POST 8: English Language Challenges

 Hi guys! 

Today I’m going to talk about my English classes...So, I’ve always thought the subject to be interesting. I think it’s very necessary and useful to have an English class in the study program, which is something new, it didn’t really happen before, not in the Art Department at least. 

The teacher is very nice, always comprehensive and trying to give the best sources for us to learn. The thing is that even though it's in the program, the class is not plannified for each career, it’s more of a transversal subject for all the art departments which could be really big so we don’t share the same realities or english levels. I know I know, you probably are thinking now: Don’t they test us? Sure they do, but it’s an online test with limited time which I really think it’s bull. You cannot test someone’s English speaking level on an online standardized test where you don’t even have to speak to someone in the language you are being tested on. Okey, well sorry for that, going back to what I was trying to say it’s that by not sharing the same reality the class passes to be a background subject and not a really important one, ‘cause everybody it's worried about their one careers and main subjects which are more interesting or more important to pass. 

On the other hand I really think that the aspect I need to fortify the most it’s my brain translating Spanish to English. I'm aware that this is a common problem for Spanish speakers when they are learning a new language. Here is an example, when you think or say in spanish: “la chaqueta de cuero roja” in English the order it's different, kind of backwards: “the red leather jacket”. One of my many plans in response to that difficulty it’s to travel, that’s my answer to all my problems: to travel, no kidding, I think it's the best way to learn a new language, to practice it… and what a best way of doing that than not having any option that to speak it? há. It’s really hard to try to learn in a spanish speaking country, the most I use english it’s by not speaking it but to listen to it, like when I watch tv series or movies, I try to always watch them in english and sometimes I don’t need to subtitle them to spanish or if I do subtitle them I do it to english, so that way I learn and get better on my grammar. 

XOXO

POST 7: Changes to your Study Program.

 

There is no doubt that I have questioned the changes that my study program at University could have. Actually, in fact, when I entered school my generation was the first to experience the new study program at Acting mayor in years. Before that everything was different, now  it is more theoretical than practical, and I think that has to change, it’s very important for me to have theoretical approaches but to put the on the field later, and that did not happen here, in fact, on this present, realizing that I’ve less than six months to finish the career I still feel there has been a bad distribution of how they taught the subjects or even why some classes where being taught at all. I think there were a lot of gaps in the program I had and my generation was kind of a lab rat for the theater department because some things didn’t actually work as they thought and they only realized that when it happened, and that was with us. So that wasn’t fun. Of course I learned a lot of things but the experience was intense, it was like being in the middle of something that anyone really knew how to do, so that I hope changes for future generations. 

So, about that. It also happened that there was a very bad distribution of time destined to each subject and we ended up having to read about 10 texts for each week, no mention of the practical work we had to do outside class. Even though there is a good communication between teachers they could equiparate times much better. This actually got better when the pandemic started, but when we got back to non online school it’s happening again.

Now if we talk about infrastructure I think that Acting Mayor has the worst conditions for their students, the classrooms are not fit for us to train and the electronic sistem it's obsolete, meaning that students can get electrocuted by plugging in their cell phones. And I know this because it happened to a friend. So this is urgent to solve. It’s also a problem that every year they admit more and more students and I don’t see them fit at all in a few years in the tiny space we have so I think they can't rely on staying here and they should maybe start thinking on moving somewhere else and bigger.

POST 6: Time Travel to the Future.

 Hi everyone!

The future is something that’s always on my mind. I’m a dreamy person and I love to imagine myself in a thousand sceneries that could or could not happen in my life, even though sometimes it scares me just to think about the word “future” and I live in a constant contradiction about that. Where would a trip to my own future take me? I don’t know, I think it could take me anywhere, but right now I would like somewhere calm and peaceful where people wouldn't have to deal with injustices, calamities or anything, only happiness even though it sounds uthopic, but that is my dreamy imagination. I imagine the future a bit like a fantastic movie hahaha I would like it to be sustainable, that global warming suddenly stopped, and all those blinded by things.

The earth I imagine is maybe something totally different as what we now know it, probably it's in another universe. When I think of the future I imagine the destruction or evolution of what already exists to accomplish something better, a new era. I would like to visit that earth of the future because it gives me hope. I think that there is so much suffering in life and mankind. It's so horrible that thinking of a future where that could change gives me peace. I imagine this future years away though. I don’t think of it as something close in time to us, maybe because the kind of  things I imagine do not exist in the present, maybe I won’t even love or see that future I imagine. Who knows? everything is possible.

Would I like to stay there? Of course, in my mind the construction of that future is endless, the best fantastic movie there is. Well, truth is that after a while thinking about it I don’t think I would stay much in that earth without name and I would come back to this one, where I belong and try to make things better so someday it would become what is on my mind. I will always think that details make a great difference and who knows that in the future those details could make a great change for every living species. 

POST 5: My future job.

 

When I was a kid and thought about growing up I wanted to be a lot of things: forensic doctor, singer, flight attendant, even one of those people who traveled around the world. I was always changing professions until I got to the theater, a place where you can be all of those things! and that was kind of cool. When I applied to acting school I had to pass a special test. The truth is that I did decide and didn’t have many other alternatives. I also applied to TV acting if I got it wrong, but luckily that didn’t happen. I chose this career because it's something I started doing as a kid and really enjoyed and loved. It really makes me happy and I can't imagine doing anything else.

