English Language Challenges

 Hello everyone!

Today, I’ll write the final post of the course. As I remember I said, this blog was to write about different topics, and try to increase my level of English. I think by using blogs, was a very interesting way to practice. I have never tough of using a blog to practice my English, or any other language. I guess I’ll continue using it to write not only in English, but also in German or even Spanish, why not? The themes that we write about were great, because we had the opportunity to get to know us better, for examples, the sports we like, the places we want to go, how green are we, our best holidays… and also, those themes were an space for me, to sit me down, relax and just loose myself writing. I also liked the themes because they were about things of our normal life; we didn’t have to blow our minds by thinking what to write, it was a good space to be ourselves.

But, like anything is perfect, I have to continue working on my English. I think I have a lot to do, starting by study a bit more grammar; that’s my biggest problem. I can understand a lot, and read and all that stuff; but when I have to talk or write, it converts in a little challenge that I want to exceed. And it’s because of that that I’m thinking on take some classes next year, apart the university, to improve my level of English a bit more.

And outside the English class here at university, I’m also trying to use more English. For example, when I’m watching a move or serials, I try not to see it with subtitles (thing that I already did before), and I also try to read more in English, like the online newspaper. But it’s difficult to combine it whit the studies, because it takes a lot of time, and we even don’t have time to watch the news!

So, wishing I have time to write some other day, I say goodbye to you, and I hope we read us again J

My future job

Hello everyone! Today’s post is about my future job.

Obviously I’m thinking on something related with what I’m studying: Law. I’m in second year, so I have not taken a major yet, and honestly I’m not sure of what I want to do. I guess I’m still searching a matter that I really, really like. By now, I like the international law, I find interesting to know how can be related the different nations, and resolve their international problems. But I also like all thing related whit human rights, and something that’d combine both would be work in an international court; so I imagine there’s a mayor about that, and if it not, I’ll create it :)

As I said before, I’d like to have a job which combines both things that in the moment I like: international law and the human right’s protection.  So, a perfect work for me would be judge from the interamerican court of human rights! But I guess it’s a little bit ambitious. So, back in reality, I’d like to have a job like in a foundation helping people whose rights are being violated, and taking his cases on the court. By the time, I really don’t want anything related with civil law, or divorces, or big companies who want to avoid taxes. But I don’t know if this is my ideological soul which is talking for me, but at the time that’s what I want.

The aspects that I’ll consider when choosing a job are the working atmosphere, the cases they take (obviously, how much they pay, but don’t tell that to my ideological soul, it’d be mad if it heard it!), and my contribution to society by working there. I find the last aspect the most important, because I grow up with the idea that we should contribute something if we have the possibilities.

If I were asked in a job interview about my strengths and weaknesses, I’d say that for strengths, I’ve the enthusiasm and the disposition of doing things well. I’m very committed on the things I do, and also responsible. And for weaknesses, I’d say that I get stress very easily, but whit 5 minutes breathing slowly, and some jokes, it goes away.

In 2 years more...

Hello!

Today’s post is about our life, especially about where we see ourselves in the next 2 years. Well, I’m in the second year from my career, so I guess in the next two years I’ll be in the fourth year. At this time of the year, November, in 2 years more, I hope that I’ll be preparing everything for finally do my students exchange. That´s a goal that I put to myself when I enter to the university..

I’d like to go to United States, to Harvard or Yale or something like that. Or maybe to the UK, to Oxford or Cambridge. And it’s because of that that I’m doing the English course, for preparing myself for taking the TOELF or another English test to certify the language.

But I’ll have a lot of challenges to get my goal. For example, to apply for an scholarship to make the exchange, you have to have a high mark, like 5.5 or higher. Plus, you need a curriculum, whit extra-curricular activities, like the attendance to conferences, being “ayudantes”, or anything that proves you commitment whit the faculty. Then, you have to make a compromise that you’ll teach everything you had learned during your exchange.

Another thing I’d like to be doing in 2 years more is working like a “procuradora”. That have his own risk, like having less time to study, or for relax. But it is something that I want to do, because it’ll give me money, something very necessary when you don’t want to ask you parents for it; I never liked that. By earning money, I’ll be able to save some, and take the vacations that I want, or buy me that camera that I always wanted.

See you next time! :)

How Green are you?

Hello everybody! This week’s theme is about having a Green life. I think a green style of life is when you incorporated into your routine some practices that are environmentally friendly, such as recycling, use the bike, and prefer organic food or things like that.

