My academic year...

Uff! This year is ending and is the time to look forward and make a little evaluation about it, about my academic year, my first year in the university, and realise about the great, the awfull, difficult and easy things.
This all new experience starts on January, when I was noticed that I'd get to this university, so I was so excited about it, first because is a big thing to have the possibility to do it, I know are a lot of people out there waiting to have an opportunity like this one, and in second place I was expecting about it, because I didn't know how it'll be this year, and don't even knew if I gonna love my carreer, and if It was what I wanna do for the rest of my life.

I can say that in some way, I passed for different feelings about the university and my carreer. At the beggining, in March, I hated every single thing related to this, because I missed everything, the school, my friends, my time, and I don't really liked my carreer, but at the time goes by, I started to falling in love with Obstetrics, I realised that I love babies, and at the same time I realised that is a really important thing to me, be able to help others and in some way, to contribute to make this world better.
In another aspect, at first I had problems adapting me to the rhythm of the university, but then, I got over and everything started to be "easier", I started to enjoy the university and all that entails. At the same time, I was part of the "Ballet Folckorico de Chile" Bafochi, so in some way, my life was run from side to side, however, I was able to do both and I enjoyed doing it. It was hard but fun.
Now, sometimes, I miss to be part of the ballet, but is then, when I think that is better this way, so I can focus in my studying.

So, anyway I think this has been a crazy year, full of new things: stress, happiness, friendship, frustration, "madness", caos, crying, new people, new teachers, new things to learn, visits to clinical fields, and a lot of thing that I could be listing for ever. I can say that, nevertheless, this has been a great year, in which I learned about myself, I learned to be more autonomous, more independent, and above all, I feel I am spreading my wings, I have begun to shape my future,and that, though perhaps my performance lately, my grades, were not expected, in some way, I am happy about everything. :)

Challenges

I think in our area, are a lot of challenges to face, especially what is related the social matters and education.
I think, these days young people are not conscious about so much things, and this is a problem that starts in their houses, so, to get better, we must improve aour education, and when I say education, I'm not just talking about school education, I'm including parental and familiar education.
How I said before, some people is not really conscious about having sex, how to prevent STI (sexual transmitted infections) or how to avoid the pregnancy. They have wrong ideas about it. I think specially young people in social risk or of low economic situation, are lack of sexual education, and this is exactly one of our challenges, treat that everyone could have a good sexual education, giving them the necesary tools to develop themself in the best way possible.
Us, as a future midwive, have the obligation to improve education, We must see us involve with people and their need, is not enougth bring life to this world, We also must be engaged with the others and their health.
I think We should give back to the world some part of us.
Another challenge that we have, is treat that everyone could have the same opportunities, everyone deserves have the best health, and money should not be an impediment to this.
At the same time we MUST improve the treatment, the comunication between pacients and health professionals, this points has, at the same time, two "sides". In one side, the professional must be conscious that the pacient is a human been and not just "something" as an material object, the professional must inform and involve the pacient in her/his own health, turn her/his in an active subject, and this way give her the "power" to dicide the best.
The other "side" is improve the comunication and relationship between both parts. In other words, the treatment must be better than is rigth now, some professional, specially in our area, are tough people and, as the time goes by, they are losing that "nice thing", and at the hour to work with others, don't think how the rest feels... I think, in general, these are the things that we must improve or, in other words, are our challeges!

Money, money, money !

Money, is a big word, and, at the same time, is nothing, just little pieces of metal or plastic. This days some people live their live around money, but... are they happy? I think money does not buy happiness, and are things more important, but, at the same time I think that is a "necessary evil". Without money we could not study, we could not eat, or do simple things like take a shower or a live decently life.
Life is too hard to people that do not have enougth money to live, they are force to pass horrible situations like hunger, or in winter, they have to deal with the rain or wind.
Every single day I wake up and think how lucky I am, maybe my family is not rich, but, at least we can leave fine, I can study...
In my own experience, I'm not very good saving money, but I try so hard. I've never worked, at least not in a paid work, I used to dance in the ballet, but it was just for the "love of art" and my all life, my family has been my economic support.
In general the only bill that I pay in person, is the enrollment right of university, and the rest of the bills are paid by my mom.
When I borrow money, I only do that if I know that in my house I have the money enougth to pay it back, I hate owe money, in specially I hate owe money to my friends. At the same time I lend money just to people that I trust in, and I don't have problems doing it because I know they'll do the same for me.
I like to manage money but just because always I'm starving, but in general I hate manage money because a lot of reasons: is dangerous, I'm think someone can steal it from me, I can lose it, or it exist the posibility to spend too much money and later dont have any money.
Finally, I think family should teach us how to manage money, and, at the same time, schools should do it too, this way people will be more carefull with it and would not have so many people in debt.

