Learning English at the university

Hello today I am going to talk about my experience learning English at the university.

English is a fundamental tool to perform well in academic and professional fields, therefore in this context is extremely important to learn English. Universidad de Chile has structured a program with four courses and different levels for his/her students.

If you study in this university, you have to give a test and based on that test you will be at a level. I had to give that test and I stayed in the first course, I had to do all levels! : Starter, beginner, pre-intermediate and intermediate. Each level takes a semester to be completed and after the course a final test is taken to evaluate the knowledge, abilities and competencies acquired during the course. Once approved those four levels you will get a certification that confirm that the courses have been satisfied passed.

My experience in English courses of the university in general has been positive, I have enjoyed and I have learned things that I had not learned before, teachers are good, and they are motivating and patients and they’re always ready to help me when I need. I think the methodologies of class are really good, I can participate in many ways and I constantly receive feedback from teachers at the class. One of the things that I emphasize is the blogging experience which is a method that uses technology for learning. In relation to it my blogging experience was a very interesting experience, it was a new way of learning English that I never used before. It was fun and entertaining too! I honestly enjoyed it, because I could use my imagination and I could explore about topics related to my area and my preferences.

In conclusion, learning English at University have been a good experience, I sincerely feel that I have learned many things and I can say that I have improved my English. Related to this, It’s very important that we have a good training in English, in that point Universidad de Chile have done a good work, although the English program still has flaws.

Post 9: My sabbatical year!

Hello, today I’m going to talk about my sabbatical year.
It would be very entertaining to have a sabbatical year, I could do many things and I could go far away.
If I had a sabbatical year I would plan all days what I would do. I would have a list of all things that I would want to do every day.
I would like to travel to Chiloe and I stay there for several months, I have a cousin in this place and he invites me all the time, but I don’t have time and money for travel, so with a sabbatical year only I would have problem of money, but that it’s a detail.
If I travel to Chiloe, I could know the island and I could eat typical food, I could buy craftwork. Also in this place I could read all books that I haven’t read, for example, I would read books about philosophy, history and psychology, especially about psychoanalysis and post-rationalism.
When I returned of Chiloe, I would like paint my house. Long ago I want to paint facade of my house and inside of living room. In the summer I painted the kitchen, my mom’s room and mine.
Also I would like to repaint with oil. Long ago I painted in wood with oil, I don’t have much experience and technique, but I like and entertain me.
Too I would like to sleep till late.
I think that a sabbatical year it would be good, because I would have time for all things that I want to do.
Greetings!

Post 8: Environment

In the last years, the global pollution levels have been increasing due to the numerous toxic gases into the atmosphere, wasting energy and abundant accumulation of toxic waste.

Although that these pollutants are dumped into greater amounts of industrially, whether in factories, enterprises and mines, etc., we should be considerate of our environment and cooperate in their conservation, because there from that depends on our life and of the future generations.

Awareness is critical, because everything you do will help to have a healthier home. Therefore, every action must be oriented at the preservation of our environment.

It’s also important to remember that natural resources available could become exhausted. The deterioration that actually suffers the ecosystems is worrying; inclusive it can damage social welfare.

I think it's very important for society to develop a consistent global environmental education, allowing as result that every child, adolescent, young adult, understand why environmental problems arise, what consequences they bring, how to avoid and deal with them, how each they, by their conduct and action, can protect the environment locally and globally.

I’m aware that I care for the environment and therefore I implement some recommendations that I read on the internet and I've heard in the programs of Discovery Channel and National Geographic about the environment. Generally I recycle things from my home, for example, pencils, cardboard boxes, sheets of notebooks, etc., I use paper bags instead of plastic, I don’t use aerosols, I usually use glass bottles instead of bottles plastic, and I prefer to walk instead of riding in a car, although sometimes I have no choice because my house is very far from the university.

And what are you doing to help the environment? Remember that with simple actions you can help to save our environment and live in a healthier world.

Greetings!

Post 7: My last wild party!

Hello, I’m going to talk about my last wild party.

My last wild party it was a very long time. I was studying in Universidad de Santiago and it was in “Electro Fonda”. I don`t remember exactly day, but it was in national holidays.

Each year in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the university does a party to celebrate national holidays, actually I don`t know if do it in the same place and free, but when I studied there, it was free and the famous Usach pastures.

While I was studying I went to many parties but I remember most was when I was in third year of history. I went with my friends at that time; we danced and drank too much.

I met many people that day, of other careers and other universities; even I lost me with a guy for a while. The problem was that guy studied there and I encountered with him daily and I don’t even remembered his name. Now that I think is fun, but in those days it wasn’t, because I died of shame!

