, like Rai, Octavio, Germana or Edilacia (mamushka).
With this opera soap you will live gorgeous moments, you will cry and you will laugh. This is the best soap opera that I’ve seen! You must see it!

A Traumatic Experience

The earthquake was a traumatic experience for me. That night I was sleeping in my house and suddenly I heard a noise outside of my room. When I went out of my room, the earthquake started to be more severe and I decided to go down the stairs with my family. Through the windows we saw lights in the street and then we heard the alarms of the cars in the street. Then, we wait until the earthquake finished.
The experience wasn’t good, because I thought that was the end of the world. I couldn’t do anything, except to pray with my family.
Then there were a lot of people in the street, worried about their relatives. The preoccupation was bigger because the telephone line was dead and there wasn’t light in all Santiago.
I learned that THE FAMILY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING and the life IS NOW!!.

~ Opening the Blog ~

Hi! My name is Maximiliano and this is my Blog. I'm twenty years old and I'm studying Psychology. This is my third year in the University and I'm very happy to be here. Now I'm taking this English course and I would like to learn more about English.
Sincerely, I'm very nervous, because I don't know anything about blogs and this is a challenge for me.
I hope you liked what I wrote.
Bye Bye!