Ideas for a better Faculty ! =)

If you told me what I think It could be improve here, in the Faculty, I could say that, in general is good, that we have a lot of thing or kind of privileges that other faculties don't have like the fact of have "taca-taca" and "ping-pong" tables, or have video games and stuff like that.
However there a few things that could be improve, for example we have a gym but It's falling to pieces, and a lot of students don't even know where it is. Maybe could be more publicity to the gym and students cuold pay just a little money, and this money it'll be usefull to improve the equipment in the gym.
Other important thing that could be improve is the library. Yes is beautifull and big, but I think the toilet is too far of it. At the same time, if we look the computers in the library, we could see that are too old and slow, and despite the we've done some petitions to rechange it, there's no result :/.
Other important point is that, paradoxically, we does not have a nursing, and in case od a headache or something like that... where we can go? to the hospital?. I think that is a really important aspect to improve because, all the time we are "exposed" to different things, for example, one of the first Anatomy practics I felt really bad, I were with dizziness and after that we had other important lecture, so I couldn't go to my house and I must wait to feel better by my self.
That is my experience, so maybe It coul be more things to improve, but I think this are the most important.

This year...

I think this blog session will be the most personal session, because today I can talk about anything. It's a little bit hard choose something to talk about because rigth now, too much things are flying in my head.
This year... This year it's been so crazy, so full of new things and especially full of big changes.
At the beggining I don´t know what could happend, and at first, I was so afraid of all experiences. It was a big change the pass of school to the university, the pass from the academy to the resident cast of Bafochi, the pass from being owner of my time and do everything I want, to be a slave of things that are really important, and must to depend of my obligations and not of my feelings.
This year I started the road to could fly by my own someday, and be able to be suficient just with me...
In March I couldn't even imagine how hard it'll be. I'd must lear to be more independent, to don't see the all time my friends... but at this time every new thing has a reason. I feel that I am opening my winds, that every step that I take is the best that I can do.
I left the ballet, with the "all pain of my heart", but at least now I got more time, time to see my friends and people that I miss. It's like could breath and see the rainbow after the storm.
I think that a lot of things are still waiting for me, and how says the song..."This could be nothing, but I'm willing to give it a try" so, that's exactly what I'll do :)

Visiting Santiago

Santiago is a big city but not that much as other cities around the world, but, anyway, It's full of nice places to go and a lot of things to do. One of my favourite place to go is the oriental garden in the San Cristobal Hill, this place is so beautifull, plenty of flowers and green, it's ideal to take a little breake and just relax.
Other place that I love is the Forestal park and places near it, Lastarria Neighborhood.I think this is a really beautifull and nice neighborhood were it mix the nature with bohemian things, like literature and stuff. There is the Emporio La Rosa a kind of cafe where it sells ice cream of extranges or unusuall flavors like rose ice cream. A good idea is go to the Aviation Square in a summer nigth, there is a big fountain that turn on a lot of ligths and change colors in armony with the water, and be aeating a delicius ice cream of the Bravissimo gelatery that is like three blocks away.
Coming back with San Cristobal Hill, in this place we found a lot of different things to do like go to the swimming pool, go to the Zoo, go to the restaurant or just walk. You could go up in "funicular" or "teleferico" and enjoy of a great view of the hill.
Also, If you wanna go out at nigth o go to a party, you could visit streets like Suecia Avenue or Republica maybe. I hope you enjoy Santiago! :)

Music!

When I was looking for a picture to put in this blog I've found a really nice quote, that when I read it I fell in love with it... and says: "We are music".
That is exactly what I think. Music is a big part of our lifes, or in my case it's that way. I love music, it's something really essencial to my. It abble to bring me happyness or to transport me to other time, remains me past moments and at the same time, it is something that joins me in my life and it's a big part of my pasion...the dance. It is the complement to the thing that I love whit my all hearth, the thing that makes me really really happy, so... how not to love music?
Music is in everything we do, when we walk we hear the sound of our shoes, or when we are under a tree just breathing we can feel the sound of nature.
When I´m sad or I just wanna to be relax, the only thing that I do is listening to music and close my eyes. Music gives me the strength to keep going, then I feel lighter, like nothing bad could happend, it's like my own shelter.
I'm a kind of music addict, so I could not survive if I dont have it.

