A travel experience

Althoug we know the air travels are the most sure, it’s interesting the feeling we have when we don’t have our feet on the ground. Be over 1000 feet high produces an insecurity feeling on myself.

However, in September past I had to go to Madrid, Spain. During the travel, I prepared myself to spent a good sleep and relax time; to be ready for the time shift. Unfortunately, it was impossible because I was in the middle sit between two young couple with little children that cried almost all the time, were more than unfinished 14 hours.

I was in Madrid for 5 days, The return was more quite, it was a direct fly. And I had for traveling companions only adult persons. It was exciting to visit one of more tourist country, unfortunately I could not go with my family.

I have talk about bus travels that are long and uncomfortable trips. I also had travelled by bus, and obviously it’s different , it makes me think about many people that have to do this kind of trips daily for their works.

When I was a child, my family travelled to Iquique by car a lot of times. It took two or three days, we enjoyed it very much. Now we are thinking to make it again. We have to decide to go by plane or car. If it is by car we will can to visit several cities and beautiful northern places.

I have planned to travel when I finish my study, I would like to visit Europe or Africa.

My experience learning English at the university

The English subject has implemented 2 year ago as a compulsory subject in my career. This innovation was part of a change in all of our course program and we were the first generation in it, the “mechones 2009” of Midwifery career in the University of Chile. It try to afford us a comprehensive learning and give us more tools for our future professional work, however this is not the way like the direction wanted.

On the faculty of Medicine there are 4 levels of English: Started, Beginning, Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate; and it depends on the result of a test you do at the beginning of your first year in the University at what level you start. All of these last one term and you have class twice at week.

In my case, I started at the Beginning level, in the second term of 2009. Since then I have had 3 different teachers, one on each level. In general it has not caused me problems, although it is clear that each of them evaluated differently, in spite of they were in the same department.

At the last time, I have learned more than ever, to have these class gives to me a lot of new ways to communicate and understand some English books, already I can watch some easy language films.

In my opinion, my last level was the most interesting about the Midwifery career, it makes difficult to me but it has made more useful too. It was referred to medical language and increases my medical vocabulary. A good tool was the blog writing, because I could practice my reading and understanding in order to visit my classmates` blogs and I could share my thoughts and experience through my writings.

I always thought that English is important to know. It is becoming more essential knowledge because today is the universal language and learn to speak it opens more doors for future labor situation. By the above do I think it is a very good chance to have English class in the University, freely.

about films

Hi! I’m thinking about films. And I have to recognize that I don’t have too information, I’m not going or watching films so frequently, but I usually watch films at home on Sunday afternoon if I might not study. My parents buy some films in sale, sometimes they have found too cheap films.

However, I have like a favorite film “Brave heart”. I like it so much if I am watching TV and I see that it is in another canal, I change only for watch it again. This film was made by a good and handsome actor, Mel Gibson, with excellent locations and interesting lovely story and I prefer lovely films. Another film I watched was “Imagining Argentina” with Antonio Banderas it is about dictatorship time in Argentina, and it has a nice end.

I haven’t watched a lot of Chilean films, but I should mention that I don’t like them very much in order the poor language, I think there are too much bad words. Obviously they are made in Spanish and I don’t have problems to understand and I note them. The most interesting Chilean film that I have watched was “Fuga” three or four years ago.

Nearly, we are planning go to the cinema to watch a new film called “Red” it is an action film, it will be a good family time. Also we want to watch a film about meerkats family, it would be next week.

“We only use 10 % of our brain…”

It began when Einstein said that he only used 10% of his brain. Then, in 1930 Karl Lashley, using electric shocks, talked about “silent cortex”. Also, many dubious interpretations have fuelled this myth.

Actually, thanks imaging techniques, we can observe several functional areas, such as:

-Primary visual area: eye information

-Primary auditory area: ear information

-Several areas are linked to produce and comprehension of language.

If we accept the “10% myth”, we are misunderstanding the brain activity, because if we think that the areas function separately, for a determinate activity we would have a small active area, and the rest of the brain would be inactive, but it does not occur.

Really, we use many areas simultaneously. For example, when we see an object, our brain gets the primary information from eyes, and then analyzes it in the “secondary area”, participating the information of memory and language too.

Another source of the myth is concerning the “glial cells” (90% of the cells comprising the brain), because they do not participate in the transmission of the nerve impulse (only the neurons). However, the glial cells are essential to the right nervous develop.

