My experience learning English.

Certainly, learning a different language in these days is very important. Not only provides knowledge about other cultures, different ways of living and cosmovision, but also it makes you stand out among others, it gives you necessary tools to develop yourself in the modern world and enrich our own language.

The world is changing and, as students, we must adapt to it to be recognized as good professionals. One way to adapt to all the changes is English, because it allows us to introduce to the globalization of these days, and to make a good job it is necessary to be able to link the different parts of the globe.

For all of these reasons I wanted to talk about my own experience in the course.

When I started the semester I really doubted about how productive it was going to be learning English at university. Retake a new language forgotten for so many years is not easy, and every day I wondered how much I had really forgotten.

When the classes began, I realized that it was not as I imagined. The learning was more flexible, not so structured and it was very easy to have a great time.

Speaking in English in class is really helpful, specially if it’s about everyday topics and situations that makes you have an opinion about it. Definitely, expressing opinions is something that might help many times in life and we are not able to do it in most of the other subjects. Forming an opinion and also doing it in other language extends the way you see things and enrich the vocabulary, and it’s a good way for having all students spirited of participate.

About the impact of learning English in Veterinary Medicine, it happens to be a little different of the way we do things in the pilot. There is a special vocabulary for Veterinarians, which differs from the normal vocabulary and it is not easy. Diseases, body parts and instruments have to be learned apart. Fortunately, most of the papers that teachers send us to read are in English, and that is a very good way to enrich the vocabulary and getting used to speak in another level. That is ok, I think it’s a very good way to encourage English learning, understanding, reading and general culture.

In conclusion, having a subject related to open our minds to a changing world and that helps us to develop different opinions and critical mind it’s always useful. Definitely, we are not used to give our opinion about something, we just listen what teachers say. I really appreciate the chance that has been given to us and feeling that we really improved in writing and speaking is something motivator. The fact that constantly teachers gives us material in English allows us to be constantly training and practicing the language, which is something that, in the future, will make us better professionals.

Challenges in veterinary medicine

Our career is full of challenges related with things that are happening right now so is very important to identify them and see what we can do about it.
About technology, is very important this topic because most of the processes involved in veterinary medicine are related with technology. In most studies of new pathogen agents it is very necessary to have a good microscope, machines to grow bacterias and viruses and a lot more. This means that the career needs a lot of technology and depends on this. That's why in our area we have to spend a lot of money to do a better job.

In social matters I think a very important issue is how much the people cares about animals. It's very controversial because not everybody are willing to help animals and they really don't see how important this is. We are working with lives, but those are not human so maybe this is not so important for people. I can't believe that people wants to kill an animal but when someone is stealing, killing and raping that person remains free and alive. People's mind needs to change, and that is the only solution that I see. Unfortunately this is very hard to do.

About education, I think veterinarians need to have more practices. Theory is very necessary, but there is no time for practice. Sometimes I can feel that I'm not learning and that is a problem. Something is happening  with education and we need to fix this right now. Teachers know a lot of things but sometimes they don't know how to transmit all of their knowledge to students. A solution...maybe less investigation and more education. Teachers have to investigate but everytime is less the time for their students.

For this changes we need at least a lot of years..years of economic and social development that is not only related to our career but also to every other careers and people. Challenges are infinite but also necessary to learn and make things a little more interesting, so we have to trascend this challenges in search of new ones.

T rex was a cannibal, teeth marks on Tyrannosaurus bones suggest

Researchers at Yale University were studying T-rex bones and they found out that they had marks of big teeth. Experts say that the only animal able to do such marks are other T- rex, because they were the biggest animals and the only dangerous predators. Beside, those marks were compared to other made by T rex to their victims, and they were the same.

There was the idea that this bites were made in a battle, but the bites were in both sides of the bone, in places difficult to reach in a living animal or were made a lot of times in the same place, so it's impossible to see a T rex standing still while is bitten.
The study suggest that T rex didn't kill the other one searching for food, just scavenged on the carcasses because someone else took the best meet first.
Other cannibal species is knowned for being cannibal, and that is the Majungatholus. However, Longrich (one of the experts) says that cannibalism is more common than we think, and some studies confirm that many other species were cannibals.
There is a big mistery around the life of this animals, but definitely this research is very important to uncover this.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/oct/15/t-rex-cannibal-tooth-marks  

Faculty facilities improvement..

