Final Blog

Uh, the year passed very fast, and we're here, on our last blog and what better way to end the year than talking about this course: English 4. The truth is that first I didn’t like the way that teach English in our university, I preferred the high school. When in English 3 we had to do the blogs, the truth is that I hated them, I found them very bored and useless (I'm sorry, that's what I thought), but as time went on, I improved my skills by writing, it progresses faster and asked less.

In English 4 it made me even fun, the truth is that instead of writing in Spanish and then translating, most of the time I thought directly in English, which is why it took me long enough. I think that doing the blogs also helped us to know realities of our companions, of our friends, things that we didn’t know.

Now, the truth is that I have much to improve, like pronunciation, some aspects of the wording, and, I think, of English, what I can best do is understand what I read and what I hear, but not perfectly.

It's funny to think that sometimes, when I'm home alone, I get to speak in English (as if I was crazy haha), I try to remember the name of the things around me and I think what I have to do, but I say it in English. Now, not long ago, I became a fan of a Chilean YouTuber (I know, I'm a little big for those things). She is Inna Moll, and the good thing is that some of her videos make them completely in English, apart has a good pronunciation; I learn and have fun watching their videos. I'm also a fan of "The Walking Dead", and as I look at the series, I relate what they say with the subtitles. The truth is, that a lot of things around us are in English, in fact, the name of the things we commonly use happen to be called in English, which is why it is very important to have a knowledge of the language.

Change to my study program.

Well, to begin to say that I am in the first year of my degree, therefore, I could not say with certainty the flaws that counts our curriculum, but of course, you don’t have to be a genius to realize the different problems that affect our preclinical and clinical companions.

I'll start by talking about what affects me more than full, that is, the curriculum of the first year. One of the main problems of the first-year curriculum’s is the high academic overload, which makes the jump from high school to the university be colossal. In fact, if you add the hours of personal study plus the hours you spend in the university, your life would basically be summarized in  to go to university, study at home and eat while you are studying.

Other major problems are the amount of content that is passed, in relation to the short time, which makes us understand that today, clearly the university isn’t prioritizing learning, but that "rewards" the ability to memorize the content. It's not the same to learn than memorize.

Finally, and that I find most serious, is the manipulation of the percentage of students who reprove the subjects, I explain, most likely that many of you have ever heard, at the beginning of the year, that a teacher says: "In this course, 20% of my students fails". How does the teacher know this if the generation is completely new? Suspect?

Fortunately, in our faculty we have good spaces of study, we haven’t problems of room, we have access to Internet ... the main problem is the time with which we count the students; I wish the day had 28 hours.

"summer vacations"

Hi guys, today I going to talk about my next summer vacations.

To begin, I believe that these holidays will not be a great vacations because I’m going to work. I need money because the next year (if I pass all my subjects) we (me and my futures companions) have to buy so many implements for “simulación”.

So, I don’t have much to say, maybe, if you read some of my blogs, you know that I am from Pichilemu, and Pichilemu is a touristic capital, so, in the summer, a lot of people visit my little town, and my mom is the happiest of the family because she have a American clothes store and in the summer she sell a lot of clothes.

Two blogs ago I said that I wanted to work in a liquor store, and guess who has work in a liquor store! I go to tell you how I got these work. The last all saints’ days I meet whit my friends in Pichilemu, we wanted go to party, so, we needed beverages. We collected between thirty or forty thousand Chilean pesos, and then I enter to the liquor store to do “the transaction”. When I arrive to the cash register, the liquor store owner says to me: do want to work whit me in the summer? And obviously I say yes, so, when the class ends, in December, I only have to go to the liquor and enter to work.

Now, I have to think that if I going to the beach in the day, or if I going to party in the night, but these depends of my work shift.

Punta de Lobos

Hello, today I’m going to talk about a picture that I took around two weeks ago. This picture is not the most important to me, but I decided to choose this photo because it takes a long time to get the perfect angle. Two weeks ago I received my friends “Pancho & Nacha” in my house, in Pichilemu. It was their first time in Pichilemu and I was been in charge to show them.

The truth is that this photograph is not important for the perfect angle or the amazing view but is important for the memories that bring me.  Its picture relaxes me and calms me and brings me good memories about my friends, about my family, about my life in general when I had not worries.

