bicentennial year: we all fit in this party?

This year in Chile, it supposed that we celebrate 200 years since the independence of our country in 1810, but the true is that in 2010 we should celebrate 200 years since the first governing board and not all people know that. Despite of this, the bicentennial are celebrate in all the regions of Chile, with shows, a lot of contest about this topic, and with a lot of activities with “bicentennial” last name organized by the government and other institutions.
In this 2010 have happened many events that have marked the history of the country, as we know the theme of the earthquake, or the miners in the third region, but not only that, throughout this year have happened things that have convulsed the country in one or other way, as a many protest or manifestations, as the students for the public education, the hunger strike of mapuches, the manifestations to save Punta de Choros, and changes for better or worse, as the election of a new president, the restyling of the national stadium, and some museums in all the country, so this year has been very active for everyone.
All this changes and events that have happened this years to caught my attention, because I think this year has come to light a lot of topics that care to the people of this country, like the violation of rights of the minority groups, as indigenous people, as the workers that work in bad conditions, as the students and the people who feel that is not taken in to account by the authorities, but at the same time I think that the environment is a topic that we take care now, and the care of the animals to, because they don’t have voice to express themselves.
Finally, I think that this activities of was realized in honour to the bicentennial year although have approached Chilean people, but at the same time have left other groups of people that don’t feel part of all this party, whether for politics, economics or social reasons. So I hope that over time, the things will be better to Chile and everyone can feel part of this country, feel proud of the Chilean people, and the next time nobody is left out of the celebrations and everyone can be heard, because there’s a lot to say.

Home sweet home

I’ve lived in three different places in my life, in different parts of my life, and all are so different from each, taking into account the house that I live now. In my actual house I have lived for eleven years approximately, since I have nine years and despite it have some defects, I like my house a lot!, because it’s very convenient live there, because it’s near the centre of Santiago and near the subway and at the same time it’s a quiet neighborhood, so I live in a relax place and it’s easy when I want to go out come to the place that I want.
I live only with my parents because I don’t have any brothers or sisters, and we have two dogs that is as if they are a part of the family and an very important part because we love them . My neighbors are four womans that are so nice persons but a little noisy and for the other side, I have a family with so many childrens but with they we don’t have relation at all and it should be because we don`t spend much time at home, because I stay most of the day in the university and my parents in their jobs.
One of my favorite part of the house is my bedroom, of course, and don’t have many things, in my bedroom I have my bed, my TV, furniture to put my clothes and other to put my books, movies and notebooks, but despite that is simple and small I love it because it have so many colors and fun things, like toys, photos, posters, and a big collection of nail polish in all colors, despite that my bedroom it’s my favorite place of my house, I love my house because it’s like a hippie house , but if I can change something of my house would be the small that it is and I put new furniture, because it’s a little old.
In the future I would love to live in a apartment, but only if I live alone, but if a have my family a would like to live in a big house with a big garden, I don’t have a prefer location but all I know is that I would like to my house will be a simple house, very minimalist but with beautiful colors and when the people feel welcome, above all.
I really don’t know how houses will be in the future maybe smaller than the actual house or maybe with other architectural style or maybe the people want to return to the past, but I think that increasingly cost have a home, not just a house.

the environment

The topic about the protecting the environment is much discussed today. Now, no one can complain of not having information about this.
Personally, I consider myself as a Green-in-Between, because I try to help to the environment from what is within my reach, but sometimes in this world is difficult because the most things around us can be pollutants in some way. I always try to do little things to help, like turn off the lights when I don’t need it, or don’t flushing the water, or simply don’t throw trash on the ground. Also, I usually recycling bottles, because me and my mom recollect them and later we carry the bottles to the recycling point of the supermarket. About the transportation, my bike isn’t in good conditions so I can’t use it, and but if I could use it anyway I could not transport me to the university because I would take a long time to coming there.
Actually, I don´t join any eco-organizations, because I don’t have a lot of time or money, but I sometimes I’ve thinking in join a organization that it care about the environment, or maybe about animals, because this problems really concern me.
I think that we must take care about our planet, because it’s the place where we live in and first, we should worry about the education about care the environment, because the new generations are a important part in the future of the world, anyway, the kids are more concerned, so I think the companies are the ones who have more power to do something about. Also, we should try to keep our nonrenewable resources, don’t use polluting products, use a paper bags, promote the use of non-polluting means of transport, and especially, recycling.
I think, now we have the future in the world in our hands, so we try to make something to help, because if all the people do something, we could build a better world for future generations, because this it’s not the world that we received.

