New Zealand

When somebody ask me “which country would you like to visit?” my mind travel around the whole world and I can’t decide where begin. There are so many places that I would like to visit. But, first, I think that it’s necessary to know very well my own country and Latin America before travel to another country. I would to know my own culture and my Latin-American roots before to visit another country, because in this way I could share with the foreigners my traditions, my knowledge, and the different American languages, between other things. But, I think that travel around South America it’s relatively easy for me in this moment (we say "in a short period"). But if somebody tell me “Camila, I give you all money that you want” I would use that money for travel to New Zealand. Why New Zealand? The answer is very simple: The Lord of the Rings. I read the trilogy of Tolkien, but when I saw the movies I hallucinated with the landscapes. If I had the possibility of to travel to New Zealand I would like to take the "Lord of the Rings Tour" at Auckland and to know “The Shire” and the main locations of this movie.



Well, really I just have a touristic interest in this country, I didn’t would like to live there o studying, but undoubtedly it must be an amazing place for stay a season.

All you need is love!

Hello everybody, today I’m going to talk about love <3
What is love? I think that we can analyze and interpret this thing in many different ways…



For me, love is the driving force of our life. Love can do everything! The capacity of change anything is only possible through of love… I think that this is one of the most important characteristics of this feeling.
Of course, there are many different ways to love: friendship, family love, love of neighbor, love of nature, love the simple things of life, couple love, love of knowledge, etc.
If each human being could practice some of this ways to love every day, undoubtedly this world would be better.
So guys, remember always make love not war!

Cheers!

Hello classmates!

Today I talk you about this semester and my expectations for the end of this academic year. As we know, this year has been very special because we have been witness of the most important social movement of the last twenty years: the fight of people for a free and high quality education.

After of six months of fight, our university (and the majority of the higher education institutes) decided return to the class, so… here we are… Honestly I would have preferred don’t back to class for respect with the secondary students who still protest for the public education and because the Government don’t give us guarantee of an improvement in the educational system. But I should respect the institutional decision.

For me, study in summer is terrible, because I hate climate of Santiago and I’d like stay in my parent’s home for the Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. But in this scenario I expect the semester to be good, and I hope that the time pass very fast because I’d take vacations in February.

Besides this is my last semester, so I took just two subjects: Taller de Investigación and Prehistoria de Chile Central. When I finish these subjects, I will be archaeology graduate.

I hope you have a good semester too… Lucky!

Cheers

It's over

Hello classmates!

Well, the semester is finishing and is important make a balance about the importance of the English class in our academic formation.

This class has been a pleasure for me, especially because I’ve lost a little fear to the language.The English of my secondary school was not good, and the language learned at the university was practically to force because I was must reading the texts in English. But, the classes and above all the blog resulting very important for the improvement that today I see on myself.

Personally, I feel very satisfied with the modality of the class: they are dynamics, entertaining and relaxed. Although these aspects could seem “silly things” I think that they are really important to the learning. Is necessary an atmosphere of trust, where oneself dare to talk or write, fearless to make a fool of oneself. In this sense, the idea of make a blog seemed very good, because it allowed us talk with simplicity about topics of our interest and comment with trust the blog of our classmates.

I realized that the exercise of writing in English, every week, was very significant for my learning, because every time it was more easy thinking and writing in English. I have also noticed it in the reading. In my career most of the literature is in English, and lately I’ve been reading a lot faster and translating articles without resorting too often to the dictionary (or google translate, oops, anymore, I swear!).

Now, the writing and reading English are relatively easy for me, but there is still much to improve in listening and speaking, these abilities are still very difficult for me. But I’m convinced that we can learn well the language =)

Thanks for all. And I hope see you in the next English level.

My best regards.

Camila

"Emma", by Jane Austen (1815)

Hello everybody,

Today I’ll talk to you about the last book I read. The last book I read was “Emma”, was write by Jane Austen. This book is a comic and romantic novel, published for first time in 1815 and it’s about the risks of misinterpret the romance. I read this book in the summer and I chose it because I wanted to read something simple and entertaining. Besides, I know this author and I know how she write. I found “Emma” between the books of my sister in the house of my parents.