My experience in school has been intense but gratifying in a lot of ways. I’ve met really amazing teachers and friends with which I have a lot of projects in mind.  When I think about acting I imagine the world that appears on that stage, that unique moment that’s happening besides life outside, like a space where different emotions transcend. Of course theater is very diverse, there is street theater and stage one, but both are characterized by creating a unique and special moment. Looking at the future I want to keep acting,I think it’s what's calling me the most right now and I hope never to stop doing it, even though there are other areas that call my attention but for now I haven’t really experienced them. I would also like to look into teaching, that's something I would really like specially to teenagers. I think theater is a really fundamental source to life and it could help some learning process. Actually right now I’m writing an academic article about that. And of course I want to travel and keep learning, travel a lot and get to know places, theaters, and acting techniques from all around the world.

POST 4: A person I would like to meet.

Hello everyone!

Today I was thinking about a person I’d like to meet… and the truth is that it’s a really complicated question or maybe I’m just not really sure. These couple of days I have had to stay at home, kind of locked in because of the pandemic - one of our acting teachers tested positive to covid- which is another story, but my point is that with a friend we’ve decided to watch all the musical career of a very known singer, and now that I think about it that is the person I would like to meet. Her name is Britney Spears! She is an American singer, dancer, song composer, model, and actress.

The reason I picked her is because she really calls my attention and at the same time it’s an artist who I feel is honest and sincere. When I see her shows, I see an intense woman who wants to show the world what she is capable of, the love and passion she’s got for singing where the lyrics and choreographies are deep constructions of diverse moments of her life that she turned into really cool songs and beats, which people all around the world still listen. Truth be told, I’ve never been to one of her concerts but I’d really like that, I hope one day that dream comes true but for now I’m satisfied by watching them on the web, watching her movies from years past and seeing her as a teenager.

I think that one of the things I admire the most about her is her strength to go forward with life - we all know she’s been through a lot-  she has been sexualized from a very young age to being forced by her father and family to accomplish their obsessions, being this way separated from everyone she loved and forced and exploited as a person just because of the power her father inflicted on her. Besides that she has accomplished being crowned as the Princess of Pop!, winning numerous awards and having performances all over the world. Until today we listen to songs such as “Toxic”, “Baby One More Time”, “Criminal”, “Oooops… I Did It Again”, among others. She has transcended a whole generation and has become a worldwide Icon of pop music and self-improvement for a lot of people.

POST 3: A day to remember.

I’ll always remember that day and wish to relive it. In February, 2019, I travelled to Brazil with one of my best friends from college. We went to take a Seminar about “Lume theater” and stayed there for a while after the course was over, and then we went to this Island called “Ilha Grande '' in Rio. 

I remember it was a wonderful day and we boarded early in the morning. There was a boat that took us there and on the way the person in charge gave us a tour of the marvelous beaches on the way to the Island. We were all day going from beach to beach along the ocean in that little boat, and there was a splendid sun perfect to travel. Important fact, I never really liked to bathe on the ocean, I’ve always been kind of scared of it but that day I did it, I actually did things I never dared before. We bathed in the middle of that blue ocean and swam deep along the fish and octopuses, it was a really unforgettable experience. We also swam in these greeny and bluish crystalline waters, everything was wonderful and marvelous. We crossed from one island  to another just swimming in those warm waters, it was exhausting!  I really swam like never before! 

I remember floating on my back looking at the sky for more than 20 minutes, and just remembering that gives me a lot of peace, so I try to imagine the stressful moments. It was a great day with my friend, just wonderful. We got sunburned and as we say here in Chile ”got red like a lobster” but besides that we didn´t regret anything, we enjoyed every single moment together and we treasure that memory as the last trip before the pandemic. I think that memory is a mental escape from what  happened in our lives then, the isolation and everything. Without doubt I would love to go back there, feel that calm body and soul.

PS: I leave here this lucky post so you’ll never forget to travel <3

POST 2: The best concert.

 

Hello again everyone!

Today I’m going to tell you about the best concert I have been to! So, the story begins when I was still at school and loved “Maroon 5”, which is an American pop and rock music band from L.A. When I listened to their music it made me feel calm but at the same time it made me want to dance, so I enjoyed it a lot, especially because they had all kinds of styles.

They came to Chile in 2016. I was a Junior at High School and listened to their songs literally every day, especially their first albums. I went to the concert with four of my friends and we wanted to live the full experience of the concert because it was the first concert in our lives! So, we got to Santiago very early in the morning and went to the Arena - Important fact for those who don’t know but I’m from Los Andes- so we had to travel and one of the moms brought us by car to the Capital.

It was a great concert! we jumped, sang and screamed, at the top of our lungs to the point I got out of the place with my throat hurting and in a moment I lost my friends and stayed alone for a while but it didn't matter because it was such a magical moment, there were lots of people and I sweated and danced like never before in my life, it was just magical! I love to remember that episode of my teen years, because it's a part of my life I really enjoyed, and because the next day we had to go to school, and because nowadays I don’t even have contact with the girls I went to the concert with, but I remember them with love. I also want to say that I’m not a person who goes to a lot of concerts, that was my first and last, but without doubt I would like to go to other ones and see different artists, I’m excited to do that!

PS: I kept the ticket haha