Books and literature

Currently, I think that the literature is very important in the lives of the people, because it helps you to maintains concentration in something, learn about spelling and in the case of childrens it helps them to develop the imagination.
I personally read books from time to time, because between so many text to read to the university and the short time that I have left to rest I don’t have a lot of time to enjoy a good book and sometimes I’m tired of read, so I don’t know how many books I read this year, but about the books that I choose to read I don’t read anyone but when I was a child I read so many books, not only the books that are required to read in the school, also I read other books by myself, because I love to read.
I prefer read books about real facts, because it’s bring you near to the reality, because the fiction it seems boring to me and I can't maintain the concentration in those books, but I like the book of mystery, because are interesting until the end of the history.
Really, I don’t have a favorite writer, but I have a favorite book, that it’s named “La fiesta Del Chivo” by Mario Vargas Llosa and It’s the last book that I read, so I really enjoy it, but it have a lot of pages, so it takes me like a month ends to read it. The history it’s about a dictator named Rafael Trujillo of República Dominicana , his murder and their consequences. This book tell the inner circle of this man, and betrayal that he committed to his closest people, and how this are transforms in revenge, and finally tell about the murder of this dictator.
I really like this book, because despite that it’s have fiction elements, it have parts of historic elements because it’s an example of the crimes that were committed in times of dictator ship in latin American and it’s a form to remember the history of the continent. So I totally recommend it and if you don’t like read, you can watch the movie of this interesting book.

I ♥ cinema!

When I was a child I just saw movie about cartoons, like Disney’s movies. Just lately the cinema was transform in an important part of my life, because now I LOVE the cinema and the films, I usually go to the cinema, but when I can’t go I watch movies in my house. I don’t remember the exact date of the last time that I go to the cinema, but I remember that I went with my boyfriend to watch “Despicable me” or “Mi villano favorito” (in Spanish), therefore that was around three weeks ago.
I don’t rent or buy films, if I don’t go to the cinema I just downloads movies of internet, but sometimes it’s difficult find movies with goods subtitles, but if a interesting movie is released I should go to the cinema, of couse.
I have many favorites films of many different genders, like “Amelie”, “The Clockwork orange”, “Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind”, “Trainspotting”, “The big fish”, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” but my favorite one is “The Notebook”, I see this movie countless times. It’s about the most beautiful love story that I ever seen, because Allie and Noah, despite they are separated and despite the time, they still love each other, and when she was going to marry with other man, they see them again, she discovered that she really loves Noah. And he is the most beautiful and romantic man, because they always love her, I think that he’s the man that all the women dream of having as a boyfriend. And I don’t tell you the end of the history because you have to watch this movie.
This film is one of my favorite despite that I don’t like the romantic movies, but if you’re a sensible person I assure you’re going to cry with this history, but I totally recommend it!

Santiago

I was born (20 years ago) and bred in Santiago, so I know very well the city. I like it so much, because have a different places to visit and know that are very interesting and nice.
If someone comes to Santiago, he or she should be visit and know the different museums that the city has, like the Natural history museum, or the Belllas Artes museum, or the MIM, the Pablo Neruda’s house named “La Chascona”, etc. Also, the tourist should visit the parks of Santiago, as the Forestal park, the park of the sculptures and the Metropolitan Park in the San Cristóbal hill. If a foreigner tourist visit Santiago I would recommend him, that he should be go to the bar called “La Piojera”, also go the central market, go to sky to the snokparks as “El Colorado” or “Valle Nevado”, I recommend him that he or she eat a typical Chilean food as empanadas, or “pastel de choclo”, or drink “terremoto”.
About the things that I prefer to do in Santiago, the number one is climb the San Cristóbal hill and take photos of Santiago, in the second place it’s go to the zoo, because I love the animals (but I don’t like that they are locked in jails). Third, I love go to the National Historical museum because there are so many interesting things about our country history. Next, I would choose go to the MIM, because are very funny and you can learn so much about the science, and finally, go to shopping to Patronato, because the clothes are so cheap!
Despite of the defects and disadvantages of live in Santiago, as the pollution, that we don’t have beaches, the noise of the cars and the buses, the many buildings there are, etc ... I love Santiago, especially in winter!

