Blog Post 8: English language challenges

I think I've learned many things in English courses at university, but I think that if the lessons weren't online, I could have learned much more, because I would've participated a lot more and I wouldn’t get distracted so much. 

I think the use of blogs it is a good way of learning and exercise writing, and the comments of our classmates it is something that motivates me, knowing that someone will read my blog posts and tell me something about it. It would also be amazing if we received specific feedback about our mistakes, but I understand d that we are a lot of students, so it is kind of impossible to do that if we have only one teacher.

I’ve always had problems with prepositions, I make a lot of mistakes because I confuse them. I've tried to study and write it so I can’t learn it by heart, but I still having a lot of mistakes, so I think that I must watch movies and series in English and maybe that way I learn faster and more entertainingly.

Outside class and blogs, I don’t use English very much, I only have all my social media applications on English and sometimes I watch videos in that language, but I never have the necessity of speak so speaking it has become one of the most difficult things for me, however, I know that if I practice a lot, it could improve very quickly.

Blog Post 7: Changes to my study programme

 

As I said in previous posts, I study architecture, and even though I like my career, there are many things I would like to change about it. As for curriculum, I think there are some subjects that could be summarized a lot, (such as the ones of structure and materials), and there are others subjects that should be enhanced in my opinion. In relation to workload and length of studies, I’ve always complained about the academic overload, I think there are many thins that could have been planned in a better way, to make university life more enjoyable. I also think that the career could be shorter than it is today if some subjects that are perhaps not so necessary were summarized.

In my faculty, there are always complaints about the infrastructure, I can't say much because I was in the faculty for a very short time, but what I remember most are the rats and the lack of good ventilation in the rooms. In relation to use of technology, we have to use many programs, so it is necessary to have a good computer, however I think this could discriminate or disadvantage some students who cannot afford it, perhaps the university should guarantee computers for those students. As for teaching methods, I think we have mostly teachers with good methods, however there is a part of them who do not have them, and for those I think it is necessary to teach them how to improve their teaching techniques.

Blog post 6: Time travel to the future

Hi everyone!

Well, if I think about travel to the future, obviously I don’t know exactly the year but I would like to know if someday we would be a type 3 civilization, and I would like to go there because I don’t know how it is to live in that reality, and I would ask them many things.If you don’t know what a type 3 civilization is, it is a civilization capable of harnessing all the energy of the galaxy. It extends throughout the galaxy, populating many solar systems.

I cannot make an estimate of how much we are missing to achieve that development as humanity, because the probability is very low, not to say it is impossible. Anyway, it is interesting to imagine a future in which we dominate the universe or even know other types of intelligent lives beyond everything that we know nowadays.

I think I would like to stay there for a while, I think I would have many things to learn and investigate, I would like to know what their politics are like, their morals, their education, economy, everything. Even if they have found any way to stop aging or even being immortal. I know this all sounds impossible but if you ask a caveman about the technology we have today, he would also think it is impossible so...

 why not?

Blog post 5: My future job

 I would like to be an independent architect. I imagine that I would have my own office and work with other architects, geographers and urban planners. Today I think it is quite difficult to be an independent architect, I have heard that it is difficult to find a job for an architect, so imagine how it would be if you don’t work for a company or aren’t even an assistant to another person. Usually so are the first jobs, and then you can possibly be prepared to be more independent. 

I imagine that this job is mostly indoors, although occasionally you have to go out to see the terrain on which you are going to work, or supervise the construction and obviously I would love to travel a lot and see the architecture in different cities and cultures. I don’t really know too much about the salary, but I have heard a lot of times that architects earn a low salary, unless they are a recognized architect, but sincerely I don’t worry too much about that, I prefer to work on something that I love even though I’m not getting a lot of money from it, instead of work on something that I hate but I’m earning a lot of money. 

Currently I’m studying architecture, and I choose this major without knowing too much about it but I have always loved to develop my artistic skills and I also love maths so I thought architecture would be the best match. 

I did this today, I'm currently working on "Población José María Caro", last week I visited the terrain with my group and we took a lot of pictures.

Blog post 4:

Hello everyone! 

In this blog I’m going to talk about my cat. A long time ago, my 9-year-old brother decided to call him “Cuchito”, I remember our neighbor gave it to us because he knew we wanted to have a cat, nowadays he has 5 years old and he loves to play with my little siblings, which is quite rare for a cat, they usually get easily upset when there’s a lot of noise and children playing around, I guess he got used to them because they all grew up together. Cuchito is also very loving with all the family members, he likes to be with us while we’re watching a movie or having lunch. 

I remember when we had a dog, the cat used to get along with it, they even slept together during winter. Recently, Cuchito has slept with me and followed me wherever I go, even though he has his own bed in the living room.

As you can see in the pictures, he has two different colored eyes, this condition is called heterochromia. In his case, he has one iris blue and the other is green or yellow, which color do you think it is? For me it depends on the picture and the day. 

