Final Blog

My experience learning English at the University

At the beginning of the year, there was so much uncertainty about the English class that nobody really take it seriously. At first, we even didn´t know if it was part of our career program, (well.. we don´t know it very well yet) because it was a new class that the faculty wanted to implement. So it is supposed that this year of English was a kind of prove, for seeing if the program worked. So everything has been a chaos this year and very disorganized, but despite that, English classes haven’t been so bad…

I remember the English class started at first like a very unpleasant thing to do. Nobody wanted to take that course, even me, because we were so used to our schedule ..and well, I have to recognize that when I heard about it I thought it was going to be so bored and so useless, like a waste of time. I think we probably tend to think those kind of things because we didn´t have good experiences with other English courses in the past, or because we think it could be similar like English classes at school…and that would have been terrible!.. because in my case I remember English classes were so bored! Every single year they taught you the verb “to be”, “past perfect”, etc…always grammar, grammar, grammar… and just a few of vocabulary and other things. I know it is always bored to learn grammar, but languages are more than that!.. you know, ..you have to understand how does the language work, because it is different to think in other language, and I think those kind of things are much more difficult than learning the past participle of a verb, because those things you just get them with the pass of the time, practicing the language, so I think that is the best thing English classes at the university gave me…the opportunity of practicing.

I usually don´t practice English, because I don´t read or talk or do anything related with it …I just see some movies in English and listen to music, but nothing else, and obviously that’s not enough. You have to practice the language more often so you catch it better and you make yourself more confident on what you are saying or writing in English or in any other language you want to learn.

Well…, after all, taking the English class wasn´t so bad, because I feel that my English has improved, and because there are always new things to learn, like learning more vocabulary, clarifying some grammar doubts or correcting some mistakes that we used to make when we talk or when we write. So, finally I think it was a very good experience to return studying English, because I really like to learn more languages and because it is a very important tool for getting a job, for traveling, for studying abroad, etc.

Task 7

Next Elections:

Well, I think these next elections have been very funny... you know, there have been so much uncertainty, all because of the Marco’s candidature…because before of that, it was so bored and so incredible at the same time to see that Frei was the one to compete with Piñera. Although Marco has given to the elections a new face, I think the next president (unfortunately) will be Frei…, because I don’t believe that Piñera has all the votes to become a president. I know there are so many people who are agree with him, but I think that Frei has all the support of the government right now. Apart from that, we have to remember when Lagos and Lavin were competing, Lavin was very closer to Lagos and it seems that he was the favorite in the mass media, but then of course Lagos won, so I think it is a similar situation, even with the last elections of Bachelet. Besides, I think people nowadays doesn’t vote very well, because they just vote for the person who they think are the less worse, and because I think people aren’t very identify with a real political party. People just vote for the person, the public person, but they just forget who Piñera really is, or Frei, or anyone…and all the influence that they have had in the history of our country, wich is very important for me.

About the programs I think there aren´t many real changes, even in the program of Marco. Maybe some moral stuffs can change, but in politic or economic things they are much more similar than different. I think the most important thing of Marco is the generation change, and that is also important because it is time to pull out from the politic those old men who have been in the government since a long time ago. So, I think just Arrate have some different viewpoints about the politic programs, and he is very secure on what he say. I know people have a vision of communism that is very bad, but I really like some ideas of him, like giving more power to the state, take advantage of the mineral resources like the copper, improve on education, defend the hardworking class interests, finish with some abuses like the AFP, etc… but unfortunately I think Arrate isn’t the one to make those changes… he is so old! And when he was part of the ministry he didn´t do much.

So finaly, I don´t vote… because I am a little lazy and because there isn´t a candidate who really convince me, so I would probably vote null If I had to do it. But I really think that it is necessary to improve the politic and to create a new party if it is necessary.

Task 4

My faculty:

Well, in fact I like my faculty, but I think that the first time you come here you think it is not part of the university haha because it’s very different of other faculties, you know…it doesn´t look very modern, and it isn’t a big building…But, anyway I like that, because it’s a very familiar place where you know everybody, from the people who clean the classrooms to the teachers, and you almost know every people who study here, because we aren’t so many students.
I also like all the grass and trees and nature that we have haha because other faculties abound in concrete, and that sucks…because you can´t lie back in the grass an get relax or spend a good time there with your friends after a class…

By the other hand, I know there are lots of things to improve, like some workshops that are in bad conditions. For example, on winter some classrooms get wet, or some stoves don’t work well. And well, as everything is getting so old, you need to repair lot of things…
Bathrooms are another thing that sometimes annoys me, because there isn’t some basic things like toilet paper or soap.

Anyway, I like my faculty because even though some workshops need to improve, we have a lot of tools to work and many different workshops that not every art faculty has, like big ovens for ceramic and goldsmith, or a big press for engraving, etc..
So, art faculty is good… but it can be better !