It was a wild party because I wasn’t the only one that ended drunk and lost with a guy, many of my friends ended like me and some worse.

I went almost every year that I studied at this university, because I was falling in love to a guy of that career, but I never found him, apparently he didn’t stay at college parties.

This year it seems that the party wasn’t, maybe next year, but I recommend you to "Electrofonda", you will have fun.

Greetings!

Post 6: Gender reassignment can take its toll on the mental health of vulnerable individuals

Juliet Jacques suffers from anxiety and depression since age 10, at the same age she realized that was transsexual.

The OMS classifies "gender dysphoria" as a mental illness, and in UK, transsexualism is treated in mental health services.

She says that in the school was terrified that others know of her choice. At that time, she didn't know transgender people, and, before the Internet, she didn't know where he could find, or hear their views on life.

Leaving school, go out and find new friends dissipated her anxiety for a while. But, unable to fit into any community, continued to struggle with the exact nature of their gender.

She started with psychological therapy and there she understood that her anxiety and depression much better than before the transition to a woman, she finally began to realize that it might be chemical rather than (or in addition to) psychological.

With antidepressants improved their depression and anxiety, but her energy levels dropped and their dreams were terrible. Also, daily activities were complicated, as it wasn't easy to stand as a woman with an identification of man.

Currently her doses are low and her dreams stopped, and increased energy levels and she feels much better to face life that decided to live.

Juliet thinks that some people lose their family, friends, etc. in the transition, however, what aggravates the transition are internal trauma that preceded her coming and the effects of a lifetime in a body that doesn't suit them. She thinks that it is society that makes it look like a transsexual perversion, so it isn't surprising that transgender people who lack access to support is harmed, sometimes fatally, in its fight against its momentum.

This news is relevant because it illustrates how psychological therapy can help to a person to accept herself.

If you want to read this entire review: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/05/transgender-journey-depression news.
Greetings!

Post 5: "Taxi Driver"

Hello, I’m going to talk about one of my favorite film.
One of my favorite films is “Taxi Driver”. This is a film of 1976 directed by Martin Scorsese and writed by Paul Schrader. Although it is old, I watch it whenever I can.

The film is set in New York, shortly after the end of the Vietnam War, and is protagonized by one of my favorite actors: Robert De Niro, who plays Travis Bickle, a lonely veteran, mentally unstable who began working as a taxi driver, joining the troubled life city night. Also involved in this film Jodie Foster when she was a teenager.

Travis Bickle is a former Vietnam fighter, a common man without much education and basic intelligence, who suffers from depression and from anxiety. He feels increasingly rejected by the society. Also is addicted to pornography.

He tries to seduce a promoter of a candidate for president, but she rejects him upon realizing their vices what causes a craving for revenge planning to assassinate the candidate.

Additionally he suffers from insomnia and spends nights in the triple X movies. In order to take the time out and earn money becomes a taxi driver at night.

However, while driving his taxi, is a silent witness for all the evils that exist in the big city: the prostitution, violence, prejudices, follies, slums. Travis writes down everything in a notebook, he becomes paranoid and takes action to respond to violence with violence.

I like this film because it is a subtle irony, Travis has just exalted by newspapers as a new hero after saving the life of Iris (Jodie Foster), who is a young prostitute.

“Taxi Driver” is a film not simple or easy to understand, but I recommend you watch it.

Post 4: Concerts in Santiago!

Hello, today I’m going to talk about the activities to do after this long weekend.
In next month’s come to Chile several bands to give concerts, you can go to enjoy the concerts of Incubus, Pixies, Queens of the Stone Age, Faith no More, Primus, etc.
I knew about these concerts because I listen to Sonar radio all days and I read www.humonegro.com , in that web site always there are news about music, movies, etc.
I went to many concerts before and I enjoy so much listen to live music.
One of my favorite bands to give a concert is Rage Against The Machine (RATM). This concerts is important to me because is the first time that band comes to our country.
RATM gives a concert in two weeks more next to Mars Volta and other band that I don’t know how is her name. The concerts will be in “Bicentenario” stadium in the upcoming October 11.
I will go with my friends and I hope that the next day I haven’t nothing to do for college.
I recommend you to go to this concert or any of others concerts, I know that tickets are too expensive but I think that in this case or for example for Faith no more or Primus worth to pay for him.
Also I recommend you if you go to any concert that you eat bananas because let you keep you during all concert and not faint you and I recommend you of course drink water!
Greetings!

Post 3: Privatization of Public Education

I think that the privatization of public education is a fact. The military dictatorship dismantled the public education system and education became a market commodity.

