English Language Challenges

The first thing I would like to say is that…. THIS IS MY LAST POST! I can’t believe it; I think time went very fast… so, because this is an English course, today I’m going to talk about English language challenges.

In this course, classes have two parts: the first is writing a post every week in our personal blog and the second part is talk with our mates and work with a book. This means we can improve our writing, listening and talking.

I think that English is very important, especially in our career because we need to know how to read papers, how to write articles or maybe, if one day we go to a psychology conference, we have to be able to speak and understand in English. In this sense, I think this course prepares us for the things I mentioned, I like write in my blog and talking with my mates about different topics.

In my case, I think I should improve my vocabulary and grammar, because sometimes I would like to say so many things, but I don’t know how to translate some words or how to conjugate the sentences. .. But honestly, I don’t have a plan about how I am going to improve that.  

 I use English a lot, even out the English class… For example, I love music in this language and I like to sing the phrases correctly, so I always look for the lyrics, the translation and try to sing it well.  The same happen with movies or TV series, sometimes I watch them without subtitles and is amazing how has my English improve! There are moments when I understand songs or what people is saying on Tv without even being concentrated in understand.

Well, this was my last post. I’m so happy I’m about to finish this course.

                           

Tattoos O:

Today I’m going to talk about tattoos and I have to say that this topic seems very interesting because I’m not very into that, so it is a way to know more.

When I think in tattoos, the first word that comes to my mind is “art” or “body-art” and sometimes it is really beautiful, but if I start to think more about it, I consider it is a way to show to everybody something that you think o believe, so everybody can notice that. But, it is that a good way? Well, at least not for me. I think if you believe in something, you don’t have to put it on your skin to prove it. To me, the tattoo should be “inside”, but maybe some motivations to do it are: represent a belief, remind someone you love, show something you like, etc. But this doesn’t mean I don’t like people that have tattoos, some of them are beautiful or a really piece of art and that’s why I think tattoos have an ornamental function.

The true is that I don’t know about the history of tattoos, I can imagine it’s very old, it might be from some indigenous cultures and that was repeated in future generations. 

In my case, I don’t want to have a tattoo, because it can be painful and I don’t want that! I’m scared of needles. Also, I’m not sure if I would like to have some image in my skin FOREVER. And the most important thing is that, as I said before, I have my tattoos “inside”.

Good and Bad Points (so far..)

Hello everybody! We are almost at the end of the year so it is usual to me to think about the good things and bad thinks that happened and also think about the things I would like to do or achieve.

Good things --> the most important moment this year was when my sister come to live to Santiago with my nephews. That made me very happy because they lived in the south so I usually used to be with them only on vacations or when they visit my family in Santiago.

Another good thing was that I started to go to the gym two months ago. It’s great because I had never done exercise in my life haha and now I go around 3 or 4 times on the week. Now I’m seeing the results of that. For example, I do not get tired so easy.

And the other important moment happened very recently: I started to work. I work in a coffee shop as a waitress. It is very exhausting because I work all weekend but the good part is that I will have money for vacations.

Bad things --> I think 2013 was a quiet year. I don't have memories of bad situations. Maybe my health was not as good as I would like. I had a lot of headaches and some flu. I also had complicated moments with my parents but that was improved over time.

I think I don’t have outstanding things this year, this far. This year I did many things I never would have thought to do, so 2014 will be the continuation of that. My achievements this 2014 maybe will: be keep going to gym (because I usually give up easily), have good health, have fun and do all the things I propose. 

An important event I would like to highlight is that next year I will choose my university practice!! So it is important to me go well in all my subjects because that will help me to be accepted in the place of practice I want.

Hope you like my post! Bye.

HOW GREEN ARE YOU?

Hello everybody! Today I’m going to talk about an important topic: the environment. 

Almost everybody knows how faster our planet is getting sick: we have a lot of pollution, problems with ozone layer, desserts are getting drier, the poles are melting, etc. Maybe we don’t see NOW how that affects us, but in the future our grandsons will live the disasters of that.  

