An evaluation of my academic year

To begin, I think that maybe I’m not in the best moment to do an evaluation of my academic year; this is because at the moment I’m really stressed up. I have so many things to do for college and I really have to do a huge effort to do all my duties, and doing them well. But I will try to think about my “performance” during this term and I’ll try to identify good points and bad points of it. I think that the seconds terms of the years always seem to past faster than first term, we have had a lot of seminaries, celebrations (like September, 18th) and conferences, so the academic work has been concentrated in a few weeks. (And that’s not too good!)

Well, I think that first I will talk about the good points:

Probably one of the things that I really appreciate is that I have learned since the beginning of this term to work with other people. Almost every subject that I took this semester ask us to work in groups, so besides I have known my classmates better I could learn how to share duties and a lot of social skills.

Other thing that was good for me was that I took Introduction to Economy in other faculty (FEN), I believe that economy is so necessary for anthropology students and it’s very bad for us that the department took out the course of the career program. Finally I think that was very cool that I learned about so much different social theories, and for my development as anthropology, I think is very good.


About Bad Points…

One thing that was very bad for me was that I over-sold me in the way that I really took a lot of courses and at the final I finished really stress-up (as I’m today). I didn’t (and I don’t) have time for anything I was so tired that in every free moment the only thing that I wanted to do was sleep.

Also, I have to say that besides, as I said before, it was good for me as anthropology known different social theories, there were some classes like ethnology and etnohistory that was very boring for me.

For concluding I really have to say that in general was a very good academic year, besides bas point I could really realize that I like my career and probably in the future I will enjoy to work as a Social Scientist. Obviously like in everything I think that there are some aspects that the career and the university have to improve, but I believe that I as a student have to guide my career and that is my responsibility to work and to find the spaces to work in my areas of interest.

I hope my next year will be as interesting as this year or more!

anthropology, dear anthropology

Today I really don’t want to do my blog, but as you all know, we have to do it, so here I go...
Hmmm I really believe that anthropology as a discipline has maaaany challenges , but I think too that the degree covers many different areas, so summarize all of them is so difficult. So I will talk about the challenges of social anthropology.
I think that in technology social anthropology doesn’t have so many challenges (as physic anthropology that has so much to do in that area, especially here in Chile); maybe when the anthropologist has to analyze the results of surveys or making demographic sadistic would be useful more technology.
By other hand I think that social anthropology has so much to say about projects that include technology, is very important that social scientist asses the project and they cooperate in the environment impact and the social impact studies.
Maybe education is the area that more interests me, I think that we, as student, have to organize our self to improve our education, and be conscious about the problems of the public education in Chile. That’s the first step to help people to understand that education is a big issue in our society and is the found of the equality of opportunities.
As anthropologist I think we can help (as Tudela sais) in the construction of public policies that regulate the functioning of the education, especially the policies that regulate the access and the financing of the public establishments.
I think one important challenge is to socialize the discipline, many people don’t know the career and when you say that you study anthropology they ask you if you study bones or if you are like Indiana Jones. I believe that anthropology has many contributions to make, but if people doesn`t know the anthropology labor, is difficult that people value the discipline and our work.
This challenges has to be transversal to the three specialties, and the anthropologist has to fight for a place in social science and in the society, we should present projects that include people and other discipline, and show our concern about the critical issues and problems of our society.

Beloved AnThropolgy

The question that I’ m going to answer is about what is more important, Anthropology or money. For me is more important my career, other way probably I would be studying commercial engineering. For sure that is a profession that would gives me more money than anthropology.
I think that money is important to life; probably it not makes happiness but obviously it helps you to catch it. I really want to become independent from my mother and I really want to have money for doing it. Actually for me It’s really important knowing that, one day, not so far form today, I will be able to support myself and have the resources to have a place to live and money for eat…Probably I will need it.
In other hand before I got into Anthropology I was thinking of studying “dance” and probably that would be harder in the economy aspect than studying anthropology, in fact my mom and dad were very happy when I changed my mind. I think that you have to pick the things that makes you happy, money don’t worth be miserable.
Studying anthropology opens a new world and you really can make something for society, and that is priceless! I believe that you have to be passionate about your career and I feel very lucky because my parents have the resources for paying me the career, in other way probably I would have to work or maybe studying something else that I would pick only for the economic reward that it would give me when I finish.
Probably I will not have much money but always can use your imagination and make up the situation. I really don’t bother if I have to do something else to survive. I don’t like so much the idea of being an anthropology teacher (really I don’t have much patient and I can’t imagine in front of 60 students, I think I would die of embarrassment) but I think that probably I would do it because probably I will need it!
For me all that matters I doing what I love and trying to change the world :P…
That’s all
Regards
cotu

