The end of the world

“End of the world” is a topic that is in vogue. People speak of 2012 like the last year of humanity. There are many theories about might happens the legendary December 21 of 2012.

For example, there are incredulous people who think that all things will remain the same.

There are others who believe in a catastrophic end of the world. But there are persons like me, who believe in an end of a “way” of world. I think what will happen in late 2012 is related with a change of consciousness of people and the creating of a new society.

There is much uncertainly about this issue, even some countries have created strategies to survive a supposed catastrophe. For example, the Norwegian government built a large bunker to protect seed`s species if the world ends (http://www.lapatilla.com/site/2012/01/07/crean-bunker-para-sobrevivier-al-fin-del-mundo/). I think maybe this is an exaggeration.

Great ancient civilizations predicted the end of the world by 2012. And the best known case is Maya civilization. They made an exactly calendar which end of December 21 of this year. This cultural group predicted others certain things, but in my opinion, this is not the same way of prediction.

I think that we don`t think so literally. I believe that the “end of the world” is actually the end of an era. Is going to end the era of selfishness, consumer thinking and the excessive exploitation of environment. If this doesn´t happen, I think we ourselves can do that the world will explode. Maybe ancient civilization gave us a sort of ultimatums.

Anyway, if the world ended I would like to do many things this year. I would love to enjoy the most of everything I will do.

On one hand, I would like to stop have responsibilities, and so I can travel, dancing a lot, spending time with people I want to be. It`s so idealist and crazy, but if I have one year of life, I would like to do everything that before I dared not.

Really, I think that every year we should live as they were the last year of our life
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How green are you?

Honestly I considered myself a green person. The ecology and environment is one of the most important battle flags in my life. I used to recycle and do other thing that benefice the enviroment.

In one hand, in my house there are different bins for different kinds of garbage. I have a bin for organic garbage, and I make “Ecoladrillos”. These are bottles filled with plastic which are used to build. And I separated the cardboard, glass and cans. Thus I produce very little waste!!!

On the other hand, I try not to use the transantiago or polluting means of transport. I usually move by bike. I think that bike is a perfect solution to decontaminate Santiago. Moreover it helps people to be healthier.

With some friends made a vegetable garden organic in the university two years ago. We wanted to learn and about environment and ecology. Now it`s an eco-organization called “Rëngalentun”. It`s mains “to unearth” or “to dig up” in Mapudungun language. Is important for us that the university there are more spaces to address this issue.

Last year we made some class about ecology and recycle. We started a campaign to recollected ecoladrillos and we participated in the student strike introducing the environmental thematic. We organized a couple of environmental fair in the headquarters of our university. It involves various organizations like ANAMURI (http://www.anamuri.cl/), Chilean Institute of Permaculture (ICHP), Chile sin transgénicos (http://chilesintransgenicos.cl/), and others… It was really interesting!

Certainly never is much when it comes to caring for our planet!

Regards!

What is the sense of life?

This is a very deep and personal question! I think I can`t explain it fully in words, but I try to do it.

I think everything had a purpose in life, everything is part of a universal order. Trees, plants, wind, animals and everything in nature has a role to play. In this sense, I think that everything are meaningful to the lives all others. It`s a big circle of relationships. The meaning of my life resides in the people and other beings that I have around me.

I believe that our fate will be fulfill. I think that I have a specific purpose in the life but the complicated is so find this purpose. Times I`ve been happier in my life are the moments when I`ve done things with meaning. I think that happiness is a sign that tells you that you are fulfilling with your fate.

Now I`m getting closer to my fate, cause I`m living a great time in my life. I have beautiful family and friends, the freedom to do many things and I have so many dreams to realize.

For me life is wonderful. It`s something you can`t avoid. You just have to live…

Rubbish: The perfect find of archaeologist

Julian Richards wrote an article very interesting which explains more accurate archaeological discipline. He considers rubbish as the perfect find of any archaeologist.

How he argues this?

He makes an analogy between archaeologist and detectives. The pottery fragments, animal bones, flint tools, human bones and architecture, are pieces of a great puzzle that must be assemble.

Generally, people associate archaeology with great monuments and valuable pieces of the past. But, the life of the past populations is not explained only by large castles and princes. When we think about people of the past, we must imagine common people. People like you or me.

In order to reconstruct in a better way the life of our ancestors, maybe something like this is necessary that we think in their day by day. Garbage is a good reflect of this. You can read in: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2001/dec/02/life1.lifemagazine3?INTCMP=SRCH

I found very interesting this article because it gives you a vision of archaeology beyond of great explorers like "Indiana Jones". We are people who trying to reconstruct the life of the others. However, who wouldn`t like to find other Stonehenge or a new Pompeya? I think that`s the dream of any archaeologist.