A talk review

Today I'm going to do a review about Sir Ken Robinson's opinion.
He says everybody is interested about education because, take us to a future that we can not understand, this way, everything starts with education.
Also says every kid has a big talent, and that we are responsible for spoil this talent in them. And this it’s so terrible because creativity it’s as important as the education. Children are not afraid to be wrong; they take the chance to do new things. Kids will take a chance, because if they don't know, they'll try, anyway they'll take the risk to do something new.
If you are not prepared to be wrong, you'll be not prepared to be original. And with the pass of the time, as we grow up, they are losing the capacity to be creative, children loose the courage to be wrong, they start to be afraid to not be right, because we stigmatize mistakes. We educate people out of creative capacities. Public education or in general, education, focuses just to feed the brain, and, as we start to grow up, the education it's turning more and more limited at one area. School just prepare people to develop their brains and forgets that other things are important too.
He says that we must to change our concept of intelligence, because exist a lot of types of it and everyone should be take seriously this subject; no make a side everything that it's not related to the academic area. Intelligence is dynamic, diverse and distinctive and because of it, we should adopt a new conception of human capacity.

My blogging experience

Today is my final blogging session, so, I'm going to talk about this all new experience to me, that it was blogging. Sometimes I enjoy it, but others, I did hate it!... This big difference because some blogs were too boring and I didn't want to write because were about things that I don't really care, but, some others blogs were really easy to write, it were abouts things that I like, or what I'd like to do in the future. I think that is easier for me to write about things that I'm interested in, than things that I have to write about as an obligation, for example, write about my future, a photograph I love and at the same time write about important people to me, was so much fun and natural, than write about someone who I don't know and try to find why she could be the best in my area.

If you asks me...Did it help me? yes, I must say that write in english is a big help to improve the way in what I expres myself in this languaje, and at the same time is a big opportunity to learn new words when we try to say something. I learnt new expresions and I think that I improve the way I talk. I think, at the same time I win confidence to give my opinions in english.

From other point of view, I think that the blogging sessions, could be a little bit motivating write about thigs that I love, like music, song, movies, things that make us expand when we write. Things that make our minds fly away and this way, have a space for learn and enjoy at the same time. I'd like to upload songs or things like and do the excersice of traslate it into spanish.

Talking about blogging in english classes, I think that sometimes It was not much time to do it, so we wrote so fast and just to be able to go at home, after a big day at the university, so I think that It was a big disadvantage, but for the other side, some blogs, we could finish it at home, so it was flexible in this aspect, but just sometimes. I guess that it's all for now. =)

My ideal job

Today I'm going to talk about my ideal job. Obviously I want to have a job in my area, I'd like to work in a hospital because I thing in this place it´s need more staff to cover all the people that's going to get help, and this way feeling better. It´s in this place where the sistem collapses and always is welcome new people.
Moreover I'd like to be working in a clinic or in some place, where be able to have a good work to can have a good life and at the same time, I could include some alternative therapies like acupuncture to help people to have other alternatives to the conventional medicine, and help them to have a more natural way to relax for the delivery and this way could bring a little of calm at this important moment of their lifes.
Also I'd like to work with children at social risk doing dance lessons or something like that, I'd like to give them a piece of me and a piece of what I love, to help them and at the same time, make them a little bit happier.
To be able do all these things I must to study a lot, so, this way I'd could be a great professional. I need to finish my career and learn about other interesting things like acupuncture and at the same time not to forget my goals and purposes in life.
I think that I could be very good doing all these things because are things that I love, or that give me motivations to be a better person, at the same time I think this ideal job could be a little bit difficult to get it because involves a really big kind of components, and be able to put all these things together could be no much easy.

Genetics

My favourite subject this semester has been genetics. This is one part of the course "Bases celulares, genéticas y del desarrollo ontogénico humano" or, in english, cellular, genetic and ontogenetic development of human bases. this subjects was give it by a lot of teachers, but in my practical jobs (in the lab) we were working with Laura Walker, and I think She is the best teacher ever, and we could not be more lucky for have lessons with her.
I love this subject because takes a lot of interesting aspects about problems, disease; this cience explains you, how you are the human been that you are, how is possible that your parents gave you their genetic information, the necessary information to form a complete little person from just two separated cells that fuse and form the embryo; how all these activities are controlled by genes and how these are controlled too.
This semester I learnt a lot of things, from the cellular process (a big part of them) untill the control of them and how all these elements bring life to our body. Also I learnt about pathologies, how this could happend and the physic features. All these between others.

