English language challenges

My experience in English classes has been very good and entertaining. When I was in school, I hated having to learn English, and I think that's why I lost a lot of knowledge because I didn't pay attention to the class. Everything changed when I entered the university, I could have different teachers who taught me in different ways, and I understood that English is very easy to understand if you do it with motivation.

The blog system is very entertaining, especially in the pandemic (I never had English in person). It is interesting to read the posts of the other course mates, there are some that are very fun to read.

I honestly think there is always something to improve, especially when learning a new language. I think I have to practice more the verbs, I have to study more how to use them according to their verb tense, but I think there is something much more important that I have to put into practice and that is to TRUST IN MYSELF. Many times it has happened to me that I am afraid of making a mistake and making a fool of myself in class. I have to understand that we are all constantly learning and mistakes turn out to be a positive thing.

To finish, I use English for very small things, it helps me to understand things I see on the internet, like tiktok videos, movies, series, music, etc. But I know that in the future I want to travel to Canada so I can go see my family. I know that English will help me a lot to survive in that country.

Changes to my study programme

My experience in college has been very strange. I started my design degree in 2019 and the truth is that everything was going well until the social outbreak when everything had to stop. After that I never saw my classmates and professors again because of the pandemic. So, despite being almost four years studying, I still feel that I need more knowledge about my career. A lot was lost with online classes.

But if I had to make changes in terms of the curriculum and looking at the years I've been in the career, I think I would add more branches on sketching and preparation towards the technique of industrial development. I have seen that there are many electives focused on graphic design, but in the industrial area there is a little less development.

I think this is due to the pandemic, but if we go back to face-to-face classes next year, I would like to have more field trips. Although industrial design is developed more in objects and ergonomics, I think it would be useful for students to have knowledge after observing situations in the outside world and analyze other different realities.

And well, the infrastructure of the faculty has improved, for example the "titanic" building was remodeled and painted, on the other hand they fixed and modernized the mixed bathroom, but I think the faculty still needs other changes. I would like that FAU just have a place with green areas, where you can rest in a quiet and comfortable way. In addition, there are practical things that are not in the best condition, and I think money should be invested there, such as laser printers, some rooms in bad condition, etc.

Time travel to the future

How complicated it is to choose a time or a place to travel to the future. The truth is that time is relative and everything is uncertain, if we look at it from different perspectives, we are constantly living the present, the past and the future at the same time. 

If I start thinking about myself I would like to travel to the moment where I am 70 years old. Just out of curiosity. To know what I did in my life, what paths I took, what decisions marked a before and an after, if I will be accompanied by a big family or, on the contrary, if I will be alone.  But I think that knowing about all that would only ruin my current present, and my life would simply be meaningless because I would know everything that is going to happen.

 So, if I imagine myself in a fictional scenario, I would like to travel to a time where my current 21-year-old self can be alone with my 70-year-old self. It sounds strange and you may ask, why alone? Well, let me explain:

If I meet people close to the 70 year old Amanda it would be a HUGE SPOILER OF MY LIFE and that would be boring. NO thanks. I prefer to have a meeting where my future self can advise and guide me, but not really tell me what will happen. Maybe this way the uncertainty of what is to come will remain what it is, an uncertainty, but my attitude towards life will be in a different way, it will be certain and decisive. 

I hope that this encounter will last only a moment, maybe a couple of minutes and then I will return to my present. Because I know myself and I know that eventually a spoiler would slip out. I prefer something more dramatic, something like my future self telling me, "The treasure is in..." and PAM right at that moment back to the present.

My Future Job

Honestly, I don't know exactly what I want to work in when I get my degree. I do know that I want to have a job that I really like, and where I can enjoy what I do. I hope I can have the space to be myself, without restrictions and without prejudice for having colored hair or tattoos haha. I know that Chile is a place where they don't hire some people just for having those characteristics. That's probably why I would like to work outside of this country, to be able to do other projects and get to know different work dynamics. 