Blog post 3:

 

I’m studying architecture, and one of the topics that I’m really interested in is organic architecture, which Is a philosophy that promotes harmony between the natural world, and human habitat. In other words, to make the building part of its natural environment.

The first time that I heard about this term, it was because I was investigating a project called “Falling water” a house designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright, he was considered the maximum exponent of organic architecture. Well, the name of the house “Falling Water” comes from the fact that it was built on a waterfall. As you can see in the pictures, the architect chooses natural colors that make it look like the house grew up there, and he reveals the nature of materials. You also can see that the house it has many terraces, because visual connections with the exterior is one of the most important concepts in this project. I love how the interior interacts with the exterior in this house, this is why I loved the concept of “organic architecture and I continue investigating to this day.

Blog post 2:

The best concert I've ever been to, was from Lady Gaga in 2012 here in Santiago, I was only eleven years old, but I was a big fan of her since I was a child.

Lady Gaga is an American singer, songwriter and actress, she started her career in 2001 and it is known for her music, voice, and I’m sure most of you remember her iconic outfits, she is one of the best-selling music artists. The concert it was amazing (as expected), I remember all the people were very eager to see the show, there was an exciting atmosphere because she is also known for her performance on stage, she changes outfits, dances, and interacts a lot with the public.

I remember that I felt like I was living my dream, I couldn’t believe I was at a concert of one of the most talented and known singer, I also remember that I knew all her songs and when the concert finished the people didn’t want to leave. It is one of the experiences that I will never forget.

Blog post 1

I would love to visit England, because the last semester I did research (for homework) about places to visit in there, and I found it beautiful, it has many interesting places to visit, especially the city of London. I know that the streets are very clean, and that people have a different schedule (to eat and sleep) they do everything earlier than us! And it is often said that the city of London is kind of full. I would like to know how the people are there, the culture and try their typical foods, and of course to visit the London eye and some of the palaces and museums there. I've also seen pictures of some parks and they look really fascinating. However, I don’t know if I would be capable of living there, because I would have to leave my family and friends that I have here in Chile and I would miss them very much, maybe when I get older, I could consider it.

Post 8: A subject I've enjoyed studying this semester

 The subject that I've enjoyed the most it's called "methods and practices of urbanism" I remember we had discussions, expository lessons, group work, among other things. We have seen many contents focused on how a geologic fault could affect cities, in this case we studied the San Ramon fault, which is in eastern Santiago Metropolitan Region, each group chose an area and studied evacuation procedures, infrastructure and community life. We learn different ways to study and research, resilient urban design, territorial planning, research approaches and representation techniques. At the end of the course, we made a poster and explained our research. 

What I liked the most about that subject it was the things that I learned about urban design and analysis methods, there was also a very good atmosphere in the course group. We did short activities in group, and when we had presentations, the teachers gave us feedback. I also learned a lot about the San Ramón fault and how it can affect the population in terms of evacuation and quality of their homes. Before I had never had a subject about urban planning, the order of the city and how the densification of cities puts people at risk.

This is an axonometric that I did in this course.

Blog post 7: Who is a person/expert on your field that you admire?

Since I started studying architecture, I asked myself why I’ve never heard about a successful female architect, until one day a teacher spoke to me about Zaha Hadid. 

She was born on October 31, 1950. In 1972 she traveled to London to study at the Architectural Association, and she met the architects with whom she would collaborate as a partner at the Office of Metropolitan Architecture, Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis. Then in 1979, Hadid established her own London-based firm, Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA). Over the years she won many awards in the field of architecture, becoming the first woman to win many of them.

Her projects are characterized by aggressive geometric designs, she was the first woman in design an American museum, the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has made train stations, arts and science centers, an opera house, universities, among others.

I like her because she changed the vision of architecture through her designs, she went beyond architecture, making interior designs, furniture, clothing, and different objects. I also admire her very much for all the awards she won, being the first woman in many of them.

                                One of her most recognized projects, Heydar Aliyev cultural center.

Blog post 6: How can my major make the world a better place?

As most of you know, I'm studying architecture and through my years of study I have realized how my major can affect in terms of pollution, for example we could contaminate with materials that are not recyclable or that in their elaboration emit large amounts of CO2.  Or even if we use materials that are not thermally efficient, people will have to use heating, which is a big expenditure of energy.  I see myself in the future specializing in something related to the environment because I think that in the coming years it will be increasingly important to take care of our planet considering the damage we have done over all these years.

The way that my major could contribute to the worlds benefit is projecting sustainable buildings, worrying about the materials we use, and by using efficient ventilation techniques, so that is not necessary to spend on heating. Another way it would be to promote the use of renovable energies or collect rainwater.

