Self Evaluation of my academic year

This year the University was different from the previous two because the first semester we had a bunch of each of the five specialty of psychology and then, the second semester, we had optional subjects. In this semester each one chose the classes that want to take, the year was special because now every one begin to choose the specialty that we want to continue, and then we will delve into the diploma course. One consequence of this new method was that the course was divided into different subjects and we mix with the students of fourth year. Something new was that I was not with my friends in all subjects, except one, and now I'm seeing my friends less.

The first semester was a lot of work months for each of the specialties (clinical, legal, educational, community and labor). It demanded us many test and work, and that meant many hours of study. Several of these studies we performed in group, that sometimes was more complicated for the short time we had. I think the effort finally paid off and I had good results in all areas. Also I got to know more about the specialties of psychology and now I have clearer what specialty I want to study.

The second half was more relaxed than the first one because I decided to take four theoretical subjects and also take english and yoga (because it is an olbigation to make two subjects of sport in my career). The classes I chose were: Use of Hallucinogens in Psychology, Clinical Psychology Infant - Juvenile, Recruitment and The Therapist: Known from the Emotions. The topics are varied because I have to make at least one subject of each specialty (although I do not like). I think this semester was quieter, I had less academic requirements and more free time, but this didn´t mean to set me carefree. I fulfilled all requirements with the advantage that I had more time to devote to each subject.

Now at the end of the year I can say I had two good semesters. I think this was the year I learned more knowledge about my future profession and I like that, because the first two years were more introductory. I like to choose the classes that I will take, but it also means responsibility, I hope take good decisions. Also this year I finished my english classes and sports and that means that next year I will have 100% theoretical subjects, so I think I will need to rest during the holidays and prepare for a demanding year.

A problem in my University

Currently at my university there is a problem of low participation, but they are activities that involved and motivated only a small group of people. This was reflected this year in which there were no demonstrations as long as in previous years in that university classes stopped by problems and complaints of students.

I think it is very important to motivate all students to participate in various activities organized by the faculty and student center, but I think this task is complicated because many people not really believe that they can make further changes and improvements, so they choose not to participate.

To improve this situation I think that first we should organize a panel discussion in a modern and effective way (for example via internet, facebook or forums). The idea is that people write in the webs and say what are the real reasons that lead to not participate, since only by knowing this we can start looking for effective solutions.

After obtaining this information would have to start planning for new forms of participation that finish with the causes that led to non-participation. Thus most people would agree to participate and be motivated. I always keep in mind is that you should propose small goals to start, so people see that they can achieve, and then set goals and major changes.

The greatest benefit of these improvements is to increase the number of people who participate in the decisions of the students in their careers, duties, benefits and entitlements, ensuring greater participation that can then be enhanced by the participation of staff and administration. Not forgetting that you must always start with small goals and then be magnified.

My friends =)

My best friend is named Dominique, but I called her Domi. She has very good mood, always makes me laugh, even when I'm not happy. She is like an artist because she likes draw and paint and she studied architecture. I consider Domi is a very intelligent person, never had to study hard and always has good results. Domi is a concerned friend like a loving mother. We have a great time when we go to parties or on vacation with other friends.

I knew Domi at school, we were in the same school since we were in second grade, but we were just classmates in sixth grade. We met in sixth grade but we were not friends, I shared with other colleagues who are still my friends. I even remember that sometimes we got very bad relation and even we fought, but over time we matured and now we have a beautiful friendship. That's how we are good friends so far.

The characteristic that I value most is a friend to accompany you always, even in bad times. I think it's fun to be with people for entertainment, but it is important when they support you even if you're sad or troubled. I also think is important that we share a larger group of friends, and I am lucky to have him because we still maintain a group with my other friends at school, is difficult to stop seeing each other after so many years together and many shared experiences. I hope my friends consider that I also have these characteristics because friendship is always constructed between two or more persons.

I'm still in touch with my childhood friends, many of them are of the same school where I studied. But I am also talking with other friends, for example, the neighborhood where I lived for some years. I also have some friends from my first school on msn, but we never got together.

Analyzing the secrets in families

A very interesting topic for psychologists are family problems, its causes, content and solutions. In this occasion I will speak about a report of Oliver James that discusses the motives of the secrets of parents and children in the family.