I believe that I need this; you know, take a rest and enjoy the nature.  Maybe this might not seem likely but to go to Pichilemu helps me recharge energy and come back to Santiago with full energy to study.  There have been difficult times but we have to be stronger to facing of the futures changes.

The photograph was taken in “Punta de Lobos, Pichilemu”, and is a world surf capital, land of the best Chilean surfers like Christian Merelo and Ramón Navarro. I never had taken a surf body board in my life, but I believe that I understand the calm that the surfers feel when they look at the sea, their sea.

"Postgraduate studies"

Hello everyoneToday I am going to talk about postgraduate studies. To introduce this topic is important to know, what are the postgraduate studies? We call “postgraduate studies” to university studies post graduate degree; it means that if you want to have a “postgraduate degree” you first have to study an university career (underground degree), then (a long time even after) you got your degree and finally you can apply to a state grant, this is so important because the postgraduate studies are very expensive, for example: orthodontics postgraduate studies in the university of Chile cost $12.2400 Chilean pesos. Besides, you must to have in mind that you have to be selected of a group of applicants.But well, talking about me, I would like to have an Odontogeriatric postgraduate degree. Maybe because I have lived all my life with my grandparent and I fell comfortable speaking with old people, so I believe that this point helps me to have a god relationship whit my futures patients.Another postgraduate that I would like to have is “Facial and maxillary surgery” because I believe that this is an important and difficult area of odontology, whereby required good professionals committed with theirs works; one surgery takes many long ours, and I can to be doing the same thing for many time without fall in boredom.

My future job

The most probably is that my next work don’t be like a dentistry, because there’s still a long way to go (five years at least) and I hope to work in the next summers. Maybe I will be looking for a job in a liquor store or in my past job, working in the ATV.

But looking ahead, I would like to be an odontogeriatrican, because I believe that I feel comfortable working with old people, perhaps because I have lived all my life with my grandparents and I have like a “connexon” with senior citizens.

Besides, I would like to work in the public system because is a great opportunity to improve your skills like dentist because to public hospitals arrive people with the most weirds pathologies. Also, we must have in mind that not all the people have (while it may appear redundant) the opportunity to access to a quality attention.

Another option is work in scientific investigation. We know that the University of Chile prepare very well their student to do investigation. So, this point ever will be a possible option to work.

But all these things are possible only if I get my degree like odontologist, if I don’t get my degree, maybe I will finish selling balls on the beach.

WHAT I’M REALLY INTO?

The first thing that I think is to sleep and to eat. Somebody can’t love these things? Seriously, go to sleep is one of the best activities that somebody can do, is wonderful, is like if your mind travels but you are not there, your body magically is renovated and you have all energy of the world. Maybe I love to sleep because throughout day I’m thinking in excess and the only one moment in that my mind takes a rest is while I’m sleeping.

Another thing that I like so much is meeting with my friends, speaking about anything or sometimes to have important discussion about one ideology or whatever. The true is that I like to speak and I like listen to the other people; the persons ever have some interesting so say. Sometimes the people say: hey, how are you? But you know that they are not really interesting in your mood, god, if one day I asking to you: “how are you?” is because this is important to me, not only for cordiality.

I believe that you can learn so much important things from other persons, is like, how can I say it, free experience.

My first blog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLseAQYmfPw#action=share

The Most embarrassing thing I am willing to admit.

Hello everyone, today I going to talk about the embarrassing thing I am willing to admit. The truth is I don’t remember a terrible embarrassing moments, only things like when somebody says Hello! And you answer him/ her but she / he don’t greet you.

Anyhow, I remember that the last semester, I had to going to tutoring and I was a little bit earlier that ever.  I arrived to the classroom and I enter without see the people that were there. They looked me and I, calmly, I opened my book and I remained silent.

For my luck, they were High school students and they don’t meet me. I stay in silent all time between they taken notes about Physics. I tried to seem natural and calm, but inside I was so nervous and embarrassed. They didn’t realize that I didn’t have to be there!

When the class finish, they taken their things and got out, the teacher say good bye and I stayed here waiting my teacher, alone in the classroom. The teacher never reached out to the classroom, the tutoring was never done. The saddest is that this day I went to the University only for that Class, but well, the life continuous.