BELOVED FACSO

I study anthropology in the Social Science Faculty that is located in the Campus Juan Gomez Millas in Ñuñoa, Santiago.
In the faculty you can find the careers of Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology and Education, we all study together and we can take subjects of all of these careers. I think that that is very good because all of these careers are social science and you can get a more complete perspective of the social reality.
Probably our faculty does not have the best infrastructure comparing it with the other faculties of the University of Chile or with other Universities and has to improve in many aspects. First of all I think that we have a poor library, many times you need a book and it is borrowed or there are not enough copies. That’s really annoying!
Other thing is the lack of toilet paper in bathrooms; you can find it on Monday, but on Wednesday you have to use your own paper…or don’t use (LOL)…
But there are many good things too, for example I thing that in FACSO, you can find many “kinds” of people with different interest so there are many discussion spaces that helps you to open your mind.
I think that one of the more urgent matters is the improving of the library and the infrastructure of the faculty. I believe that students have to organize our self and ask for the improving of the library and the infrastructure of our faculty, because part of been a good professional is to came from a good university and a good university environment. The University administrations should assign more resources in the students’ preoccupations and have to listen them to improve the faculty; after all we made our space.
I think there are many benefits in these… well I suppose that if we have a better infrastructure we can work better, I don’t ask for facilities in all ways, but I think that there are minimum things that a Public University should have!
Regards,
Cotu

It's all about music

Music is for me one of the most important things in many aspects of my life. First of all, I can say that my day is very boring when I can’t listen music. I need music, especially when I have to go to University or to dance classes. I love listening music too in my way home or when I’m walking, it gives me energy!
I really love to listen all kind of music, so maybe I can say what kind of music I hate to listen to. For example, I don’t like Heavy Metal, that kind of music doesn’t let me think and I really get grumpy when I listen it.
I think that the music you like to listen depends on the context too. I love to listen reggaeton when I’ m dancing, but when I’m on my way home I prefer to listen something more quiet.
I can’t say that I have a favourite band because I have more than one, but I can say that I love the Beatles, I love to listen them in all context, I think that you can dance with a Beatles’ song, you can study with a Beatles’ song, you can do everything! Other band that I love is Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, an Argentine band. I love them because they play many kinds of music and their songs are very cheerful. Finally, I love “Los Jaivas” a Chilean rock group, their music is so good and their lyrics too!
I have many favourites songs, but I really love Strawberry fields of The Beatles and the Spanish version of the same song that is played by the Fabulosos Cadillacs.
I’ve been to many concerts. The last one I went was the concert of the Fabulosos Cadillacs. They played in the Club Hípico and there were so many people, it was incredible!
I don’t play any music instrument, I REALLY don’t have talent for that and I sing horrible too! So for the good of humanity I don’t play any music…I just listen and enjoy it… and I’m happy with that.
Regards
Cotu

*Good Food*

I love this theme because I love to talk about food. So, for start I have to say that I’m addicted to the food; I think that if I could I would eat all day, but because I know that’s impossible I try to control myself. I know that it’s not healthy and I have to take care of my body If I don’t want to be a fat person.
I do many things everyday so the times I have to eat are sacred and I try to do it with no rush and no pressure. I have so many favorites foods, but If I have to chose one of them I think that my favorite food is the avocado, I love every meal whit avocado, pizza with avocado, rice with avocado, my salads with avocado, pasta with avocado, everything! I eat it almost every day, and I don’t worry because I know that it’s a very healthy food too.
Other thing that I really love to eat it’s chocolate and I try to don’t do it because it contains a lot of sugar and I know that makes you fat but I can’t control it, I really have to eat it especially when I ‘m studying or stressful. I love every kind of chocolate and I enjoy eat it in every moment of the day.
Probably I’m not the best cooker in the world by far, but I can do it. When I cook I try to be creative and I don’t like to follow recipes, I prefer to improvise! Many times to be like this bring me problems with the result and often my mom laughs when she sees me at the kitchen trying to not burn it. But I think it is very fun! Hmm I believe that I could say that my specialty are the spicy salads and the desserts, I love to cook sweet things!
There are many foods that when I smell it or eat it I remember past thing, for example when I smell or eat Cazuela I always remember my grandma that lives in Quilpué. She always for lunch cooking us (my sister and I) Cazuela, and she cooks it so well, so I love the smell.
Finally I think that my ideal menu would be an avocado salad with abalones (locos?), any kind of pasta (obviously with avocado) and for dessert brownie with vanilla ice-cream or nutella waffles. Ñami!
Regards,
Cotu