A very interesting topic to develop because is something that is happening right now and it probably will continue if we don't make something about it.

First...even though I think that Veterinary Medicine Faculty is extremely beautiful for it's nature, it is also a little far from the center of the city, so it's really difficult to be as important as the faculties there.
For this reason there´s a lot of things that need to be improved but is not going to happen.
I'm going to start saying that all classrooms are full with students, there are too many..so it's very difficult to pay attention, specially in our career which is very hard to understand.
The second thing that I don't like is the Library, because it doesn't work as a library..it's not in silence, everyone talk there so studying is almost imposible. Third, the casino food !!..it's too expensive and not so good..and the attention is not the best either. 
And fourth and last...maybe is not so related with studies, but one of the things that really concerns me is "Mundo Granja", the farm. Students themselves think that the animals there are not in the best conditions, and is very sad to see that there are only a few people worried about them.
So...my solutions to the problems are: first, build more classrooms and divide the group, it would be easier and there could be  a better student/teacher relation..more close.
Second..establish rules on the library, maybe it would be better if they put the computers somewhere else..and replace them for chairs or cushions, something nice to study there.
Third, about the casino food...nothing to do there I guess...obviously improve the food quality or make it cheaper.
About Mundo Granja, I would establish a volunteers program, which allows all students from any year of studies to go there to the farm and help with the animals ( of course giving credits for that). This way, animals are better and students get more practice.

I know all of this solutions are not so easy to do..but they would work and I know that the people in the Faculty can do it...they just need to really concern about the students.

My favourite movie of all time !!

Definitely I have a lot of favourite movies but one of the movies I always watch and I don't get bored is BACK TO THE FUTURE! I love the three of them..but specially the second one.

"Back to the future" it's about time travels, a very interesting topic because  is the basis of many current paradigms, so I could say that is a science fiction film, mixed with some comedy.
I watched the film for the first time a long time ago and I liked it immediately.

The main characters are Marty Mc fly, a young 80's boy and Dr. Emmet Brown, a crazy inventor that builds a car that works as a time machine, which  he calls " the De lorean". The movie starts when Dr. Emmet Brown gets shot by terrorist, so Marty accidentaly uses the De Lorean to scape, travelling to the past. There, he meets with Dr Emmet of the past and tries to go back to the present, and any changes will have repercussions in the present.

What I like about this movie is that is very well made for it's time. It was filmed in the 80's and the film still remains on everybody's mind as a classic. It has a lot of good effects, effects that were not made by computer so that means it was a hard work, the story is great, very well done, everything fits between movies, it's an interesting topic to develop and is continuous from the first to the last movie, it breaks the premise that second movies are worse than first ones...and of course it leaves a lot of teachings too, like leaving the pride behind, or love for the family...In the film, Marty had to travel a lot through time to change not only his life but also his parents life, taking care of them and they never knew about this.. even though parents are the ones that must take care of their sons.

For this..the film " Back to the future" is my favourite..specially because it's about time paradigms which is something I really love and enjoy !

My Favourite Animal ...

My favourite animal by far are CATS...definitely !! why I like them so much?? because I was raised with many cats by my side. My father is an animal lover, and he's always picking up homeless animals, and cats are always easier to have at home..in fact, I've only had three dogs in my entire life.

Well...as I said, I love cats. Many people think that cats are evil, and disloyal..but I don't think that..I think they're just too independent, and that is one of the things I like about them...they still have their wild instinct very developed, so they can survive by their own.

Another thing that I like about cats is the sound they make when they feel happy, and the way they express their love for people, lifting their tails and walking very near.
I know that many people would tell : " Dogs are very loyal and they will love you no matter what!" ..but...I think is very interesting how I've had to win cat's trust...I mean...When a cat shows love for you, it means that you've earned it, and he really loves you...but dogs are nice with everybody!! so I don't feel special for dogs :(...(I'm sorry miss, I know the dog is your favourite animal...).

