Self Evaluation of my academic year

This time I will write about my academic year, should have been the last, but failed a class in second year, therefore, I must be another year in college. Now, I'll make a self evaluation of this year, the different classes and academic life in general, as well as the classes that I enjoy most and which I consider most useful. Overall it was a relaxed year, not taking too many classes because I dont want to leave only one class for next year.

The first half was good, got good grades and I could study in peace. This year wasnt rough for the student movement, several years ago that there was a first half so quiet. I enjoy the rural anthropology class and structuralism. Besides, with less branches I was much better able to understand and read the contents of each course .

Second half was different, between September vacation, holidays and field work is difficult to study constantly, is difficult to study constantly, forget the things studied and is necessary to study again each time that one returns from an activity, to hook up again. So It has been difficult, weeks of vacation and field work relax you, but there is little time to end the year. This semester I enjoy Economic Anthropology II and Rural Anthropology II, also the English class, because is relaxed and allows me to practice and re-examine things I had forgotten.

Finally I hope to finish well this semester, I'm not really very motivated, the organization of this semester has not been the best and I have not achieved a constantly rhythm of study. I still have many things to do, a work for tomorrow (which I have to hurry), another who was to be delivered yesterday and several more by the end of the semester, plus the final tests. Well, college is always like this, but I feel that now I need sleep more than before, I remember in first year spent sleepless nights and then went out to party, now I see it nearly impossible.

I hope that everyone can finish well this hald and my congratulations to those classmates who are licensed this year, have been good years.

The faculty facilities

I like the faculty of social science of the University of Chile, I actually study there and I feel comfortable in it. The faculty of social science is a big building with four floors, a hall, a cafeteria, parking and is part of the Juan Gomez Millas Campus.

I think we need a place to study, because the library is used as a meeting place of working groups and there is always noise, we usually must go to the philosophy library, where you can study in peace, therefore is necessary a quiet and nice place to study without distractions at the faculty. Also It would be good a place to rest or just to be, maybe with some sofas, in Economics and business faculty is a room with sofas, television, a place to rest, the students even play poker and videogames there.

I also believe it is necessary a nursery, a place where students who are parents can leave their children, the university does not think on these students, they have a student profile that is built for the faculty.

The first step is to raise these ideas as a students proposals, to make a plan and propose it to the authorities try to implement it by force, through power demonstrations.

The real benefits are great, a more comfortable and enjoyable place to study, to pass the time between classes, to be motivated to comply the academics responsabilities. A nursery will be a great help to all the students who are parents and have no one to leave their children.

Sudafrica 2010, here we go!!!

Last saturday Chile national team broke history again, was our first win in official games played in Colombia again this national team. With this victory Chile classified to the World Cup, the most important sport competition in hole world, the eyes of everyone on this planet will be on Sudafrica.

This is relevant because our country feels soccer, everywhere people talk about it, is the topic for mondays morning and the national team unites what local teams disjointed. Also this team generates happyness and pride, because this players are people like us, how Bielsa says : "players are an extraction of the Chilean people". But, this "world cup effect" has negative things two, since here untill the end of world cup the problems our country are left in the background.

I like the deffensive players, they need to be focus and play well all the match, one mistake and the work of all team can collapse, while the offensive players can appear ten minutes, make a gol and be heroes. So I like Carlos Carmona, Waldo Ponce, Gary Medel and Claudio Bravo, they protect the team of conceding goals.

In this process is very importante the manager, Marcelo Bielsa, "the crazy", he made a revolution in our soccer, he always try to attack, to passing above rivals, to made many goals, without speculate. Also he introduce discipline in a team which was characterized by acts of indiscipline and he teach the value of hard work. Everyone back to believe in the national team.

Now, we just have to wait, the draw for the world cup is in December, while we will raise money, make the luggages and prepare us to see Chile again in a World Cup

Sudafrica, Here we go!!!

Lions, take care, he will make barbecue with you.

The presidential election

This week on my blog I will trite about the presidential election, this year, 2009, Chile must choose a new president for the nation.

Since the election between Joaquin Lavin and Ricardo Lagos, results are so unclear, currently there are three candidates, all with a chance of advancing to second round, where alliances and political agreements become essential.

The candidate of the "Alliance for Change," which represents the right of our political spectrum, is Sebastian Piñera, an economist, investor and politician. This is not his first time in elections, in the past election he competed with Michelle Bachelet, loosing in second round. Also, it is called in some sectors, the chilean "berlusconi", due to their similarities with Italian President, both are major shareholders of popular soccer teams in their countrys, as well as an airline, media and other companies.

Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle represents the Coalition of Parties for Democracy, ruling coalition in Chile. He already was president once, between 1994 and 2000, where he sign treaties for free trade with China and U.S. He also participated in primarys against Juan Antonio Gomez, winning, however, these primaries were strongly criticized.

From the criticism against this primary came the candidacy of Marco Enriquez-Ominami, simbol of wear in the Coalition of party for democracy. He represent the dissatisfied sectors ofthis coalition, generating sympathy in the electorate. He is the son of Miguel Enriquez, the leader of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), killed by the DINA, National Intelligence Agency of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. He is currently deputy, and work as director of films and television.

Every time I had to vote, I voted null, in fact, thinking well, I dont know why I am registered on the electoral rolls, I think I will draw again on the ballot. However, if at a given moment the votes becomes decisive, I would vote for the left sector that I feel closest.

Transantiago: Before and after

This week my post is about Trasantiago, the public transport system of the capital of Chile.

Transantiago was a big change, from an unplanned system, operating to demand to a planned system of transport. This system includes a new rationale, a tecnichal racionale that seeks make more efficient, clean, organized and quick the public transport system, not only seek made money with the "micros".

Another thing that is necessary to say is that change, like any change in the people rutine, can be traumatic, it´s necessary good and clear information about new routes and pay methods, if not, many protest will be not only for a deficient operation of the system, but by the change of a rutine and a way of moving through the city.

I think that transantiago has many advantages, like pay with a card and not with coins, routes announced on the bus stop with schedules of each route, drivers who only are dedicated to drive, exclusive ways for buses, fixed salarys for the drivers, among other.

I arrived to Santiago one year before transantiago, I usually moved in the yellow "micros" and I must say that the routes were useful, but it was a complete chaos, the buses go through the city with no logic and advancing any car in front of them, making races between them, charging and driving. But, I always see the nice face of transantiago, I don`t live far away from downtown or college, so I don´t have to make large trips day by day.

I believe that a good improvement is to have fixed schedules for the buses, where you know at what time the bus will pass by your bus stop, and where you can program your day or activities with exact time. I always remember than I used to tell a friend I´ll be there in thirty minutes, but I used to arrive in one hour or more.

Well, here is the post that I made last week, but I forget to post it.

Burma

Hello everybody, this week on my blog I will talk about a country I like to go.

I like to visit Birmania, because is very different to the country that I live. First of all this country lives under a military dictatorship since 1988, so the early world changes and the so called "globalization" have not reached the most people of this country, except in urban areas.

Another interesting particularity is that this country is divided in seven ethnic states, for example, one state is called "the Kachin state" and another one is called "the Shan state". Most of the people lives from agriculture, the major economic activity, where rice is the most common cultivation and the base of burmese diet.

The burmese culture is a mix of indian, chinese, thai and burmese traditiones, reflected into language, cook and music, while arts have been influencede by buddhism too. This religion is predominant in the region.

I would like to travel around the country, especially to he Kachin state, localized in the Himalayas, I still remember the book "Political systems in upper Burma" by E.R Leach where he described how this peoples subscribe to different ethnics or beliefs systems for more power.

I would like to travel here to learn and interact in a multi-ethnic, exotic (for me) and millenary country.

Thats all for this week, see you next.

First term: good and bad points

Hi everyone, this is my first post this new half, so I´m going to write about good and bad points of the first half.

Last semester was nice, I´m actually backlog in the career so I´m taking few subjects, in that way my half was pretty relaxed. I aproved all subjects I made, and I had time to go out, visit friends and play music.

About university I made a really good class, called quantitative methods II, I learn how to do correlational studies, how to use simple and multiple linear regression, binary logistic regression, factorial analysis, and most importantly, how to use SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). The rest of the class wasn´t so usefull as quantitative methods II.

During last semester I also works, I sell clothes, shoes, clothes, shoes, toys, stuffed animals, nuts at the free fair. This was on the Tejas Verdes fair, San Antonio, because my parents lives there and I visited on weekends.

But the best of the past half was the visit of my uncles and cousins, I do not seem them since 15 years ago, they were moved to Miami 18 years ago so was a bit extrange, but it´s nice see the family together after so many years. Also I met my little cousin, because when I visit my uncles he was not born yet.

This is all for this week.