My beloved Greece

Since I was a child, my dream was to know Greece. At school I learned about its history and traditions, and I was amazed. Greece is the birthplace of democracy, philosophy, theater, literature and the study of history, politics, mathematics and science. I fell in love with its culture. I want to know the Partenón, the Acrópolis an all its architectural wonders. I want to discover the secrets of this country.

I feel very atracted about this civilization, ‘cause is exotic and very different from mine. So, I would like to learn everything about it; even its language, despite how difficult it is.

My blogging experience

Now, I really hate this "blogging experience". Honestly, I´m very happy that this is over. I´m tired and just want vacations, sleep and have fun. But is normal finishing the term, isn´t?

I love to read blogs and to write in them (I´ve a couple of personal blogs, too), and at the beginning I most to admit that writting in "My Secret Little Thing" was very funny. Even, my blog was published in an article of the "Citizen Almeyda", my favorite "journalistic" site, after my review. I was motivated, I got good grades... But not any more.

I think the main reason that I dislike it is because it don´t helped me to improve my english. If at the beggining of the semester, in my first task, I wrote "withouth a dictionary, I´m nothing", I still being that. I think that the differences they had in the beginning have remained, that is to say: those who knew english previously, know the same and those who didn´t know anything, yet don´t learn.

Every time we demanded more and more, in grammar and in number of words posted, wich wasn´t consistent with our progress (especially in my case). I still writting like before, with the same mistakes, but don´t get the same grades. Moreover, most of the time, the mandatory topics were borings. I dislike to write too structured, so I think we should have given more freedom in the posts. To be talking about our careers week after week quite tired. We´re more than future journalists, we´re persons and, above all, we´re young.

Despite that, I beleive that blogging in a english class is newfangled and beneficial; is more motivating than have tests every weeks. It´s an oportunity to use tecnology in service to learning. I think that was a great initiative that, like almost everything in life, can ve improved.

Do schools kill creativity?

I didn´t understand a word of Ken Robinson´s speech, but I disagree with the idea that schools kill creativity. The opposite, I think education give us founds to understand our society, and knowment that is very important to have developed in the world. Now, creativity don´t disappears whit school knowment. It even could be increased. To read extends our horizons, and also our creativity. There´re so many things that never would have gone through our heads until we find the right book.

Chronicle & Interview

My favorite subject of this very boring term is "chronicle and interview". It`s teached by Juan Pablo Cárdenas, National Prize of Journalism and also a great teacher. He always prepare the classes, and give us examples of good and bad works.

In my life, I´ve just a couple of certains. One of them is that I love to write, and I want to do it forever. Writing is what I like the most about my career. That´s the principal reason what this subject is my favorite.

In this class I´ve learned how to make chronicles and interviews, and their different tipes. I really like to make interviews, although I´m not very good making it. The best of all is the chance to meet different people and their life stories. But my favorites are the chronicles. The chronicles are a hybrid genre, a mix of journalism and literature, but what is tells is real. "A trial story of a fact", would say Juan Pablo Cárdenas in class. The chronicles give us the chance of creating a new world of words.

Independence, now!

In five years I´ll 25 years old. It´s no so long. When we grow, time goes faster. So, over five years is almost like a month. First, I hope to have finished studying journalism. And I would be studying something else, like a magister or a second career. I would to keep busy.

I hope to have a job. Being realistic, not necessarily a good one: I only ask for a job to pay my college credit. Obviously, I´ve dreams. I would like to write a chronicles book. Yes, among other crazy things, I want to be a writer. Or work in a magazine or in a independent journal, but always writing.

My principal proyect is to be independent and have my own aparment. Hopefully, and just if my relationship is going well (like now), I would like to live with my boyfriend, Cristóbal. It´s would be a huge but natural step, because we´re together since 4 years ago. I love Santiago, so it´s specifically here where I want to live, maybe in Ñuñoa, San Miguel or Santiago Center. And I want to have a Beagle dog (:

In five years from now, I don´t see myself with childrens. I want a couple of them, a girl called Amparo and a boy called Gustavo, but just after studying.

I wish to live and work in Chile. I think is here more than in Europe or in the USA where we need good professionals and good journalists. I would like to travel, of course, but not stay away forever.

The princess

Half of my life I wanted to be an actress. So, I grew up admiring actors and actress, directors and playwrights. Journalism came later, and I haven´t any references. However, in this task I´m going to talk about a smart journalist which realize the childhood dream of all women: get married with a prince. I´m talking about the best of all, the master Letizia Ortiz.

