English Language Challenges

I always have thought that to learn a new language is a great opportunity to exercise our brain and increase our knowledge. But if you really want to learn a new language you have to practice a lot, most of all you have to talk and write, because talking and writing you learn to think in that language. 

In that sense, I think that this course is a great opportunity to practice our English, loose the shame and realize that we can speak in other language! However, I think that this courses of English are not enough to say "I talk in a second language", because there are people who start with English I and they pass the courses, but when they reach the last course of English they don't really know all the things that know the people who start with English IV and talking is more difficult to them. So I think that in the first case you learn English, but not enough, and in the second case you don't really learn English so much, but you can practice all that you actually know. 

I personally need to improve my fluency when i'm talking, because it is easier to me writing than talking. Also I have to practice my comprehension when others are talking. I'm going to practice this last point listening music and watching videos without subtitles. The first point is more difficult, I'll look for places where I can talk with others in English and I'll try to speak more with my boyfriend.  

Actually I watch TV programs in English, with subtitles, I listen to music and I read jokes in Internet. The next link is a page of jokes and funny images in English: http://9gag.com/

2013 almost has gone...

First of all I have to say that is difficult to me think about bad and good things of a year, because I see the good part of everything, although it has been painful. Also I don't used to do a balance of the year, because I used to do that every week or month haha.

Well, first, the good things of this year: a lot of things! In my interpersonal relationships, the relationship with my boyfriend has gone so well, we will reach two years together next January and I didn't have fights with my mom or my sister. In my studies, I have had good marks, I am part of a research team at University and I have been teaching assistant in three courses. Also I taught basic English to people who want to finish their basic studies, I began to play tennis and I am founding an Association of memory and Human Rights, and I am very happy with that.

But I have had bad experiences too: An aunt was very sick, she was during 3 months in the hospital and that was very sad, most of all to my mom. Also I have moved away from a couple of friends, because of fights or time and physical distance. 

My principal achievement is the Association, but I think that we have little achievements among the year and we can't remember it despite its importance at the moment. 

I would like to continue with the activities of this year in 2014: English classes, tennis, working in the Association, doing research and doing assistanships. Also I would like to take a course of singing and keep on dancing "cueca brava".

Tattoos

The history of tattoos began in the Polynesia. The polynesian were the first to engrave their bodies, the men cover them at all. In fact, the word "tattoo" cames from a polynesian word: ta (hit), tau-tau (phrase used to talk about bones crash). 

There are many cultures where a tattoo was a signal of the status or social role, for example, the "Maoris" tattoos their faces and the design of the tattoo was making more sophisticated if you were high in the social scale. Also for this people, if you don't have a tattoo you couldn' t find the way to immortality: the tattoos were an armor of spiritual and physical protection.

On the other hand, evidence suggests that, in ancient Egypt, tattoos were restricted to the priestesses. And in some tribes from New Zeland, the tattoos are sign of maturity and bravery until today. Other examples of cultures where tattoos are part of them: "Tarokos" in Japan and "Chin" in China.

In Occident, the tattoo was reintroduced by explorers, directed by Captain Cook. This sailors extend the tattoos and began the tradition of sea men tattooed. Also, tattoos were and are a very popular practice in the jail, as a sign of rebellion or as a symbol of covenants between prison lodges.

In the 1960s and 1970s, emerging urban tribes adopted the tattoos as part of their culture: bikers, punks and hippies, all of them with own designs that define theirselves. 

Actually the tattoos are a common practice and many people want to get a tattoo like a way to show their personality or tastes, their identity, so the designs are about dreams, favourite things/colors, important people, beliefs, etc.

Personally I would like to get a tattoo behind my ear, in my neck, a red star with black edge. The star is a historic symbol of left-wing and this is my ideology, so I think that it (red star) identifies me.

Resources:

http://www.tattoo-odin.com/historia_tatuaje.asp

http://www.elcuerpo.es/los-tatuajes-historia-simbologia-y-tradiciones-item16.php 

http://www.publispain.com/tatuajes/Historia_de_los_Tatuajes.html

Is possible to be green nowadays?

The Earth is asking us for help, most of all after the Industrial Revolution, when the humans began to produce in factories and, with that, to pollute the planet more and more. But, despite that a lot of people realize about the ecological situation of our world, there are not many people that do things to resolve it.

Actually there are not many information about environmentally friendly practices, I mean, there is not a lesson at school about things that we can do for help the planet, there are not many institutional contributions or initiatives in this area. The only way to make aware the people about the great problem of pollution and destruction of the world is through internet or self-organized activities, and of course, the education begins at home: it is important to teach the news generations to take care the planet.