The military regime of Augusto Pinochet created conditions to facilitate the reproductive capacity of the market and prevent gestation of outbreaks of social power capable of challenging the power or to intervene in him.
From my perspective the solution to this is that the state takes the role again as before, be the "State Teacher" . The state should take over as operator and become the main agent of settlement of conflicts of interest. In this way, education acquires a high degree of independence, and to the extent that society tends to revolve around politics, makes that the state is the center of social activity, the education wins in autonomy and meets requirements different orders.
I think Universidad de Chile will continue to be public in paper but not in reality, I believe this government can convert our university in a PUC or UTFSM. I hope that doesn’t happen and it achieve a greater participation of educators in educational management, better terms of education and work, and it reduce the gap in the quality of education provided to more privileged social strata with regard to the popular sectors.

Post 2: England

Hello, today I’m going to talk about the country I’d like to visit.

I’d like to visit England because I find that their cities are full of history. I'd like to visit Manchester City, because I've seen pictures of the town and it is interesting for its history. Manchester was the first industrialized city in the world and played a central role during the Industrial Revolution.

Also I’d like to visit Manchester for its football, I love English football, especially the Manchester United team, I watch some games on TV and I think Sir Alex Ferguson is a great coach.

I’d like to live in this city because it has a great development and climate seems to be nice. Also I‘d like to visit London, because it's the capital and because it's full of museums, parks, palaces, etc.

I'd like to visit England alone, I thought about going with someone but not anymore, therefore I'm not saving money to go.

Greetings!

Post 1: First term

Hello, today I’m going to talk about first term.
This first term was horrible because I had many things to do. I was stressed out because of work overload.
I had five subjects and I only enjoyed one of them, it was “Técnicas Proyectivas”. In that subject I learned how to put into practice the famous test of Rorschach, it was very fun and productive, but I studied so much.
One of the subjects that complicated me it was “Análisis crítico de procesos psicosociales”. Let me give you a piece of advice: don’t register, it is a subject so boring and laborious because you have to do an investigation all semester and you have to give a reporter week to week, it was terrible!
Greetings!

My Last Blog

Today I’m going to talk about the last blog!

Well, first I really enjoyed the activity, I have never done this before and in general it was a very funny experience, I found it interesting to have the opportunity to discuss issues which interest me as my favorite concert, my favorite music, my favorite film , topics about my career and important authors as Vittorio Guidano, among other themes. I think the development of this activity allowed me to improve my level of English, because I should reflect on the issues and be able to present arguments and ideas.

I consider that a very important advantage of this working method is that it provides the possibility of incorporating technology into learning, you can learn vocabulary and expressions while delves into topics of personal interest, it also allows you to interact with classmates through the comments, generating a feedback that enriches the process.

Although I make a positive assessment of the activity, I could point out as a disadvantage of blogging in the English class is the time required for its development, academic load of English class is sometimes a little excessive, and when you have other subjects and many work groups, you don’t dedicate the time necessary to study.

Finally, I would like to say that, in a very special way, I will miss the blogging activity because it was fun to talk about topics that I like, thinking, generating criticism, new ideas and sharing this with others who may also be interested, also through the blogs of my classmates I learnt about them and their own interests which impacts not only on learning of academic content, but on the development of interpersonal relationships.

So, it is time to say good bye, this was nice experience, I hope we will meet in another opportunity without forget what we learnt. Greetings!

Psychosocial Trauma in Chili

Today I’m going to talk about Psychosocial Trauma in Chili.

In our country for nearly 17 years human rights were violated by military regimen of Augusto Pinochet. Those violations marked forever the history of our country.

Many people during the military regime were persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, disappeared and dead. Today their families suffer the consequences of these atrocities. They are a traumatized population. From psychology, can say that this population suffers a” psychosocial trauma”.

Trauma is a term that used to refer to injuries that leave an effect relatively permanent, a wound that leaves a mark. En psychology it used to refer to experiences that mark a person, leave a residue permanent that is not good for her/his.
Psychosocial trauma is a term proposed by Ignacio Martin Baró and refers to a historical process that may have left an entire population affected, the traumatized, in the sense that social relations are disrupted, which is expressed in psychosocial processes that tend to the establishment of distrust, rigidity, skepticism and violence as a means of conflict resolution.

This is the case of many Chileans who suffered violence political from the State.

There are two aspects important in psychosocial trauma: first, the injury that affects every person has been produced in whole or socially, so their roots are not in a single individual but in their society, and second, that their livelihood is found in relationship between individual and society through various institutional mediation, group and even individual.
Ignacio Martin Baró proposes three axes from which you can learn symptoms or causes of psychosocial trauma in a society: violence, social polarization and institutional lie. These three axes you can found it in our society and contribute to prolonging psychological trauma.
If you want to know more about psychological trauma I invite you to attend classes on Friday morning. Greetings!

