My experience learning English at university

I’ll be honest… I am not really interested in learning English (or becoming proficient in the English language), so I’ll say many things about it.

First, this semester was more productive than the last one, because I hadn’t used the blogs before and I liked this method (although I’m not responsible very much) due to the fact that I can to improve the ability to writing and expressing my ideas in English, also learning new words. And the speaking activities were interesting, but it wasn’t easy for me, because I have always had difficult to speak (pronunciation, lacking vocabulary and the simple fact of to think what I’m going to say, considering that it’s complicated in Spanish too… for me).

With respect to my own skills, I knew very clearly that I can reading and, more or less, writing in English, but cannot speaking very much and listening… I’m suck!... I would like to improve my listening skills, but I don’t know how to do it… Well, people have told me that listening to music and watching movies in English help, but I’m not sure… Do you know some method?

And finally, I don’t use very much the language in my life outside the university… Well, except chatting with natives sometimes, reading news or watch videos in English about a subject of interest and… that’s all! English isn’t part of my life… I think because I’m interest to learn other language (Russian) and I feel that I know enough about English for surviving in a place where people speak English.

Changes to my Study Programm??

Well… This is so complicated! Not because the faculty is perfect, of course, but I never think about “how to improve it” ... However, if I had the opportunity to change something, the first thing I would do is eliminating the fact that the university obligate us to join a General Formation Course (CFG in Spanish), because I think that, if those course are extracurricular and their objective is that we can ignore just for a moment what is like to study Architecture and do what we love to do, they should not be mandatory. They would be the same as the other subjects.

The second thing I would do is working more in classroom and correcting your mistakes with the teachers (and I’m talking about Workshop), because I don’t like the trial-and-error teaching method without some basis, that’s say, “doing the work at home alone and trying to guess what they want” (that’s what I lived in the last semester and it’s not enjoyable).

With regard to the buildings and infrastructure, I don’t have really complaints, because the people accustom and learn to live with its failures (like the “Titanic”, for example).

And finally, if I had to mention a technology object that I would like to see in the faculty, I’d say: microphone… Why?, because some teachers speak softly and we don’t understand anything, although we are a meter away from them… And I’m not exaggerating!

And well… (this time is the last thing), with respect the workload and length of studies… I don’t know… It’s very demanding, I don’t deny that… but… Which career is not?... Many time I’ve wished to kill me, but I think It's worth the effort.

Summer 2018 Plans

Well… I don’t like summer very much, so I enjoy going to different places in order to get distracted and not to feel warm (although usually I stay at home during the holidays because I’m lazy…).

One of the things that I plan to do in this summer is to go camping with my family in Cajón del Maipo as they did two years ago. I enjoyed being in direct contact with nature and leaving the city, the technology and the pollution a few days. To see stars and to sit around a camp fire to talk about anything, with my father playing the guitar… well, to camping… was one of the best experiences that I’ve had in my whole life… So, I would like to repeat it, either with my family again or my friends.

Another thing I would like to do is taking the train with my family and toured the south all day… just for visiting new places, without a specific destination. The last summer we tried to do it, but there were not tickets available, so we promised to try again this summer… I hope we would be lucky this time.

And finally, as I’m studying Architecture and I don’t know Santiago very much, I would like to explorer the capital city and… simply… to observe everything I can. I imagine walking with a notebook or a camera (I haven’t decided if alone or with company) and experiencing the most important places of the city where I live.

Well… I hope to do all of these things and not to slacking off all summer.

My favorite TV shows and series

During childhood, there were many animated series that I enjoyed watching (like Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon TV shows), but my favorite one always was The Simpsons. I loved (and still love) its legendary characters, specially Homer for his stupidity and tenderness, I laughed with its crazy stories and parodies and even I moved due to certain episodes (all about Homer’s mother, for example) … And yes! I have stayed home all day and watched The Simpsons Marathon.

But with Live Action series is a different story. Until a few years, I had never really interested to watch them, so when I decided to do it, I began with miniseries of no more than 10 chapters: A Young Doctor's Notebook, 11.22.63, The X Files (2016) and Wayward Pines (well, this have two seasons with 20 episodes, but I believe it’s a small TV series). With these series, I discovered that the kind of series that I enjoy is sci-fic, horror, historical and suspense (yes, like books and movies)

Well, I wanna watch MANY series, but I don't have much time, so I have had to wait very much for to watch a episode of some TV show, like "Game of Thrones" and "Penny Dreadful"... And I would like to see "Stranger Things" and "Bates Motel"... Someday!

My "Favorite" Movie

I'll be honest… I don’t have ONE favorite movie! I have favorite movies of each genre (some more than others), but… I can’t deny that I laughed, cried and fell in love with Tangled too much.

“Tangled” tells the story of Rapunzel, a princess with long magical hair who make a deal with a thief, Flynn Rider, and escapes the tower where she was locked 18 years to discover the mystery of lights that float every year on her birthday.

This movie has both funny and powerful moments and all characters are amazing, I loved Rapunzel and Flynn’s chemistry and the songs (specially “When My Life Begin” and “I See Light”).

Although I like Disney and DreamWorks’s films, I prefer horror, suspense and sci-fic movies and those that are starring Christian Bale, Jake Gyllenhaal and Eva Green.

Because I love everything about horror, I saw “IT” and… I LOVED!! The cast was incredible and Andy Muschietti managed to convey everything I felt when I read the book (something difficult to do, being a long and complex book). So I, as a fan of Stephen King, was very pleased with the result and look forward to the second chapter.

Russia: A Country I'd Like To Visit

Whereas some people want to visit to the Caribbean, where the sun and the sand… I want to die of cold in Russia.

All began when a day I did that question myself. I don’t like the heat, so I wouldn’t go to places like the Caribbean or to the beach in general. After I thought: “I like the cold, snow… So… Russia!!” (I know, it was too simple). Eventually, I investigated about the country and discovered many things: its history (Imperial Russia, URSS), architecture (Russian constructivism), music, culture and language and I fell in love.

If I could be in Russia the first thing I would do is to go to Moscow and to take many photos to the St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Red Square, after… I don’t know… I’d explored all I can!!

I’d like to go as tourist, but if something invites me to work and/or live there… (I fact, I’m learn the language since now, just in case)

2016, the best summer ever... for now.

I had never gone as far as I did in the summer of 2016, so I was very excited in that moment. It was last school year, so my course had to organize a Study Tour in 2015. It was very hard! But finally we traveled to Llanquihue the first week of January. The 25 students (plus some parents, the “babysitters”) talked, played and slept the 6 hours in the bus and arrive to a Llanquihue’s school at 6:30 in the morning. Immediately, we went to a lake and explored all day. The next days we went to many places (Frutillar, Puerto Montt, Saltos Del Petrohué) but the best part definitely was Chiloé. I loved Chiloé! I never had been as happy as that day. I saw for the first time the “stilt houses”, ate its delicious food, bought a lot of tokens for my family and me (key rings, magnets for fridges, a woolen cap, etc.) and took many photos. That summer we visited many places of the south, but I’ll never forget that island… I hope to return someday.