Regards!

Guatemala!

Generally, people prefer to traveled to Europe or another great places away from our country but it`s not for me. If only I could have money an

d time I would traveled for the world, but if I have to choose only one country… it`s Guatemala.

Honestly I haven´t only a reason that why this country. I`s funny, but when I was a little girl I liked to spoke with caribbean accent and I loved the multicolored cloth or “aguayo”. I`ve always wanted to know full American Latin.

With my career I learned a little more of Guatemala, and now it like more than before.

The name of the country means “place of many trees” in náhuatl language, and it represent one of thing that I love in life. I like the sun, the green, the nature and historical places

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This place is a cradle of Maya civilization and there are great archaeological sites like Tikal or San Bartolo. I can`t die if I don`t visit Tikal!! It`s great city in the middle of the jungle.

I would like to live in Guatemala some time. I want to learn about your traditions and original cultures. But I think that is not very far from happening. I hope it!

See you the next class!

What is love?

Generally people associated the term “love” with to have an affair with somebody, but I think that is not that. In my opinion love is a very broad concept. Love is order, harmony between peoples and when there is balance in the world.

Can sound really philosophic or abstract, but is like I give a sense of my life. (This is other topic, and I will delve in other occasion).

I believe cent per cent in love, and I see the love in the perfection of nature and in human relationships every day. I to fall in love all the time, but I have never had a vivid couple or partner. I think this kind of love is a very acute feeling, it`s even more when you are a intense person. This is my case! So, you can think: “oh, you’re so hippie!” but I love to live each moment of my life.

As The Beatles say “all you need is love… “to be happy.

See you next class

Bye!

A stranger semester...

I have been six months in strike in the university. The student’s movements fought for a better education in Chile. The struggle for education is not finish, but in my University we have decided return to class.

This is my last semester of the career, and just I have two subjects. I should had the last year, but I took the good decision of study slow but better. The subjects are “Taller de Investigación”, which teach me to make a good project or investigations design for my discipline. It`s so difficult and I need to read a lot!. The name of the other subjects is Human Ecology. It`s about the relationship between the man and his environment. I like it!

This is a summer`s semester. I am not to Santiago originally, and never I have been the hot months in the city. Is very strange! I think that is terrible, but I hope time flys and I`ll do well this semester.

A hug!!

Hello again!

Today I will talk about a delicious topic: The food, my favourite food. I must admit that I don’t have an only favourite dish, but there is a kind of plateful that I love! They are the stews and soups. I love the almost all the traditional foods such as beans (and pomegranate beans too), lentils, carbonada, and other dish which are prepared in the north of our country, such as patasca and ají de calabaza. In general I love the food that containing many vegetables, soup and seasoning. The patasca is a soup that is prepared in high Andean areas of Perú and Bolivia. Its name comes from the Quechua: phatasqa, which means burst or broken. Originally it prepares with pork or beef meat, but I don’t eat any kind of meat. The last year to taste a patasca dish made with soy meat! Was the perfect combination: potatoes, sweet red pepper, corn, soy meat, onion, other vegetables and many seasoning!. Clearly that is not to repeat the dish! Rather it`s better to take a nap after it.

I love cook, but this food I have never prepared. First I have to get me the essential ingredients and this is more difficult to achieve. The corn that used in the patasca have large grains, fresh and clearer that we know tradicionally in Chile. Moreover, it`s better to use the rocoto instead of other chili. Have to be brave for this! The rocoto is the chili most hot spices than I know.
I hope you can try this delicious dish!

See you the next class!

Regards!

Hello again!

Today I'll talk about something that I love: photography. To be honest, I had a hard time choosing just one picture to show. But, I am decided!

The photograph that I choose is very beautiful and special. This photo was taken by my sister in the backyard of my house in an autumn afternoon. The head which looks is my older nephew: Inti. What I like about the photo is the contrast of colors. Especially the intensity of Inti hair and green lawn. Moreover, I like the ball in the center of the courtyard, which gives a touch of tenderness to the photo.

It is a true reflection of Inti playing on a common day!.

Also the picture captures the sunlight on the head of inti. I like a lot! Inti on Inti. The word “Inti” means sun in Quechua, Language used by much of the Andean peoples.

I think the most important is the composition of the image. The perspective that it was taken is very beautiful. You can not see the face of my nephew. This gives a hint of mystery and sweetness to the picture. And the pacifier gives more that sense of tenderness.

Maybe it will not cause the same sweetness in you all, because you need to know Inti to understand how important image. So it'll show you a other photo to love it so much like me.

