The BBC Learning English website

Well, today we have the class with Miss Beatriz, so the task on her blog is to visit and to explore the BBC Learning English website.

I have to say I had never visited this page before and now that I know it I like it very much. Is very interesting, entertaining an easy to use, I mean, there was no moment where I felt lost inside the website as others webs for learn English where I never know what or how to do something because I don’t understand the order or where are the options, etc., and it is very frustrating. I think is very comfortable for me know this web.

I surfed some sections of the web, I did some activities like “6 Minute English” within “General & Bussines English”, I hear and read a podcast of “The English we Speak”, where I knew new vocabulary and pronunciation (in fact this activity is within “Grammar, Vocabulary & Pronunciation” section), and I like it, was very funny. Also, I went to “Pronunciation tips” where I found many tools for improve my English.

I will recommend this website I thing I will enjoy it long time from now.

My warm last semester

When I figured out that I will finished my last semester of college in two months, I was surprised. I never thought I finish the universuty with pressure and so many things to do in a very short time!

I always thought I finish it with calm, planning my summer already graduate, traveling, and just thinking about my thesis. Now I have to organize all the rest of my activities (each one takes me many time) according to university.

This semester I have five courses with differents levels of demand. I don't like one of all them: aesthetics, as always. Well, I will do it the best I can.

Is not the first time that I'm studying at Christmas time, and no affect me for celebrate this festivities and share tie whit my family and friends.

But above all, the worst thing of studying at this time is the stifling heat of December.

The last post of the semmester

Well, this post is the last one of this curse. Finally we have to evaluate our blogging experience.

I love blogging. I always read many blogs about different topics. I try to read blogs in others languages, mainly in English, because it is a way to learn many things as vocabulary, expressions, others cultures and people. Sometimes I find information about topics that interest me only in another language.

My blogging experience was really fun. I could realize of many mistakes I made in grammar and writing and I made me aware of my writing in the process. I think it’s a way to exercising the language and above all maintain the English level. I could also share information about me and knew a little more about my teammates, because generally I don’t share much with them.

I think that this kind of activities can’t be enjoyable to all us because not all people like spend time blogging and sharing information, less in English. However, we can’t deny that is an enriching experience to practice English. I think it would be better if we do it at least twice a week, or maybe make elaborate texts about topics related with our career, we could develop skills for understand English and we would acquire more vocabulary.

I’m not sure whether to call it “disadvantage”, but for me the only think I disliked was write a text under pressure, I mean, in a given time. But this discomfort was offset by the pleasure of blogging and posting the topic of the week.

I know I’m still a beginner in English (I feel I am a beginner), therefore maybe I will make the same mistake several times writing or speaking... but I like English and I will continue trying to improve and learn more and more. Although we couldn’t finish this semester normally, I hope next semester I can enjoy blogging at English class again.

I love trips!

I love trips! Since I remember, my family and I have always travelled. We moved to many houses and we have lived in two contries, Ecuador and Chile.

As I say, I always have travelled with my family. Just once I went to Valparaiso with my best friend. In both cases I have been happy to share new experiences and one of my passions with people I love.

I know very little Chile but my trips experiences have been very nice, so I remember well all places where I have went. Mostly we travel in summer holidays for about a month, we go to differents beachs or country. Country is my favorite place.

We travelled to Ecuador last year, after ten years since we come to live in Chile. I enjoyed a lot that vacations, because I could find all things that I remembered, mostly smells and tastes. The most beautiful thing was meet again with my family and know almost all Guayaquil and other places as the coast and Quito.

I think I’ve become a person who quickly adapts to others places and environments, specially if I like it. I’ve developed the habit of changing the locations where I am every time to time, because monotony exasperate me, all things in same places bored me. I always need little changes for survive.

I have many expectations of travel much in my life. To know many countries and cultures with differents riches, languages, customs, food (something important) and arts. I think we live at an amazing world and we can take advantage of all naturals resources and differents peoples with special habilities for care the planet and share it.

Already I'm planning a great trip with my sisters and some friends, so I’m saving money for that. We want go to Londres, Canada and South Korea. Each place have something special that we love and we want to know and enjoy. Also, I want go to New Zeland where live a very special friend. I will working hard to make all this come true.

Here I share a video that I like very much about Seoul night

I believe it is possible

In the international press has said a lot about national debate of policies that are being carried out to implement Hydroaysen and protest which express public disagreement with this project. I confess I had not been dedicated to inform me well about recent events relatinated with Hidroaysen, so, I will give my opinion with the things that I know.

I think if there are differents interests, the actions of political and of environmentalist community can reach an agreement with one or various solutions, able of no affect places and native communities close to the proyect.

This proyect has been prepared for a long time to determine its execution conditions, but aparently people in charge didn’t heed complaints of differents organizations interested in environmental impact, because they have given importance to the economical part.

In my opinion, it is similar in education. It have analyzed very much the educational situation and it have proposed many solutions for get better quality in all education sectors: teachers and students quality, administration of private and state schools, municipal management, teaching learning resources, etc. They show a great disparity. But the government isn’t efficent takingthese proposal and implementing it.

Students from all over Chile are organizing to protest and get government attention on these things. Through assemblies, marches and stopping the activities of the establishments intended produce reactions that respond student interests.

These cases represent the poor relations between the government and much of Chilean society. I think the recent social movements have been part of several interrelated phenomenon. I feel they are a sign of a great social crisis that is occurring in Chile (and around the world). There is much interest in making things better, but powerful people didn't have willingness to help make everything better. I always thought that changes happen with the will and conscience of all together for a better world. And I believe it is possible.

Spring

Actually, I can’t determine which artwork is my favorite. Maybe is most confortable to me talk my favourites painters - as I’ve done –, but is hard to say that you like above all things some artwork, because you have to identify with it at all.

