Post 7

Hey everyone!

It's already time for our seventh post, this time we'll talk about our final chosen topic, that means pot and other substances.

“Why is marijuana against the law? It grows naturally upon our planet. Doesn’t the idea of making nature against the law seem to you a bit . . . unnatural?”

― Bill Hicks
As I was growing up, I heard from adults around me, television, authorities and my family that drugs were the worst, that I had to be careful and that it was illegal to use some substances, but thanks to evolution, I had a thinking brain with the capacity of forming my own opinion and questioning what's supposed to be "the truth".

So in this post of Pot and other substances I'll tell you my view on some of these things. The quote above is from a comedy special by the late Bill Hicks, which is a pretty clear representation of what I feel about pot. I've used it without real complications or traumas, even though it was presented to me as "the gateway drug" and many other descriptions that mainly wanted to demonize its use.

This is a short clip that'll make you think about things :)

As for other substances, I'll say that I believe nature has developed the way it has, and there isn't much to do against it. I mean, we live in the same world as marijuana, mushrooms, psicoactive cactus and animals, and just because a group of white men decided it, we are not supposed to use them? No, I believe they're here to help us through life, many cultures see them as medicine, so maybe it's only our concept the one that's wrong.

I would like to have the time and opportunity to try many other substances, particularly the naturally occurring ones so I can have a deeper knowledge and understanding of what they're able to do within us, and I suggest you the same, make your own opinions based on your experience, don't let a bunch of "Don Grafs" (PAZ CIUDADANA) tell you what to do with your unique personal experience.



Have a nice day!
Now it's your time!
Tell me about your thoughts on this topic in at least 230 words.!!

- Make comments on 3 of your classmates’ posts + a comment on my post.

Post 6

Postgraduate studies.

Write about a postgraduate course that you would consider taking in the future.
Include:

- Reasons to do the course
- Subject(s) you would like to study
- Where you would like to study (Chile or abroad)
- How you would like to study (distance learning, blended system, part-time course, etc)
- Any other relevant ideas

Here's my sample post for this topic:

I have to start by saying that for me to study a new career or to deepen my knowledge in English teaching, a lot of changes would have to occur, as I'm not willing to get a ton of debt to specialize again. I studied my career with CAE and I really didn't know what it was when I was 18. So now, over ten years later, I'd consider it twice before signing a contract with a bank that will profit from student loans.

Now, if the conditions were right, I'd probably study something related to Linguistics. Linguistics is the science that studies language, not only knowing how to speak, but also how languages are learnt and how different contexts affect different languages. In other words, it could be said like this:

"Each human language is a complex of knowledge and abilities enabling speakers of the language to communicate with each other, to express ideas, hypotheses, emotions, desires, and all the other things that need expressing. Linguistics is the study of these knowledge systems in all their aspects: how is such a knowledge system structured, how is it acquired, how is it used in the production and comprehension of messages, how does it change over time?"

Understanding these factors can really help a teacher become able to teach a wide varierty of students and also, in my opinion, knowing about how languages work, can reveal some patterns that can be found in human behavior.

The aspects of Linguistics in which I'm more interested in are Sociolinguistics and Psycholinguistics.

Now it's your turn:

- Make comments on 3 of your classmates’ posts + a comment on my post.
- Minimum Word Count: 220 words
- Remember: NO TRANSLATOR! web dictionaries are allowed, and of course you can call me and I'll go to your seat.

Post 5

This is our second chosen topic, and it is about a really great and interesting topic for me :)
Food in all aspects, talk to me and your audience about what you like eating, where you prefer to eat, or what recipes are your favorite to prepare.

In my personal post, I'll talk about something different! not related to cactus this time!
A talent I believe I have, is that I can cook. I know Ratatouille taught you that everyone can cook, but when I say I can cook, I really mean I can, I can pretty much prepare any recipe, but ever since I became a vegetarian, I decided not to cook anything with meat. (Except just once, when my dog Harrison was sick and the vet suggested that he should only eat ''white rice with boiled chicken'', and I had to prepare it for him).

Here's a couple of samples of my creations:
This is a wok I prepared with no ingredients from animals, it has carrots, onions, purple cabbage, soy meat and condiments.




This is a version of a Chinise bread I made. It's filled with sprouts, soy meat, onion, garlic and shive, and instead of being baked, the dough is cooked with water and a little oil in a big pot.

I know I said I wasn't going to talk about cactus, but this is related to cooking haha
Here's a cake I baked a long time ago, the theme was... you know...





Finally, a simple sauteed of zucchinis and mushrooms with a little ginger, accompanied with rice and a vegan tortilla made with fries and garbanzo flour.

I really enjoy eating, so it is really important for me to eat things I like. Some people say I'm picky, but I consider myself as a selective eater haha.
I studied to be a chef for two years in highschool, but even before that I liked cooking, and I really think I'm a pretty good cook.

I know this post probably triggered your appetite, but before you go get some food...
it's your turn...  write at least 210 words. Make a comment in my post and at least in 3 of your classmates'.
So please! tell me about your food preferences and secrets recipes or preparations :)

Post 4

Hello everyone!

The theme of today's post is: My future job.

As a 30 year old teacher, working at the university of Chile, it would be easy for me to say that I am working in my ideal job. But I don't want to be an employee all my life, so i'll be really honest with you guys, I'll tell you all about my dream future job.

Grower

I'll start my own company, actually my own nursery for cactus, and I'll auction some of them to earn money. My idea is to retire from being a teacher when I'm more or less 33. That means I have only 3 years to move forward with my plans.
I've been working for this project for a long time now, I actually started it without knowing it. First at a very small scale, I still lived with my parents and I was already studying to be an english teacher, that's when I first got interested in cacti, and there I started growing them from seeds and learning different cultivation techniques.

This season of spring - summer is when most of the cactus I grow start flowering, that opens officially the 'bee work season' for me. That's right! that's the time when I cross pollinate my plants to obtain hybrid seeds for propagation.

I feel happy thinking that I could live with a sense of independance by working with my own hands, and in a line of work that I love, so it feels like a passtime activity So I encourage you to follow whatever you feel your dreams are :).

That's me!

Now it's your turn!

These questions could help you develop your writing: 

- What kind of job would you like to have? How do you imagine it?

- Outdoors /indoors?

- Would you like to travel a lot in your job?

- What about the salary?

- Add any other related ideas.

- Make comments on 3 of your classmates’ posts + a comment on my post.

- Minimum Word Count: 200 words

- Remember: NO TRANSLATOR! web dictionaries are allowed, and of course you can call me and I'll go to your seat.