english language challenges

Hi everyone! This is the last blog of the semester. Topic today is about english itself. This language has become practically in the global language. Globalization and increasing range of the internet had contributed. So, english is such a language that most of people know, at least as a basic vocabulary and pronunciation. Although I believe this as an effect of cultural homogenization, I also conceive this, positively, like an instrument for make communication easier, between people from other countries. English is, comparing with other languages, easy to learn. Do not involve so many conjugation like spanish and french. Pronunciation is practicable.
Chilean education favour english learning. English classes are introduced at very early ages, and also there are a lot of resources at the internet, available for children. I start with English classes in second grade in school. Since that moment I always use english for stuff like translate a song, or similar things. Now is has become necessary for translate articles and chapters of books, and also at work. Sometimes comes an foreigner couple and the easier way to communicate is through english. In University I have taken two english courses. The strenght of these courses is the blogging part. It allows to you to improve your writting skills and also develop more vocabulary. I think, however, is necessary to introduce more interacting spaces, when oral skills get improved, and also students be prepared for communication in situ, and also other current situation in profesional field, like a conference, a congress, or and exhibition. Oral skills must be strengthen as like writting habilities. 

Changes to the anthropology study programme

Hi. Today the topic is a little more serious. It is about the study programme of our careers, in my case anthropology, or archaeology more specifically. Each university offer a delineated study programme. Different kinds of orientation. University of Chile is one of the few that contains the career of archaeology in this country, although as a speciality of a bigger one (anthropology). This situation is very important, and relates with above because in this faculty see archaeology from the american perspective, and hence adopt this study scheme. Like a pair of recognized anthropologist said once "american archaeology is anthropology or it is nothing" (Willey and Phillips, 1958:2). So, archaeology here seems to have such perspective what value the human customes and their collective imagination. I think all that is correct. Like archaeologits, we can not forget cultures behind material remains. But, about the specifical anthropology programme of University of Chile, I consider necessary extend the variety of micro specializations. Archaeology is esentially an interdisciplinary career. Make links with architecture, astronomy, biology, chemistry, linguistics, religion and exisnting discipline, since we are talking about human being living in society and inside of an ecosystem full of living forms that  related with them, actively or passively. So, we could have an archaeology of lanscape, architectural archaeology, archaeoastronomy (fortunately already included in anthropology programme), religious archaeology, between many others. Of course, many of these specializations are shared with anthropology itself (like linguistic anthropology, again, not included in study programme). The problem is, scarce diffusion of all social careers inside the country, leading to stretch study programmes. Promote diffusion of these careers is the only way for make solid study programmes. Now, with the iniciative to open a TV channel of University of Chile, there is hope for social sciences to gained attention. 

Summer Holidays

Well, well. There´s a lot of places I want to know. Especially places in which developed ancient civilizations, like Egypt, Greece, India and China. And of course, the Pacific islands that I mentioned a few weeks ago. But thinking in holidays, getting some rest of an entire year studying and also working, and staying in a paradisiacal place, Thailand is the place that comes direct to my mind. 

Nice, is it? Thailand is the dreamed place for some people for they honeymoon. Cottages with view to the sea and the rainforest behind of you. But that´s not all. On beaches it arise huge pillars of rock that seems belong to an ancient mountainous cord, and gives to the landscape some air of mysterious and magnificence. 

Some things that you can do there is visit temples. Temples are an icon of this country, and most of all, from the buddhism. . I think temples are such an excellent location for learn about this beautiful culture and people. Also is a place with people from other countries congregated and shared practices or at least, the interest about all that. Markets are also a good choice for knowing people and contemplate closer customs and the everyday of these people. So, some very recommended places are Bangkok and their numerous temples, like Wat Phra Sri San Phet and Wat Phra Ram, royal temples located at Grand Palace, or Chiang Mai, other turist city. I leave you a link :

http://www.turismotailandes.com/

Okay, there is another reason. Camboya is the country next to Thailand, and these are the ruins of Angkor Wat, the most huge buddhist temple. A phenomenal masterpiece, Angkor War had conserved until these days almost completely. If you go there some day, Thailand or Cambodia, make sure of visit Angkor Wat. 

Cartoons for young adults?

Have you seen cartoons nowadays? It seems that some cartoons hide more things that you expected. This is the new generation of cartoons, made for young people (around fifteen to twenty five or even more) whose background can be about conspiracy or expand our universe with the insertion of extraterrestial characters. Gravity Falls, for example. Sure some of you know it. It begin in a calm town of Oregon where a couple of twins (Mabel and Dipper) go for spend the summer with their great uncle Stan. The first day all passes normally, until Dipper is send to the forest by his uncle and finds a very strange book, that results to be a journal of a unknow person that contains very creepy and exciting information about the town. After that, everything  change. Monster of all types and forms, conspiracies and secret codes abound in each episode, leading to the most epic final: a confrontation with a deity of destruction. 

