Changes that could be made to my study programme.

Some changes that I think that need to be done in my career’s curriculum are to add some subjects related to other artistic areas like theatre and the use of the voice, cinema and the use of audiovisual materials, makeup and clothing, etc., so we can learn about them and complement dance with all of those artistic and scenic possibilities.

Other subjects that could be added are those related to recreation and they could be given along with the other faculty’s artistic careers. I think it would be very helpful for the relationship between students and the development of the artist’s training.

One of the biggest weaknesses of the arts’ faculty is its facility and structure as the elevators aren’t in good condition and many of us have to use the stairs when we are tired, the lack of green areas or a place where students can gather together and also there aren’t many classrooms and the ones we use aren’t big enough for a class.

I think these are one of the few things that need to be changed or improved the most. I hope they can at least listen to our suggestions and do something about it as it would be very beneficial for the community.

Finally I would like to add that the methods applied by the teachers work well, with some exceptions of course but in general they work and it can be shown in our learning, practice and development.

I hope next year goes as smooth as I want in my academic life.

English language challenges

Learning English at university has been difficult for me because I don’t know much about it, just the basic things that I learned at school. To be honest I never thought that I would make use of this language but now I see that is very important to know even a bit of English. Most times I asked my cousin to help me with some vocabulary to write the posts we have had to do this semester because I feel like I still lack a lot. But the use of blogs to do them has been a big help to exchange knowledge and compare my level with my other classmates and sometimes I could even add words I read on their posts that I didn’t know to my vocabulary.

What I think I need to improve of my English is the correct use of past and present tense, to not forget the addition of suffixes to verbs in third person and what needs more attention is my pronunciation. If writing in English is difficult, speaking English is harder. I have a hard time trying to pronounce some words in a correct way because I never speak in English but I still try my best.

Other than in my English class, I don’t really make use of this language. Sometimes I read some things of my interest on the internet that are in English and what I don’t know I ask my cousin about it and I don’t know if it counts but I like to sing songs of American or British artists and I try to know what the lyrics talk about.

Birds of Chile

After doing some research on national birds I chose to talk about Chorlo Nevado or snowy plover. Its scientific name is Charadrius nivosus occidentalis and it breeds in Peru, Ecuador and in Chile we can find them in the lake banks from Arica to Chiloé.  The plumage of this shorebird is mainly white in chest, face, neck and abdomen; it has gray legs and a black beak.

They feed on beach hoppers, mollusks, marine worms and insects they get from the surface instead of searching under the sand like other shorebirds.

Their nests are made in small depressions on the sand, often in human footprints and they use shell fragments, pebbles or fish bones to cover it. They make them that way so the nests are camouflaged to look like sand and can be barely visible and that’s how they protect the eggs from a potential depredator.

Another bird that I like is the hummingbird. Its scientific name is Sephanoines sephanoides and it’s one of the smallest birds. They live on forests, gardens and flowery places in general; we can find them from Atacama to Tierra del Fuego.

Their name comes from the fact that they move their wings so fast that they make a humming noise and they are skilled when it comes to fly because they can do it in every direction, even backwards and upside down.

Its diet consists of flower nectar, pollen and insects and they need to eat a lot of food each day.

What I like the most about them is that their plumage is very colorful and they have characteristics that differentiate males from females.

A place where I would like to live

I’ve definitely thought about living in another place after finishing my studies and it’s very likely that I’ll live in another country in a few years. I’ve never visited London before but that beautiful city gets my attention. Its buildings are very nice, especially those with the Tudor architectural style because it makes me feel like living in a past era. As for the weather, it wouldn’t be a major problem to get used to because some seasons like winter are similar to the ones of Chile. What I would be really grateful of would be that I’d enjoy rain much more that we do here and I’d also get to enjoy snowfalls once or twice each winter.

London is also very suitable for my career as it has one of the best theatre scenes, attracting very talented people to participate in recognized musicals, classic plays and circus performances. In general its population has a wide artistic culture so I wouldn’t be surprised if I find a job as a teacher of performer in the first 2 months after moving to this city. At first I think I’d live alone to develop myself as a professional, it would be a challenge to start over in a completely new place. But with time I may meet someone to spend my life with, and once in a while I’ll drink a cup of tea next to the Big Ben with my cousin as at that time she will also be living there. 

Summer Holidays

I don’t usually think of what I’m going to do on holidays because I like it when plans come spontaneously, but if I have to plan my next holidays I would like to spend that time in Chile and the perfect place would be the country side. There’s a small town near San Antonio called Cuncumen and it’s very important to me because it is where I spent most of my childhood with my family. I used to spend summer at my grandparents’ house located there but since it is no longer of our property we don’t go anymore. However, some relatives still live there so I can go visit my uncles and my grandma’s sisters.

Cuncumen is perfect for anyone who likes to enjoy nature so if I go I’d walk around, hike the hills to see cattle and flocks of sheep, take pictures of the beautiful landscape that it has and at the end of the day I would go to the swimming pool that a relative has as a recreational activity for tourists. I would also like to take the chance to pick some flowers and go to the cemetery to visit my grandparents.

As for the food, one of my aunts who lives there is very good at cooking so I’m sure I’d go every day at lunch to enjoy her delicious home-cooked meals, and after that I’d walk to the grocery store and buy the ice-cream I used to love as a child.

Movies or series I like

In general, I'm not very keen on watching series but when I decide to watch one I really like to do it.
I prefer series about history or set in past times, because of the production, clothing, make up and art direction are more interesting for me to observe. Besides, you can learn a lot with history series and characters are very peculiar.
One of the series I watched about this was: Pillars of the earth, world without end, Vikings and my favorite history serie ''The Tudors''. The latter, is about reign of Enrique VIII of England and the production is fantastic, I can really imagine the life in the sixteenth-century in Europe!

Another series that I watched recently is ''Mr. Robot''. Is about a young man that's called Elliot and his particular life. This character have a really brillant mind, but for society he's just a sick man. Elliot is a hacker, a mad, a person doesn't fit the society, but for me is the most lucid human of all. Withing the series there are criticism to church, political system and a lot of thing that affect us every day.
This series have my favorite characters!!!

In this moment, I don't have free time to watch series, but in holidays I'd like to watch: Breaking Bad, the four season of Vikings, and another series of history. Obviously, I preffer to do other things, so if I really have time or a boring afternoon I will watch one of this series.

Postgraduate Studies

I never thought in the possibility of doing postgraduate studies, but in the case that I should do one I'd choose theater direction. What the theater director has to do is monitor the tasks of the actors and direct the production of a performance or play. I think that this course could be a good complement for my artistic career and development. 

Theater is an area that gets my atention and thinking of the possibility of learning how to direct a play. I consider that doing this postgraduate study will give me the tools I need to improve my artistic skills.

Some of the subjects I'd like to cover are acting, the three-point lighting method, dramaturgy and how to create the scripts for plays and cinema production.

The place that I think would be the best for me to study is Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some of my friends and relatives say that city is a good option to study because there are more facilities, better teachers and a variety of courses to choose.

Since I believe that the best way to study and learn things is having a direct student-teacher contact, I'd like to attend classes in a university so I also can socialize with other classmates to share our knowledge. 

After finishing my postgraduate studies I'd like to work not only as a performer but also as a theater director and co-produce in cinematography.