Well, about choosing an outdoor or indoor job, the truth is that I can't stay with just one option hahaha. On one hand I would like to have my own work space, quiet, comfortable and safe, but on the other hand I think that my personality is so restless that I simply could not work 24/7 in the same place. I would like to have the possibility to travel in my job, fill myself with new experiences. Sounds interesting. 

I believe that, like everyone else, I would like to have a decent salary. I hope to be able to support myself and my cat Haku, that's the only thing that matters to me in terms of salary. 

I am currently studying industrial design and while I would like to work in something related to that area such as biomaterials, or the manufacture of furniture through assemblies, I am not closed to the possibility of practicing in other things. Something I want to do after the degree and the postgraduate degree is to take pedagogy. But maybe life will take me in different directions, so for the moment I'm just waiting for what may happen. 

How the pandemic have affected my studies

 It’s a fact that the pandemic affected us all in some way. Whether the problems are small or big, everyone in the world had to adapt to the changes, and not always the changes are good for us.

Personally speaking, I am very tired of the pandemic and this new "normality" that has taken over our daily lives.  Evaluating all the problems that arose from the COVID-19 wave, I think my studies were the most affected.

On the one hand, the online classes started. It’s very strange not being able to see and meet your professors and other students. I discovered that in artistic careers like design you need constant interaction with others. You learn from your professor, but you also learn from your classmates. Thanks to the pandemic, that was lost. :(

Also, my university started a new modality to start the courses, called "overlapping" (“traslape”), this made it impossible to get through all the material destined to 18 weeks, on the contrary, the professors had to teach the material in 8 weeks. It’s simply horrible, both for teachers and students.

In terms of motivation, I am slowly wearing myself out. I don't see a point in continuing to study design in this way. I hope that next year we will have face-to-face classes again and we can make up for what we have lost in these two years.

Music

Since I was little music has been with me, I think that's why I couldn't define my favorite type of music. I listen to many kinds of music like Jazz, Argentine Rock, Reggae, Trap, Reggaeton and even a little bit of Pop (but not so much hahaha). I also like the studio ghibli music a lot, but I don't know what kind of music it belongs to.

Jorge Drexler. He is an Uruguayan musician, singer, composer, actor and doctor, he is currently 57 years old. Many people have told me that his music bores them because it is very quiet, but I love it. His lyrics and melodies fill me with joy, make me feel protected and at home. Listening to his music has also accompanied me in moments of sadness. Jorge Drexler is not famous like Hollywood singers but he is well known in my close circle.

My favorite Drexler song is called "Eco" and it belongs to an album made in 2004 with the same name. I think it is a wonderful song but  also a little bit sad, with beautiful lyrics and a very calm and harmonious melody. This song is more like a sung poetry, and talks about identity and loneliness. One interpretation of the lyrics is that the singer is not close to someone he loves, and the other person only hears an "echo" instead of his partner.

The best holidays ever

My best vacation happened before the pandemic started. I went whit my family to Uruguay, in February 2019.

We stayed at a beach called "La Paloma". We rented a house but this one was not so close to the beach. Whenever we wanted to go to the beach, we had to walk for about 20 minutes… hm, at least we got some exercise hahaha.

What I liked the most was visiting Cabo Polonio. Cabo Polonio is a small town on a cape, it is beautiful and full of hostels and restaurants. What I liked most about that place is that it has a very artistic and hippie style. It gives very good energy, I hope to come back someday and be able to work in Cabo Polonio during my vacations.

We also visited places like Punta del Este, La Pedrera and Rocha. We drank a lot of mate, visited craft fairs and even we tasted a cannabis brownie (because marijuana is legal there). Something curious that I really liked about this country is that Uruguayans, when they go to the beach in groups, stand in a circle and not facing the sea as we Chileans usually do. That was nice to see and learn, I would like that this kind of customs will be implement in Chile.