We can learn about those practices in many different sources, like internet. I recently found a facebook group that show us how to do a lot of presents using things that are regularly in our houses, like papers, cartons, etc. But even though on internet exists a lot of information, most of the people don’t know where to find it, because they had an easy attitude about the theme. I believe that schools should teach more about recycling, and even on the “matinales”, they have a very useful space, which they don’t use.

I haven’t incorporated so much recycling habits in my normal life, just the one to make presents. I try to recycle glass, paper, carton, plastics and can.

I also have a bike, for ride to university. But in this moment, I’m not using it, because I have to change a wheel. I also like to walk, and when there’s not a long distance on my way, I do it.

I never joined an eco-organization, because of lack of time. But if there’s the opportunity, I think I wouldn’t refuse it. One day, I would like to have my own recycling canister, and with that would be easier to recycle.

I think in our society, we are missing a lot of recycling culture, and more recycling politics. We should have bikes parking on the “metros”, in order to park there and go to your place of work or study on the public transportation.

Sports

Hello everybody!!

Today’s assignment, we have to choose between arts or sports. I consider myself somebody who enjoys arts. But I think I’ll talk about something that I do more often, which is Basketball, my favorite and loved sport.

Basketball is a team-sport, were two teams whit 5 persons, tries to score on each other basket. This sport is nearly new; it was invented by James Naismith, who was a sport’s teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, and the first game was played on December, 1891.

I really don’t know so much about prominent exponents from this sport. I only know the famous one, like Shaquille O’Neal or Michael Jordan. But I’m not so interested on big basketball players. I just enjoy playing it.

Why I like it? Because it’s the best sport on the entire world! I like it because is a team sport. Here, you’re not just playing for you; you’re playing for your team, for those who are on the field, and those who’re on the bench, and look the game with enthusiasm.

I like it because when you’re playing, and running with the ball, you can’t heard anything, but at the same time, you heard your coach yelling you what to do, and you heard your team also yelling you what to do. And I love it because when you throw the ball trying to make a score, the time stops, and all the eyes are looking if the ball pass into the basket. And when it happens, you get excited, and you have to continue playing, now defense! And when it not happens, you have to run, trying to catch the ball and throw it again!

I have the lucky, that when I enter to this Faculty, somebody invite me to join the faculty basketball team. These days, we’re playing the JOE (juegos olímpicos estudiantiles), and we’re in semi-finals, this Monday. And if we win, we’ll play the final, next Tuesday. We also play the TIF (torneo inter facultades), and the “Copa Andina”, which we already won last year.  I think we’re having a very good season, and I hope we win next Monday. Wish us luck!

"Gary McKinnon: how unknown hacker sparked political and diplomatic storm"

Hello!

Well, today we have to do a summary about some news on internet, who were related whit what I study, Laws. I chose one about a British hacker who was about to be extradited.

All starts when Gary McKinnon , a 46-years-old man who was diagnosed whit Asperger’s syndrome, was at his pc looking for UFO’s information, and searching, he arrived at the US defence sites; so, he enter on the US defences systems. He broke the security for a lot of the defence’s systems at the US: the US military sites,  the NASA sites and the US naval station Earle in New Jersey, just for say some of thems. He didn’t mind writing on one of the sites “your security is crap”. 

He did all this during a time when security US defence’s systems were unsophisticated, and it was easy to violate them. When the US defence realized his security’s system were violated, they look at who was doing it, and they found Gary.

He was then accused of deleting information, shut down the sites and copying information; and they wanted to extradite him from UK to US to face charges. Naturally, the family didn´t want that, because of the condition of his son.

At 2004, the extradition order from the US arrived on Gary’s place, and he was arrested in March the next year. That fact started a serial of discussion about the integrity and justice of UK’S extradition proceedings, and even arrived at the House of Lords, were was even a revision from the extradition treaty between UK and US.

Last Tuesday, the home secretary (the “ministro del interior”), Theresa May, looking at new evidence about the fragile mind’s state of Gary, decided that sending him to the US would breach his human rights.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/16/gary-mckinnon-hacker-sparked-storm

My favorite movie

Well, I like a lot of movies. I often go to cinemas to watch what´s new on the billboard. And also, I like to see like “old” movies. So it’s a bit difficult to me choose one, because would be unfair for the rest.

So, if I have to choose one, would be “Across the Universe”; a 2007’s musical, directed by Julie Taymor and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, who based their movie on 32 songs from The Beatles.

I have to say it, I’m not a huge fan from The Beatles; it’s more my father’s taste. But that movie always makes me wish go back on time, and live on the sixties.

