Education in Chile

The education is a topic very interesting in many ways. In the past, not every people had this chance, and most of the rich people had it. Today we can say "OK, but now everyone have opportunities to do this or that", and the education is included in this. But, is really like this? There is no doubt that the opportunities are available for more people than before, but there's still a gap that maybe shouldn't exist. It's fair that because I have less money, I have to study in worst institutions , in bad conditions of buildings, or teachers?. We know that the world isn't perfect, but the Chilean students (some of them at least) are claim for a "better education", free and good. It maybe sounds like a utopia, but I think that students have reasons to do what they do, and ask what they ask. Chile isn't a poor country, not it all. Just in an example, a 10% of the money of the copper goes to military institutions, and that have to be many money. If we can solvent in that way the army, why we can't have that level of compromise with the education? That's the matter. I think that all of the Chilean people should have the right of get a primary ,secondary and superior education in the same level of quality. If I buy shoes, probably if I have more money, I'll buy some better than other people that haven't. That is maybe right for shoes, not for education. Students strikes are maybe not so good organised, I think that lose class is not the best way to express the discontent, and maybe that is the reason why I don't participate so much, but Chile have to change, and we must all have the same thought to achieve it.

Talking about sexism

Sexism is a topic very handled in nowadays, and from very years ago have been important too. In general terms, men are located as “superior” gender above women, and that tradition is wrong. Maybe in the social organization are more men in high positions (any job, for example be the CEO of an enterprise), and that is not bad by itself; the problem is when maybe are women with more abilities for that job, (because that is VERY possible, there are not a difference linked to the gender) and she´s not considered to the job, because there is a man, and maybe he looks like a better choice, but just for be a “he”, and not a “she”. My point is that shouldn´t be differences in the society just for be a man or a woman, but it have to be for the good as the job is.

We can see on the TED talk made by Isabel Allende, some ideas from the feminine perspective of this topic, and mainly, her own vision. She speaks about the passionate hearts, and how it is sometimes forbidden to be for many women in the world. She talks her experience on the Winter Olympics in Italy of 2006 as one of the flag-bearers, with women who have fighted for their rights, and against the prostitution, child prostitution, and violence, and how she don´t invent characters like they in her books, because is just necessary look around to find them. I´m agree with her when she says that feminism nowadays in many cases is dated “for privileged women like my daughter and all of us here today, but not for most of our sisters in the rest of the world who are still forced into premature marriage, prostitution, forced labor (…)”, I think that is a very powerful sentence, for understand what is done, and what we have to do, and keep working on that direction.

What is necessary to be a good architect

How can we define what is a good architect? It's not something easy, because we don´t know certainly what is the architect's "mission". Probably we know that the architects make buildings, and maybe it's right but that definition is not complete, because the architect doesn't only make buildings, there is much more. 

To start, a building (any kind of building) is the result from a previous process of a work, which involve materials, territory, and human be, and those three elements are the most important. We can have many things, but is necessary someone who be able to process the relation, and here its something relevant; the best relation between all of it. 

A good architect must be imaginative and sensitive with the world that surrounds him/her (we'll use the noun "him" just as reference, not as a sexist term). He must know how to use the materials to create something new, and at the same time, it has to work in the place where will be established, and that give us another characteristic of a good architect: perseverance. Yes, because before materialize the new creation (a house, or any other type of building), the architect has to try so many possibilities for the right function, and that is possible with many draws, and maquets. To make that, there is another consideration for the good architect, and it's know how represent the ideas, materialize in something concrete (a draw or a representation material) elements or even feelings, which exist just in the mind. 

So, a good architect needs to be a creator, first in the mind, and then a good material worker and emplace the final work, always watching around, and be able to create something beauty for the rest of people. The good architect transform the simple materials, in benefit of the community. 

My first month at the FAU

This year I began to study Architecture in Universidad de Chile, at the FAU. I have always wanted to study this career, at least since 4 years ago (in 1st year of secundary, when I started to think more seriously in my future). I decided to study Architecture because I have always been an drawer (amateur obviously, but with some skills); since I was a little boy that I liked to draw, and people said to me in many times "you should study Architecture, you are good on that", and things like that, but I really didn´t think it very seriously. Then, one day I saw on Tv a show called "City Tour", and it was about a man (Federico Sanchez, an Architect and Desinger) who walk around different places of the city, and speak about it´s architecture, and explain so many things that wasn´t at first view, and that made me start to analize a little more all around me, and find a hidden logic in everything. When I said that I wanted to be an Architect, my family was happy because they understand that is a nice career, "a big one" (maybe like Medicine, or Engineer) so they always supported my choice.
I thought about "how it could be" study this, and I didn´t imagine the things that I have made and learn on this month. I thought about make buildings, and draws of places, but there is something deeper in this way, what is learn to look again; watch everything in a new way, looking for the sense of all of the elements what make a total. I feel happy to be here, my classmates are good people, and we help each other when we have to do it. And that´s just the first month, so now I just think: to the infinite, and beyond!

Vacation away

This year seems a good year to know new places. I have always listen about the south of Chile, and its incredible weather, the food and all those things. "This year I will start to study architecture, I won't have time", I said to myself, so I tell my father that we could go to Puerto Montt, because he has a friend (Jota) who lives there . And that was all, we started to get everything in order for the travel, and he bought the tickets. My mom doesn't like the open water (move through rivers or sea, in case to go to Chiloe, for example) so she did't go with us and my brother was working, so he neither did.
We went in a bus, and the travel lasted about 12 hours. I was very amazed looking out of the bus, seeing the nature and how it was changing while the day was finishing and the sun was hiding. When we arrived, Jota went to get us from the bus station. The following days we went to Puerto Varas, Frutillar, Chiloe, Castro, Dalcahue and Llanquihue. We ate Paila Marina, Salmon , and local food. I had a really good days in there, and I really want to come back to there.