Some studies claim that in general people have secrets for altruistic reasons, to care for others. Many couples hide their infidelity to maintain the relationship, this does not mean that's good, but at least it is thinking about the other. When somebody are hiding something they generally feel bad about it, and statistics show that one in four relationships were found lying.

For adolescents, the reasons to keep secrets are usually because they want to feel independent, teenagers do not want to be under the supervision of their parents. But paradoxically when teenagers kept secret and hidden things, parents are more motivated to investigate and uncover its secrets (review computers, rooms), which eventually leads to teenagers have to hide their things even more, and so there are more secrets in the family.

There have been studies that found that parents believe their children are more hidden secrets that really make, and this perception is closely related to whether parents have been good or bad. All this eventually generates a vicious circle.

To read this study may enter to:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/12/secrets-lies-perception

My pet

I have a lovely dog, her name is Flower and she is very affectionate, even with strangers and has many other friends of his race in the neighborhood, all children also like to play with it. Flor came to my house for my birthday, was a surprise gift. She is very sweet and looks like the puppies of TV commercials, it's funny like a little clown and very playful like babies, also she likes to have all the attention of people. The only pet that I had previously was a canary but soon escaped from his cage, I think it is better because now is free, also was not very entertaining.

I think my life would be very different without my pet because she is with me every day and she turn up my mood when I'm worried. I not think it necessary to have a pet, but I have to admit that every day is better if you have one.

I think it's important for children to care for their pets, because they can learn to be responsable, and learn that having a pet can be very entertaining but also they must take good care of it. It is also necessary that pets also feel happy at home.

I personally would consider adopting an abandoned animal, but not now because right now I have to take very good care of Flor, and I want to be a good owner.

I'm so sad about the puppies that were abandoned in Chaiten, but a friend who will be veterinarian told me that in his university had a plan to help them so I think that will be in good hands.

What to do and where to go in Santiago

I think that a tourist can visit many places in Santiago, and although it is not the most entertaining city in the country, Santiago is the capital and you can do many different activities. For example, a tourist (depending on age) may visit the Cerro Santa Lucia, the zoo, the Bellavista neighborhood and many other parts.

In Santiago, a tourist could do many things like go to get some ice cream, make a camping, going to museums, go skiing in the snow or just take a walk and a coffee.

If I had to recommend to a tourist five places to visit I would say:

1) Spend a weekend in the snow. he could take one of the buses that leave daily, and let the ski equipment in the sky park. I recommend this place because there is everything to have a good weekend.

2) I'd also recommend having a picnic in the "Nature Sanctuary", for that would have to leave early in the morning and to take food for lunch, also I recommend to take warm clothes for the evening. I like this place because it is quiet and relaxing.

3) In addition I would recommend visiting the Museo de La Moneda as there are always interesting exhibitions and he can know more of the culture. It would be good to go in the afternoon after lunch.

4) If the tourist liked to visit the snow I would recommend to go ice skating at the Parque Arauco track, it just needs to arrive early and have enough energy, right there is a place for lunch if you get hungry. It can be a fun time but he must be careful of falling.

5) Finally I would recommend going for a drink at a pub in Bellavista to know the city at night, there he can meet some friends. This place is good because he can choose various places.

Before the start of Transantiago I was in the school and I used very little the public transport, so that I can not say much of that time, but I think that the old buses were more uncomfortable and old. Just when Transantiago started I was in the south in vacations and I came to Santiago when the system was starting, so the change was very difficult to me, I had to do a test run to calculate how much I would take me go to the university. In that time, I used to take two bus and it took me like a fifty minutes, and I used to wait in the bus stop even more that twenty minutes, now it’s that much, I think it has been improving a little with time.

I recently changed from home and now I live closer to the university but the problem now is that you never know how time it's going to take the bus to pass, for example, get here I took from twenty minutes to an hour, and this is so much different.

I think that the system is better than in the beginning, but remains a poor transport system because there is no orden of times and Santiago have a lot of jams in the “pick hours” and I think that is even dangerous for people because it can cause a lot of accidents.

