English Language Challenges

Learning English in university has been a challenge, although I have always had an ease with languages, learning to use English in an academic point of view it’s not easy at all, mostly because all the time I have contact with English is for banal things like watching a movie or listening to music. In that line, the teaching method of writing blogs periodically has helped me to improve because it´s like talking about something increasing the difficulty of the themes that we have to write about, and without noticing it, you improve a lot.  

Nowadays, where the technologies have improved impressively and the information flow has increased exponentially, our generation, that are regulars of the social networks, there are a lot of English content flying through the cloud, I would say that the majority of internet content is in English, that’s why I think that, outside the English class, we are surrounded of many information in English, from the commercials from foreign brands to all the movies and series we see in cinemas or in the computer. Nevertheless, it’s not the same being surrounded with English content than talking, listening, reading and writing all type of things in English, there is the difficulty and that’s why it’s necessary to study and learn English.

I think my abilities to talk, read and listen in English have been improved quite a lot, although, I think I still have a lot to work on, and I am convinced that if I start reading more in English, I am going to improve much more, and that is one of my tasks for 2019!

My study program

I chose the career of journalism because the job of communicating is essential in the society we live nowadays with all the new technologies and the responsibilities that come with it. In that line, I think that, in Universidad de Chile, they put a special emphasis in how to work with an ethic focus, although, I think there are some subjects that are expendable, that leads to the idea I have that this career shouldn’t last 5 years, there are many subjects that have very little workload and could be replaced with, for example, speciality subjects, which are taken in future semesters.

From other point of view, I think that the infrastructure of the university is quite good, the libraries are in good conditions and the radio rooms are comfortable, also, the audio-visual studios I have heard that are good also, I´ve never had a class where we used those studios, so I don’t have knowledge about it. Another privilege the university has to their students it’s the possibility to borrow cameras, microphones and all the instruments necessary to record anything relevant for the exercise of the journalism job.

One thing that could be changed it’s the way to do administrative formalities, I think that in the society we live in, the use of technology should be common in all this type of procedures, in that way everything could be easier for the students, teachers and functionaries.

Pink Floyd

I consider that music is essential in my life, day after day I spend at list one hour listening and enjoying it. In the world of music I would say that my favourite artist is the British man Roger Waters, mostly for his work in Pink Floyd, band where he played until 1985. I admire his job because he marked a precedent in progressive rock, albums like “Animals”, “The Wall” and of course “The Dark Side of the Moon” are pieces of art that will be listened for all the eternity, at least by me.

I got to know his art thanks to my father, who showed it to me when I was a little boy and I immediately fell in love with his music, nowadays we keep hearing his songs and getting chills every time, nothing has changed in all this years. I chose Roger Waters over the other members of the band because he is the composer of the best songs of the band and after he left Pink Floyd it wasn’t the same at all.

I got the privilege to watch him alive in 2012 and it is one of my dearest memories.

Copa Libertadores

Last saturday  one of the most important football matches in history should have been played, the final game of the "Copa Libertadores" gave us the chance to experience one of the rivalries that paralyzes the whole country, I´m talking about the match between Boca Juniors and River Plate.

Both teams were the best of the previous phase and had to face each other in the big finale, it should have been a huge party and an unrepeatable sport game, millions of people were looking forward for this match and everyone was expecting a lifetime experience. Lamentably, when the bus that carried Boca Juniors players was intercepted by a huge mass of River Plate "fans" which attacked the bus and left it with serious damages and hurt Boca Juniors players, the match was delayed several hours until it was finally suspended 3 hours after the original schedule. 

This event, again, showed the entire world that in South America football passion can lead to serious events of violence because of a few uncivilized that are capable of hurting and even killing another human because he likes or defends the colours of another football club. 

In my personal opinion, I think that the security measures taken by the authorities were insufficient and, again, the government chose to repress everyone rather than solving the problem with awareness and education. Violence leads to more violence, and because of all the regrettable events, one of the most important matches in south American football is ruined.

Postgraduate studies

Although I think it’s too soon to start thinking about postgraduate studies that I should focus on my current responsibilities and try to fulfil them as the good student I think I am maybe having a simple notion will not be harming.

I´ve always been interested in politics, because of the tremendous influence that it has in the society´s life, and that´s why I think that, as a journalist, I have a huge responsibility.
Before deciding to study journalism, I thought that maybe Political Sciences could have been the correct decision, now, that I have been asked to think about postgraduate studies, I think that a course in Political Sciences would help to fulfil my responsibility as a journalist specialized in politics. If in that time I have the monetary resources, it will be my dream to study in other country, preferably in Europe, where the culture is more “experienced” than America and where I could learn from it and bring knowledge with me to my country in which I still have few trust that it can be changed from its roots.

Even though when I was a child I had the weird dream of becoming a politician, I am now disappointed to know the dark world of politics marked by the thirst for money and power, that´s why I chose to become a journalist that incommodes the powerful and greedy political class.

Personal Opinion

There are many theories about the natural state of human being, a lot of philosophers have studied and tried to understand and theorize what is the behavior of human species before the creation of society and civilization. Many of the phylosophers like Thomas Hobbes and Nicolás Maquiavelo think that the natural state of human being is a constant war for survival, others like John Locke think its the closest thing to paradise. A common point that all of this philosophers have is that probably, the natural state of human being has never existed. Although, if they saw what civilization is nowadays, they would be astonished to see that society has become a constant war for survivor dressed as individualism, both in a micro and macro plane, in one side, everyone cares only for himself and his/her family, and in the other side, many of the United States influenced countries look after their own country and thats it!
I think that the individualism selled as patriotism and nationalism are the source of many of the problems suffered by the world nowadays.Homophobia, xenophobia, severe economic inequality and all of the problems related to lack of empathy are implication of the individualism inculcated by the capitalist ideology. I hope society doesnt wait until its untenable to change.

As a journalism student I think of my future job as a social responsibility. The work of informing is a crucial one in my opinion. As a popular saying recite “the uninformed man, cannot have an opinion”, maybe it’s too drastic, but I am sure that informing society it’s a very important thing.

In the work of informing people I am not sure of how I am going to fulfill my responsibility, but I feel attracted to the radio because of its instantaneity to inform and because of its dynamism. In that case I will start as a reporter, travelling to the place of the news and getting interviews and authorized statements to whatever it is I am covering as a reporter.

Afterwards I fancy having an own radio program where I can comment and judge the most important events in the national and international map.

Maybe for accomplishing my dreams I have to keep studying and cultivating my knowledge so I can have a founded opinion to the most themes as possible and be a good journalist.