This picture was taken the same day. Day when the afternoon sun made ​​that the colors stand out much!

Well, I hope you appreciate this image as much as me!

See you on next class!

happiest days of my life!

Today I'm going to tell you about a very special days in my life. The best days of my life!. I think it is very difficult to think of a single day, because there are many moments I remember with great happiness. But today my memory it is going to move to a very special days. These were the days that I met Machu Picchu and its surroundings.

My trip to Peru was a little over a month during the summer of 2009. With a friend we met in Arica and we started travelling. Before coming to this beautiful place that I mentioned, we meet other places like Tacna, Arequipa, Chivay, Colca Canyon, Cuzco, among other. Peru is really beautiful!

After a week in Cuzco, and after know places and people wonderful, began a journey for 3 days to get to "Aguas Calientes" (the last village before arriving at Machu Pichu). Were three days of long walk, which we crossed part of the yungas, cross bridges, we saw many colorful insects, we bathe in hot springs, and we ate bananas taken from the same plants!.

Well, the day that we knew Machu Picchu we got up at 3 am to arrive at 6 am to the entrance of the ruins. We climb Wayna Picchu (The big hill you see on postcards or vintage photos of the place) before we knew the rest of the ruins. The sky cleared and we could see the panoramic view of the place. In this moment and I started playing reed flute. At the highest point of the place I felt at absolute bliss!

I hope I have shared with you the beautiful sensation of those moments!

If you still do you not know, I recommend a trip to Peru!

See you!

Hello again!
Today I will tell you about a very interesting piece of technology. This instrument has facilitated many aspects on my life! I`m talking about digital camera. That is a good option if you decide to explore a career in which you must travel sick. Also, it`s very useful to record each moment of your life. Best of all is that is cheap!
In the old days we had to buy film. Also after taking all the pictures we had to reveal the roll of camera. Now that is not necessary! The digital camera to make possible to store many photos in a single memory card. That it helps us when we need to take many pictures and we select only one. For example, in my career always I need to record each materials found in the archaeological sites. And whit the digital camera we can check to quality of photos in the fieldwork.
Finally, I want to tell you that I like this piece of technology because it can be an excellent company: on your travels, on your family moments, on moments whit your friend, even in your daily life!
I hope you appreciate this piece of technology as much as me!
See you!

Hello again!

Today I will write about my musical preferences, and give you some facts to rejoice those days when they feel sad. I actually like to hear a little of everything, but what I like to hear is folk and Latin rhythms. Also I love the Chilean rock and some troubadours, but when I`m sad I always listen to cheerful music. A few years ago I do African dance, so I've met a lot of music that mixes Latin American folklore with African rhythms. This music is very lively!

A good representative of these rhythms is Toto la Momposina. She`s a Colombian singer who mixes musical instruments such as bagpipes and yembe. I totally recommend you!

In Chile there is also very good musicians in this style: La Máquina de Candela is a group that plays Colombian cumbia with an African base. This is very funny!. Also, is Africandina. This is a group that can be drawn from sadness to anyone! I love listening them for to forget I'm sad, but I like more to see their shows. They mixed Andean instruments such as the flute and panpipes with different types of drums. But the most beautiful are the colors and energy of dance.

I hope you can meet some of these groups! With this music, there is no reason to be sad!

Bye!

Hi!

Today I will tell you about a very interesting link, where you can know about my career. This web is the page of Archaeologist`College. The College of Archaeologist is a space created by a group of young (and not so young) archaeologist worried about the cultural, historical and archaeological heritage. However, the interest of this group often includes more and better thematic that problematic of Chilean institutions.

In this web you will find important thematic related with Mapuche conflict, Rapa Nui conflict and others current and interesting topics.

I visited this web quite often (about once a week), because I like always stay alert. This is a space where the good ideas are shared. Also, the professional ethics and wishes to protected the cultural heritage and human values are the base of this group.

Are invited now to discover works and news related to archaeology. You should visit the next link: http://www.arqueologos.cl/

I hope you like this web! Bye!

Hi once again!

Today I will tell you something interesting about a movie you should see: Into the Wild. Last week I enjoyed for the fourth time this surprising story. This movie had premiered in 2007 and its scriptwriter and director is Sean Penn. It is a film starred by Emile Hirsch, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden and Catherine Keener.

The movie is based on the homonymous book written by Jon Krakauer in 1996. The most surprising is this book is that it was based on a real story. The plot is about Christopher McCandless` life, a young man who leaves his studies and stars off a trip completely remote from civilization. When he arrives to Alaska, he begins a constant struggle for survival. This movie makes you think about the meaning of life!

I totally recommend you!

See you!