I would love to visit ...

This topic it’s really difficult for me because I would like to travel around the world and visit the most countries, because I like to travel.
I would love travel to Thailand, or any eastern country, because learn about other cultures is so interesting for me, especially if culture is almost the opposite of Western countries and also I’ve been watching some photos of Thailand and it have beautiful beaches and has a huge buildings with typical oriental architecture.
I really don’t know a lot about this country, just the things that I watched on TV or in photos.
In Thailand I would like to visit the palaces, eat typical food of there, tour the floating market of Bangkok, visit the beach, travel in elephant, , obviously and overcoat I would like to know the culture of the people , especially about the Buddhist culture , the people, their customs, their temples, or the Padaung womans (or womans neck of giraffe) etc, and take a lot of photos of this country.
I would like just visit this country or live some months in there, because I think that to get used to another country with a opposite people and forms of live must be very difficult, and because even I would have an entire world for know.

First Term of 2010

Hi! This is the first post in this course, so welcome to my blog!
In this opportunity I write about my experience during the first term of this year that it was really difficult for me, but at the same time I had a good time, because was my first semester in the university, so I learned important and elemental things about the career and best ways to study. At the beginning, was hard, because I had so many things to study and I didn’t have time for studied everything! But with the time I organized my time and the study was made easier.
Fortunately, I passed all the subjects :)
Whit regard to the people that I knew, I must say that I make very good friends and I had a great time with they, because we going out and travelled together, so I think we are forming a great friendship.
About the activities that I did, I practice yoga and it really helped me very much in the semester for study, for control the stress, and especially because I had to face some love problems, however, everything is solved.
Finally, despite problems everything that I passed was a good experience for me and it helped me to grow up and this term I have a lot of energy to face it.

See you soon!

Wow! This is the last entrance. What fast goes the semester!
I never had a blog before, really, because I've never been a great writer and less in English, I prefer more pictures than words. But I enjoyed blogging, above all because before, it was difficult for me to write in English, but now I learn many new words that I did not know and at the same time, I could correct my grammatical errors, but anyway I think that much to learn yet (maybe even in the post I have many errors, is most probable).
Moreover, I sometimes did not have much time to write because , and as I am in first year of my career I have been a little busy and very stressful few weeks, so we have an obligation to write this blog has helped me to organize better with my homeworks.
then, it was difficult to develop my ideas widely and sometimes I was too tired to get to blogging to my house and those times was not so funny, but I must admit that the entries that we must write were very interesting, so this made things easier as the blog post about our favorite photo, or blog post about our favorite band or our favorite piece of technology, etc. and I can learn more about what my classmates think and they like it or not and some post of my classmates were very funny.
Finally, I must say that I learned a lot, especially because we speaking in English all the lessons, was a great practice for me because before it was a bit difficult speak for me (in English). So I hope to pass the course and next semester to continue to learn more English because I like it so much, and I hope that my classmates pass the course too, because they’re very funny and nice persons :)
And this is the end :O

I ♥ Photography

If I didn’t study sociology, I would be a photographer but in this country that work is not moneymaking. I like a lot some artistic careers like arts, cine, fashion design or interior design, but some time ago, I discovered that my favorite is the photography, because sometimes you can see beautiful thing or place and I think that one of the way most great to keep that moment it’s a picture, so you can see it when you want and remember all the senses that you feel when you take it, because an image says more than thousand words. Maybe if the photography would make people earn money to support them I would study that, but for now it’s just a hobby for me.
In the summer of this year I worked and I raised some money and I bought a new camera although it isn’t a professional camera from that day I always look for the opportunity to go somewhere to take pictures and I do 2 things that I love: Know new places and take a lot of pictures, for that I always try to bring my camera with me
That artistic or some humanists careers are not appreciated in Chile and people who want to study them must aspire to study in another country makes me very sad, because country does not provide opportunities for artists to showcase their works and life of that, and there are many talents that get lost for this reasons and I think the people who do not have money to travel to study in other country can’t do what they want in their life and what makes them happy so whatever I do I love the photography and in the future I pretend study that anyway.