So, to improve the system I would regulate the frequency of the buses making it more reliable, that way people have more confidence in the system and I would campaign for people to take the initiative to use other means of transport.

Music

The kinds of music that I like are romantic and “happy music”, when I say “happy music” I am talking about music for dancing, for example merengue, and I listen to other kinds of music too, but I hate metal music, I can´t find it good or pleasant.

So if I must choose, I think that my favourite singer is Juan Luis Guerra, because some of his songs are nice to listen, and others good for dancing. So my favourite song to listen is “quisiera” and my favourite song to dance is “me enamoro de ella”.

My first encounter with music was when I was very young and I listened to “Mazapán” with my brothers, but as I got older I changed my musical tastes. For example, the first time that I went to a concert was one of Shakira`s (very different from Mazapán), and I also went to see Arjona several times because I like his music too.

Looking back, when I was only a little girl I dreamed of being a singer many times because I liked to sing and watch music videos on television, but then I learned that the life of musicians is very sacrificed, because they spend many days of the year traveling and away from their families and friends. And also obviously I am not talented enought to be a singer.

Know another country

I would like to travel to Colombia because my boyfriend is from this country, so I want to go at there with him. I think that there is a very interesting place because I saw photographs of, for example, the favorite beach of him, Santa Marta, and this is a very beautifull place. And I know that the people there are very sympathetic.

First, I would to visit the city where my boyfriend born (Barranquilla), and then go to visit his family that live there, or near there, to meet they too. After that, I would eat a lot of typicall food (although I've already eaten at his home), and I really want to drink good ron and coffee. I could take photographs in every place that I can know, to keep as a memory of this days. And I would buy a lot of things like ornaments, clothes and food.

I think that, for the moment, I only want to go to Colombia to have vacations, because I want to study here in Chile and end my career soon. But I dont discard live there in the future, for example, If I continue with my boyfriend, but we must not forget that there are parts of that country that are very dangerous. But If you ask me “Which country would you like to go?” I will answer that I want to go to Colombia for have vacations.

My first term

The relevant things that I learnt in the first term was the contents that we reviewed in the five subjects that we had; clinical, educational, legal, community and laboral psychology, because I think that all of these areas of psychology are very important to be a good profesional, so I learnt all that I liked. But one bad thing was the little time that we had to learn the elementary contents of every subject because we only had four months in the first term.

In the first term I had to do sports because in my career it is an obligation do at least two sports in the University, and I decided to do “training and health”. The negative point is that I think this course was very boring, but I think that it is always positive to do sports, so this is the good part of “training and health”.

The most difficult challenge that I had to face was to do a lot of works in groups because it was very difficult to be coordinated. But the best point was that I visited a lot of parts, for example, a community center.

In the first term I was with my friends and my boyfriend a lot of time and that made me happy, so I think that in general I had a good first term.

My ideal job

My ideal job would be work in a center of alternative therapy. In this type of job I could do differents types of therapy, por example, treat patients individually, I belive that following the humanistic approach. But this is not the unique type of work that I could be do. I would love to work with reiki, yoga and other complementary therapies.

I think that in the University I have learned only part of the tools that I need to work on this job, the more traditional theoretical part. So I have to learn techniques outside the University, in specialized centers.

Maybe I can be good at this job because it interest me a lot since some time, so I am very eager to learn this type of techniques and work on it.

I think that get this job will not be very difficult because today are more and more people that are searching to have this type of therapies, and they go to this type of centers, at least that´s the idea that I have because I have heard a lot about this centers and I seen they on many websites. I would love to have my own center of alternative therapies, but I think that is a dream. I have to start little by little, to be as professional as possible.

My blogging experience

I think that my experience with the blog has been entertaining sometimes and sometimes not so much, so I enjoyed it when we wrote, for example, about the future, the technological apparatus that we like, or about one picture of our lives, but I do not enjoy a lot when we talk about subjects in psychology, because I think all day here in the University about my subjects and the things that I like of them, the tasks that I have outstanding, or the courses that I should take the next semester, so I prefer to write about another topics to think about other things and divert, forgetting for a while my own career.