Personally I do little things for our planet, one of these things is recycle white paper (photocopies, old copybooks and scholar books, etc.). I do this since my second year at University, when I knew about a box, in Bachillerato, when you could put your white paper and San José Foundation would recycle it to obtain nappies. Also I use the public transport or walk instead use my car, I use it only when it is necessary and I try to reduce the paper I use (I bought a kindle to read instead to print texts). 

I know an eco-organization, Greenpeace, but I don't agree with  join them, because I think that the change and the ecological responsibility should begin from common people and no just ask authorities for solutions or do isolated things in far places. 

I think that we are far from become a Green society, because there is not a culture about recycle, reuse and reduce: on the one hand, there are not places when you can leave your recyclable/reusable garbage and the large-scale recycle almost don't exist, at least in our country; and on the second hand, there are not education about ecological habits, at University for example, there are trash cans for different types of things: tins, bottles of glass and paper (I think), but nobody use it correctly, everybody throw away any kind of trash and don't care in which trash can... 

Well, I hope that people, all of us, begin to do things before it is too late. And obviously the task begin at home! :)

Why Psychology?

The first reason I had to study psychology was that I always advised my friends and advices help them with their problems or worries. So I thought "I could to be a good psychologist". Then I started to be interested in the human mind: how do people make decisions? How do they form their beliefs? Why do people join with others? etc., and I thought that Psychology will give me the answer. This last point was the decisive reason to apply to Psychology. So I think my motivation is at the top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs haha.

Actually I feel completely satisfied with my career, because despite it have not answered all my questions about human mind, it have given me the arms to answer them by myself. There are many theories to analyze the human mind or human behavior: behaviorism, psychoanalysis, developmental psychology, psychology of personality, between others. But the one I like most of all is social psychology, because it places the person in relation with others and explains the human behavior from that position, and it makes me sense because we live all our life in contact with others, we are insert in a society. 

Respect to practical applications of psychology, I think that it can be applied to every aspect of the life, so it can to be any other discipline, since education until engineering or economy. I personally want to work in Human Rights from critical social psychology and I like educational and community psychology too. The good thing is that these applications of psychology are very compatibles! :)

The dark side of Psychology

Psychology is a beautiful discipline, but sometimes it is used to do things that are not so good. This article present us one of this situations: when psychologists use their knowledge against the physical and moral integrity of people.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/nov/05/the-dark-side-of-psychology-in-abuse-and-interrogation

The Institute on Medicine as a Profession (IMAP) and the Open Society Foundations (OSF) published a study of the role of psychologist in the War of Terror: they collaborated with the Department of Justice, the Department of Defense and the CIA and the CIA to develop a range of interrogation methods used in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantánamo Bay. Methods like exposure to extreme cold, sleep deprivations, prolonged stress positions, sexual and religious humiliations, between others. 

The official psychologist's role was to identify vulnerabilities of prisoners and collaborate with interrogators in exploiting that debilities. They worked in Behavioral Science Consultation Teams and were selected for their professionals training in clinical and forensic psychology. They are considered "combatants" rather than health professionals, so they could avoid normal ethical standards. 

In other way, the American Psychological Association (APA) supports the role of psychologist in interrogation: "It is consistent with the APA Ethics Code for psychologists to serve in consultative roles to interrogation and information-gathering processes for national-security related purposes". 

So, the report recommend to the APA to clarify its ethical policy and reject the participation of psychologists in interrogations. Also recommend to apply more strict prohibitions on the use of  interrogation methods that violate international standards.

Finally the article ends with the next question: "At  what point is it morally acceptable for psychologists to be deployed as weapons of war?", and suggests that this question may to be answered for the psychologist and all society.  

On holidays...

The holidays are very important for workers and students, because we need to rest after work hard all the year, so I think all of us look forward for the holidays. At the same time, you can travel and know other places during the holidays where you can know new friends, have a good time and try new things that you can not to do during the rest of the year. 

My first favorite activity of holidays is sleep: I sleep a lot, until 12:00 pm sometimes. I like to read too and try to read several books, specially fantasy, mystery, science fiction and dystopian books. Also I like to go out to parks with my boyfriend.

My favorite place out of Santiago is Valparaíso, I fall in love with it the first time I went and I have to go every year on holidays, at least one time. I don't like the places where all you can to do is go to the beach all the day long, because I don't like much the sand haha, so I like to go to the beach for a time (one or two hours) and swim in the ocean. Then I like to visit parks or craft fairs, eat ice cream, walk around the place (city, town or whatever) and do things like that. 

I always travel with my family, this year we went to Los Queñes and Pichilemu with my dad, my siblings and my boyfriend. And I went to Las siete tazas with my mom, my sister and my boyfriend. Also I went to Valparaíso with my boyfriend.

The next year I would like to go to Valparaiso again with my boyfriend, to the south with my mom (to Lago Lanalhue) and to Argentina with my dad. But I just to know I will go to Valparaiso, obviously haha.