Entry N°10 - English Language Challenges

To be honest, I enjoyed learning some english using or writing my own blog. It’s an easy way to practice your written and read english. It was quite easy to word up my ideas. Blog format is also quite modern so you can feel you’re just writing on your Facebook page or just tweeting to someone else

I do not want to sound cocky or arrogant, but I think one of the aspects of my english level I must improve is vocabulary. Still, nowadays I'm using words like ‘nice’, ‘good’, ‘bad’, etc. for describing things. Which are general adjectives, don’t get me wrong, learning through these words will help you a lot, but if you really want to improve, you need to know more words. Sometimes when you are in a situation, you need to say the exact word that you need according to that. In order to be better and learn some vocabulary I must interact with foreign people, also I must read more books or magazines, check out the lyrics of my favorite songs and be aware of the words I do not know in movies or tv series.

I’m always using my english to interact with people, although is a low interact, I'm always thinking in english. For example, one of the activities I like to do the most is playing online video games. In these cases, when the online server is hosted like in North America or Europe you know that the main language is english. In order to achieve goals and make things happen, you must be aware and have the skill to communicate with others using the language.

So, even playing video games it’s a fine way to practice your english, you guys, go and play some Overwatch or Starcraft. See you there!

Entry N°9 - Changes to my study programme

This is surely one of an interesting topic to write about. I think the University of Chile has one of the most successful and iconic schools of journalism here in this country. The Communications and Image Institute (or ICEI in spanish) is a place where you can learn some useful skills, not only in terms of mere journalism, but also in terms of cinema, image culture, sociology, etc.

This career curriculum is about the new students learn about everything involving the process of creating a text, an image, an audiovisual piece, which is more than the mere fact of creating those, it’s about the critic paradigm. In that case, I think the focus of the school is appropriate, but I think 5 years is way too long and tedious in this particular case of the journalism career. I think four years is an accurate time length to finish it.

In terms of infrastructure and use of technology, I think this point is the weakness of the Institute. The ICEI needs to receive more economic resources in order to supply the students with cameras, tripods, sound equipment, etc. And also, which maybe is more relevant than the point before, is the recondition of key rooms of the Institute, which are: The television studio, the radio studio and the library. That should be the main focus of those non-existent/short limited economic resources.

To finish, I think the Institute should re-evaluate their hiring policy. In some cases, some teachers don’t have the proper approach to make the students learn and apply the knowledge. This is bigger and more important when you think about the audiovisual subjects, which are more practice than theory. Teachers must know how to apply their knowledge to students and at the same time, considerate the nature of his/her class.

That’s a lot of stuff to change honestly. I hope our Institute will get better and better in the future, regarding of the University’s economic distribution policy. 

Entry N°8 - Summer plans!

Sweet, sweet summer. I can imagine in my head those sunny evenings drinking beer at the pool with a bunch of friends, those warm nights walking through the city. Yup, summer is great; weather makes me happy, even if we are having like 40°C of temperature.

Unfortunately this time I have to accomplish my practice period, at least from january until march. I have to work. It's quite sad, but in other way, I pretend to learn as much as possible in this first journalism work approach. I hope to get a job in radio broadcasting or be part of an advertising agency. I think both jobs will give me some nice experience in terms of learning teamwork and how the business moves in and out. 

Nevertheless, and as I’m planning to work in Santiago, I have some possibilities to make a short trip here nearby. Maybe go camping to Cerro La Campana, some kilometers towards north of Santiago seems to be a fine plan to escape, at least for 2 o 3 days, of the city and job stress. I’m a big fan of camping, I have my own kitchenette, my pots, my tent, everything. I think go camping make people go back to the origin. Like gather wood for the fireplace, learn the value of fresh water or distribute the food are activities which we don’t do everyday sitting in our comfortable sofas and beds.  Go camping is like an alternative way of life.

Anyway, not everything in life must be work and journalism and make money, isn’t?  Even if you have to work this summer, it is imperative that you must run out the city in some point.

Have fun and learn things this summer!