Something that I recognize is that the work in the blog helped me with improve my english, because I was not accustomed to write in English every week, so with my blogging experience I was able to practice vocabulary, the times (past, present, future) and the way of express my thoughts in another language and that my ideas are understandable and well written.

I think that some advantages of my blogging experience are:
1) constantly practice writing in English
2) to be in contact with course companions and learn from what they write

And some disadvantages are:
1) talk much about the own career (almost all the times)
2) there are days when I'm not inspired
3) stay up so late in the university, although in reality this is not a problem of the blog, this is a problema with the schedule of the course.

I think that my blogging experience in general has been good, and that this type of methodology are good to learn better and faster how to write in english.

Personally I prefer to work on the blog instead to stay another time in class, mainly because both blocks are followed and Thursdays in the afternoon and I am a bit tired.

A different way of education

In this video, Sir Ken Robinson talks about the extraordinary capacity of human creativity, that is very different in each person. But the problem starts when the education supress creativity, because since the Industrial Revolution, the education had one function; to educate people for work and in this way to increase production, so the important subjetcs where mathematics and language, and the other subjects like art or music, had no relevance.

I think that the concept of intelligence is wrong, because to judge if someone is intelligent or not, we usually measure only the skills associated with work and money, and worse, with tests that do not consider the context where people lives, that influence them in every way. For example, in the case of Chile, with the test SIMCE, that shows biased results.

I suppose and I hope that when the money stop being the central aim in our society, we will all begin to appreciate the different ways of human creativity, and we will have a rich culture, where every profession could be valued. This way, each person could advantage their skills to the maximum, without a supressing education.

Clinical psychology

I think that my favorite subject in this moment is clinical psychology. The professor in charge of this course is Gabriela Sepulveda, a infant-teenage psychologist, and she organized a team of four teachers that also make clases. The reason of why i like this class is the same reason of why it has a team of teachers: each teacher teaches us about a different approach. I like this metodology because in this way i can know a little about every approach, so i can have information to choose the next elective courses, because starting next semester each one choose the classes that will take.

Using this methodology, this semester I've learned about psychoanalysis, humanistic therapy, systemic approach, evolutionary approach and cognitive psychology. Now I could say that I liked most the humanistic approach, because one of the things that called my attention is psychodrama and group therapy, techniques wich I spoke earlier on another blog.

I want to continue learning about this, because in the future I want to work helping people with his personals problems, and I want to offer innovative alternatives for being and feeling good.

Traveling in my mind over five years

In 5 years from now, I want to be entitled as a psychologist, because just left me two years and a half and I hope it goes well. I want to be living near Santiago, for example in Pirque or Cajon del Maipo, for stay a little out of town and be closer to nature. I want to be living with my boyfriend, a friend, or maybe with myself (I have to wait to see what is happening in 5 years more).

Professionally, I want to be working near to my home, or in a small department behind my house, but I dont want to have only one work, depending the specialty that I follow, I could have more than a job. For example, some days I may be working in my home, or in a center of alternative therapies near to my home, and some days go to Santiago and work in a municipality or public hospital, until now, that´s the option I like more.

Personally, I want to live surrounded by people, inviting family and friends to my home all weekends, doing parties or barbecues and spend the time relaxing and doing fun things with them. During the week, I´d like to do other activities besides my job, for example take a course of art...obviously this is an ideal future...But continued dreaming, I want to live a few years in this way, then I want to have a travel time to visit other places in the world, and to continue my studies outside of Chile, and return to start thinking about having children, if my boyfriend wants to, because I love babies =)

Jacob Moreno

I think that a person who contributed a lot of knowledge and skills, in original way, was Jacob Moreno. He was born in Romania in 1889, he studied at the University of Vienna, and he was psychiatrist and psychologist.

Moreno was the founder of psychodrama and one of the inventors of group psychotherapy. Psychodrama is a psychotherapy that is based in the theater of improvisation, it can be performed by one, in pairs or groups. Its aim is achieve a strong contact with the own emotions, feelings, thoughts and fantasies, that not always can be achieved only through the conversation. When a person understands it, will be able to understand some situations in real life and may be better prepared to act on future. For example, if a couple has problems, they perform different events that have occurred.

