Dear bloggers,

This week I'd like you to write about an ambition you have for the future. It could be a trip you would like to make, a sport you would like to try, a person you would like to meet or a job you would like to do. It could be almost anything!

Personally, I have more than one ambition. One of them has to do with travelling. I have been very lucky and travelled a fair bit in Latin America and Europe and a tiny bit of Asia. However, I’d love to visit more of Asia and India in particular. However, I am a sensitive person so I know poverty and injustice would shock me and make me sad, it is the rich culture which has inspired me lots. I would like to learn about Ayurveda medicine but I am also very interested in meditation so I’d love to maybe do some studies for some time. I think doing this would bring me personal happiness. This is not an easy goal to achieve but I have hopes that one day, I will do it. 

Another area I would like to be involved in again is schools. I did this years ago and from one day to the next, I was working with “adults” only. I would like to work on methodology and curriculum with a team of teachers in an attempt to improve education. I have been offered this more than once but in the past few years I have been devoted to studying and therefore, turned offers down.

Last but not least, one thing I’d really like to improve is my guitar playing. I love it but I have been very lazyL

 I have the feeling 2014 will be good in terms of achieving goals.

Write about an ambition you have.

Say:

What your ambition is,

Why you would like to achieve this ambition,

Who or what inspired your ambition,

What it would mean to you to fulfill your ambition.

Write at least 180 words. Leave a comment on at least 4 blogs.

Evaluation

Guys,
Do not forget on April 1st I published the way in which the blog will be marked !!!

Good evening everyone,

Today we have the chance to write about a free topic.

Sometimes this poses a difficult task. Freedom can be challenging since we are used to being told what to do since we are little. I have issues when it comes to having too many choices..... Okay, here we go...

Even though I have always loved nature and green areas, my interested in plants and growing started say 7 years ago... More particularly, when I heard about the effect genetically modified food had had in rats and the possibility of Upov 91 being passed here. This modification of the law was proposed by our lady president in her prior administration.

It made me think a lot in what we eat. Fortunately, I have never been a big fan of sweets (only chocolate) so eating fairly healthy stuff is not a problem. But I know that for a lot of people this is a problem and they see no way out of loads of junk food. It is cheaper and it is addictive.

I live in a flat so growing veggies did not seem like an easy task but with determination and not knowing much about this; I started my little orchard on my balcony. This enterprise has shown me that having your own food is not free from stress. It is amazing the number of plagues you find even in the city. No wonder organic vegetables are so expensive.

Anyway, it makes me happy to have my own lettuce, rocket, tomatoes, mint, parsley, coriander and other pesticide free stuff.

I could go on for ever but I will finish this post by adding I strongly believe many of the illnesses we see today (attentional deficit, diabetes, obesity, etc.) are partly caused by the food we eat. Many of the additives used here are forbidden in developed countries. And many harmful ones (like aspartame) are still legal worldwide.  We don’t seem to read labels enough; we are not aware what we put in our body and I feel this should change.

In conclusion,  I feel we need to pay more attention in general. It is not about being radical about anything. Just to be more mindful and more careful with what we eat and when we eat it. 

Please remember to use www.wordreference.com

Write about something that motivates you.

Write a minimum of 180 words and 2 comments in new blogs (where you have not commented before) and 2 comments in any blog you like. Don't forget I am part of the class, too. 

Try to give a structure to your text, something like intro, body, ending . Add a picture if you like.

You have 24 hours to fulfill this task.

good technology

The word technology sometimes leads to confusion.

Actually, many people think of really funky machines when they come across it. The idea that a pen represented technology in the past or many other simple services created to satisfy people, does not really spring to mind at first.

I have mixed feelings about technology because I love the things new toys can do, but at the same time, I love the old ones. I used to play up the trees and now I see children who don’t leave their homes and sit for too long.

Anyway, regarding technology I think the first one is my mobile phone. That is for a very simple reason. I like the idea of integration. For me to have a camera the music I like and a diary with the numbers of people I want to ring, is really good. I can't believe I used to memorize so many numbers! My brain must be deteriorating big time nowadays. The best part of it is the organizer. This is the only way I get to pay bills on time, send an invoice "boleta" on certain dates; etc. got it in 2012 and use it all the time.

The second item I'd like to mention is the external disc drive. I think when you have lost all your info because your PC died or because you got it stolen or whatever reason, it can be really tragic. That is why I learnt we need to save info on a safe place that "ideally" will not collapse or disappear. I have complete books, whole albums of good music, and lots of documents that have taken me hours to download or write myself and don't want to lose. I don't remember when I got this, but it was long ago. Could I live without them? Hell yeah! I would have to get used to it, that's all.

