FINAL POST!

(A ship, sailing for a new adventure...)
My learning experience on UChile was very nice, since it was a chance to keep speaking in English, and the first formal English class since I left the military academy two years ago. I believe that it served to me for not became rusted honestly.

I enjoyed the dinamics of the class, because it's never bored! Saying the truth, have a native english speaker as a teacher it isn't very easy, and it's a very good oportunity to improve the speaking level, four years ago I had classes with an austrian teacher, and she was very funny teaching english with her german accent. Now learning with a british, even better.

The most interesting for me more than the class itself, it was (as I said) the chance to speak with a british native. I spoke with north americans, canadians, germans, dutch, japanises, chineses, koreans, and lots of other persons, always on english, but I thing it's the first time speaking with a british, and it was a very good experience. About the class itself, I think the most interest thing was the movie "this is England", but I still think that it should was with english subs, or without subs at all.

Really trying to remember, I don't remember a very boring moment on the semester, I really like to speak and practice english whatever I can, it's easy and funny for me, and I'm consious that it was a very important key to open doors on the future (even now...) and still lot's of our classmates don't realice that.

The most difficult part always are the listenings, sometimes because there's a lot of loud on the place, others it's difficult to understand the record, even if is on spanish, and others... well, sometimes I had problems understanding everyone in front of me.

It's a very useful tool for all of us, and really could be better if one could take more courses, more advanced, not just the essencials. We have to reach the level when we're speaking not mentaly translating the information, but start thinking on english, and talking and listening almost naturaly.

One of my classmate's blog

Hi everyone, I will write about Rodolfo's blog.

http://rsvinenglish.blogspot.com/

I like this blog mostly because we have a lot of common interest and topics, so it's always a interesting reading for me. On the technical aspect, the colours combination is nice and made the blog easier to read. The pictures are often nice too (specialy the one of the Falklands islands).

Obviously, he have all the content request by the evil captain Higginson, and sometimes extra pictures. His english writting isn't so basic, so read it became more interesting.

The post that I enjoyed most was the one about Arturo Alessandri Palma, president of Chile twice. He have a lot of good information (Rodolfo and I enjoyed history) and this point it's interesting, because I'm a follower of Carlos Ibañez del Campo (nicknamed "The Horse"),the defense minister of Alessandri, the one that lead the "sable's sound" on the congress tribune, forcing the senators to sign a group of laws for the worker class. He was the one that overthrow Alessandri's place (without force, just forcing him quit). And reestablished the public order on the countrie. He founded the Carabineers corps, our armed police force until today. He was the antagonist of Alessandri on almost every aspect, but it's very interest share opinions with respect and without fighting.

To improve his blog, he could probably try to write more, a bit more every week, not for duty, but for personal interest.

--------------------

Another blog that I enjoyed to read it's Camila's blog, because like with Rodolfo, we have common topics and interest, not on the field of history, but on the profesional one, and about outdoor activities. I like it because I believe we've more than one point on common on that areas, and sometimes she remind me myself (for example, her post about the perfect job)

She has a lot of pictures too, beautiful pictures and it's always a pleasure to take a look of her blog.

The post that I enjoyed most like I said, was the one about the perfect job, and she wrote about forest rangers. Before my military carreer, and before geography, I was studing forest engineering, and I love forest! (the southerns evergreen raining forest on particular).

What could she does to improve it? I believe she's just fine =)

Captain Higginson is begining a listening, so I must close the blog now.

see you!

A favourite game when I was a child?
My favourite games were always videogames, until today. My father give me a videogame console when I was four, and I never stoped until now. It was a NES game system, also known as "Nintendo", and was one of the first on his class.



but that wasn't a game, it's a game plataform. I´m not sure about the very favourite one. Mario Bros was the first one that capture my atention.

But I'll talk about "Duck Hunt", a very famous and funny game of that age. Duck Hunt, as the name says, is about hunting ducks. On the screen apeared two ducks flying on random direction, and you had to aim and shoot against the ducks with a toy gun; then, your asistant dog went and came back with the hunted ducks, or laught at you if you miss all the shoots. I remember that sometimes I wanted to shoot the dog when laught at me, but you couldn´t. It's a nintendo game after all.








I played this game almost everyday since when I was four, until the gun had problems, That was near when I was six. I played this game with my father and a uncle. Until today I believe that my father made that gift, but only because he wanted to play, but obviously he couldn't buy the console for himself (my mother would never allow that) but if is a gift for his little first son, looks fine.

And I like it because it was very interactive, and caught my atention, because I didn't understand how the console knew where I was aiming. And I must say... I had a skill with the gun since then, I don´t know why, but I felt confortable and confident with that weapon (just a toy, but I was four-five)

(my girlfriend will laught about this)
another game that I liked a lot (and like and play until now!) i´t's Tetris.



and it's very easy to play, a never ending group of geometrical pieces will be falling from the top of the screen at diferent speeds depending of the level, and you have to make them reach the ground making columns with the other piezes. Sounds easy until the speed became to increase and you don't have the time enought to put them on the perfect position. Played almost everyday too when I was a child, two or three times at least per day, and now I try to play it almost once per day.

