Blog Review

Hello Simon!
Okey, first I think it was a useful learning experience. You tried to give us the opportunity to practice both the writing and understanding what a text says, and then applying it and trying to explain it with our own words. I think it was well balanced, but it was too early in the morning to appreciate it.
About the blog, first it was a little annoying that everytime I refreshed the page the music started again. When I had to write more than one blog and had to change pages, it started to drive me a little crazy. It was nice the first few listenings though. I also think that it is a good tool, as everyone can go at their own pacing, if someone has more trouble, they can ask you and finish it later if they need more time.
I enjoyed reading your blog, your childhood at Whales was so interesting, your big family, the landscapes, it was all delightful to read. I liked the posts that made us remember certain aspects of our lives, and I realized how much I don't like to be outside. I think those posts were the most difficult to write.

A Toy

Hello!

I'm not sure if I have that memorable toys. I had lots of plush toys, but I didn't play with them, I prefered dolls as a child. I remember a purple bunny that my mom gave me, she said it was a gift from one of her boyfriends when she was younger. I also loved playing with teacups, there are videos of me drinking tea with my dad. Now I have prettier and fancier tableware, I bought a little table cloth to drink tea with my mom, but I've never used it. 

I think one of the most significant toys I had was a doll, one of those babies that have those weird eyes I think, but they were not broken so it wasn't creepy. At the time my mom was expecting my younger brother, and they were discussing names. My dad wanted to name him Marcos after him, and my mom thought it was awful. They were talking about it and I hear my mother say Martin, and I named the doll after him. I started to talk to my mother's belly and call him Martin, so they couldn't change his name anymore. 

A Phone App

Hello!
Today's topic are phone apps.  I use many of them, pinterest when I want to save an idea for later, Yummly for recipes, Duolingo for when I'm bored. 
But mostly I like useful apps that help your organize certain things or aspects of your life.
I like money tracker apps, to know how much you're spending and what for. I personally use Monefy, I wanted something simple, and wanted one where I could change the currency without having to pay for the upgrade of the app. 
There are some other apps that invented new ways to avoid repetitive tasks, or to help you find someone to do them for you, when you do not have time or the tools to do them yourself, such as uber and cornershop, I think cornershop is one of my favourites. As I don't have a car, and sometimes have to buy groceries for the whole month, it comes in handy. They also bring your things in reusable bag, which is great, as they are starting to ban plastic ones here in Chile.

Something I like to do outside

Hello!
I don't think it's necessary to repeat it at this point, but given this week's subject I will. I DO NOT LIKE BEING OUTSIDE! I would say it's because of the weather, but it's not really an excuse, as I saw in Germany that "There's no bad weather, only wrong clothing". I think it's a cultural thing, when it's snowing they put something on and go outside to see how beautiful it looks. Here in the south, it rains, we get inside fry something, empanadas, churrascos, calcones rotos, sopaipillas, whatever, sit in the kitchen (as it's the only place that's not freezing) and gain weight all through winter.

In the Summer in my grandparents house, I do enjoy going outside and go berry picking. Raspberries, blackberries and if go up the hill I can find apples and other fruits, we can keep walking for a long time, but I don't really like doing it, unless I'm in a group and they make me. We go up till the end of the world and see the same place as we do every summer, to see how beautiful it looks, but it's pretty much the same to me (except for a HUGE tree that had to be cut a few year ago, as they didn't know where it was going to fall)
Maybe in a few years I will appreciate it more, I think I'm starting to.

A Birthday or a Celebration

Hello!

I remember that when I was about to turn 15, I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to celebrate it. I told my mom and she said “You are my only daughter, I will celebrate your 15th Birthday with or without you”. And I asked her “But who am I going to invite?” “How many students are in your class? There you have 60 guests.” And that was the end of the discussion.

It was also the beginning of the year, my birthday was in April so my party was going to be the first, and all the others were going to celebrate in a group (like, 3 friends that were born in July, for example) and I was going to do it alone. Teenager drama.

It was one of those big stupid parties, that are like a small wedding. The invitations had confeti inside them, we rented a place, ordered a cake shaped like a music box with a porcelain ballerina, all decoration combined with my dress (one we had ordered online and arrived one week later, but that’s another story). I think I had never felt so spoiled!

It was fun though, weird, but fun.

A Television Programme I Enjoyed

Hello!

One of the television shows I really enjoyed as a child was The Rugrats, in case you don’t remember it, it was about a group of toddlers between one and three years old.

My mom also remembers it fondly. She thinks it really shows the way babies and little kids think.

One of my favorite characters was Angelica, she was selfish and spoiled, and kind of mean, but I related to her and I think I still do. She was just so fun to watch. I also loved Kimi, Chukie’s stepsister, she was so sweet, and I loved to watch how that family found new members and rebuilded itself.