I think in school should be a class called “environmentally friendly practices” where since we are kids we can learn how to protect the environment. Regrettably, it seems like the planet is not an important topic for the government, because educational programs dedicated just a little part to talk about how to protect our environment so then when we are older we don’t remember basic things such as: turn off the lights, get short showers, recycling, etc. 

I have to be honest: I only do a few things. I don’t recycle because I always forget to do that, for example, in my house we don’t divide the trash in plastic, paper and cans. But there are some actions that I always do, such as turn off the lights if I’m not using it, walk a lot! Or use public transport so I don’t have to go by car.

I have never joined or supported any eco-organizations, maybe because I’m not interested in that or maybe because I don’t have the “care-for-environment” incorporated in my life.

It is clear that we have a lot of things to do about this problem, but no for us! For our future generations! They will receive all results of the mistakes that we have committed in our planet earth.  

What motivated me to study psychology?

I remember that since I was 12 years old I knew I wanted to study psychology because I was the girl that everybody used to talk their problems (so obviously I gave a lot of advices). I have always thought I’m a very empathic person so that was a good characteristic of me if I wanted to heard other people’s problems. What I didn’t realize was that Psychology isn’t only about listening and give advices, is also about biology, statistics, pathologies, complex human theories, etc.

Now that I’m studying psychology I feel great, I’ve learned a lot, even things I have never ever thought about… but when I started to know more I realized that my University don't give me all the knowledge I would like to have (for example, I love humanistic psychology but we had just one general course that talked about that).

I know a lot about theoretical psychology because it is important handle some concepts. I like how human beings try to understand some phenomena through theories and that’s why we have some theories such as attachment, human develop, emotions, etc.

But this discipline isn’t only about theories and studies; we have many ways to apply that knowledge. The different applications depend of the area where you are working. You can see the applications in the clinical area, working with a person o with a group of people, or in educational area, working with a whole school or in educational programs, or in neuroscience, etc.  

AN ARTICLE FROM THE GUARDIAN

Today's youth: anxious, depressed, anti-social

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2004/sep/13/childrensservices.mentalhealth

This article it’s about adolescent’s mental health. According to the biggest time trend study conducted in Britain, problems such as depression and anxiety have increased by 70% among adolescents. This big study done in Britain looked at three generations of 15-year-olds in 1974, 1986 and 1999. The study concludes that behavioral problems increased over the whole period, while emotional problems were stable until 1986 and have subsequently shot up. This means that mental health in adolescents has declined so it’s probably that 15-years-old will have more behavioral problems, for example lying, stealing, impulsive reactions, etc. Girls show more emotional problems and boys more behavioral problems.

“Time Trends in Adolescent Mental Health” is the name of the study and is the first to give information about this increasing concern that affects not only parents and teachers, also the welfare of teenagers. This study it’s related with a declaration from the Health Organization that said that the fastest growing mental health problem in the world, and particularly in the developed world, was among adolescents.

These findings are important because increase debates about how people are raising they children and they reflect parenting in early years and how Britain’s secondary educations system cares more about academic areas than other activities that adolescents needs such as sports, arts, etc.

The study did not look the possible causes of these problems.

Oh! Beautiful Vacations

After a year full of exams, study, jobs, wake up early in the morning, etc. you need a moment of rest… but not just a couple weeks, I mean you need AT LEAST two months, so you can do whatever you want or spend time on what you want. All human being needs that time.

My favorite activities are: sleep a lot, watch movies, go out, hang out with my friends, see new places, and spend time with my family. When I’m in Santiago, I like go to parks, restaurants, cinemas, friend’s houses, etc.  but If I can go out Santiago, I would like to be in the south.

I don’t know yet where I will go next holidays, but I know that I want to go out Santiago, that’s why I’m working, I am saving money.

I think I would like to travel with my family and my friends because with each one I will do different things. With my family we go to the beach, I play with my nephews, everything is relax but If I am with my friends, we will go to parties, meet new people, do fun things, etc.

Writing this make me want to be on vacations .