I played this game with my father too. He was (is) very good with this, and have a very fast mind, with maths and organizing things to fit (he's a engineer). At that age I believe that play at that speed (no more than one second or two) per pieze was imposible, and my father was a super tetris player, but now I´m almost that good, but my father is better even today (he plays too) and every challenge that we made, he won every one. Maybe someday...

I like it because make me think, a lot and fast, very fast. And... because I love the music of the game! (russian music). I believe that is very useful for young kids, to improve logical skills, a very good help when one grows.

Bernardo O´Higgins

I believe that Bernardo O´Higgins is maybe the best chilean on history. It`s just a matter of opinion, ofcourse it`s a question difficult and very easy to be used on discutions.

Bernardo O´Higgins was an army general, commander in chief of the first chilean army, supreme director and the signner of the independence declaration and the first national constitution.

It`s a important person because he`s willpower, leadership and inteligence lead Chile to a true independence of the spanish crown, and began the road of our beloved countrie.

Ofcourse he wasn´t the only one responsible of that. The Carrera brothers and Manuel Rodriguez were also heroes very important to that, they and the thousands of person how fought the spaniards, and died giving us our countrie, our Chile.

Questions? I don´t know for sure. I surely would try to talk about the campaing to the south, on our first battles and how he became promoted from seargeant to general and commander in chief. About his feelings, fears and hopes on the battle of Rancagua. About the glad and joy of the battle of Chacabuco (payback time! remember Rancagua!!!!). The dissaster of Cancha Rayada when he became seriously wounded, and what was on his mind when wounded, he took the 100 cadets of the military academy, and go to Maipú when the rest of the liberty army were fighting the last mayor battle of the independence when finaly O´higgins hug his friend San Martín and said "Glory to the libertator of Chile!"

O´Higgins brings very different opinions, from Hero, to dictator or assasin. He was a hard men, with his believes and ideas, like the Carrera brothers, and every single person. Different ways searching the same goal, the liberty of a countrie, and the greatness of Chile.

A good job to choose

If I could choose a job... well, I suppose all of us ever made ourself that question, but sometimes the answers are never found.


I have worked on a few things years ago. First as a construction worker when I was 15, a good experience but obviously I was too young. when I was at the highschool, I often went to my godmother store and helped her attending the store and sometimes as a chasher or delivery boy. On the university I worked on security on parties inside the university, not very safe I must say... with 18 I began my first job with contract, on Telepizza. I suppose to be on the preparation table, but I finished working there, on the telephone, as a casher, waiter, deliverer and preparing the routes of the motorcycle´s deliverers. I quit this job only because I went to the army. I really enjoyed all this jobs, and I gladly would come back if I could (without quitting my carreer ofcorse).

But a favourite one?

Maybe some kind of explorer, like the age of discovery on America. Searching other civilizations, paths to other unknown places, making maps of my discoveries and trying to understand the world ahead me.

But today is very difficult, because almost entire world is mapped, and above the surface there´s really few things undiscovered. On the deeps of the ocean otherwise, it´s different, but I don´t get along with the oceanic fauna, so I´ll left this entire world to other persons.

Explore, discover, maybe I´m a dreammer, but I believe there´s a lot of things that we still unknown, and today is easier than any other era to reach and learn. What´s below a glacier (or the entire artic!); how a mountain chain born; where we can put our settlements trying to avoid natural hazards, but ensuring the access to natural resourses, water, food, and enought ground to grow at the same time, found a mineral vein useful for our country; how the rain falls on the basins and where that water go, what things can happen with that water, what benefits can we obtain, and which risk we have; the evolution of a centenarium forest, and learn from them about the place where we live; search for old rock layers below the places and learn how the place was made, and what things can happen (tsunamies, earthquakes, floods, droughts, alluviums, etc.). WAIT! THAT´S EXACTLY WHAT I´M STUDING!

Yes, Geography. Obviously geography isn´t only that, and it´s not only our field or speciallity. Geology, Topography, Engineering, even the people relationed with the space and the satellites, with computers, biology, zoology, Climatology, and a lot of other persons relationed with the geociences. On my point of view, certain geographers can be the explorers of the modern world, maybe not in caravels, maybe not going through a wild jungle full of snakes and natives, but using modern tecnology and knowledge to discover the things that the old explorer even couldn´t imagine. And not only explore and discover, althoght make that new knowledge useful for our people.









Geographer, a modern explorer, I like it.

Why would I enjoy of that? everything I believe, maybe not my thin salary, but it´s a detail. As a specialiced cientist (on glaciology, hidrology, vulcanology, etc.) on a research center, or on a University, I would enjoy the discoveries, everyone, specially if is useful for the city or region. If is on an University, teaching and training new "modern explorers" would be cool, I always enjoyed teach others. If is on other place, a governamental office for example, serching special places to put settlements, making risk maps, or any other thing relationed with the area, I would be happy. Satisfying? ofcourse! making new knowledge and being the first on found something is always a pleasure.

