I´m in a room classes. My friends (from private universities) in the beach.

In these days I prefer not to visit facebook. The last time that I did it I read things like these: “The last test and I will be on vacation”, “The latest effort”, “I don´t know what to do on vacation...”, “Tomorrow, I will do nothing but watch TV”. The next week It will be worse. Probably most of my friends will be on the beach! Meanwhile, I will be studying for one of the many tests that we are beginning to take.

I don’t envy them, I just feel cheated. Someone said life is not fair; now more than ever, I give it all the reason! We were mobilized for more than five months, like stoic “postmodern heroes”. And, what we achieve with this? A small adjustment in the education budget, which also will benefit both public and private universities. Further, private university students continued with classes regularly and now they enjoy vacations. And what´s more, the students number of private universities increased by over fifty percent. It´s inusual and shocking! And this is our situation… we still have a whole month of classes, another month doing research work and studying for tests, and finally when classes over, classes start again. Is like a tragicomedy! I just hope that we grant that this summer the temperature doesn´t too high.

Whatever, each Hinzpeter´s ulcer, each new Larraín´s wrinkle, and each Piñera´s white hair still worth.

With four days of Christmas, yours “the ostrich”.

Work in summer isn´t impossible.

¿Everything has an end?

Beyond doubt, it was a fruitful experience. Most of the time I enjoy it. Only sometimes it was tedious, i think because clases were very early and I was sleepy. But I think, in general, the writing is not an activity that may displease someone, it is a fascinating way to socialize that you have in and you want to communicate. While, it is true that communicate in a foreign language is a particular experience. No only one sees limited his linguistic resources, especially when not handled properly the foreign language, but should try to connect to different ways of expression, peculiar to this language. This is extremely difficult at first, but as time passes begins to become easier and more enjoyable. It is a good way to write about everyday things like food, travel, books, music, photos that we like. These are the things that you talk normally and, therefore, it is easier and even useful in terms of learning a foreign language to talk about these things. It is also a good idea to be able to read the writings of other students because you can go looking for different ways to say the same thing. This can be learning new forms of expression that one would not have thought of. It is also good that the blogs are written during class time, as well one takes the time corresponding to perform activities without having to allow extra time. However, it is also in part a problem because the class time is not always enough to write as much as one tries to express.

The topics on which we write were entertaining, although it should have always existed the possibility to choose between two topics, like the time in which we had to choose between a food and a favorite book. Definitely, it was a good experience and I feel I could improve my level ofEnglish expression in some degree.

A part in spanish a part in english.

About social ties in city, between the flesh and stone.

The last book I read was Flesh and Stone: The Body And The City In Western Civilization. It was written by Richard Sennett, an eminent American sociologist and professor at London School of Economics. It`s an essay about the history of body conceptions in the Western civilization. The core is the way in that the body conceptions are linked with city conceptions. In this sense, Sennett points out that the form of the city is crossed by different meanings that articulate senses of human relations. To justify the plot the author exhibits the presence of the body conceptions, its character and the inherent relations with the physical and symbolical form that the city acquires in different places in the history of Western civilization. The sociologist began analizing the situation in the Athens of Pericles, the Imperial Rome and the medieval Venice to end with an analysis of modern cities. The chapter that I consider most interesting is that that analyses the implications of the transition from pagans beliefs to Christianity in the meanings associated to the body and the city in the Imperial Rome. According to Sennett it was a transition from an exalting of “flesh and stone“ to an annullment of the body, that is expressed in a “ pilmigraje in time” of Christianity.  Moreover, the text evidences the differences between the ancient and the modern Christianity, as well as the inconsistency between Christian dogmas and their social practices. Definitely, it’s an excellent essay in sociological terms. Its arguments are clear, fairly convincing and innovative. In addition, the author is one of the voices more important in the field of urban sociology. There's no doubt this is a book that social sciences students and people interested in the sociocultural processes linked to the development of the cities should read.

Title page of the essay.

The best day of my life?

I don`t have a best day in my life, but i have a lot of good times. I don´t believe in the possibility of define my life by a special moment. Perhaps not even through many good times. Not even all of them would suffice.  Although it might be able to say much about it. In this sense there are moments in our lives that can be significant for all. At least that's what they tell us.  Could this mean that our lives are more alike than we think? In some ways it may be so. But I think it's more a matter of uniform narrative strategies. Society tells us what we must relieve. Society makes us believe that we have a better day in our lives. Anyway, now I must talk about the best day of my life and I am in a small mess. Try to make it as simple as possible.

1. The best day of my life was when I was born.

2. I don´t remember that important day.

3. But I suppose it must have not been a nice day, at least in my opinion: I was born in mid-July, in mid of a typical rainstorm in southern Chile.

4. Why is it important? It is important for example for purposes of fulfilling my “English” work. Of course, apart from other considerations.

