English Language Challenges

Finally this is the last blog (I really hope it), and it`s time to talk about the English in the university. The English (like a language and course) is a bit funny to me. Sometimes it is quite easy and relaxing (like when we do the activities or blogs), but in other time is hard and stressful (I remember the day when the teachers of the introducing course gave us work to read a scientific paper entirely in English and explain the paper`s topic.

Although the course stresses me sometimes, I don`t feel like it is a part of the career (maybe because the topics of class are too different to the topics of the  other course, specially with the new programme study) even if we write blogs about some topics of the study and future. That is why  even I try to do my best in the course other things (and others subjects) forces me to not put much energy in it.

About the blogs I think that`s a good idea to practice the written English (I can`t imagine writing a composition about the topics that we wrote in blogs), the most of time the people read and listen (and sometimes also speak) English but no one writes a long text in English. For me is weird, usually I found words and expressions and I feel that I learn something, but when I write a new blog I don`t know  how to start or what words use.

I know that I have to improve my English, specially about the speaking and writing (the listening and Reading I practice everyday when I stay in the internet), but I hope that my friend gives me some help to do with that (I think she will force me to speak well in a short future).  

Changes to my study programme

I hope begin  a person like that.

This is my first year, but I´ve finished the first semester. I know that everyone who starts these year is a guinea pig of the university. From this year a new programme is implemented and there are good and bad (really bad) things.  First the orientation, now the programme is emphasized in creating abilities. Some people say that we learn how things can be done but actually we don´t know why the things happen, but I thing that these two things come together, even if in the class they don´t teach why of the thing, the student studies and learns about it for doing it the best way.

Also after finishing the most of the subjects (the basic ones and the investigation unities) we have defined period to finish the thesis (in one semester) and I don´t know if that is good. This semester the difference between programmes is big and the things begin to complicate. Already we have  subjects that need more abilities to do, example, we have general chemistry two at the same we do the chemistry laboratory at the begging we don´t worry too much about it, but if we delay a class, we don´t know how do the practical activities.

Also we have to do mechanic without precalculus and now we have learn electromagnetism even if we don´t know how do integrals, I think that we have finished mathematics one and two BEFORE to do other subject.

And about of the workload it´s a little big sometime, especially the calculus homework because, most of the people study a lot to this subject, and we have to prepare many practical classes so doing a homework  isn’t productive.

Summer Holidays

For this summer holidays I have many things to do. I will start the first week with the most important things I´m going to eat the double of my weight in ice-cream, then  I will take a long cold shower and finally I will start my aestivation  (so I think I will sleep at least  three days).

After of that the holidays can really start. I have to keep the house clean, make the food and the rooms, I finally will start a training plan to be stronger (or maybe just pass the time with something). I hope pass enough time with my boyfriend and my friends (before they go to summer trip with their family).

About travel maybe I will go to Viña del Mar (city where my grandparents are living) and to Algarrobo with my family. I want to ride my bike in both places, especially in Viña, because there are many streets and long bicycle paths (but I have to admit that I feel sleepy when I stay there). 

Maybe I will hang out with my mother and my brother to the center of city.

Every year my family spends a lot time in the beach, but sometime my father is illuminated by something and take us and we have a family trip. I think that my parents don´t want to take a family trip because my brother and mother are saving money for a big trip in honor that my brother finish the elementary school.

Painful Memories

Every week I expose myself to very dangerous things. I'm an absent-minded person so I crash into people, hit my limbs with tables, walls, chairs and all kinds of furniture. In the pool my integrity always could be affected by kicks, pool floors, strong arms, and very excited people.

But anything is worst (I hope it) that the worst accident that I had. When I was twelve or eleven years, I used to participate in scout activities of my old school. Every Saturday we did games, sang songs and shouted the loudest we could. So shortly after that I joined, we had a camp in the north of Chile.

I was younger (with other girls) than the other members of the group, so I have good memories, bad memories and really boring ones. In the bad ones I have the worst fall that I had.

The group was playing “El florin” (game with song and clapping). In the game two people take another one, move the arm back and forth and the last person is pushed to the forth and has to pass between the other members of group, who do a circle.

Well, it was my turn so they took me from my arms, I said “do it with more force” and they pushed me but my feet stuck to the ground and I fell with my face. I had a short period where I don’t remember anything, then I was surrounded by my partners, went to the hospital in a car, went to another hospital and another, people talking about putting me some stiches and pain and fear mix in my body. Finally the chief of the group decided not to put me anything more than a false stiches and continuing with the camp.

Postgraduate studies

I don’t know if in the future I am going to do a course or any postgraduate study but  I think (maybe because the teacher say us if we want research we have to do a master in the country and doctorate in the abroad ) that I need it.

In the option of the university give there 4  areas to specialization: environmental biochemistry,  applied clinical biochemistry, toxicological biochemistry and molecular diagnosis and biochemistry of proteins and biotechnology (also the university give us  the opportunity to do the master at the same time that we do the finals course of undergraduate and hand over one thesis for the two titles).  If I had to choose I decide for clinical biochemistry because I want to have knowledge about how use the biochemistry for the health. On the other hand I want to study psychology for two main reasons. The first I want learn how the people act and second connect these behaviors with the knowledge, and then study how improves the learning. I want to study in the country but maybe I have to travel to deepening in these areas.

If I could have psychology course maybe I liked to study neuroscience and developmental psychology. Both are too interesting for me.

I like the study face to face, presence class, the technology approaches us, never is the same and the people need human contact.

Future job

First of all I think that is too early to decide what thing I want to do in the future. Many things could happen in five years and maybe I would find something that I enjoy (little) more than everything (I have to do Investigations Unit   and participate in more activities).

I like the knowledge of everything, especially about the matter and the life, it’s fantastic to know how the body works and why the things do this or that, but this knowledge is useless and if the people don’t work with that the humanity will not progress , the world needs brains with plans, ideas, and energy. And in the bottom of my heart I know that I don’t have big ideas for the progress, but I hope to do something to pass the knowledge to someone that be able to use. 

I want work in class design  and new methods for the study based on research about brain (or maybe be a teacher). This requires knowledge of my career but I have to study more about the brain and the biological things that happen in there so I will need to study after the career. I think the knowledge can be expressed in different way not in four walls and listening to the teacher, If I could work on this I don’t care too much about the money (but I hope to have enough to live).

Also I want to live and work in Valparaiso and I work in outdoors and indoors (the knowledge couldn’t be locked) and if I could, without traveling (but if I must do I will do it).

Favourite Food

(Today I will honor this proud country in the name of carbohydrates)

I love the carbohydrates in all their forms, I like bread, potatoes, rice, oat, cereal, but the food which has stolen my heart is the pasta. 

Why I love this food? I can think of some reasons. It's salty, tasty, can take different colors, forms and cereal, can be eaten alone, with sauce, cold, with vegetables, in a soup, with meat,etc. Also it is quick to  cook and gives a lot of energy. The best thing of pasta is always tasty and good, if you eat it at the same moment when you cook it,it tastes good, but if you eat it three days later with eggs and vegetables in a tortillas, it tastes great. 

I eat pasta 3 or 4 times a month and I enjoy every time when I eat it. I have the smallest stomach in the word but the pasta helps me to put myself at the limit and I have some stories about how the impossible still in the past. When I eat pasta I eat must eat all the plate, but my stomach sometimes say no. In that moment I take a breath and keep eating. So in school time I could ate a plate of pasta that counted as three in 15 minutes. And the story is repeated here, when I eat pasta in the university I eat all the plate and the dish is too big for me, but I eat it, even if after that I fall asleep in class.