Letizia is of humble origins, and had a life as any of us, the "commoners". She studied information sciences at the Universidad Complutense of Madrid, and started to collaborate to ABC Journal and the EFE agency, specializing in the international politics area (which is one of my favorites, too). Also, she has a successful career in TV. She was a news presenter in CNN channel, EFE TV and TVE news, and she has been sent to different points around the world to cover current events, like the attack to the Twin Towers and the invasion of Irak.

She´s an example of the virtues of journalism; the chance to travel and know the most amazing places on the world, living and reporting historical moments.

Letizia met the hadnsome Prince Felipe of Asturias at a working dinner on 2002. They fell in love and got married two years later. Now they have two childrens and they´re a very happy couple.

I think Letizia is the best because she became a princess! Moreover, she´s so glamorous, she has the most cute husband ever, and she could work hard in her passion, the journalism, to now have a dreaming life.

Me, a journalist

To be honest, the last year I was more excited than now with my "journalistic future". I`m in second year of the carrer and I really love journalism, but I still don`t know what subject I like the most, and that makes me feel a little insecure. I´ve some dilemmas: write or to do something else, like radio, for example; work in a established newspaper or fight for press freedom; and try to earn some money and work on anything or do what I like.

I´m studying journalism because one day, two years ago, I woke up and I thought "why not?". My second (and last one) PSU aproached, and I was hysterical. Then, I remembered that when I was a teenager, I wanted to be a journalist. My parents and many of my friends supported my decision, and I was happy when I came to study. Moreover, study at the Universidad de Chile always was my dream.

What I like the most about my career is the posibility of communicating concepts an ideas. I really believe that language can change and improve the society, and that´s a mission, mainly, of the journalists. I think a good journalist most be creative and commited with true, and don´t give up to it for nothing.

The famous mag cover

I´m not such a rock fan. I must confess that I really don´t know so much about The Beatles music and history. But this picture absolutly impresses me, independently of the fact of which the photographed ones are John Lennon and Yoko Ono, the famous and polemic couple.

The picture was taken for Annie Leibovitz in december of 1980; little before Lennon´s murder. It illustrated the front of the "Rolling Stone" magazine a year later, and it was recently chosen like the best mag cover in 40 years.

It shows the embrace between the naked body of John Lennon, in foetal position, and his adored Yoko Ono, that didn´t want to take her clothes. This disapointed a little bit to the photographer, who equally took the photo and inmediatly discovered the beauty in it.

It was a very strong image, fills of feelings, devotion, and a deep, deep love -I would dare to say thath of him towards her-. That´s the reason that I like it so much: It´s more than just a picture, say a lot of things and transmits many feelings, especially about what love is and isn´t.

The Citizen Almeida

When I tought about a "news site" for this task, immediately an "ugh!" went out of my mouth. I really hate the duapoly of the press, it`s makes me so angry. Because of that, I almost never read newspapers and rather alternative medias, like "El Ciudadano". But, after that sensation, I remembered something that changes everything. ¡The Citizen Almeida!

I discovered this blog approximately one month ago, incredibly, between LUN's pages. It`s the only "journalistic" thing that I always read, because it`s absolutely great.

His principal author is Andrés Almeida. He´s very ironic and critical, and I love his style of writing. Is very funny, also. The blog is very political, and it contains, mainly, chronicles and columns of opinion, besides acid comments about articles published in the official press.

The Citizen Almeida is defined as the first "daily magazine" of the country, so every day appears new articles. I try to read everything, every day, but is impossible! Equally, I read the majority of them, and check the blog several times a week.

It keeps me informed of everything what happens, not only what "El Mercurio" and "La Tercera" wants to say. That`s the principal reason that I love it.

I recommend to all of you reading the Citizen Almeida, to learn, laugh, and to spend a good moment.

My life without it

Mi favorite piece of tecnology is, definitly, the mp3 player. I really love music, It`s a great company, specially for long trips (from my house to the university, for example). Mi mp3 player was 1 GB of extensible memory, and 512 MB of capacity. That means hours and hours of music, and almost 300 songs. But, yes, was.

I changed my mp3 for a cell phone that includes an mp3 player: a cute Sony Ericcson Walkman. It was my Christmas present and I loved it. I hasn't realized how important it was in mi life since it was stolen from me. It was a terrible March night, and when I realized, it wasn't there, I cried a lot, like a baby.

I really miss it. Now my trips are silent and so boring, and they seem to be so much longer. I`ve a new cell phone, but it`s too old and it can`t reproduce music: just take pictures and make calls. And my forgotten and old mp3 player has a virus! It doesn`t react. So I have to throw it away...

Without music I can`t live! So I will collect (a lot of...) money to buy myself a new one, now with 2 GB of capacity. And I will be happy again, I promise!