Post 8: English language challenges

 

My experience about learning English at the university has not been so positive. This is because I feel that even though the professors who give classes have a high knowledge of the language and a vocation for teaching, the heavy academic load of the other subjects prevents me from concentrating on studying and making the most of the English classes. Regarding the use of blogs, I feel that they are a good tool to research on different topics and make use of words that in more everyday contexts we would not use, but, I feel that since they are weekly, they often generate a constant concern in weeks overloaded with tests of other subjects. About the aspects of my English that I must improve, are those related to the oral use of this and the fluency of speech of the language, this because it is difficult for me to maintain a long conversation in this language. I plan to solve this through practice with the help of people who are willing to converse with me in English, as well as singing songs in English to improve my pronunciation, but, most importantly, to put aside the embarrassment I feel when speaking in another language that is not my native one. Finally, I believe that the use of the language in my daily life is constant, because for example I have to read documents in English for several subjects at the university, I also use it to understand songs that I like that are written in English and finally, it helps me a lot to understand instructions that do not have translation or ingredients of food products that do not have translation either

Post 7: Changes to my study programme

 

In general, I believe that the sociology curriculum is a good one, as it includes a wide range of subjects, especially in the specialization period. However, I believe that the focus of the course should shift from the theoretical to the social, since the sociologist's training at university should be centered on the contribution that the professional can make to the community and to the problems that most afflict it. Although theoretical training is fundamental for the design of social intervention programs, this should not be the priority in university training. Another modification I would make would be to provide more study spaces in good conditions, since I consider that the existing spaces are very limited and force students to occupy places belonging to other faculties. I would also encourage the purchase of more technological inputs that support the analysis of quantitative data, such as computers that better execute the programs required for these purposes, such as Rstudio. Finally, regarding teaching methods, I think that in general the professors who teach in the career have many teaching skills, because they handle a lot of content, study tools and knowledge of the field, but it would be good to integrate into their tools opportunities to do more field work as these would connect us with the social reality, thus leaving the theory presented in books.

Post 6: Time travel to the future

 

In the future, I would like to travel to Uruguay, because I think it is a country that has many beautiful landscapes and a rich culture because it is considered a multicultural country. Regarding the former, Uruguay is formed by diverse landscapes that are characterized by having a lot of vegetation and by having the presence of many species of animals native to the country, such as the Capybaras and the northern albatross. On the other hand, with respect to its rich culture, it can be affirmed that because Uruguay is a country conformed mostly by immigrants, the national culture is quite heterogeneous, in short, the Creole traditions, Afro-Uruguayan and to the uses and customs of European immigrants consolidated the particular cultural patrimony of the country. I plan to visit the mentioned country when I finish my university studies, since I plan to take some time to visit different countries and at the same time work to pay for my trips. On the other hand, I think that I would not stay permanently in Uruguay, because it is a country with a high cost of living, this means that goods and services have a high monetary value. In spite of this, I would like to stay there for a more or less long time, since my purpose is to get to know the culture in depth and not just live a tourist experience.

 

 

Post 5: My future job

 

The type of job I would like to have is one that is related to the area of social intervention, either from the private or public sphere, although I would like to work more in the latter. For me the work of social intervention must be done in a context of constant contact with the population to intervene so I think it is essential to settle for medium or long periods in the same physical space. In spite of this, I would like to have a job that allows me to visit different communities and get to know different cultures, for long stays. Regarding the salary, I would like it to be high enough to be able to afford an apartment, basic services, recreational activities and financial support for my family; ostentatious material possessions are not really important to me. In order to achieve all of the above, I think it is important to specialize in social intervention and development of social projects, in addition to a deepening in the area of intervention that most interests me, which is related to environmental issues, specifically those related to socio-environmental conflicts, which I believe are very important to solve, given the seriousness of the consequences they entail, especially in a context of climate crisis that we are currently going through.

Post 4: How the pandemic have affected my studies

 

The pandemic affected my studies in different ways, some positive and some negative. At the beginning of the pandemic, I began to feel comfortable with the online mode of the university, since I had more time to study because I no longer had to make a two-hour trip to and from the university and also I no longer had the possibility of going out with my friends, my boyfriend or partying on campus, situations that took me a lot of time. But as time went by, I felt bored in class because I didn't have the possibility to discuss with them the contents of the classes or the university life itself, and I didn't have the possibility to enjoy the youthful atmosphere. The latter led me to lose my motivation to study since I considered that there was no point in having classes in front of a screen all day. But I was lucky that this did not affect my grades, I even had a better performance in pandemia, since I studied more and I could watch the recorded classes more than once. In conclusion, I feel that pandemic affected my studies in many ways, but I definitely prefer face-to-face classes and physical contact with my classmates.

Post 3: Music

 

My favorite kind of music is Argentinean rock, especially from the 90's. My favorite musician is Kevin Johansen. My favorite musician is Kevin Johansen which is a singer of Argentine and American origin, who rose to fame in 99. Precisely my favorite song is performed by this singer and is entitled "Fin de fiesta" which is part of an album titled "Vivo en Buenos Aires" album that was released in 2010. I like the song "Fin de fiesta" because it makes me feel different emotions, on the one hand, I feel very happy, it transmits tranquility and hope for the future but, on the other hand, the song makes me feel a little melancholic and sad. In the current lack of face-to-face shows due to the pandemic, during 2020, Kevin embarks on a virtual world tour with 4 different dates. The most relevant event in the musician's life is that he won several important Argentine music awards. 

Post 2: The best holidays ever

At the end of September 2019 with my mom, we went on vacation to Cuba. For two weeks, we had the opportunity to visit different places, mainly located in the city of Varadero and Havana. In Havana we visited the historical architecture of the country which is a legacy of the colonial period. We also went to different restaurants where we tasted different dishes, which were very tasty as they were mainly composed of beans. In Varadero, we spent a lot of time at the beach where we swam, bought handicrafts and interacted with different people living by the sea. There, we also spent a lot of time enjoying the facilities of the hotel where we stayed, we swam in the pool, drank different drinks, ate a variety of foods and watched many shows. This vacation was the best because I was able to enjoy quality time with my mom, time that allowed us to get close and get to know each other in many different ways. Another reason why this is my favorite vacation is because Cuba is a country with an interesting history and the way of life of the inhabitants is very different from the way of life of people living in capitalist countries. 

Thank you very much for reading!