Describe your favourite piece of Technology. Upload a picture if you like. Remember to use wordreference.com 

Say:

- How you got it

- How long you have used it

-How often you use it

-Why you like it

-Describe how life would be without it (180 words minimum)

Today write 1 comment on your teacher's blog and 2 or + Comments on your classmates'.

Since we express a lot of ideas in the past, use this :)

Hello everyone,

Well, today we talked about likes and dislikes. I’d like to tell you a bit about this image. To be honest, I found it hard to choose a special picture. This is because there are so many pictures I like and they are in so many different contexts. I decided to go for something nice and simple. I took this picture in July 2010. I was on holiday and my husband and I woke up at around 6 and decided to go for a walk. We walked from the place where we were staying to the next village around. The village was really funny because it was basically three houses and a post office. Anyway, everything was closed because it was so early. We took a lot of pictures of the sun rising. It was a beautiful moment. I’ll tell you why I like this photo in particular. It is a very simple picture but what I like about it, is the fact that it turned out just as I saw it on that morning. The light, the colours, the shadows, everything is exactly the way it was in my mind.

I love the way the sunlight hits the misty hills and you can see hills and more hills and more hills on the background. The image actually reminds me of the cover of a book I really enjoyed called “Ghostwritten” by David Mitchell. The nicest thing I can think of is that I had a lovely walk on a beautiful summer morning, breathing fresh air with someone I love. Corny or what!!!!

Write about a special photograph you took or appear in.

Say:  Who took it- What it shows- When it was taken- Why you like it

Upload it, too!

Include any other information you'd like to mention.

Write a minimum of 160 words and write 3 comments on at least 2 blogs where you did not comment last week.

I am open to comments, though J

Hello Everyone,
Since we started today’s class talking about the past, we will continue to do so but now we will read and write about it.

Today I'd like to tell you about a place I have enjoyed. The truth is, I have been lucky enough to visit several places. Having said this, there are still a lot of places I'd like to visit in and outside Chile.
Even though there are many places in the north and south of our country I could mention because Chile is an AMAZING coutry, today I'll refer to a place I fell in love with in 2010. This is a National park called “Abel Tasman” in the north of the south island of New Zealand. I guess the reason why I liked it so much has to do with many factors. It was a very particular day which started cloudy but it was sunny at times. I think it also rained at one point. I did a 4 hour- walk through this park which had some really dry bits, some really wet parts, deserted bits, and dark areas due to the thick vegetation. I also got to meet people from different places. I even got to hear some Chileans on the ferry crossing from one island to the other. 

The most amazing thing about it was the giant ferns (helechos). I had never seen such big ferns before. They were actual trees (They are a national symbol of NZ). Moreover, I got to see a number of birds & insects and the whole scenery was awesome. 
What I really like best about New Zealand in general is how “relaxed” people seem. Even in Auckland! I guess it has to do with the fact that there are so few people (Around 4 million in the whole country!). You can travel for miles and not see anyone. I really like that.

Well, now it is time for you to share. You can use www.wordreference.com as a dictionary. 

Write about a place that you enjoyed visiting. Upload a picture.
Say:
When you went there
Who you went with
What you did there 
Why you liked this place (140 words Minimum)
Post 3 short comments on different class blogs. This is part of the marked task.

Remember to ask if you have doubts.

Dear all,
On this post I will explain how the blog work will be assessed.

Two marks will be averaged. Mark 1 is for continuous assessment (i.e. coming to class and posting IN class).If you come to class & write the right number of words, plus the ideas your are asked to express AND comments, you get 2 points. If you don't come to class & post from anywhere else within 24 hours, you get 1 point. After that there are no points,but you can still write for the sake of learning & because of mark 2.

Mark 2 is for 2 particular posts that will be evaluated in terms of (ideas (n° of words), word range & grammar). If the post is not there when it is marked, you get a 1.0 for that post. These 3 marks are evaluated and give an average final mark = mark 2.

Ps: You can use www.wordreference.com but NO translators.If you do the latter, you get a 1.0 & no points for your post. The worst of all, you don't learn. :(

MARK 1 +MARK 2= /2 = FINAL MARK

These two marks will be averaged and will give your final mark :) If you have any doubts, let me know.
Kind regards,
Beatriz