Anyway, I’ll talk about “Allegory of Spring” or “Spring”, painted ca. 1482 by Sandro Botticelli. I don’t consider it my favorite masterpiece but I find it a beautiful painting. I think is an interesting picture created in an interesting context. Botticelli is one of the most famous painters of the Renaissance in Italy and he did this work for the powerful Italian Medici family.

“Spring” is a representation of the humanistic culture and, I think, is above all, one of the most brilliant artworks that represent the Neoplatonism phylosophy. Neoplatonism was a revival of clasics ideas, which based in teachings of Plato and Aristotle mainly and all antique culture believer in the Unit as the source of all things, the Intelligence and Knowledge as maximum aspiration and the Soul as universal principle.

"Sping" ended with traditional catholic representation of this station of the year and everything associated with it (love, enyoiment, blossom, harvest, daintiness, grace, beauty, fertility, sensuality, etc.), because Botticelli made it as a pagan ritual with a particular style and confronting the artistic thinking in his period (S. XV).

It has been said that the picture mainly is an allegory of love. Is a representation, with natural human size, of classics characters (as gods and nymphs) with complex philosophical symbolisms, requiring a deep knowledge of Botticelli sources of classic literature and mithology, humanistic and religious atmosphere of that time for interpret it.

I like a lot how Botticelli painted details of all particular things that integrate the picture with harmony, and the level of his brush when he represent perfectly the daintiness and grace with his colors and shapes.

My favourite artists

I’ve already talk about my favourite artist last year: Frida Kahlo, so I will refer to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Egon Schiele now. They are the others artists who I like most because their paintings has a particular style.
They both lived at the same time, end of the ninety century and beginning of the twenty century. That was a time very special for all artists, because was when all the important changes in arts began.

Toulouse-Lautrec was a French painter, printmaker and illustrator who recorded the exciting modern life of Paris at ending of century. He is known as one of the famous painters of post-impressionist, along with Cézanne, Gauguin and Van Gogh.
His works, has a colorful expression with brushstroke an energetic and nervous brushstroke, characteristic of post-impressionist painters. His main works are works relating with the Montmartre neighborhood and with the cabaret Moulin Rouge, where always he painted the people who going to the place, who worked there and with whom he lived.

Egon Schiele was an Austrian painter, an apprentice of Gustav Klimt. He, with Klimt and Kokoschka are the greatest painters of austrian expressionism. More than anything, he painted self portraits and female bodies with a twisted form and expressive and very intense line, and he played with expressions of colors of subtle combinations. His works is associated with the sensuality and the human existential pain.
They both had a hard life, with many diseases and poverty, but maybe because how they lived, they could create these beautiful lines and forms.

Technology in my life

I think my life would become a disaster if I had no computer or pendrive. Currently my notebook is in bad conditions and I have to use the home computer, this has become rather complicated because I haven’t access to the files that I commonly use and matters to me. In same way my pendrive, that is mp3 player too. My father gave it to me and it is a great friend and partner unconditional for me.

With they both, I have and I manage all the information that I need every day, the music I heard all days, my works, my images, etc. Although it sound paradoxical, as I depend on them, they makes me not to depend on any other medium that isn't mine.

I remember that when I was a child, I didn’t need something like this things for live. Now, if i could get rid of something, I would choose my cell, because almost I don’t use it except for talk with my family most of the time.

Specially I like the Apple brand, and all the lines that develops, the Mac and I-pod design for example, also musical productos that associated brands have made, like beautiful headphones that would be a dream come true to have it.

Although Im not expert, I like technology, is interesant see what the man can do and where he can reach with his hands and mind.

Quentin Blake

Quentin Blake is an english illustrator borned in 1932. He has been one of the most british renowned illustrators, specially of child books, with an extensive work that exceedes 300 titles of himself and above 30 with others authors, like illustrator and about illustration. His books have been recognized and have won numerous prizes and awards around the world.

Quentin Blake - Selfportrait

He study arts and things relationated with literature in english universities and then he work in publications and teaching for over twenty years at the Royal College of Art, where he was head of the Illustration department. He is best known for his collaborations with writers like (the most famously) Roald Dahl. With Dahl he has done books such as Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, The Witches, among others.

And why i like him?

When I knew his work I recognized and remembered all the pictures I had seen in books I read in my childhood and made me feel very excited. I always drew and painted all that stories and characters. Also, I admire the way he has manage to express social criticism in his work while remaining sweet and innocent for childrens.

My favourite music

I love music. I love listen it, dance and sing (although i don't sing very well). Music give me energy and I consider it as a private space and moment for me.

I like several generes, like pop, classic rock, alternative rock, jazz, soul (R&B music) and some electronic music. And I really admire artist like Mickel Jackson, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, The Cure. Current artist like Norah Jones, Michael Buble, Coldplay, The Killers, 30 Seconds to Mars and U2.

Specially U2. Is an ireland band that started in the eighties, but they are currently in force. I knew they when I was fourteen, a special time of my life because I knew many important things about everything. So, it's a band that marked an era of my life.

My favourite integrant of the band is David Howell, known as The Edge. He is the guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist. As guitarist is prominent for his style, sounds full of textures, tones and melodies. I love listening the strength and daintiness that he can give to a song through the guitar.

The last week I went to see they in the 360º tour. It was fantastic!!

Welcome!

Welcome again to my english blog. I'm Karla, student of the fourth year of History and Theory of Arts in the University of Chile. I have enjoyed write in my blog and read the blogs of my classmates. I think it's good for learn and practice the idiom, because we can share our opinions. Now, i love my template, because i love owls! and i hope you too. I hope learn many things this time during the course. See you!