Valparaíso :)

This topic it's so difficult for me because I love to take photographies and I have many favourites pictures that I think that I can't choose only one.
I took this photo in "Cerro Alegre", Valparaíso. I went there two weeks ago with my boyfriend, just to take pictures because is one of our hobbies. I didn’t know Valparaíso, and I wanted to go so much , so one day we took our cameras, we bought tickets and without planning we traveled for distract us for as while.
Scarcely we arrived we started to tour the city, rise in elevator to the hills, traveled in trolley and we knew the typical places of the city, and above all we took a lots of pictures.
When we were touring the hills, we went to Cerro Alegre, and we like so much all the colors, the painted walls and stairs, the beautiful houses and the decoration of the streets and then I found this old and beautiful car and I decided take a photo immediately and I loved it, because I think that the photo captured the essence of Valparaíso, that atmosphere that only can be seen there, but the true is I don’t have words to describe it, you just have to see it.
I really loved to going to Valparaíso and I would return soon. It was a beautiful experience, and especially because I went with my boyfriend. I like going out with him because we had a great time together, because besides him to be my boyfriend, he is my friend. We know five years ago, but since two years he is my boyfriend so we have been so much time together and he know that I love travel and keep a little piece of my memories in my camera.

Chile in the Worldcup!

First of all, I don't like the football, but I think it's great the atmosphere that it formed around this sport and the football teams, but now that Chile will be in the world cup, not be as excited about football makes me feel, almost, as if I wasn't chilean. Anyway, I'm happy for the victories of Chile in the equalifying and I think the most important character in this history is, definitely, Marcielo Bielsa and It's incredible like everybody love him!
One reason why I don't like the worldcup is because always it's takes place right on my birthday, and I remember when I was a girl when it was my birthday almost all the guests were watching the football in the tv, and sometimes I was so bored in my own birthday!
But the principal reason is because I don't like footbal, of fact, I prefer other sports like gymnastics or athletics, so I prefer more the Olimpic games.
I obviously love to win Chile because it's my country and I think that Chile have a lot to oportunities to win the cup. Also, I would like that more importance was given to other sports.
With respect to the football players I was finding out about them I think the most attractives in my ranking are: Michael Owen, from England(but he will not participate in the worldcup because he has an injury) ,Kaká from Brasil, Joe Cole from England, and Yoann Gourcuff from France. So I will be prepared for the World Cup then,because is sure that my family, boyfriend and friends,will have the soccer fever in these months.

Blur

The true is I don't have a favourite band because I'm always changing the musical group that I hear more than others, but Blur is a band that I hear since I
have like 13 years and it's one of my favourites.
This band was born in 1989 in England, and became in one of the most important Brit Pop bands.
Blur it's formed for Damon Albarn (vocalist and keyboardist), Graham Coxon
(guitarist, who retires in 2002),Alex James (bajist) and Dave
Rowntree (drummer).
They have released five albums in their musical career, that have been called: "Leisure", "Moddern life is Rubbish", "Parklife","The Great Escape", "Blur", "13" and finally, "Think that".
Their lyrics speak about the things of daily life and some of them don't have a specific meaning, but I really love the sound of their songs, especially the guitar and the voice of Damon.
Some of my favourites song of this band are: "Coffe and Tv", "Charmless man", "Parklife","The Universal" and "Out of time", but I can't choose one of they, because I like all equally. Blur has never been come to Chile since I like it, but if they come I would do everything possible to see them live!
So I will annexed a video of Blur, so you can hear a song of them.

