Post 2: A COUNTRY I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT.

First at all, I LOVE traveling. I love meeting new people, discovering new places, foods, cultures, etc, so I think that every country has it charm. But anyway, for some reason, Brazil has always attract my attention; particulary the Amazonian jungle. Because, I don’t know much about that place, even more, I think that I know so little that that’s way I would like to be there. It intrigue me a lot; the flora and fauna from there must be incredible and The people –native people!. I think that it could be such an adventure to travel through the jungle. Because overcoats in twenty one century, is very hard to believe in a lifestyle different from city dwellers.
Another cause that motivate myself to travel to Brazil is it beaches. It heavenly beaches that relax and inspire to anybody. Imaging to be surrounded by palm trees and garotos, the white sand, the blue and so quiet ocean in front of you and drinking some piña colada, or coco juice… It is like a dream, wich I hope that some day it will became true.
So, to sum up, I guess that I would like to travel to Brazil for two reasons mainly: An anthropological reason (meet knew people, habits, etc) and a holiday reason, a leisure time in the beach.

Post 1 FIRST TERM

The first term of 2009 was very intensive in all senses. The university was very exhausting and convincing about the subjects, specially “materialistic anthropology”, which deeply marked myself. I learnt a lot of new concepts and very important anthropologist from this field and all of them were very interesting, particularly the theoretical construct of some of them were really amazing. Like Marvin Harris who explain in a very rational way the incongruities of cultural practices. The other character that attract my attention was Gramsci and his ideas of the concept “ideology” in the society. Although my academic performance in a comparative way with my others classmates wasn’t very good, it was saisfactory for myself, because my life didn’t go exclusively around the university. And considering the all things I made in the social aspects was a success that I could pass all my exams and subjects and had grasped (I think) the most important from them.
Although I couldn't socialize much with my family because or I was studding (even I didn’t applied in the studies as I would like, university demand me a lot of time) or hanging out whit some friends, I think it was special in this social aspect. I meet knew people, and discovered personalities in close friends that I had never seen before.
And I almost forgot! I started swimming last term and that was incredible. I love swimming (I have always done ) and swimming for the university was a totally new experience. Even I had a challenge last april, where I won the 17º place of 50.

10: ideal job

Well, My ideal job must be the most relaxed job in the world. Because personally I suffer so much when I am under pressure, so if I am stressed all the time I will have a very unhappy life. Also it shouldn’t be routines at all. The monotonous things bored me; that's why i have decide to work with people, becuse we are more unpredictable than machines and and animals.
In a very dreamer way, I think I could work lie a kind of tourist guide in jamaica. I said “Kind” because I don’t like the conventional idea of the tourist guides. IT is so mechanical, and directed at people with a lot of money, the high classes. Also it is usually very regulated by the Statemnt and because that reason their speech is very repetitive. And I said Jamaica because it seems to be a place where the time doesn’t exist. Is only you, the beach, the sun and meeting new people all the time because my job, witch it is no hard for me talking to strangers, even I love meeting new people and other realities, then if a attend people from all around the world I also could develop my anthropological in some way.
So, I would have some cabins not posh at all, rather rustic, complemented with a bar near the beach, surrounded by palm trees and some sun lounger where people (and me of course!) could satisfied their thirst in a very relaxed way, listening relaxed music, in a relaxed place.

9: my favorite subject

I think that my favorite subject this semester is anthropology III, with Andrés Aedo. It is about materialistic anthropology and it has been a very convincing and complete subject and the development of the teacher in class, his dynamic, is very good, so interesting always. A really good teacher.
I must say that at the beginning of this semester I wasn’t very sure about anthropology; I meant, I liked it, but I didn’t now if this career, this science (I doubted if it was a science) had a future for me; because I was always interested in sociology before entering college, and anthropology sometimes is so relative and uncertain that I was thinking about moving. But then, with this subject I became interested in anthropology again. I discovered the cultural materialism and other fields of this science thanks to my teacher and his subject; I realize that anthropology is a science even more interesting than sociology. Therefore, I can say that I had learned a lot this semester and I opened my eyes and spirit to the social anthropology.

Do schools kill creativity?

I think this is true. Of course that schools kill, in different grades, the creativity, which depend of the kind of school: most competitive schools will be more aggressive with non-conventional behavior or the creative initiative. Anyway, in general way, every school has a basic principle: Teaching. And this mean to insert in the little heads of children the conventional structure of society that every citizen must put in practice into the civic life.
I think that the educational system is very mechanical, so this make impossible to exploit the creativity of children. They must behave according the behavior patterns of the mechanized world in a mechanized system. Although there are some subjects that allows to get out of the limits that are impose, like art class, music class, literature; in the most important subjects -or the subjects that our society consider more important, like the scientific subjects, is very difficult to act for yourself, because schools teach you the method to get your answer; you replay information; so if you didn’t memorize very well you’re wrong. Is very hard to find the opportunity for creativity in schools today, especially in the competitive world that we live today; where the knowledge is given by the method, not by the own initiative, the creative initiative.

7: Future

My future... It’s little hard for me trying to think about my ideal future, cause usually I don’t think about it. I am that kind of person who have not idea what is going to do even on weekend. Anyway, if I am studying anthropology is because I must have an idea of what I would like to do in the future. That I'd like to be professional devoted to solve social problems, or something like that. But before that of course I must finish this career and then have a kind of specialization in the area of social anthropology(like a post degree, master program, PhD, whatever) ideally in another country, Like Spain or Germany. But in the second case I should be learning german and I don’t feel I want to do that (It’s enough with English class!) May be if I like Europe could stay living there. May be I return and start working to affor a nice house or department near the beach, like Valparaiso because I love that city, and what I'm sure is whenever I could I will leave Santiago.

6: The best in my area

Hi! Before I start talking about who I think is the best anthropologist I want to make it clear that I don’t feel I have the authority to differentiate between better or worse anthropologist. I think I need much more knowledge in my area to say ”Hey! This is the best anthropologist in the world!”. Anyway until now, I guess that is Marvin Harris (1927-2001) who most convinces me. He was a north American anthropologist who highly influenced the development of cultural materialism, which in my opinion, is the most concrete and complete anthropologic theory. He takes the essential elements from others authors and anthropological theories and create such a perfect way to respond the hole problems and incongruities about cultures, society and people in general. His definition of Anthropology (and it method) is the approach this science need to be renowned with the quality it deserves. For example, in one of his books -"Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches”- he explains some characters of some cultures which have no sense from our point of view (western thought), but he shows the usefulness of these seemingly incoherent actions according environmental, social, political situation and others factors you can watch in their specific reality.