My Favorite Photograph

Today I’m going to talk about my favorite photograph

This photograph was taked by my sister in December of 2002. The boy that appears there is my nephew; his name is “Darian”.

He is 13 years old, is my first and unique nephew, I don’t have others nephews or nieces. When he was born I was in the same hospital because I was sick. I remember that day very well.
I was to come out of hospital and my brother arrives and he hugs me and tells me: “He was born” whit his brown eyes filled of tears. It was a very special moment because I never saw my brother so happy.
My nephew is a very special person to me, because when he was a baby, I was at school and my mom took care of him in the afternoons. When I came back from school, he was always sleeping, and sometimes I woke him up just to play with him. Also, I prepared his milk and I changed his nappies too.
I remember that one day I entered to my house and he was hiding under the table. I did not see him, but he yelled: "Fantita Fresia". This is how he call me in my home. It was so fun, because he comes out from under table and he hugs me. In this picture he was just five years old. It's funny because when he was a child, he loved posing for the camera, now that is a teenager he doesn’t like photographs. I think it's something he learned in my family, none of my brothers likes to posing for the camera, me neither.
I love my nephew, although he is a teenager, I still see him as a child.

Michel Foucault

I think a very important person for psychology’s field is Michel Foucault, he is not a psychologist but he developed significant contributions considered and used by social psychology, especially in its most critical current and legal psychology. Michel Foucault was a french philosopher, historian, critic and sociologist.

He held a chair at the Collège de France with the title “History of Systems of Thought", and also taught at the University of California, Berkeley. Foucault is best known for his critical studies of social institutions, most notably psychiatry, medicine, the human sciences, and the prison system, as well as for his work on the history of human sexuality. Foucault's work on power, and the relationships between power, knowledge, and discourse has been widely discussed. In the 1960s Foucault was often associated with the structuralist movement. Foucault later distanced himself from structuralism. While Foucault was always typically characterized by the post-structuralist and postmodernist labels, he personally rejected the postmodernist and post-structuralist labels, preferring to classify his thought as a critical history of modernity, rooted in Kant.

Although Foucault is not defined as a psychologist I consider him the best in thinking about power relations in various fields, and whose principles have been widely used by social psychology in general. I like Foucault because he proposed a new way of understanding knowledge, subjectivity and social structure among others.
I hope you like learning more about him, greetings!

The Godfather

Hello, I’m going to talk about my favorite film.

My favorite film is “The Godfather”. These are a series of films directed by Francis Ford Coppola. These are based on the book of the same name wroted by Mario Puzzo. Eventhough I love the whole “Godfather saga” ,my favorite is the second part, and I will talk about this one.

The film relates two parallels plots in different times. The main plot is the continuation of the first film, and tells us about Corleone family in the 50’s and the life of the younger godfather´s son -Michael Corleone- as “Don”. The second plot is a flashback that tells us about Vito Corleone, Michael´s father, and his life in Italy and USA before he will be the godfather. I like so much the flashbacks even though the principal history is very entertaining too.

I love this film because tells how Vito Corleone become a “Don”. He was a kid when his father is murdered in Sicily, by a capo of Mafia called Don Ciccio. His name in Italy was Vito Andollini but when he arrived to USA, his last name was changes by Corleone due to an error. Corleone was the village where he lived.

Vito grows in "little Italy" in New York early twentieth century. Film doesn’t shows the growth of Vito Corleone, only shows when he arrived to USA and shows when Vito got married and knowns his friend, Clemenza , and how they enter to the world of the Mafia.

The three films are great but I recommend to watch this one because is top, even though read the book is even better.

My Cell phone

My favourite piece of technology is my cell phone. I bought it in December of last year, it was my Christmas present. My cell phone is nokia brand, it is simple and compact, easily falls into my pocket.

I use my cell phone every day to talk to my parents, my brothers and sister, my friends, etc. Also I use it for to listen music, my phone does not have much memory to stores songs, but if it has radio. So when I get bored of listening to music that I have on my mp3, I listen to radio cell phone.

Other use that I give to my cell phone is a wake-up. I program every day to awaken, the truth is that without cell phone I think that I would not be able to wake up every day early.

I love my cell phone because it is lightweight and fits in anywhere. It has a long battery life and also I can connect to internet. Another thing I love about my cell phone is that when I listen to the radio I can record songs, what I do is to record parts of songs that I like, and then I use those parts of the songs as ringtones.