The movie is about a british boy, who wanted to find his father.  So, he traveled from Liverpool to the USA, and he lived all the social changes, the hippie movement, the negative from the people because of the Vietnam War; he fall in love with an American girl and find a lot of friends, all this surrounded whit The Beatles’s themes.

I like this movie, because in general I love musicals, and this particularly is full of love songs, flowers and peace.

I recommend you see this movie; it makes your day happy, and let you think that real love truly exists.

My best Holidays

Hi everyone! Today's post is going to be about a trip that's been meaningful to me. 

Well, I think I haven't travelled  so much, and I don't know so many places like I wish I do. And because of that, I remember every trip I had made. And I'm sure that the most meaningful for me was the first one.

The picnic, my brother and me :)

At the age of 8, me and my family, I mean my mom, dad, brother, and even my grandmom and a cousin (who was 15), we travelled to Canada to visit my dad's brothers. It was my first time flying on an airplane!! My parents picked me up from school earlier that day, because we had to pack the last things and go to the airport. I remember my little brother, who at that time was 4 years old, and he couldn't understand nothing that happened. 

I remember we made 1 stop over in a Caribean country (i really don't know wich one), and then, we landed on Vancouver, the city were my uncles live. I have som flash of my time there (it was almost a month, or I felt it like that). I meet family that at that time I didn't know who exist, like cousins who were 17, and now are married whit two or three kids!

That's my brother at the age of 4, in the Aquarium (now is 15,
and he would kill me if he knows I put his photo here)

I remember, we did a picnic one day, near the coast. or other thing that i remember is a play zone on a park, and it was near the house of my aunt Ginny,and with my brother used to play almost everyday there. And other thing, was a restaurant which his speciality was fish. And the kids menu was a boat full of fries and fried fish! and you could  take the boat whit you and play with it! :D

I remember also that we were crossing the frontier to USA, because we were going to Sidney. And there was a lot of traffic. And near the frontier was something like a park, and everybody were there taking pictures and that stuff, but i stay at the car, because I tought the traffic would finish and they would forget me there.

The reasons those holidays were so good, is because ot was the first trip we did the entire family; the firts time we travelled on airplane, our first trip out of the country. That's why I always remember that specifically trip.

Well, I hope you enjoy it :) see you next week!

A country I'd like to visit

Hi everyone!

Today, like the title says, I’ll write about a country I’d like to visit.

Well, I think I have, at least, one country on each continent I’d love to visit. But if somebody gave me a ticket to go tomorrow anywhere I like, I would choose Greece, because it’s an interesting place, full of mythology and history. You can do a lot of things there. You can go to Athens, and visit the Parthenon or the Acropolis and see the entire city in the night. And the weather is perfect! Because it’s located by the Mediterranean see, there’re a lot of beaches, like the ones in the Scíathos island, one of the best beaches in Greece.

About Greece, I only know what I learnt at school, and some references that my cousin gave me (he already was in Greece, and he told me he have had some amazing time there, he partied a lot and shopped a lot too). If I was there, the first thing I do would be go to the beach, or eat a gyros.

I think I wouldn’t live there, for reasonable ground. The economy there is not in the best place, and the politic neither. But it’s a beautiful place to spend some vacations.

Well, see us next week! 

First post !!!

Hi people!

First of all, I´ll introduce you what will be this blog about. I'm taking english classes, and this blog was created with the purpose of evaluate me :)

I used to have a blog, when I was a little girl with only fourteen years. In that time, I used it like a journal, so when i recently found it, i deleted it from the ciberspace; it was vey embarrassing!!!

My expectations from the english bloggins is to improve my level of english and to finally separate two differents but similars languages: english and german. When I was fifteen, I made an student's exchange to Germany... and sometimes, when i want to talk in english, i remember in first place, the german word. For example, i have to think twice the word german, for me ist "Deutsch". That would be like my challenge, separate my brain into three differents languages.

I think, to improve my english, i must read, write, think and speak at english! For me, the best way to learn a language ist thinking in that language. I have to increase my vocabulary and remember the grammar I learned at school, so I'll do some excercises for that.

And talking about wich topics I'd like to write about, it would be very interesting to write about what we want to do when we graduate from University, or were do we see us in like, twenty or thirty years more. Or if is there something more we wanted to study, instead of Law. That kind of topics makes us think about ourselves, and about what do we want from lifes. And I think it's important to have an space were we can stop and think about ourselves.

I would like to write a bit more, but i'm a little tired, and I also have to write some coments to my classmate's blogs.

So, good night everybody! I wish you all happy "Fiestas Patrias"!! Do not drink and drive, do not eat and drink too much.. or well... do it and enjoy it :D

Bye!