I know a lot of persons working on the area, even outside the university. Violeta´s father (my friend of Valdivia) works on aereal photography. I know a few persons working on research on this areas at the river´s region, and if god want, I will be there on a few more years.

Back to Valdivia part 3

(because logistical problems, I didn´t have internet conection last week, so I couldn`t post, but I made my homework on paper, so I will transfer my writings now)

October 21st

Last day on the congress for me, because tomorrow it`s the field seasson, and I don`t have enought cash to go.

But saying the true, it was the better day until now of this week. First in the morning my favourite topic was GIS (Geographic Information Systems), but as we geography students know, GIS aren`t a topic for itself, are a tool made to make easier other areas, like hidrology, glaciology, biogeography, and others. So this morning the topics were "Detection and analisys of ground`s uses changes on the center zone, north side of the province of Captain Prat between 1984 and 2003", In the investigation, they concluded a reduction of wetlands and pasturelands, and a grown of the forest use. Honestly I`m not very interested on the conclutions, but the methods used are interesting, using images from TM and ETM+ satellitar sensors and the radiometric, atmospheric and topographic corrections.

Other topic was "Development of a ground`s use change surveillance system for continental Chile" and this one was mainly about the surveillance of the native forest via satellite, and the study of aereal photogrametric pictures of the territory, scales 1:25000 and 1:50000. And the need of make a database with all this info, at country level.

Another was "Inventory of urban woods on Valdivia city". Nothing new, even us on second year can do it. Take the UTM coordenates with a GPS from every wood on the inventory, or if we have a high quallity satellital picture (with a 50cm resolution per pixel for example) we can georeference the image and search the wood on the picture. After that we can calculate the dimentions of the tree, and put the info on the database.

enought of gis for one morning...

at lunchtime, I tried to find a friend, studing chemistry and pharmacy, but she was on a test, so went to the fastfood post, and ate a hotdog.

at the afternoon, I went to megaseisms room. The expositors were my former teachers of forest engineering, but the ones of the geociencies institute. Lots of interesting information, for example the changes on the river`s flow at the moment of the february`s earthquake, and the next months. My former climatology teacher exposed that almost all the basins increase the waterflows between 50% and 70% even 100% on one case. Why? are a lot of posible reasons, maybe the collapse of underground acuifers...

another was about the earthquake of 1960, the reconstruction, the mistakes of the construction, and what would happen if Valdivia suffer a similar tsunami again.

One of the experts of the 1960`s earthquake (my former teacher of geology) spoke about the physical and geodesic process of that earthquake, compared with the process of february... and doesn´t look like good news...

and with all the respect that the other expositors own, I was very tired at that point, and was unable to have more atention. So I left the congress, to went back to my city once again.

I walked arround the river, and sitted on the bridge, watching the day die, and how the lights began to decorate the calle-calle river, until suddenly I notice the most beautiful jewel on the water: a big and shiny white pearl. So I went back to the house, singing a song about the moon bathing at the calle-calle river...

One to one

Meet one famous or historical person. Difficult to choose only one.



I believe that I would like to meet to Bernard Phillipi, a Prussian (german) naturalist, explorer, cientific, and the responsible of the german colonitation of southern Chile. He saw a very big oportunity for our two countries in this big raining forest, full of animals, bugs and water, almost unexplored by the spaniards, and without conection with the rest of our contrie thanks to the "araucania`s pacification" (the war against the mapuches) even considering that he was a naturalist, he made the role of a geographer, and is the father of all settlements arround Llanquihue lake and the current XIVth Rivers region and part of the Xth lakes region. Not only with that, he was comisioned by the chilean governament to stablish a settlement on the magellan strait (the drake pass) and he made that task with perfection, arriving just one day before a French war frigate with the same mission, winning the control of the strait, and the south of this continent to Chile, making posible the colonitation of Punta Arenas, Coyaique, Puerto Natales, and all the southern cities. He was made governator of Punta Arenas, and was killed years after on a native ambush. His adventures are a example of force of will, and vision of optimism.





He became friend with sir John Williams Wilson, captain of the colonitation ship and father of Juan Williams Rebolledo, Grand Admiral of the chilean navy on the war against Perú and Bolivia on late XIX Century.

What I would like to talk with him? I don´t know one thing exactly, about his adventures, his histories, his discoveries, and the problem with the french crown for the control of the strait. More than talk with him, I would like to imagine myself on the discovery (and not without troubles!) of the llanquihue lake, and adventure of about two months worthy of a movie.

Interesting, because is a important part of out history, and specially of the regions that I love and the start point of the german colaboration in many aspects with our contrie.




Regards from Valdivia. ;) (Today I will go to Rudolph Phillipi museum, his brother and the main colonitation agent of the city of Valdivia)