Post 5: A photograph and its story

 This photograph was taken by one of my friends in 2019. This place is called Joffre Lakes and it's located in British Columbia, Canada. I went there to learn English but I also travelled around the country, I made many friends of different nationalities and Joffre Lakes it was one of the places that we visited together, I remember that to get that place we had to do a 4 hour hiking, also that day was so cold that it started to snow and the floor was very slippery, we almost fell a couple of times but it was fun and the landscape was amazing, we took many pictures and I'm pretty sure I will never forget how wonderful that day was.

This photograph means a lot to me because it reminds me of one of the best experiences I've ever had in my life, travel alone and learn another language. Also. that was the first time I travelled outside of Chile, so this photograph is definitely very meaningful to me.

Post 4: A meal or food I really like

My favorite dish has always been Pasta with Bolognese sauce, which is basically spaghetti with a thick, brownish-red sauce.

You must prepare spaghetti according to package instructions, and the Bolognese sauce is made with as many ingredients as you like, ground beef, tomatoes, onion, celery, carrot, and others. I've always liked pasta in different ways, lasagna, with Alfredo sauce or with mushrooms. But I think that the reason why I like it so much is because it reminds me of my childhood, when I came home after school and I was excited because my mother had prepared my favorite food, I hope one day I could prepare it as well as she does.

After a research, I found out that even though pasta is generally healthy, this dish it doesn't have a good impact in my health as I thought. This is because when you combine tomatoes with meat, the nutritional benefits of the tomatoes are largely removed. So, I guess sometimes it is better to eat them separately to have a balanced diet.

Post 3: My favorite piece of technology

If I think about technology devices, the truth is that nowadays is difficult to choose only one, we are basically living in this technological age. I remember when I was a child there weren't many of the devices that are used daily today. 

After thinking a lot, I concluded that my favorite piece of technology is my smartphone, is the one that I use the most and it seems to me that it is the most useful. I got my first one when I was 11 years old, I remember it had few functions, just calling, messaging, and taking pictures. However today smartphones can also access webpages, download files and apps, create and play music playlists, record videos, watch movies, and a lot of more things. The one that I have now, I got it a year ago and I use it daily to check the university app, texting and calling with my friends, and on top of that I love taking pictures of landscapes and recording animals or insects, and then I can immediately share them with my friends, that's why smartphone is my favorite piece of technology, it has many functions included and I can do many things in a little while.

Life without this piece of technology would be so different, we couldn't call and messaging any time, we would have to get a computer if we want to text to someone. And specially in these times of pandemic, we would be even more isolated, without communicating continuously with our friends and distant relatives.

 

Post 2: Why did I choose my major?

As I mentioned in the last blog, I'm Studying architecture. When I was a child, the first thing that I wanted to study it was veterinary because I loved animals and I liked to take care of them. Then I grew up watching a lot of detective movies and I wanted to be investigative police, I have always been interested in mysterious cases. When I was about sixteen years old, I told my parents about that, but they did not like the idea, and it was disappointing and sad because I really wanted to be supported in my choice. Then my parents tried to encourage me to study another thing, they suggested biotechnology, engineering, law... but nothing was exciting enough. 

One thing that my father noticed was that I had artistic abilities and I was good at math, so he came up with the idea of architecture and that was finally the one that convinced me because I found it entertaining and I thought I could develop and improve my artistic side. However, I began university knowing absolutely nothing about architecture, so in the beginning it was difficult, stressful and I cried a lot thinking that I was not made for this. 

In the second year, I started getting good grades and I finally felt that my effort and dedication it was worth it. Currently, I've learned how to manage stress and I'm pretty sure I love my major.

These are some of the projects that I did in my first year.

Post 1: Who am I?

Hello everyone, I'm Antonia. I was born in a little city called Tinguiririca and I moved to Santiago with my parents when I was two years old. I still going back there sometimes to see my grandparents, though.

I'm studying Architecture. Since I was younger, I never really knew what I wanted to do in the future, so basically I decided for something that caught my attention, and I guess I am lucky because I don't regret at all. I think that architecture is the best that I could have chosen. However, I'm also into criminal investigation, which has nothing to do with architecture, I always watch documentaries about criminals, unresolved cases or movies. Another thing that I'm interested in is the universe, galaxies, the stars. I love watching documentaries about that.

About my family, my parents broke up their relationship when I was about three years old and now they both have a couple. My father got married and now I got three little siblings. On my mom's side I still being an only child. I get along with my siblings so now I'm living with my father in Lampa, there's a really calm environment and we are surrounded by nature.

How safe is to give your personal information on websites such as facebook, my space and any others? What’s the limit for you?

I am really into social media and I have seen on people’s profiles information such as contact details, family members, addresses, which I think is very dangerous. I have always been careful about the information that I share in social networks because I´ve never trust them, at the end of the day you will never know who is behind the screen. I think that if you want to protect your personal data, the limit is on specific personal information such as date of birth, occupation, places that you frequent, family members and others.