Through neuroscience, we can know that there are not inactive brain areas. Even during sleep or under anaesthetic, we have movement, sensation or emotion areas functioning.

Other physiological reason that allow overthrow the myth, is the evolution theory, considering the brain consumes 20% of available energy. With such high energy, evolution would not have allowed the development of an organ of which 90% is useless.

In my opinion, it is very interesting!

Before I read the Dr. Maldonado`s paper I thought the this myth was true, but now I have learned it was wrong. The information is clear and easy to understand. I hope you are agree.

work stress

To talk about “stress”, from my point of view, is very difficult, because it does not manifest in the same form or intensity in all of population.

Looking for a definition, I found the next: “It is about the “nervous tension” caused by overwhelming situations, which cause psychosomatic reactions.
Stress is physical or psychological demand out of the ordinary, causing an anxious state in the body."

The stress depends on personal characteristics, so that sometimes we don´t recognize the symptoms of this.
The stress can manifest physical (chest tightness, tachycardia, hair falls, increased breathlessness, muscle tension, fatigue, diarrhea or constipation, corporal tremors, etc) emotional (worry, feeling of nervousness, anxiety, irritability, felt like crying, catastrophic thinking, impaired memory, constant mood swings, depression, etc) and behavioral (nervous laugh, grind his/her teeth, drinking or smoking more frequently, sexual problems, nervous tic, oversleep or insomnia, etc).
Is important we recognize the signs of stress because when stress is part of our daily lives, we got used to it. We don´t realize how it affects our health and our lives in general, until we get sick or problems beyond us.

In general, stress can be caused by any stimulus that promotes the destabilization of the dynamic equilibrium of body.

I would say that the people most affected by work stress problems are those who work with many people (as school teachers, bus drivers or ER staff) or those having a routine life and don´t give themselves time to do extracurricular activities.

Is important that we know that when this situation persists, emerging health problems or impact on other areas of life of the individual. For example, stress that began with an economic problem, can cause family or work coflicts.

Reference:
http://www.crecimiento-y-bienestar-emocional.com/sintomas-y-consecuencias.html

Healthy lifestyle

Hello classmates!

I tell you… I think that having a healthy lifestyle in our days is a big challenge, however it is not impossible.
I remember one class last term, in the subject “Community health”, and the teacher talked about this topic.
In general, when you talk about healthy lifestyle, people think only about “food”. For this reason, most of the population, when they want to live healthily, they simply go on a "diet". But I remember that that day we concluded that this means more…
First, we must be clear that a healthy lifestyle involves our whole being, I mean the physical, the psychic and even spiritual part.
Of course, you must eat all of the food pyramid (carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, proteins in the meet and eggs, fish, and sugar too). And you must eat it in the right amount.
For your body also you need to take exercises, and it was better if you are led by an expert, at least three times at week.

Second, you should try not to stress (this is bad for your health), however, you must take it all in stride, enjoy the time you have to share with your family, your friends, your boyfriend / girlfriend and with the nature, overcoat in the holidays time.
For you to feel good about yourself, you should wear clothing that suits you (this is also part of a healthy lifestyle), not too tight and not fabrics that can cause allergy.

Finally, for you have a healthy lifestyle, you need have a relationship with your creator, God.

my favourite get-away

Good afternoon!
The truth is that I have been hard to choose a place on which to write, for I believe that I have not a "favourite get-away". If I could choose a "virtual space", I'd take a hug (SPACE between the arms) of three important people in my life: my mother, my mommy (grandmother) and my boyfriend. However, as I believe I have to talk about a geographical location, I will tell you about "LICANRAY".
This town is near the city "Villarica", in south of Chile.

Licanray is a peaceful place where I've gone a couple of times during my family vacation, a few years ago. This is very quiet, is a small town and everyone there is very welcoming.

I like it because I can spend nice and quiet family days, where there isn´t so much technology, so I can enjoy and contemplate nature. There are very beautiful landscapes!
I love when I can look at the night sky and see the stars so close to me, especially when they are shooting stars!

I remember that we rented a house near the lake, which had many rooms and beds (to 15 persons, and we were only 6! jajaja). As the town is small, we were walking to the center. There traders selling exquisite raspberry kuchens! And always there was craft fairs to enjoy.
Summer days, if you haven´t cloudy days, you can go swimming at Lake Villarica. The water is warm and crystal clear ...

I invite you to visit Licanray!