Chile: We have changed?

This year we celebrate the bicentenary of our country. In fact, we don´t have, like free and republican country, two thousand years, however we celebrate our independency at September 18^th. The question that I think right now is ¿how much we actually been changed since that days until today? Unfortunately, there are many things from that Chile that, in a different and modern way, we still have in our days. Maybe in that context, celebration of bicentenary is a good date for think about that.

In the colonial Chile, like every colonial place, there were few people who used to have power and money; they, in his parties and meetings, decided the future of all the country. When our country was finally free, not a Spanish colony, still was a small group of people that decided; the principal difference was that the powerful people was named like Chileans, but the names and families was the same that before.

In our days still are a few families that have power and money, and they tend to be related one each other. It´s true that today a regular Chilean citizen has more capacity to decided that in the beginning of our country, but that is a limited power; in fact, it´s so tiny that a citizen just can exercise his power in a vote in a election, and we, as Chileans and as part of our regions or towns, we can´t even choose all of our authorities. It seems that we don´t have many impact in the future or our nation.

The problem is that rich and powerful people don´t do anything for trying to include more persons in that circles and the people don´t try to get in either. With that situation, we still are, and will be, an unequal country.

With all that, is very obvious that Chile, in these two thousand years, hasn´t changed too much. We, as a country, have more equality, but we don´t are an equality country. I believe that have many causes, but one of them is what I say: the powerful and rich people are always the same, they related with each other, and they decided the way of Chile. If the people don´t see that reality as a serious problem, Chile never is going to be an equal country.

Home Sweet Home

Rancagua

My home is in Rancagua. I’ve always lived there; and it always going to be home. I know that in the future I will leave in Santiago because there are more possibilities to get a good job here, but when I go to Rancagua, I have a feeling that I’m in home. However, my house has not always been the one that today we have as family; in fact, I was born in a house that I don´t remembered because we change it when I was around 2 years. Since that, I’ve living in fourth different houses. I keep the best memories of all that places.

This one looks like home



Today my home is near to “5 Rout” in Rancagua. I don´t leave too near from the center; it takes me around 15 minutes in car. I know that it didn´t sound much, but in Rancagua is a lot of time! In bus, going to the cinema takes me around 40 to 45 minutes; that just because the cinema and my home are forest that could be. Even that, I like living there. I lived away from my friends, but luckily one of them has a car! :P

In my home I live with my parents, my brother and my sister, but my sister did not travel that much to Rancagua, which is good to me in one hand because we share room there (and here in Santiago too); but in other hand, the three of us we always have a great time! Our bedroom is always the center of our chats; we eat, watch tv and have fun there.    

I love my home! Is very cosy! Well, is not that big and we dream to make it a better house: more rooms, fix some things, painting it, etc. Of course, everyone wants to makes his house prettier, but I love it anyway. However, my dream house looks like that:   

Cute, rignt?

Recycling!

Today I´m going to write about the environment, about how ‘green’ am I. Someone who is called green is someone who really cares about the planet, specifically about the environment. These days are an important topic around the world!  In fact, since the documental “An Inconvenient Truth” of Al Gore came out, I feel that this topic increase his importance.

With this movie and other kind of documental, people can learn about what they can do in his life for helping the planet. Now more and more people thing that recycling is something that you most in your home, and actually more people are in fact doing it. In my home, we recycle many things: tetra pack boxes, bottles, cardboard, paper, cans, etc. My mom started with this new habit, and very quickly we learn to do it, and now is a habit in my house in Rancagua and here in Santiago. However, I´m not a ‘tree huger’ or anything likes that. I do save energy in home, but I do it for the bills most of all.  

In a regular day, I don´t do much for the planet: I traveled in bus every day, I don´t use bike, I don´t separate organic trash, etc. however, I think that a lot of person don’t do that and not because they are not worried about environmental; they don´t do it, and I don´t do it either, because is not easy and our society doesn´t make it any easier: if we had a recycling culture, would have different trash can out of our houses, and the garbage truck would be separated spaces for different type of trash: paper, organic, non organic for example. Unfortunately, that doesn´t happened here in Chile, not even in Santiago. However, where I live here, in Ñuñoa, we have many facilities for recycling.      

In conclusion, I thing that people is knowing about importance of recycling, but isn´t easy in  our society.  

Art, Art, Art!!!

Art is very important! As a future sociologist, I believe that art is part of society because they reflect the status of society in a moment. For example, Andy Wharhol show us a different type of society that Da Vinci; his message was different because there societies was very different too. We just need to see more pieces of art to understand that.

Duchamp´s work.

Luckily, mi mom is an art teacher, so she always teaches me about art. Since I have memory, I visit art museums everywhere I go; in fact, coming to Santiago for visit his museums use to be part of my family vacations. For that reason, I really enjoy art... it´s part of mylife!     