My future

If I think in my future I can see me in a lot of thing, a lot of things that i'd like to do or live.
In five years from now, i'd like finishing my carreer, being a nice proffesional, have a good work, maybe working in a hospital, helping people. Concerning my personal life, being almost estable with someone that I love, making plans to form a family. I'd like to keep dancing and doing dance classes or keep taking lessons but in other areas like ballroom or something like that.
I see myself living here, in Chile, but having a nice flat in Santiago Centro, in Lastarria neighborhood, near of Forestal park and obviously of the "Emporio La Rosa". I have always dreamed it, this is my dream's house. I'd like to have a nice car too, no so big, no so small, just a nice car.
Also I can see myself pregnant or with plans for having a baby or maybe traveling around the world, knowing new places that always I have dreamed, places like Venecia, Easter Island, London, Paris, Cairo, or Holland.
I'm not saying that in five years I'll be married, but I can see me doing all these things from that time, these are my planes, do a lot of things and I hope it is possible to do.

The best in my area

I'm going to introduce you the best midwife, Ms. Hilda Bonilla, but... who is she? She is director of the obstetric school in the "Universidad de Chile". Her carreer starts when she graduates from the university and she starts to work like midwife in national hospitals, clinics and surgery. Since 1972 she has been working in the university in what she brings up, being an active part of the vocational training of new generations, and later develop herself as the director of obstetrics school.
She has participated in programs of national and foreing familiar planification and was a scholarship by the Swedish Institute for further training in the care of humanized childbirth. In 1991 he was honored by the College of Midwives by the contribution made in the development of the profession.
Finally in 2003 she was rewarded with the "Julia Olga Zamorano" award, what is given to people who has a featured professional and academic career.
She has done a lot of other things that contributes wiht the develop of obstetrics and inspire us,to be the best professional that we could be. For all these reasons she is the best in my area.

My career

I'm studying this career because, at the beginning I wanted Occupational Therapy, so, I were in the wait list, and then, when list run, I could not come to change of career because I had the audition to can go inside of the Resident Cast Of BAFOCHI, so first I wasn’t motivated, but, then I start to fall in love whit this career, Obstetrics, and now I love it, it’s a great career, so you have the opportunity to bring life to this world, you can help people who need it more.
This career contributes to society, helping people at the biggest moment in their life, when they have a baby. You are the one who get the baby, and who takes care of the mom and the baby. Also we are responsible of give education in areas like reproductive and sexual health, and in others areas too. In general, we can contribute to society making projects, giving guide and just working on hospitals.

As a professional, we need a lot of tools, that includes to have a lot of knowledge and spirit of service. About material tools, we need the basic things like gloves, clothing, stethoscope, sphygmometer, etc. and other things like incubator, balance, among others.

My favourite subject is genetics, I learnt a lot in this class and is very important for our develop as a future professional, also I really enjoy it.

I love this photograph!

I love these pictures because represents a lot of thing for me. Appears important people, people who are a big part of me and my life. These pictures reminds me beautifull moments, moments of joy, happiness, and sadness too, but in a good way...reminds me "anything is never that bad". These photographs were taken in different moments, different places, and by different people, but in everyone appears my friends. From left to rigth appears: María Teresa and Gabriela (me); Cristobal, Ninoska, Alex, Francisca, Esteban and Gabriela; Carla and Gabriela; Down: Francisca, María Teresa, Daniela, Juan José, Gabriela, Carla, Mario, Nicole, Alfredo; Esteban and me, and finally Cristobal and me. The most of the photograps were taken automaticly by a cell phone or by a camera, in some places like a mall in Providencia, my friend's house, Picarquín, Salecianos Alameda school, the Aviation Square, and just in the street, in front of a friend's house, and it were taken in 2007, 2008 and 2009 approximately.

My favourite piece of technology

My favourite piece of technology is the mp4, because this tiny object can keep all my favourite songs, videos and pictures. Also I can save a lot of information (like word docs, powerpoints, etc), and I can record sounds and listen to the radio, so it's usefull in too many ways.

There are many types of mp4, some are really thin and a little bit long, others, however, are rather small and square, but anyway, they are very practical, you just need charged battery and headphones. That's all, you are ready to use it.

Three years ago, my mom gave me a mp4 like a Christmas present, since then, I go to everywhere

with this lovely thing. I use everyday my mp4, in the bus, in the university, when I need to relax, when I'm bored, when I go on trip, etc.

It is impossible for me to be without my mp4, so the life without it would be so bored, and distances between separate places would be much longer, or would seems this way.

Hi! I'm Gabriela but my friend call me Gabi, I like it more than Gabriela because when someone gets mad whit me, they call that way. I'm eighteen years old and I live in Santiago whith my mum and my grandma. I'm studying obstetrics in the Universidad de Chile, this is a very important university of my country, so I'm very happy to studying here.
I love to dance, that's my passion, and the only thing that I could not live without it. I have dance practice every monday, wednesday and friday from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm. sometimes it's so tiring and stressful doing both things, but I try so hard to doit all.
Well I hope to learn so much more about the english language to speek and write better than I do now. At the same time I hope the english lessons will be entertaining.