Blog session N°10

Hi everyone!

Today we conclude one particularly long blog activity. Because not only the semester got extended due to the paro, also the completion of this activity.

So.

Today's topic is:
"Evaluation of your Blogging Experience"

Write about your experience using blogs in the English class.

Probably for many, the complications of the semester made it difficult to catch up with this weekly activity, and some others may have found a reason to reflect on different topics so they could express what they felt about the different topics that we covered this semester.


Here's other things you can mention.

> What you think about the experience in general
> How much you feel your writing skills have developed
> What you would like to include in the future
> What else you would like to write about

The minimum wordcount is 200!Don't forget to make comments on 3 of your classmates' posts.

Post n°9 Travels

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Hello everyone!
Today's post is the ninth session, so only one more to end this activity for the semester.
This will be an interesting topic to develop. It is about travels, so here I go:

As all of you know, I'm kind of a weird cactus grower/fan, so I'll tell you about my lastest trip, to the Atacama desert during this year's summer.

It all began when I left my house in Curacaví to join my friend, and driver in our adventure, at his house in Olmué, fifth Region. That day we prepared everything to start early the next morning, we had a long way coming. We started the day early, at 7, and then we went out heading north to El Cobre, Antofagasta (2nd) Region. The idea was to go there and start coming back south, stopping in locations to find, photograph and try to discover seeds of Chilean native cacti. For that purpose we had the knowledge of my friend, who's been travelling to the dessert for at least 5 years now, and the help of this book, which contains pictures and descriptions of several species :)

We were true adventurers, walking for hours to find plants, climbing hills and small mountains ranges. On a normal day, we would wake up at 9 approx. And then have breakfast to start the day exploring the camping site we had chosen the night before. After that we would find a new site, and track the land to find more species. It would all finish when the sun was coming down, as we needed to find a good camping spot, and use sunlight to set the tents.

It may sound boring for some, but this was one of the best experiences I've had, I learned and enjoyed every moment of it :) Here you have some pictures of the trip!

A view of the desert, from the car.

Copiapoa krainziana, Quebrada San Ramon, in Tal Tal

Copiapoa solaris, at El cobre

Very old specimen of Copiapoa.

 

Thelocephala, one of the smallest genus of Chilean cacti. You have to walk staring at the floor to find them.

One of the beautiful sights of the desert, beautiful rock formations!

OK!
Now it's your turn to tell me about travels, what will it be?
Maybe your dreamed vacation, or the trip you've enjoyed the most, you decide.
The minimum wordcount is 190. As usual, don't forget to comment in my post and in three of your classmates' posts.

Blog Session Nº8

Hello everyone! 

We're in the final stage of the semester, and in the final posts. If we count this session, we only have 3 left.

Today's post will be about: "A Subject I've enjoyed studying this semester"

I know you have very different subjects or courses each semester, most students have 5/7 courses, and they can be divided into practical courses (doing and putting theory into practise) and theoretical courses. 



Which one was your favorite course? 
Was the subject practical/theoretical?
Did you choose it because of the teacher or the schedule? 
What would you change to this course/subject if you could?



These questions can help you develop your writing.
Please don't forget to comment in your classmates' posts, as well as in mine.
The minimum wordcount is 180.

Blog Session nº7

YES! It's the seventh post already, that means the semester is about to end!

For this post, you have to choose only ONE of these  2 options:


A career-related website that you enjoy visiting.
 

You have to:

- provide the link
- describe the website (sections, features,etc)
- say how often you visit the site
- explain why you like the site.


>Add comments to 3 of your classmates’ blogs + a comment on your teacher's post



A person/expert on your field that you admire.

Say:

-Who she/he is. (short biography)
-What she/he has done. (examples of their work)
-Why you like her/him.
-Include his/her image

> About 170 words
>Add comments to 3 of your classmates’ blogs + a comment on your teacher's post.


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A career related website I use all the time is Word-reference.com.
I've even recommended you using it for your posts, as it includes examples of the words as well as discussion about uncertain translation and other expressions.

I visit this website on a daily basis, because as you know, english is my second language too, so I learn new words very often, also to remind myself of the spelling of words I don't use regularly. One of the most recurring situations in which I use this site, is when my students ask me technical words related to their careers.

The sight of this page is very nice in my opinion, it uses soft colors and that usually helps people to relax, also it provides links to different useful sites, as well as dictionaries in several languages that are one click away!

Now it's your turn.

Blog Session nº6 Animation or cartoons!

Hey everyone!

When we voted for the free topics for blogsessions, I didn't know what I was going to write about, but a couple of weeks ago I watched an animated movie, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, by Ghibli studio, and that became immediately one of my favorite animations, so that's what I'll share with you!

This movie tells us the story of a bamboo cutter named Sanuki no Miyatsuko, who discovers a miniature girl inside a glowing bamboo shoot, and then he adopts her with his wife. As the man was sure of her divine origin, they decide to raise her as a princess. And I won't continue telling you about it because I really think you should watch it ;)

I loved the animation of the movie (as well as its plot, its music, and its message) because it clearly showed different drawing styles to describe feelings of the main characters, and that is a detail that I was fascinated by. And then, if I think about it, the movie as a whole is an amazing, simple and very complete view of life.

Here you can see its trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM6hcHp0_kU

So now, it's your turn.
Tell me about your favorite animation or cartoons.
The minimum wordcount is 140, and don't forget to comment in my post and in 3 of your classmates'.

Blog Post N°5

A photography you like and its story!

Hi girls and boys!
This week's post is about a photography you like, any of them! It can be one you took, or a famous one taken by a photographer of your choice.

Here's mine!

                           

 In the picture, you can see George Harrison, and Bob Marley (and two other people I don't know)

I've liked these musicians for a long time now. Harrison, former guitar player and my favorite Beatle, is also the name of my first dog. And Marley, family name of one of the greatest artists/activists I know, is the name of my first cat :)

                                                

                           Here's my version of it. These are my Harrison and Marley :)

This took place in Copiapó, where I adopted Marley. She was about 4 months old in the picture, Harrison had never lived with a cat before, but he's such a lovely dog that he never had problems with her. This picture is special because it reminds me good times. It was taken back in 2014 when I lived in the Atacama Region. The reason why I chose this picture is because these animals were my family then, since I lived alone and knew nobody there. 

                                      
                                         EXTRA!!! Just because they look so cute!

So...
What's your favorite picture?
Where was it taken?
Who took it?
Why is it special for you?

- 140 words minimum.
- Include a picture. 
- Comment on your teacher's post and 3 of your classmates’ blogs.

Blog session N°4

Hi Everyone!

We're already in the fourth session of this semester! times flies, uh?

In this session, you'll be free to speak about this topic:

M U S I C


For me, music is many things. I really love listening to it, and I even like singing.
I believe I can sing, even though I'm clearly not a talented singer. In my opinion, singing has to do with emotions, and not only techniques and voice. So maybe everyone could be a singer, if they found a song they could truly sing from their hearts.

Now, from the listener point of view, I think music nowadays has been corrupted by the market,  I mean, the music industry. Most of nowadays musicians seem to sing in a very shallow way, and the styles and lyrics that are on fashion these days, are not very good.

My favorite music styles are rock, reggae and hip hop. For a long time now, I've been listening to Sublime almost every day. Have you heard this band before?
Here's one of their songs :)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awb_rzWZHIY





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What music styles do you like?
Do you prefer listening or playing?
Who is the biggest musician or band in the world?
What's the importance of music in your life? 

Those are some questions that can help you develop your writing.

Please leave a comment on my post!
And don't forget to comment on at least 3 of your classmates' posts.
Minimum word count 130.