My best Concert

Hello everyone!!! Today I’m going to talk about my best experience at a concert. To begin, I have to say that it was not a concert exactly; it was a Festival, a Hard style Festival.

The name of festival is “Defqon 1” and it was organized by “Q-Dance”. “Defqon” is an annual music festival held in the Netherlands, Australia and Chile; its principal feature is hard music that is electro music with a repetitive bass and many audio effects, (the voice in the songs are an extra component but is not necessary). Together with the music are the play lights and fireworks that made of this event and amazing show.

Defqon 1 Chile was celebrated in the 2015 by first time and 2016 by last time, because they don’t have well results in the sale of the tickets.

At the high school, during the recesses I watched so many videos about this festival and I used to dream to go to Defqon some Day, so the new arrive, Defqon came to Chile. I and my friends don’t think it and we purchased the tickets. It was one of my best experiences of my life.

I would like to visit England

Hello everyone, today I’m going to talk about one of my dreams: travel around the world. If magically somebody say to me: “tomorrow we are going to travel to one country, choose one”, in the first location that I would think is England, specifically London.

London is the capital of England and United Kingdom, is located in Europe and is the biggest city of all European Union. But, Why I chose London? London is home of architecture, art, culture and history. Is a perfectly place to enjoy with family and friends. Between its attraction spotlights “The London eye”, “Natural history museum , “Big Ben”, “The tower of London”, "Buckingham Palace”, “Lake district National Park” and so much other places around the city.

Another reason why I chose England is because I believe that it is a secure country, and, I have to say it, I have curiosity to know and live the England customs, the way that the people interact with each other, their accent and pronunciation, etc.

Maybe, one day, when I will have money, I will travel to London.

My relationship with the english languaje

To begin, I have to say that my relationship with the English language didn’t start in the school, it star in my house, influenced by my dad. I remember that when I was a child, one summer, my dad gave me an English encyclopedia for children, with pictures and so many colors. The target was learning one topic a summer, and the reward was going to vacations or money, whatever. The topics were animals, sports, human body, bathroom things, etc.

Later, I began to have English class in my school, I don’t remember if was in 5º or 6º, but I remember that I was so good. I believed that the English was easy, and I loved it. One day, my English teacher said to me: "Benjamin, you have a very good pronunciation, congratulations". That day was a good day.

But, not all is pretty. I remember too that one day, in the high school, I had a mistake in the pronunciation of a word, and my schoolmates teased. Like black magic, this day I lost the certainty, and y had problems to pronounce some words, that at that time, it was easy to me.

Then, in the university, before English III, y was one year without English class, thing that affected to me, but I am recovering. The truth is that I love English, now I am not so good, but I have the motivation and the want to learn more.

Bye blogs!!! (for now :c)

In general I don’t liked the way of work in English, because… first, I don’t like talk about me, second, I believe that in general I learn less that I am could have learning, and third, it took me a lot of time to think about a topic and then to write it, I am so slow.

But I have to be sincere, my skills for to write have been get better, I redact more fast, with more security and now to write the blog don’t take me more time that the hour and a half, I believe that this is a great achievement.

I would like to include in the future random topics like education, politics in Chile, environment, or maybe topics that to open a discussion about an important theme. I would like to address a theme and listening (or in this case reading) to my companions and have a discussion with they.

Like a specific topic, I would like to write about the president Donald Trump and his influence in Latin-American and the rest of world, the means of his decision about to leave the Paris Agreement and how it will affect the world, to talk about his migration policies and his uncertain capacity to govern U.S.A.

University life

This is the next to last post of the semester and today, I going to talk about the stressing and funny university life (is a joke, is not funny: c)

To begin is important to know that I am not from Santiago; I’m from Pichilemu, sixth region. You will understand that for region peoples, to move away from their little cities to a big city like Santiago is so difficult and can become in a stressing process.

When I was a high school student, I spend five minutes (walking) in arrive to the secondary school from my house, because my house was so nearby.  The more time that take me this activity was seven minutes. But now, I spend a lot of time in the public transport, approximately two hours a day, all de weeks except on weekends; one day have twenty four hours and spend two hours from my day into a meter!!!