Moreno contributed a lot in group therapy, in this technique the interactions between group members and the therapist becomes the material wich the therapy is conduced. Along with past experiences and experiences outside the therapeutic group, the problems arise from patients, and may be treated together; generating lessons that can be “translated” to real life.

I like the contributions and the work done for Moreno, because he helped in the creation of new techniques that had never before been applied to psychology. I think this makes him "the best" because it helped psychologists of different approaches (especially humanistic approach) to obtain new tools to address a more profound and innovative people's problems, not to stay in the typical image of the couch and the conversation.

My career

I am studing psychology and I am in third year. I chose study this career because I want to help other people, and I want to complement this work with alternative medicine, like flower terapy, yoga or reiki. I think that this ambit of my career is related with clinical psychology, but a psychologist can work in differents areas and do differents types of contributes to society. For example, a organizational psychologist can work in the companies and help to improve relations, a educational psychologist can help with his knowledge to differents persons in the schools (students, teachers or parents). Moreover, a community psychologist can help to the comunities to organize for solve his problems and maximize their capacities, and a juridic psychologist can work helping victims and perpetrators of crime.

I think that my favorite subject is clinical psychology, because in the future I want to work helping people with his personals problems, and I want to offer differents alternatives for being and feeling good. I think that the tools that I will need to have in the future are some tests, but the principal tool that I need to be a good psychologist is my knowledge of human being. Anyway, maybe my interests may change throughout my career, because every year I learn differents and interesting things.

I think that every type of psychology is very useful in this complicated times.

In the observatory called "Tololo"

This picture was taken by a friend from my school, when we traveled to La Serena the last year of school (2006). In this occasion, we traveled to differents places near to La Serena, one of them was the observatory called “Tololo”. After to stay into this interesting place, we went out of the observatory and we took many photos; one of them was for all of us, and after to one man took this picture, my friends took one of “only boys”, so the girls also wanted one of “only girls”, and this is the photo that I chose for show in my blog.

This photo shows the view from the parking of the observatory, I think that is very nice because you can see part of “Valle del Elqui”. I like so much this photo because there are my best friends of the school, and this photo remember me all of the travels with my friends. Objectively, I think that the photo of “the girls” is more beautiful than the photo of “the boys” =).

Electronic journal Epistemology of Social Sciences at the University of Chile

If you study psychology, I recommend you to visit this website:

http://www.moebio.uchile.cl/

Everytime when you must do investigations, you can visit this web and search articles about the topic that you must study. You only must click in "search author/title" and write what you are searching for, and there many investigations appear. I like this site because they have an advantage: this web belongs to Universidad de Chile, specifically to Social Sciences, the faculty where I study. So for doing works for the U, the teachers are going to be very happy if you include articles of the same University, and your work will have good sources.

I found the site because the teacher of qualitative methodology gave to my course a list of trustful sites for searching information to do the investigations in this course last year. I must confess that I visit this site only when I have to do works for the U (on vacation I never remember that they exist), but between March and December I visit it many times.

Good luck !

My radio and my

When I wake up in the morning, I turn on my stereo and the day start OK, because I listen happy music and I can wake up relax. Then, I go upstairs to the bathroom, and when I go back to my room, I listen music and preprare the things to go to the university.

This story start when my father gives me my stereo the last Christmas. In this moment, I was really very happy.. the stereo is black, very modern and nice. I must confess that I am a little wonderer, so I use the remote control, in this way I can change the radio from my bed or other part of my room. The stereo have many functions: radio, cd, and I can conect it to a pendrive, computer or television. I really use all of his functions in differents moments of the day. For example, when I have time to see movies, I conect the stereo at my television and the sound is very cool.

So you can see that I used my stereo every day. When I go to my home, after the university, I go to my room and turn on my stereo again, and in the nigth, I used the "sleep function" and I go to sleep listen music. I really like my stereo because every is best and more funny.. I think that my life without it, will be very boring.

English and me

Hello!

My name is Javiera Cerda and I´m a psychology student in Universidad de Chile. I´m on the third level of English. I think it is very important to know how to speak, listen and write in english because it is the most important language in this moment, and everybody uses it for comunicating. I think my skill in english is reading, but I have problems with the speaking, and sometimes with listening. I want to know new things in this course =)