Ok… The principal character is Emma Woodhouse, she is a younger, rich and genteel women that live in Georgian-Regency England. Emma thinks that she will never marry anyone, and she is convinced that she has a gift for conjuring love matches. The main interest of Emma is helping others to live a life so perfect like yours. In this way, Emma starts a strategy to get possible suitors for your new friend Harriet Smith. Harriet is a young and modest woman away from the life style of high society. Emma persuades Harriet to refuse an advantageous marriage with a younger and respectable farmer, Mr. Martin. The aim of Emma is that Harriet marry with Mr. Elton, a younger and rich man. But the matchmaker instinct of Emma is wrong when she realizes that Mr. Elton wants to marry with her. Thereafter the story becomes more complex, appears new characters and the story transmits to the reader a lot of excitement about the ending.

In the other hand, this book has been adapted for the screen in different times: in 1972, with Doran Godwin as Emma and in 1996 with Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma. Here I share with you a video trailer of the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WpLozLqLZ0

A nice pic!

The photograph that I choose is very special. To be honest, I don’t know who took it neither when, but I found it because always I have been interested in the art of the Body Paint.

Particularly, this pic I like very much because it could have many different interpretations. Firstly, the corporal art is a topic that personally I love it. The body permanently is communicating things, and I think that the exploitation of this quality through of the body paint is very enriching and it has many contents.

I choose this photograph because it shows a scene, which meaning achieve materialize a feeling that often I have feel. A desire to blend with the world. Introspection.

Another aspect that can be read in this photograph is the simplicity of the human being as “entity that occupies a place in space”. We are one part more of the environment.

In addition, the beauty of this photography stands on the female figure. This is interesting because, while her body is part of this wall, which it is inert/barren, this in turn comes life/fertility through female body shape.

And as last feature I would like mention the techniques of the painter. The degree of reality that he achieved with just a brush is amazing. Look at the crack that appears in the right arm of the model, is very real! Or the corner of the window across her chest… the mixture of colors is perfect and really does the body is a constitutive part of the object.

Finally, perhaps the most interesting of this photograph (and of the paint basically) is that it is highly dynamic. By this I mean that the interpretations, meanings and descriptions of the scene, could be infinites because all this emerges from the subjectivity of each observer.

Greetings!

One of the best days of my life

I think that is very difficult define one complete day as the best, because the life is a mosaic of good moments that alternate with others not-so-good. But, I will try.

In general I think that the trips always are a great experience, and although I made a few trips, all has been very significant. I really enjoyed happy moments in each of them.

I remember one day when I was in Easter Island. Actually, every day in this place were really amazing. But one of the most exciting things was dive between chorales and goldfishes. This day was really nice, because with my friends get out early morning to Hanga Roa. There we contact with a diving center, where made us a previous instruction class. Then, we went in a motorboat into the sea, in at a point where we were at 10 feet deep. Each of us had accompanied by an instructor, so dive was not so difficult. It was the 20 minutes most beautiful of my life: Clear waters, white sands, beautiful colored fishes… an underwater landscape amazing! The only ugly were our faces with the diving suit, glasses and the oxygen tank… we looked awful hahaha.

I totally recommend diving, furthermore it’s not so expensive… If you really want to do an unusual and exciting activity, could save money for the next summer and look for a diving center. I’m sure you will like.

Blessings to all

The technological objetc I'd like

The technological piece that I would like obtain is a camera. I hope can buy it on next month, when I receive my salary. Furthermore I would use this piece not only in my spare time, but also as a working tool. In general I would use the camera to photograph social situations like celebrations, meeting friends, landscapes and events (for example concerts, spectacles or social marches). At the work, the camera would helps me to photograph the artifacts that it found in excavations or in surface, or also the landscape that gives contextual information.

Probably I would use the camera frequently, because I'd carry it everywhere.

I believe that through photography is possible to save important moments for the future. In addition, trough the photos can share these moments with others. In this sense, the photographs function as a memory device that immortalize moments considered as important or beautiful.

So far I survived without having a camera, but I think it is time to buy one. Especially because my memory is terrible! Having a camera, I would like to take a photography course to learn how to take good pictures and share them with other people as well.

Regards!

Tierra del Fuego

The place that I’d like visit is the Chilean Patagonia, particularly Tierra del Fuego. I have been in different places of Chile, but I've only reached the Isla Grande de Chiloé.