My Nintendo DSi

The piece of technology that I really love, it is my Nintendo
Dsi.It is a portable console of game created by nintendo that it went out to the Japanese market on November 1, 2008, but In latinoamerica on May 13, 2009.
My parents gave me the last Christmas, because they did'nt want that I was spending the money I was collected.
I use, most of the time, for play nintendo's games, mostly, listen to music, surf the Internet, take pictures and edit them, etc.
In the summer I used it always, but since the classes started I use it occasionally, usually to listen to music, because I have not had much free time.
I like a lot my nintendo, because I love play video games and I can download it from internet and there are many types of games of action, adventure, simulation. etc.
Also, I can play with other people who have a nintendo dsi or people of the world, online.
My life would be just a little boring without my nintendo, because I would be completely disconnected from the world when I when I'm not in my house, however with my Nintendo I can go everywhere.
For all these thing I don't change my nintendo DSi for nothing.

Max Weber

Max Weber was born in 1864, in Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany.He was a German sociologist and political economist, who profoundly influenced social theory, social research, and the remit of sociology itself. He is typically cited, with Émile Durkheim and Karl Marx, as one of the three principal architects of modern social
science, and has variously been described as the most important classic thinker in the social sciences.
He married Marianne Schnitger in 1893, a cousin, who became known leader of the feminist movement in Germany, in the years before World War I work in the sociology of religion, Since the beginning of the First World War until the end of 1915, he worked as a reserve officer in Heidelberg, to be responsible for the direction of nine military hospitals.
In 1918 he accepted a professorship in Political Economy at the University of Vienna
He die on 14 June of 1920
I admired this sociologist because He is the principal exponent of the comprensive sociology, and I am interested in the form that he raises of studying the individuals, understanding them from his context and not as a number.

When I was seventeen

In 2007, for my birthday, a friend gave me a card made for her, was a star and was decorated with glitter and sequins, and inside it said very nice things.
I was very happy to receive it, because the made things for me have a special meaning, because they require time and dedication, and furthermore that the gift was very nice, made me feel good knowing that it was important to her as a friend.
That was the most significant gift that day and also a surprise birthday that my
friends prepared for me, there was all my friends, and people who some time ago I didn't see and even made a very beautiful "piñata" that was saying: "happy birthday
coni!".
I was really surpised and all this, and this made me feel so happy.I really thank my friends, because that was one of the best days of my life:)

Like a movie

The night of February 27 I was in the wedding of my boyfriend's cousin, with him and his family.
When it was 3:30 approximately we were preparing our things to go. When suddenly my boyfriend Javier says to me: "Coni, is trembling", but I was't feeling anything.
But the quake became stronger and we decide to go out of the place. The lights went outand I embraced my boyfriend because I was scared.
The people who were near me were screaming and searching to their families in the middle of the darkness.I was looked back and saw the sister of my boyfriend
who was crying and was very scared, at the time embraced her and said to her that everything was OK.
Then, I decided to look at the swimming pool and the water began to go out and people wet their clothes, but we just wet our feet.
When the earthquake finished the parents of my boyfriend went to leave me in my house and in the car we were listening to the information that were giving in the radio.
To the end I came to my house and all my family was good, but almost all the things were on the floor. We didn't have light about one week, but always we
had water. I believe that I was quieter than I expected, but of all forms I was striking to live and to see how the people of the south suffer yet. But I think that we must get used and be prepared because Chile is a country of earthquakes.

Island in the sun - Weezer

I love this song!

The first entrance

Hi everyone! I'm a new user in this of the blog, but I hope that it stays well.
To begin I will introduce myself: Mi name is Constanza Lobos and I'm 19 yeas old (soon to be 20) and I'm from Santiago, Chile. I'm in first year of Sociology at University of Chile and I'm very happy with my career.
With regard to English, always I had good marks in the school, though I don't have a lot of expierence and it's so difficult for me speak in english!. Anyway I think it's essential or fundamental to learn other languajes for the future and to relate to the world, especially for me beacause I want to travel around the world.
My objectives with this blog is to be responsible with the homework of the course of English 3 (as student I
must fulfill with my obligations) and who knows if with the time I like to have blog and I make one personal to write things of my interest