If you live “alone”, you are responsible of you, you have buy your food and you have to go to pay the counts, if you are sick, you have to go to buy your medicine. If you are lazy, you don’t eat, if you are lazy you won´t get well, ant et and etc.

The most that I miss is to my family, and the mom’s food.  The sad is that I haven’t talked about the university, but for some peoples it means more than eight ours.

My favorite subject

The truth is that this, and the last year, I don’t had a favorite subject, but, why? Because I reproved some subjects, for this reason I don’t can progress with the other courses like Simulations or Dx, anyway today I going to talk about my favorite subject at the university: “Skills development and self-care for professional practice I and II”

I like this subject because show us the first idea about our career, is the most dynamic and funny, I believe that is the course in that we learn more things, and is nearly defining about our continuation in the university: If you don’t like “skills” (Destrezas) you should think in other career.

I have to be sincere, this two year I have been a little sad and with kind of depressed because I don’t have had subjects related with the odontology, and the courses that I have are very bored.

The only one that I want is to approve my actuals subjects, and in the next year have my “preclinical” subjects, although my companions and friends say that “Simulations” is so stressful; the true is that I think that I like “odontology”, but really I’m not sure still.

I admire to...

Hello everyone!!!

Today I go to talk about the person that is an inspiration for me, thinking in our career. His name is Cristian Rojas Rojas, and he is a dentistry of Pichilemu, graduate of the "Universidad de Talca", with postgraduate in the "University of Chile", our university.

He is from Pichilemu, he didn’t have a very good childhood, he had to work hard since child, and he sold newspapers, beach balls and others. He studied in the L.A.R.E., the same high school that I studied, and then he decided study Odontology in the "Universidad de Talca". After a years he graduated, and takes the especially of “Bucomaxilofacial Pathology” in the "Universidad de Chile". Actually, he lives in Pichilemu, when he has a private dentist office, and Stgo, when he is teacher of the "Universidad de los Andes" (yes booth places at the same time).

I choose to Dr. Cristian because he is a big person, is so nice and he helps me when I need it. Always he asks to my or to my mom about me. He said that if I want, I can go to his consult in the summer to learn more about the practical odontology.

Sports and hobbies

Hi everyone!

Today I going to talk to you about my favorite activities, ride bicycle and practice taekwondo.

In the 2013 summer, I decided to buy a bicycle; I didn´t think so much, only I bought it, just like that. After a time I decided to practice “Downhill”, but I throw out that idea because I was involved in some accidents and my mom was horrified. Now I use the bicycle only to get around Pichilemu and I don’t practice any dangerous tricks.

When I enter to university, I felt the necessity to practice any sport, and that’s how I found taekwondo, in the second semester of 2015.

In the 2016, we (with other teammates) created the first team of Taekwondo of the odontology faculty. I practice two or three time a week, but I have to confess that this last time I have been lazy and I have not practiced so much.

I competed in four TIFs and I won two bronze medals; one of my dreams is win the silver medal or, who knows? win the gold medal, but for this I have to train so much and in Odonto the time is few.

i'm the blue one

Photograph

I love to take pictures all the time, the problem is that I don´t like that people see me taking pictures, I don’t know why, but I prefer to take photos when I am alone.

My cellphone is full of photographs of my family, my dog, and things that I like , my friends, the nature and so much. For this reason is difficult for me choose a photo.

Anyway I choose this photo because I believe that shows a beautiful moment in my life. She is my sister, and this summer she learns to roller- skate. This summer (the last summer) we spent so much time together, we played soccer, we went to the beach, we fought like ever and we were happy. The photo was taken at end of January, in the Arturo Pratt Square, Pichilemu.

We had fun in the summer so much, because then I have to return to Santiago, and she stayed “alone” in house. I miss her so much :c

My Pets

Today I'm going to talk about my pets.

When I was a child I had a rabbit, I don’t remember how was he but I loved it so much. One day I went to see it, but in his cage there was a big hole, “Rabbit” wasn't there, he ran away… or that's​ what my parents said.

Also I had two dogs, one died of old age and the other died poisoned, their names were Platón and Toby, Platón was a German Shepherd and Toby was an English Cocker Spaniel.