Talking about me, I must say that I don´t have many talent in that area; I can draw a decently in a piece of paper, but I don´t paint at all. When I was a kid, I participated in an art competition, but I lose it. Well, when you´re six years old, you draw like a kid! I guessed that I lost the talent.

However, i still appreciate art, how can I don´t appreciate it! I love any type of art, by the way. Well, maybe not Duchamp and his wear piece, but like every artist he has a message for society. Even appreciate graffitis and any type of urban art. Art is a way that human being has to express herself, and that is the most important thing about art.

Even when I really enjoy art, I don´t have a favourite painter. My mom loves Dalí and his work is awesome and rupturist, but is not my favourite artist. She loves Van Gogh too, and his work is beautiful and with great technique, but is not my favourite either. Like I say, apparently I don´t have a favourite artist.    

Well, like you can see art is almost part of my family!

Movies!!!!

Today I´m going to write about my favorites movies. I´m a big fan of cinema, I try to see a movie, always when I have free time. The last movie that I see in a cinema theatre was “Wall Street” with my boyfriend, and before that I saw “Inception” with DiCaprio and directed by Cristopher Nolan. It´s a great movie, with good music and a beautiful image. If you can watch it, do it!     

Because I´m a big fan of cinema, I try to buy some movies, so that I can see it whenever I want, and show it to my friends and family. For name a few, I have: Cinema Paradiso, Psycho, Rape, La Lengua de las Mariposas, Citizen Kane, etc. It´s difficult to name my favorite of all the movies that I have; in fact, if someone ask me about my favorite movie, probably I´m going to answer saying the list of dvd´s that I ever bought. Well, for that reason is that I don´t rent many movies; if I want to see a movie that I don´t have, I use to watch it online.

However, Citizen Kane is one of my favorites, and not just because is a good movie; I love it too because it was the first movie presented with a different order in the history: it stated with the death of the citizen Kane. The story is about C. F. Kane, an important man who dies, and his last word was “rosebud”. With that information, a journalist tries to figure out what this word mean.      

It´s a great movie! Please, watch it if you can! One of the best movies ever

What to see in Santiago

Santiago is not my favorite city; in fact, there are many things about Santiago that I hate. However, this city has a lot of beautiful places to visit, full of history for example, or really fun. Like Federico Sánchez says, people who lives in here has to love more his city.

I´m from Rancagua but my grandma lives in Santiago since 1980, so when I was little, I use to come to Santiago for the summer, so I use to act like a tourist in this city. For that reason, I suggest to visit:

• Fantasilandia: Was one of my favorite’s places in Santiago. Unfurtunately I couldn’t visit it since a lot. It´s a little expensive (around $7.000 per adult) but it a good choice if you like adrenaline and games.
• La Moneda Palace: Is the government house in Chile, and everyone can came in to his patios, and once in a year you can enter to the offices, guided for the President in self!       
• San Cristobal and Santa Lucía hills: Typical places in Santiago, both has many history and are very close one each other, so you can visit it both in one day, but San Cristobal maybe toke it more time, because is bigger and there are more thing to see there, like a zoo
•  Any museum: When I was little, the most typical trip in Santiago was visit one or more museums, and I must say that is a good visit to do. You can go to any museum that you like, but I recommend “Bellas Artes”, “MAC”, and if you have child spirit, “MIM”.
• National Stadium “Julio Martínez”: I was never been in the national stadium, but I think that is a good idea for someone who doesn´t know Santiago, visit this historical and important stadium. If you can go inside, at least you can take a picture with “El Pilucho” or “the naked one”, a classic statue. The name of the stadium (Julio Martínez) is new; he was a very important journalist in Chile, dedicated obviously to football.

Well, I don’t know if people who were born in Santiago think like me… But is just an opinion!     

Music!!!

When I was in school, in Rancagua, music was very important in my life. I used to ear The Strokes all the time after school. It always makes me feel better if I was depressing or more excited when I need it to. Also, it was a company for me.

 Today, I still ear music but not that much. I still love The Strokes and White Stripes, but I really don´t have time for ear music with dedication that I used to put on it. I normally ear a radio from New York that my boyfriend show it to me, and it became a good company for my days working at late.

Talking about my favorite’s bands, White Stripes and The Strokes (indie rock), I was lucky because they came once to Chile at 2005; the same year, but not the same concert. The firsts ones came on may, and The Strokes visited Chile in October, one day after my birthday! Was the best present ever! Well, actually I pay part of the ticket, but it worsts it.

For that bands, I dreamed once in became a drummer, but unfortunately I couldn’t buy a drum even when I has some money! I still dream in me buy one. In fact, I will have a drum in my house, when I lived alone. I hope that wasn´t bad invested money, because I love that instrument, but I really don´t know if I´m good at it.

To conclude, I would like to say that music is the company for life; it´s always in our memories and join us every time. Life can´t be conceived without music! Even if you don´t have a favorite type or band, it´s always there.