I remember one chapter when they moved to a different house, and one of the kids could'nt find his room and they had the idea to "fall asleep", because everytime they slept somewhere it wasn't their room, they would magically wake up in their bed.

I also remember an episode when Dil, Tommy’s little brother wanted to learn how to stand, and it showed Tommy’s first steps. It was a heartwarming.

Everything about the show is nostalgic, I loved the way it portrayed family, single parents, remarrying and growing up.

Now I want to rewatch it.

A Special Place

Hello!

I have been lucky enough to have traveled quite a lot, I think my favourite memories could appear as the most superficial. Like the first time I visited the Warner Bros Studios for the Harry Potter Studio Tour. You could just breath the magic, and also dissapointment while seeing the fourth wall break and reveal it's tricks.

I find it quite hard to try to think of a special place like the one described by the teacher. I don’t remember feeling at peace somewhere in particular. Now that I think about it,b I really love staying in bed, not necessarily my own, but one where it’s quiet and no one disturbs me.  I love sleeping with the pair of thick curtains open, waking up with the light and beeing able to stay in bed as long as I want, with the light coming through the “thinner” curtains. 

I really love the south of Chile, and snowy landscapes, wherever they are. But I don’t like being cold, or wet. I enjoy looking at them through a window, it’s just as beautiful as being outside, and even better, as I’m not outside. I also don’t like dark places, or small places, they make me quite uncomfortable. 

I think there are places where you can just stand there, and as you breath, and take as much air as you can,. You feel complete, filled with something that is more tan just air, and you don’t know how to really describe it, but it makes you want to cry, it makes you feel like home,. But not physical home but as you were supposed to be there and stay that way forever. You know that feeling?

A Piece of Technology

Hello!

Today’s topic is technology and the piece I chose is also the mobile phone. With the arrival of smartphones, they became even more versatile. Now you can have access to many features that are usually found in different devices. It’s size is also a big advantage of smartphones, you can carry them with you almost anywhere, there are also different sizes for you to choose from.

The invention of Apps has managed to simplify everyday tasks, create new jobs and solutions to problems we didn’t know we had. Borders have been opened to creativity and networking.

One negative aspect could be that these objects create artificial necessities. Suddenly you need wifi at all times, you have to carry a charger or an extra battery. People expect to be able to contact you at all times, and if you’re not reachable it’s your fault and have to look for a solution.

The other obvious disadvantage is addiction. I remember that everytime something happened to my phone and couldn´t use it for a few days I felt anxious or bored at first, but then it gave me a sense of relief, one that I would forget the moment I got my phone back. Once I put a set of rules, as not looking at it while walking and when riding public transportation. It didn’t last long, but I don’t need them as much either. I used to feel like I had a magnet connected to my eyes and it hurt/annoyed to take my look of my phone.

Hobbies

The hobby I’ve had for the longest time has always been dancing. I started out with ballet when I was about to turn 5 years old. My mom took me because she always wanted to dance herself, she did take some classes when she was Little, but she never got the chance to dance on stage because she couldn’t afford the costumes.

So I began dancing at five at a little Academy in Puerto Montt, where they would sort us in different groups according to our age, with its respective uniform. As the years passed, we started taking more classes, modern, tap, pointe and Physical Conditioning. Each year we would have exams in October, with teachers coming from Santiago to take them. After that we would start preparing our final presentation. We would dance in December at the Diego Rivera Theatre, it was rather small, but nowadays it has improved a lot. There are no longer bats behind the stage and the rats are gone from the changing rooms!

After I left Puerto Montt in 2013, I kept on dancing in different studios. I was two years in Viña, taking a few classes a week, but nothing compared to what I did before. As I started studying in Santiago I started with classes each Saturday, then moved on to 3 times per week and ended first year in January with one class daily. Now I’m dancing as much as I can, without compromising my studies and other responsabilities. Its all really about balance.

Free Post

Ok! So given the strike I’m currently in Puerto Montt in my grandparents house, in a place called Coihuin. I had my planetickets before knowing about the “paralización”, so it also saved me from skipping clases.

I got picked up by my aunt, and as we were going around the city I could notice a differences from what I remembered. They are building a new addition to the mall and I wish I could erase it from my memory. They kind of did some improvings on the road to Pelluco, there’s more space now for the cars and pedestrians as well.

I didn’t get to see everything, as I arrived at night, and tomorrow my brother will come and we will travel to Chiloé to finally see my father, as he is currently working in Castro. I hope the weather will join us, or not, I don’t really mind staying in, I’m just looking forward to eating Lamb, and maybe a curanto.