My cell phone is not very technological, but for me is fine, and my life would be a bit more difficult without the cell phone alarm, but I think I could live without it.

Grunge Music!

Hello, I'm going to talk about grunge.
Grunge is a movement musical that started in Seattle at the end of 80’ with bands from state of Washington in USA.
It is believed that term comes from a relaxed pronunciation of adjective “grungy”. That term usually use in USA to refer to dirty.
It’s considered a subgenre of rock and too is called “Sound of Seattle” or “Seattle Scene”. The first company that promoted and gave to know this genre it was “Sub Pop”. The company supported the first bands like as Green River, Soundgarden and Nirvana.
Grunge like genre musical is characterized for distorted guitars, repetitive melodies and heavy battery.
The letters of songs of grunge bands distinguished by their disenchantment and apathy, and by discuss topics like as alienation, search of freedom or social marginalization. Across those letters of songs, the musicians show his disagreement with society. But not all the songs express disagreement, too there are songs about love, humor, etc.
Grunge music was expanded around the world during first decade of 90’, driven by the success commercial of albums “Nevermind” of Nirvana and “Ten” of Pearl Jam.
The most famous bands were Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Mudhoney, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains. Today still doing music only Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Mudhoney, Stone Temple Pilots and The Melvins. Soundgarden decided to meet this year and have made some presentations.

I hope that Soundgarden made a world tour and come to Chili.

Vittorio Guidano: my master en psychology

Vittorio Guidano (1944-1999) was born in Italy. He is founder of post-rationalism. He studied medicine in University of Rome and then he specialized in neuropsychiatry in University of Pisa.
His work can be separated en two phases. The first phase begins in 1975 where he sought to extend traditional association empiricist epistemological perspective through an elaboration of a psychology of self. He came to notion of personal identity as a hierarchy of knowledge, emotions, perception and memory as a true and proper structural theory of the self and the world conscious.
The second phase in 80’s, he publishes “Cognitive Processes and Emotional Disorders”, in which he tried to develop a model of dynamic development of self in line with epistemological revision carried forward. Progressive integration of organization of knowledge of self and world, which takes place during various phases of “development”, and active process of a “conduit” through relational relations, which define evolutionary context, building a personal identity in terms of uniqueness and continuity.
I like what V. Guidano proposes, because it moves from a descriptive psychopathology to evolutive and procedural psychopathology and because he developed psychotherapeutic intervention strategies more focused on the reconstruction and reorganization of patterns of personal meaning.

My Favorite Concert

I went to many concerts but my favorite is Chris Cornell concert in 2007. It was incredible.
I like grunge music and I thought that nothing could exceed to Pearl Jam in 2005, but I was wrong.
I remember that two months before the concert, my brother told me that Chris Cornell came to Chile and I was hysterical.
When concert started I was in shock, I shouted but I didn't see anything because I bought tickets for general court. In the middle of concert I fainted and I left of concert and I don't listen acoustic session of Chris Cornell, that it was so sad.
When I came back was on the court vip, acoustic session was over and Chris went backstage but returned in five minutes. Then he started to sing a song of Audioslave and I ran to stage and I was very close to Chris Cornell. There, I could see his blue eyes and I loved his voice.
The best of concert was when he sung "Slaves and Bulldozers", that's one of my favorite songs by Soundgarden.

My Experience with Earthquake

I remember that day I was at home sleeping, and I woke up when I felt sound of glasses of windows of my room.
I thought to myself that it was only a earth tremor but when earthquake began to rise in intensity, I got up and I rushed to call to my dad and my nephew.
My nephew was crying when earthquake finished, he was in shock and called his mum.
Them that earthquake finished I was frightened and I don't wanted go to sleep again. I turn on radio and I listened Cooperativa radio until my brother arrived from his house.
Too I remember that a friend from Talca called me at 6:30 in the morning, we talk about earthquake but we didn't know that it was a earthquake. He told me that all Talca was on the ground.
In the morning I has electricity and watched news in TV, I was in shock.
That day of earthquake, my brother was all day in my house and my other brother and his girlfriend arrived at night.
I think that earthquake was horrible.

Welcome to my blog

Hello! welcome to my blog.

My name is Pamela, I study psychology in Universidad de Chile. I like to listen grunge music and watch European football, in special Champions League.

I want to go to Argentina for specialize me in Cognitive Constructivist Metatheory, because in that country are good teachers and more posibilities of develop.

Too I like History. I am particularly concerned in women and children history. For five years I studied History in Universidad de Santiago, but I don't finish because I had a problem.

In this blog you can to find post about many topics and you can to share your experiencies.

I hope that you enjoy and have fun with this blog and post me.