Studying the prehistory of this region, I thought that this part of world must have been really amazing thousands years ago: a virginal place. The first human groups were very fortunate to have seen this pristine landscape. Now I think that this place still preserve some of its original features. Moreover still remain a place free from pollution, noise and people... only the world and you.

In spite of this place is very beautiful and interesting, definitely I would not like to live there. I think that after a long time, Tierra del Fuego must become a very solitary place and away from it all. And I really like to have the possibility of moving easily toward any place, in any time.

This is a trip that I'd like make alone, because it would be an experience to find a sort of “spiritual balance” and reflect on transcendental things.

I have some money saved to travel, but I think that travel to this place must be very expensive. But I hope know this place soon.

Music for the soul =)

In general, my musical tastes are very miscellaneous. I listen with major frequency latinoamerican music like salsa (Rubén Blades for example), vallenato, tango (Carlos Gardel and Astor Piazzola, for example), music with african roots like Totó y la Momposina and Petrona Martínez. Also I like the instrumental music, particularly some albums of Yann Tiersen like “Rue des cascades”. Generally I listen the latter when I study; is really good for concentration and motivation.

I don’t know if I have a particular musical taste for sad moments, but I can tell you that the last time that I felt sad I listened to Frou Frou, Joaquín Sabina, John Coltrane, a disc of “Putumayo” (Presents Paris). Recently I have been listening andean music, like “saya”, is very lively! My favorite group of saya is Kalamarka. I think that my music help to cheer up and feel happy.

I don’t recommend listen sad music in sad moments, because the distress feeling is reinforced through of lyrics. Long time ago when I felt a loving deception, I listened to Alanis Morisette and definitely don’t helped me, it made me very sad. So… Now I only listening lively music, that make me feel happy and quiet. Here is a videos of a songs that I really like! I hope you like it too!

Rubén Blades (Decisiones): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyhwmZAQB-Y

Totó y la Momposina (El pescador): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAPh04Ay_0Q

Frou Frou (Hear me out): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qkeiREEh28

John Coltrane (My favorite things): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I6xkVRWzCY

Kalamarka (Cuando florezca el chuño): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsj4BPkPHJA

Kisses!

Do you know something about of cultural patrimony?

If you know some news about cultural patrimony of Chile, you must visit the website of the Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales (CMN): http://www.monumentos.cl/. There you can find update information about the landmarks that have been declared as monuments. This websites present several links with important information: “Who we are?” where you can know the vision and mission of the CMN, the history of this institution and its organization: The function of the CMN is… “To practice the protection and tutelage of the cultural and natural patrimony that have monumental characteristics, watching for its identification, official protection, supervision and conservation, promoting its contribution to the identity and human development” Also you can use the searching link of monuments. There you introduce the data of your interest (region, province and kind of monument: historic, archaeological, typical place or sanctuary of nature), and the website show you a list with every monuments declared for this region. It’s very useful and easy! Another remarkable link is the program “SITUS, Archaeological patrimony”. With this program, each investigator can upload information about the archaeological sites that have been registered in their investigations. In this way, SITUS generate a database that can be used by any archaeologist for knowing the totality of archaeological sites of Chile. I usually visit this website because it provides important information about interesting topics related with my career. And I use the searching link of monuments to know the cultural patrimony declared in the region that interest me (II Region of Antofagasta).

Like movies?

Today I’ll tell you about films...

I love movies, but unfortunately I don’t have time to go to cinema frequently. BUT! last week I met with my cousin, who felt like seeing “Black Sawn”. So, we went to Cine Hoyts of La Reina.

I liked very much the movie! It has a good plot, also the acting is amazing! I think that the most interesting of this movie is the atmosphere of tension that projects to the audience. And the last scene! So dramatic!

I totally recommend you! But hurry up because soon it will remove of showing.

Regards!

Welcome!

My name is Camila and invite you to visit my blog. In this space I’ll publish notes about movies, books, music and some things about my career.

The name of my blog is a combination between “rhodopis” and “callopistes”, scientific names of hummingbird and wall lizard. These animals live in the north of Chile, a region where I work as an archaeologist.

I hope we can share interests and entertaining tips about anything.

See you!