Santiago for foreigners

Santiago is a really big city. I have lived here all my life and at the time and I don’t know all the places and all the neighborhoods that constitute my city. Personally, I think that there aren’t many places to visit as a tourist and probably Santiago isn’t so attractive to visit as other places in Chile, but if you should visit this city I believe I could advice you some places that is worth to go.
In down town you can find some ancient neighborhoods that have an interesting architecture and history. One of them is the Lastarria Neighborhood that is a very beautiful area in the center of Santiago, you could get there by the subway or by bus and you could spend some hours in the Forestal Park or in the Bellas Artes museum visiting different exhibitions of Chilean art (most of the time). If you are by this neighborhood I recommend you to have an ice-cream in the Emporio de la Rosa where you can find very different flavors like Rosa or strawberry with pepper ice-creams.
Other place you could visit is the Mercado central where you can eat typical food and very tasty seafood. You can go as well to the Plaza de Armas, the main square of Santiago, I don’t enjoy it so much but I think that if you are a tourist probably you should go for general culture. In the main square you can visit the cathedral of Santiago that is a beautiful building and you could go to mass if you are catholic. In plaza the Armas you could visit de Pre-Columbian Museum that has a very complete collection of pieces of the ancient cultures of Chile and Lantinoamérica.
Finally you can go to the Cerro Santa Lucia in down town too where you can get a good view of Santiago (only if there are not smog and that is so difficult!) and you can relax by walking around.
That’s all for now!
Regards

Loving dance!

I really don’t know how’s to be addicted to something, ‘cause in my vision I don’t have any addictions at all. But there are things that I love to do and sometimes I feel that I can’t stop doing them. For example dancing, I have been taking dance lessons since I was fifteen (now I’m twenty one) and I have gone for almost everyday to dance practice at my Academy for six whole years. I think that dancing has affected my life in many ways and in almost all cases in a very good way. It’s very good for my health and humor, It keeps me up and active and because of this I feel I need to do it every day, especially when I’m stress for the college or I’m moody for something. However sometimes I have problems with my priorities, because I leave the university work ‘cause I want to go to dance lessons and that gives me problems in my studies or I’m too tired to study or even more, to go to classes.

Before I started dancing I was very sedentary and I had so much free time. I was always watching TV o surfing the internet and I didn’t know how to take out my feelings or how to deal with humor problems.

Although I don’t Know If I have or want to beat this “addiction”, because I think that dancing It’s very good to me, I believe that I do have to control it and maybe to reconsider my priorities. I don’t feel that I have to choose between dancing and the University but I think that I have to balance my times if I want to keep doing it well.

I don’t think that others have to avoid this addictions but I can advice them that If they have a hobby that they really love, they should consider their time and their other obligations.

Regards

C.

big city, big change

For me, people made a big deal about Transantiago and didn’t think that every change has consequences. It’s true that the change was big and the system has so many problems in the first period, but criticize it all the time wasn’t helpful.

In my case the change brought good things and bad things. For example before Transantiago I only had to take one bus to my college, and now I had to take a bus, then use the subway and then take another bus, although I spend time changing from bus to the subway and from the subway to the bus, the difference in time that I spend in all the way to the university is minimum, in fact I think that I spend less time now than before.

Other thing that I think that is positive of the new system is that people has the possibility to access to more information about the different routs of the buses, you can surf the internet or asking to the people that works for the Transantiago. In that way I can plain my routs and don’t get lost like I used to in the past.

Maybe the biggest problem of the system was that in a beginning the routs wasn’t accord with the requirements of the citizens, so there was many areas that were isolated or there wasn’t enough buses for all the people who needed them. But I think that that has been improving since the start of the system because the government has listened the requirements of citizens.

Personally, I think that Transantiago was a good change...althought I miss "las micros amarillas"

Regards, cotu

A COUNTRY I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT.

There are many countries that I would like to go. I love travelling and It's a priority for me. I'm constantly saving money for doing it and I'm always thinking in which place I could go with my friends.

I think that Brazil is a very interesting country to visit, because although It' s in the same continent that my own country, I think that its culture is very different from the others countries in Latino America. I' ve been two times en Brazil before for vacations, but I believe that is different knowing a country as a tourist from staying there for a long time and really knowing It .

When I went there I got the chance to know a lot of beaches and I really loved them. The water is very warm and the weather is great. I visited Rio de Janeiro too, that it’s one of the most important cities in Brazil, It’s very big and it has a very nice beach too. One of the things that were more attractive for me was the people, they are very relax and happy, they go to the beach after the work and they are always doing sports. Other thing that I love form that country is the dancing and the language I would love to learn them.

Probably If I go to Brazil again I would like to live there for a few years and in that way I could really know its culture.

Regards, Cotu

FIRST TERM: GOOD AND BAD POINTS

For me, the last term was very important in many ways. First of all, I had a really good experience at the University because, althought I had very hard subjets and I had to read so much I learned a lot of things related with the field that I would like to develop when I finish my career. I think that it was so important to me because I could picture my self in the future like an antropologist, and I liked that picture.


Other experience that was very relevant for me was the dancing. Since the last year I've been working with a dance company that works with a centre that take children with Down's syndrome into care calls "Pequeño Cottolengo". That work was a very teaching experience, 'cause when I work with different people and in this case with people who has special needs I realise how lucky I am and maybe how silly I am when I complain about things that doesn't really matters. In other way with this experience we could show to the society that with a little of effort and will you can change many things. I expect that this activity continue and that more people join us to help this center, and to learn and help us to spread our cause.

I really think that the last semester was the beggining of many things that I hope to do all my life.


regards,
Cotu