Holidays

Holidays were always important for my family, my parents worked a lot and we didn’t get to see them very often. So they would always say that the only time we had to together as a family without any distractions was to go on holiday somewhere we wouldn’t get signal. It was way easier in the 2000’s.

Sometimes we would go to Hornopirén, a town in the south of Chile. To get there, we would go by car by the Carretera Austral, until we hit Caleta La Arena. There we would wait for a ferry that would cross the ocean to the other side. The time we had to wait depended, sometimes we would see as we missed the ferry. It could also be a large queue of cars, and sometimes we would have to wait until the tide rised again. (One time on another trip, Cochamó I think, we couldn’t go back to Puerto Montt because the tide was too low. We ended up gathering and picking up shellfish for a few hours.)

As we waited for the ferry we would eat empanadas in “Donde la Pola”. I think it’s the oldest of the Little stores they have there. Now it’s full of them, but we remain faithful to Pola.

First Concert

Actually, the first time I went to a concert was Lollapalooza, which was technically a festival. One of my favourite bands had come a couple of years ago too, but I said to myself that I wouldn’t pay all that money to just see one band. I remember thinking, that if Florence and the Machine ever came and also Of Monsters and Men, then I would go. I put it in complete idealization, thinkig it would never happen.

As the years passed, I didn’t really got to know new music, and my favourite groups stayed the same. Then in 2016, the same year I moved to Santiago to study, both of them were coming. I knew I wouldn’t have the same opportunity twice. I asked my mom for half the ticket and payed the rest with money I had saved from a school event I had worked for.

I remember lots of Friends being there too, but I preferred being on my own. It was such a immersive experience and I felt as it was me, the artists, and the mass of people. I felt as bringing another person would distract from that.

Family Reunions

              I don’t think I have many memorable family celebrations, I mean, not as big as the ones describe don the teachers blog. But thinking about it, it’s quite different the way we celebrate with the different sides of my family.

My father, even though he was born in Santiago, he was only there for a couple days I think, he grew in the South of Chile and always lived in small towns. I grew up in the south too, and in the long weekends it’s typical for us to celebrate with a Lamb or curanto. I didn’t like it as a child, because even the chicken tasted like seafood, but now I do enjoy it. My favourite have always been the milcaos, chapaleles are not as good, but I can swallow them with pebre.

Whenever we would go to Santiago and had a family reunion, we would go to my uncle’s house and have a grill. It’s a different feel, because we would be inside a condo instead of the country side.

If you ask me which one I prefer, I’m not really sure, we’ve never been into family reunions to be frank,  but, now as I have been away for a couple years, I do miss the south, and my grandparents, so I’m looking forward to the next time I see them. Without the big meal and the questions about how my life is going would be better.

Spazieren

I think the first time I really took a walk was at 17 years old while I was an Exchange student in Germany. I don’t think it’s that common here to go on walks, I mean, we can walk, but it’s usually a way of going from one place to another, and not just for the sake of walking.

Now that I think about it, I did walk up the hill at my grandparents house, but we were always going somewhere or doing something, even if it was just picking apples in the summer.

Back to Germany. I was in the north, in a Little place called Stäbchen, which meant “Little stick”. It wasn’t really a village, there were a couple of houses, not all of them inhabited, and 17 inhabitants, 18 including me. It was in the middle of nowhere, and we didn’t have that many hours of light. At 5pm it was already dark and naturally I wanted to go to sleep. Of course there were many cultural differences, as it was cold and dark, all I wanted was to stay inside. But germans would say “there’s no bad weather, only your clothes are not the right ones/not warm enough”.

So I remember one night they said we were going out, and I didn’t really get where we were going, but I had to follow them. I was quite annoyed, but I put my shoes anyway and a big jacket on, and we went. We walked to the “main Street” kind of, as there were only two of them, and then we continued till we hit the road. I was freezing, and still didn’t understand where we were going, as we had already passed the house of their family Friends. After we turned back, I asked what we were doing, and they said we were just “spazieren” which meant, taking a walk.

I couldn’t believe they had droven me out of the house for “fun”.

The Best of 2017

So in 2017 I worked really really hard on everything, and I think what I really learned or what I’m still trying to work on is trying to not to overexploit myself.

Is it posible to wake up at three? Yes it is. Can I take a bus at 5.50 am? Can I follow the strict diet my doctor gave me?  Can I cook everyday for it? Can I go to 3 dance clases per week? Can I take an extra course? Not because something is technically or physically posible means you should do it. Sooner or later it will catch up and I learnt it the hard way.

I think the best of 2017 was learning how to fit everything on my Schedule, and actually follow it. I realized how I really enjoyed what I was doing and what my priorities were. There aren’t as many hours in a day as I would want to, and I think finding the time to rest is the most difficult part.