Another exciting serie is Steven Universe. Steven is a normal teenager who lives with no less than alien people, called gems. These gems are Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl, living forms that came from other planet (Homeworld) and remained for thousands of years on the Earth, with the purpose of protect the world from an alien invasion, hatched by gems of outer space (with intention of colonizing). Steven will join to the mision of protect the Earth, form part of the Cristal Gems, and on the way he will discover many things about his past and about his mother, Rose Quartz, leader of the rebellion against Homeworld. 

Perspectives about cartoons and everything change radically since childhood to adulthood. Things that we not understand before can be now completely deciphered. Although, in some cartoons like these two we can see elements that not belong to animated cartoons for kids. This means that animation opened to a new public. A public that enjoys cartoons but also gets intrigued by exciting stories destinaded to all ages. 

Post studies!

Hi! The topic this week is about post studies. Is such a theme that always interest us since high school. In this moment of my life, all I want to do is finish my career. I think that first, is very important speak more than two idioms. If I'm going to travel to India, for example, its essential communicate with the language that they use. In that country and elsewhere. So, within my post studies I give importance to language courses. The most I can, considering the situation in which I'll be. Oh, with languages I mean dead languages too! If like an archaeologist I want to understand people and cultures from the past, I should have knowledge about linguistics. Maybe a course of that It would not be so bad. I want to make these courses hopefully in the same countries, which can contribute to me in submerge inside all the richness of that culture in specific.

Also, in the purpose of accumulate knowledge of all type, I'm thinking in doing astronomy and climatology courses. Well, these are subjects that I like pretty much, and it can help me for the framework or line of investigation that I want to develop.

I always will prefer doing a course in person, so I would search for some courses in part time modality. But also online courses with interesting subjects offer good chances for money and time, making accessible for all. So I consider both options. 

My future job

Hi everyone. Today the topic is about my future job. The way that I chose was the archaeology one, and as you know is a totally outsider job! The fieldwork is one of the most important elements of the archaeology. Although there is some indoor work too. Revision of bibliography, documents and previos papers from other researchers, and the subsequent recopilation of all the information after the prospecting, excavations and interviews with the groups under study. So is a mix of both. But I have to admit that the outider part is my favorite, and what I feel most passionate. Also is a job of too much traveling. Depends on your area of study, but in my case I actually want to know at least a little bit of all cultures in the five continents. Well, maybe not all the cultures in the world. That´s could be hard to reach. 

In relation to the speciality of my career, well, in fact archaeology is already a speciality, inside the general career of anthropology. But, if I going more deep in the matter, my interests going to the archaeoastronomy, a subdiscipline that emerged in the last century, but pretty incipiently, and now has become stronger thanks to the increasing interdisciplinary fieldwork. So, in this way my plan is to take some courses of astronomy, and also of climatology, which can give me a better preparation. I took a free course of astronomy, offered by Eduabierta, a online platform created by the University of Chile, called "Acercándonos a las Estrellas", and I learned too much there. Of course is just the beginning. 

And finally, the million dollar question. The salary. Well, the pay is not so bad. While I can live with all the things that I need its fine enough.  

Archaeology

Hi everyone! The topic this week is about careers. Mine is archaeology. Here in the University of Chile first we enter in a general course of anthropology. After two years we choose one of three mentions available: social anthropology, physical anthropology and archaeology. But, I must to say that in high school I was very confused. Many ideas went through my mind. Firstly I was interested on astronomy. I still love astronomy, but I think that formulas and calculation wasn´t of my complete liking. Astronomy in theory is just so beautiful, but if you want to study a career you must feel comfortable with all the things that career carry on. Medical technology was another option. At sixteen years old I choose biological asignatures (called electives), thinking in this careers as a good choice for me. In that moment archaeology and psychology capture my attention too. Then I realized that medical technology neither was something on which I feel passionate for it. So I had this two options in my hand. Truly I didn´t have much knowledge about archaeology. However, I considered archaeology like a very exciting career. Something capable to give me a huge amount of knowledge of all tipe. A outsider discipline that allows me to travel and meet cultures so different to ours. I thought that archaeology workfield was not so developed in this country. And in part that´s true. At the other hand, I usually am a very observat person. Sense people is something that I´m good at. It was a very difficult choice, but finally I tend toward archaeology. And I´m so happy for that decision. I´m going to be honest. The first year of university I had some doubts. But during the second year, I was so sure. And now I´m completely motivated. Actually I already have a theme on which I want to get on.