The last thing I could say about cats is that I understand them better than any other animal...because it's been years living with cats, so I know what they want to say when they make sounds and I know how to treat them ..but dogs for me are really hard to understand !!

For all these reasons, Cats  will never be replaced in my heart!!!!

What to do and where to go in Santiago

To all tourist who travel to Santiago there's a lot of things to do and beautiful places to visit. First I would recommend cultural neighborhoods, like "barrio lastarria" , where people can find museums, old art cinemas, beautiful coffee shops, old book shops and specially a great place to get the best icecreams, "El emporio de la rosa", that is near to a big park. That's definitely a great place to visit because it has beautiful old buildings and big houses worthy of photograph.

Next, for a great lunch "chilean style" I would recommend sea food, so the next place to visit is the central market, where tourist can find the best sea food, great variety and great prices, for all family and of course for children, because if they don't like sea food there's always other options.

Third, specially for children there is the "Metropolitan Zoo", located in "Cerro San Cristobal". To get there you have to walk through the mountain or you can pay and get into a mini train that carries you towards the top of the mountain. In Cerro San Cristobal you can also visit the great virgin Mary at the top, or get into the "teleférico", which is a capsule attached to a wire that provides a great view.

The fourth place I would recommend is for night life. It's very knowned  "El Barrio bellavista", for it's night life. There's a lot of pubs so you can drink something and have a great time.

Finally, at the end of the day I would recommend something to relax and enjoy, and that would be the "University of Chile theatre" so the tourist can listen to good music played by the " Chilean Symphonic Orchestra" in a confortable place and have a wonderful evening.
These are the places that everyone has to visit if they come to Santiago..they cannot say that they were here if they didn't go there!

Death penalty...

Nowadays , death penalty is very controversial. It is an issue that not everybody wants to speak about because it carries a lot of ethical problems, but today I will talk about it anyway.

Considering the type of laws we have, I think that justice in Chile doesn't punish people as it should. I think it cares too much about "human rights" and maybe that's why offenders don't go to jail and still causing problems on the streets...So I support death penalty.

It's really strange what I think about this. Although I support death penalty, I also think that death ( at least for me) is like a present, so people in jail really doesn't deserve to die, because it's too easy...I mean, it's like an easy way to scape to the consequences, so, in my opinion, there must be another way to punish.

Maybe this might sound very tough, but let's be honest...Most of people in jail will never be rehabilitated, because they don't want to. They go out of jail and in a week they're killing and stealing again.

I have to consider that most of the countries that uses death penalty are not the most developed ones, and human rights are not considered, but extremes are not good at all.

In conclusíon, I support death penalty, but just because I think that justice in Chile is not doing a good job...and the most important argument of all is that people in jail never thought about people's life when they did whatever they did..so why do we have to think on their life? It's not fair...

Country I would like to visit...CHINA!

I've always liked Asian countries, so it's very difficult for me to choose only one. Today I will choose China. I love everything about China so I would be very happy if I can travel there sometime. First of all, I love the culture ( their old culture of course), because they have a beautiful history, many great legends that talk about honor, love and bravery. Every battle not only means violence, they fight for a reason..a life goal. I love the chinese temples, the structure of them, the mountains and even the ordinary streets. What I like the most about China it's chinese philosophy. China It's an old country full of knowledge so I would say that they know more than everybody how to heal human body. Many of my beliefs are from China. I like very much what they say about energy, and how a correct movement of energy in the body can heal or improve life. That energy can be moved by many ways, like Tai Chi or even meditation ( an aspect that also share people from India). That kind of things for me are really important and I try to follow some of their advices to improve my life too. Chinese people are wise, they know about everything and I believe everything they say. I also like chinese martial arts, like Kung Fu, Win Chun, etc. Many people would say that martial arts are only violence, but they don't know that it's a way to develop body, mind and spirit. Every movement can be applied to life, every punch or kick it's like a problem ir our life, and just as in martial arts, you have to find out the best way to avoid them or fight back. Excercise like that moves energy too, and that's very important because chinese people say that deseases are only detained energy. I also love that old people are respected, because they represent knowledge. Here in Chile we can't see that, there is no respect for old people. The music is something I really enjoy! But not commercial music..I like meditation music, with chinese chants and beautiful instruments. I also enjoy chinese films, martial arts films of course! because most of the time are about famous legends, (which are beautiful) and sometimes are about famous people (like the founder of some martial arts school with a difficult life, many great fights and a very honorable death). The last thing I could say is that I love chinese people, I can't help staring at a chinese person when I walk on the street xD...like a psycho :).
I would definitely go to the temples, practice martial arts with an old master with white hair in the himalaya and eat a lot!!