5. What is special about it? I suppose my mother was present. She wore hospital clothes and I was naked. There was a bald men dressed in white and a few little women who went from one place to another. They looked at me weird and I am not understand what was happening. In fact, I not understand yet what happens. Think of it, I do not know what is special about this. But it is special.

6. It was great. I hope born again.



The average family.



My darling notebook. My favourite piece of technology

I got my notebook four years ago when I join into university.  I bought it because my desktop computer was heavy and I can`t carry it from Puerto Montt to Santiago. A notebook is a light device and in this sense is easily transportable. Moreover, the hardware performance is similar to desktop computer; you can play movies or play videogames if you want. Furthermore, notebooks are easily of use: it physical use is easily comprehensible and operative systems generally are very intuitive. As if this were not enough reasons, you can use it in any place and when you want if supply battery is appropriately charged.

I bought my notebook particularly because in a social sciences discipline students must write essays frequently, and read books of a lot of pages that are un-printables –by a saving an a ecological issues. Moreover, when I join into university I discover an additional need: connectivity. We need connect with classmates and teachers to send them digital documents, to solve doubts or to draw up a plan for study. By it I use my notebook all day of weeks, at least thirty minutes by day. Sometimes I must use my notebook the whole day.

Notebook is a very useful piece of technology, especially for universitary students. Without it diary activities could be most difficult. I love it.

My darling notebook.

Seúl: the hipermetrópolis.

I would like to visit Seúl, the capital of South Korean. It`s the second most populated city in the world next Tokyo. It`s population is around thirteen millions in the city and around twenty five millions in the metropolitan area. The population density is of 17,219 hab./km, the double of Santiago`s population density. Because of this, it`s a very interesting place to observe the social dynamics and the individual behavior of people in extreme proximity. Another reason is the incredible total number of cars that amount to seventeen millions of units, seventeen times the total numbers of cars of Santiago. Because of this, it`s a very interesting place to observe the effects of incessant movement and his consequences in human spatiotemporal perception. How you see, is a fascinating place to field work and socioanthropological observation. However I didn`t like to live there, by an issue of mental health.

I would like to go in good company, but can be an interesting experience to go alone.

I didn`t saving money to go there because I use my savings in more immediate things, but would be a good idea begin to saving.

Time is off. Regards.

Seúl in the day

Seúl at night

Music to cheer up!

Sadness caused us a lot of problems. To top it all, sadness has no a definitive solution. Fortunately, are a lot of distractions for absent-mind. Distractions such as counting up to five thousands and half, reading about why cockerels crown, sing songs in Irish or to go out thinking about crab mortality. Things like that will help you to mitigate the sadness. However, today, I will recommend you something that I hardly ever do: to listen to music to cheer up!

As you know, exist an innumerable number of musical styles. Someones more pleasing to the ears than anothers. Thinking in the lesser of two evils I recommend you music from Baroque period. Quoting to Wikipedia, Baroque is an artistic style prevalent from the late 16th century to the early 18th century in Europe that produce works in fields like the literature, sculpture, painting, arquitecture, dance and music. In music, the most valuable composers are Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Haendel and Antonio Vivaldi. Particularly I like Haendel`s and Vivaldi`s pieces such as Sarabande and the oratorio Messiah, by the first one, and The Four Seasons, by the last one. From this last opus I enjoy specially Winter and Autumn concerts by the stridency, the emotive and the explosiveness of the Nature. I think that Four seasons is a spectacular methafor from human nature. In this sense, I propose you and “emotional homeopathic terapy” in where humans passions faced human passions.

With nothing further to add, yours respectfully, the baroque ostrich!

Anthropology resources in the Net.

Today I would to present you a very interesting website related to anthropology thematics. The name of the website is Naya. It means "Noticias de Antropología y Arqueología". It  is described as a virtual city of anthropology for spanish-speakers. It was designed and is managed by argentinian anthropologists. In the website you can to find out about current affairs in world anthropology and archaeology. Besides, you can find out information about specifics matters like rock art, ethnohistory, cultural identity, myths and legends, cultural heritage, urban anthropology, museology, globalization or world religions. Furthermore there is information about the main events of anthropology in Spanish America, like official conferences, exhibitions and cultural interventions.

Is remarkable the urban anthropology section. At this you can find out papers, presentations of conferences and links to online journals specializing in the topic. For example, it is several papers of important researchers like the Spanish philosopher and anthropologist Jesús Martín Barbero or the French anthropologist and EHESS`s lecturer Michel Agier.

If you are interested to visit the website you must to click on the following link http://www.naya.org.ar/.

Thank you for your interest! Regards.



Naya`s website snapshot.



Overture.

If you are waiting for a interesting blog, dont let your time and leave this site rigth now. It is a place for the nonsense and the unimportant things, like the white feathers of the ostrich. If you like misspend your time you are welcome to venture into this place. Anyway, time is only an illusion.

Thank you for your interesting! Regards.