Although I had the dogs, I adopted two cats, they “loved each other” and because of that I had so much cats for a long time.

The last summer, I left the main door open and a baby dog looked in the house, he got in, I washed it and feed it, and we called it “Luchín”. Is so cute and playful, for this reason I love it… now that I’m in Santiago I miss him. I Also have a sister, she isn’t my pet XD , but she was afraid of dogs, but whit Luchín she lost her fear.

My favorite gadget

Hi everyone!!! Today I’ll going to talk about my favorite Gadget.

Definitely my favorite gadget is my smartphone because it´s so useful, you can do everything with a smartphone, is like one thousand gadgets in one, and the best is that fit in the palm hand!!!

I got it in the past cyber day, but I had to wait approximately one month to arrive home.

I use my smartphone all day, all days, in the morning to wake up, see my email, to listen to music, etc. If I have to study  and i don´t understand something, I look up on internet, using my smartphone, if I have to go to some place that I don't know, I use Google maps, when I want to know about another person, I use the social networks, If one day I´m bored, i watch movies... IN MY SMARTPHONE!!!

Really you can do everything with a smartphone, without it I will be disorganized, I could oversleep all days, I will can´t to speak with my family, to do things will take more time. I don´t want a life with my smartphone.

But, on the other hand, using gadgets likes smartphones all time is so dangerous, because we lives in the virtual life, without real problems, we take distance of the real life, of our friends, and we believe that we are more close with them, but not, While we are looking the smartphone, so many things happens in our around without knowledge.

Why did I choose odontology?

When I was a child, like so much kids in the world, I want to be paleontologist, but people says "paleontology don't have labor field, you will not find work!!!" And was from this way my desire to be paleontologist died. The rest of my childhood I just wanted to be like Jackie Chan (in fact, I wanted to change my name by Jackie Chan)

In my teenager age, I wanted to be mine engineer because my father I used work in diferents mines arroud the country, He was truck driver. He told me so much history about the "mine life", and obviously he wants that i could be best than him. The problem is that I am dumb for Maths.

In the postulation moment, I dont have really idea what i wanted, I was so confused and de only that really I wanted in this moment was take a rest for five o six years, but I can´t do it, because i had a scolarship. The truth is I didn´t know thaht choise take: law, general medicine, odontology, psychology and engineering was my options. Finaly, I chose odontology. I don´t know why, maybe by the money or laboral conditions.

The university is so difficult for me, I reproved some subject but i can say that i know nice people, and i make good friends, I cried and i laughed, I studied so much and obviously I went to party so much, the university is like a roller-coaster.

I would like to work in so many place of chile, and... who knows? maybe in another country. Working without a boss that tells me what I have to do. Have my personal box, my instruments, but if you are thinking: " you want to be alone?" the answer is not, i would like share knowledge with other profesionals arround the world.

Myself

Hi people!!!

This is my first blog and I hope you like it. Today, like title says, I'm gonna talk to you about me.

My name is Benjamín Melendez, I'm from Pichilemu, a little city located in the 6th region of Chile. I was born in San Fernando but all my life I lived in "The Surf's  Capital" (Pichilemu). By studing reasons, the last 2015, I was to leave my little city and my family to start the travel to Santiago and can achieve the "provincians Dream": become a profesional with a universitary degree.

When you meet people in the university, and you say that you are from Pichilemu, the first question that they ask to you is: Do you practice surf? I have to confess something, I have never touched​ a surfboard, obviously is so dificult that i was a surfer!!!

I'm the boy with the red helmet

The truth is that I'm not very friend of the sports. When I was a child I liked things like see tv or play videogames. In fact I was not interested in sports or another activity that means a physical effort, but now, I am awere of  "the healthy life" and I change my mind: now I practice sports like Taekwondo, I prefer the stairs and I walk always when I have the possibility.

Luchín <3

My family is my mother, my grandmother, my grandfather and my litlle sister. Recently we adopted another member, his name is Luchin, and he was a homeless dog.

Now I am an stressed odontology student, that has to study so much if he wants to become a dentistry one day. However I´m so happy to where I'm beeing now, I know that the road is so difficult but i'm sure that i'll make it.