In conclusion, I love everything about China!!! It's my favourite country by far! So I really hope to go there sometime!   

Transantiago!!

When I think about transantiago I can only think about bad things..but it isn't so bad after all, it has some good aspects too. First of all, they're bigger, so they have more space for people, everything inside is wider ( but it could be negative too..). Buses also have space for disable people, and allows them to get on the bus in an easier way. Everything is more organized. Bus drivers don't have to be worried about the payment anymore, and those anoying tickets are gone!..now everything is digital and faster. Buses also looks better. There are also established bus stops and that reduce a little the accidents. Now lets talk about the negative side...Maybe they are too big for Santiago, or too "long"..sometimes the "tail" of the buses cannot be controlled and causes a lot of accidents ( I've heard about many)..and serious accidents..but drivers don't care at all! ( that has always been like that..), the arrival time of the buses is not well controlled...sometimes are too many buses of one determined number and no other...and people starts to fill all the bus stop, it's a mess! One of the things I don't like about established bus stops is that if I want to take the bus between two bus stops, the bus doesn't stop and I have to run ¬¬ . I have to mention that some of the buses have a little stair in the middle to get to an "upper floor" full of sits..I think that's kind of dangerous for people who REALLY needs to sit ( And is not about being lazy..it's about safety!) Last thing I don't like about the new system are the routes. I hate taking so many buses to get somewhere..And that's exactly what I would change...Maybe longer travels , longer routes...I think taking three buses is too much! even though you pay less. That's what I like about the old system. I have to say that it has improved a lot since transantiago started. There was a huge problem with routes, a lot of buses were needed in many places, and now it seems that all that places are covered and there are more buses working. People was not happy at the beggining but now I think they're getting used to this. And just like people , I think I also need to get used to a system that even if it is a bad european copy, is now part of our "bad copies collection" and of course, our chilean culture!.

First semester 2010

Last semester was one of the most important moments in my life. So many things happened, starting on holidays. I started to be more independent ( I had to learn), I became closer to my family and friends and suddenly it was like I was in a different world, everything was new to me, but it has been very useful for my personal development and I started my first semester of university full of energy to face new challenges. It really wasn't so hard. I had time for studying and doing things I enjoy, like drawing or playing guitar.  I had problems with some of the subjects, I had to suspend the second semester of histology to take maths. Now that I think about it, it wasn't necesary to suspend....and this situation has been really problematic.
I was also really interested in sports, specially martial arts. Since last year I was practicing "Tae kwon do", a korean martial art, as a sports elective. I really like martial arts, I've been practicing for two years a little bit of everything, but at the end I wasn't practicing because I needed to focus on exams. Honestly "tae kwon do" wasn't for me and I really need to feel good in things like that. One of the things I like the most are my friends here. We are eight girls and we are all different from each other, but very close. Also I've met a lot of new people this year. I haven't met with my school friends too much this years, but we're planning something for september holidays. My family is ok, even though there have been many deaths this year. My dad is working a lot ( too much) almost all week, and my mom is searching for a better job, so we're "surviving". One of the great things about this semester is my new pet( I don't like to call him "pet"). I picked him from the street in january. He is a dog and his name is "Kuro", that means "black" in japanese... he's six months old and he's like a cocker, but mixed cocker, so he's hyperactive..we've tried to teach him to obey, but it's impossible, so we aborted the mission. I think it's been a very good semester, full of new things, full of challenges..but good after all. I've learned a lot, and I've decided that somehow I have to make some changes in my life..