Winter Semester End

Hi guys!

Well, this amazing semester has reached its end and I have to handle the 2617468 things that I have in my mind. First, I'm evaluating the options to stay here in Canada; it has been almost a year since I arrived to Calgary and before thinking in start over in another country, I have to deplete all possible options here. Second, I'm looking for a job, and you now that "looking for it" is also a job hahahahaha. I cannot deny that sometimes I'm out of here, I mean, my head is in a different place that my body is and it's kind of hard to keep calm and concentrate in something while, at the same time,  I'm concern about my future. In addition, I'm used to work and make my own money,  and I have done that since I was 21 years old, that's why I really want to go back into business hahahahaha; I don't feel to much comfort with my father paying a part of my expenses. Third, I should visit my older sister pretty soon because I don´t know if I will live here or I have to leave this country. She lives in Toronto with her wife and their son and It's been a while without seen her. She is a musician; therefore, she is suuuuper hippie and I have to tell you that she's crazier and weirder than me (can you believe that?) hahahahaha. Yes, I have a special family. I`m looking foward to spend a couple of days with her and share tons of laughs. She is one of my favorite laughter therapies. Finally, I'm planning my plan B and C just in case I have to leave Canada; as a result, I'm searching and asking for information about a life in England, New Zeland, Spain or Ireland. On account of this, I feel more insane than usual these days; however, I now that something good will show up :)  

On the other hand, I want to say that it has been an awesome semester and I really enjoyed my time with you (my classmates) and with one of my favorite teachers (Julie) who not only taught us advanced reading and writing skills, but also gave us tons of good energy and reasons to enjoy more the English learning process. Thanks to all of you.

See ya' 

Academic Word List ( AWL) and Long Weekend

Hi guys!

My long weekend was just awesome. Although I couldn’t get out of Calgary, I enjoyed those relaxed and productive days off. On Friday my first plan was to have lunch with a couple of friends from this course at a Mexican restaurant, but I changed it because a Venezuelan neighbor and friend of mine asked me if I could babysit his daughters for a while. So I couldn’t say no to help him, earn some cash and have a wonderful time with his two little princesses. The older one is 8 years old and the youngest is 6 years old. The younger one has an intellectual disability, it means that she learn a little bit slowly than other children that have the same age as her, so it was definitely a wonderful experience. On Saturday morning I did some yoga just after I woke up, then I helped my best friend and her husband to paint the walls of our living room and then we organized the garage. On Saturday evening I went to a friend house who arranged a gathering to share a nice time with a couple of friends, drink some wine and eat a lot. I had a really great time there among nice and entertaining people and the food was amazingly delicious. On Sunday morning I did one hour of yoga again and asked my body for forgiveness for all the wine that I drank hahahahahaha. In the evening of that day, I attended to a birthday party and I ate a lot AGAIN. Today, Monday 16th also the last day of freedom, I have to catch up the homework and read some books.

On the other hand, regarding the AWL, I found that it is a complete list of usual words that appear in most of English language academic texts. I have to confess that I have never heard about it; however, I am familiar with a few of the words on that list. Here is a link that explains it better. In my opinion, this list is an incredible way to enhance all English skills and expand our English vocabulary as well. 

Paraphrasing, Summarizing and Quoting

Hi guys!

There are some writing methods that exist to make our life easier when we are trying to support a writing work with other people writing works. In academic writing, people usually incorporate other ideas from different sources in order to strengthen their writings, but avoiding plagiarism. This awesome link will clear this out.

Summarizing means making a concise description of the major points of something read or listened to. Writers use this method when they want to highlight the main point of the additional source in a general way, says a writing academic skills document from the University of New South Wales in Australia.

Moreover, paraphrasing means to make an itemized restatement of what someone else has written or said, using one’s words. When writers paraphrase, they have to find other words that have the same or similar meaning (synonyms) to restate the information provided in the additional source material. Writers use this technique when they want to emphasize the information of the supplementary source in a detailed way, as indicated in a writing skills document from the Student Success Center of the University of Houston-Victoria.

According to the book Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL Test, “A summary differs from paraphrase in that it does not represent a full account of the material, but rather describe only the major points” (J. Gear and R. Gear 2006, p. 54).

Finally, quoting means expressing the same words of someone written or spoken work, as the paragraph above. Writers use this method when they want to precise supporting testimony of some material that is essential to clarify the writer ideas.

Using these techniques depends on what the writer need to state. There is another link that will help you to have a bright view about this. 

When Lies Mean Protection

“Always telling the truth is no doubt better than always lying, although equally pathological,” says the blogger Robert Brault. Whereas some people believe that telling the truth is always the best option, I think that it depends on the situation we are dealing with. 

People tend to deceive when they want to safeguard someone who they care about. For example, it is quite common when brothers and sisters support one another to avoid being grounded from their parents. They undoubtedly will lie if they need to be safe from some situation where truth means being vulnerable to risk. Another example of this is when friends cover their backs up from girlfriends/boyfriends to make a shield and defend each other from any specific situation when one of the people involved is in more danger if they tell the truth than if they tell a lie and can guarantee a collective satisfaction, which is my case. Although I do not like lying, I did it to protect a friend because the more we care about someone, the more we are likely to lie.

 A couple of years ago, a friend of mine ask me to help him to create a false story to avoid problems with his girlfriend and after I told him that it was outright unfair to his girlfriend, I finally agreed to help him. In addition, people habitually choose to create a delusion to elude uncomfortable situations when truth can make and affect people that we love. If I would not have told a lie to my friend’s girlfriend, my friend would have been in a tough situation. I do not know why my friend did that, but I am pretty sure that he will never do it again. He was kind of confused about his relationship by that time and after that date with the other girl, he felt very bad about lying to who is now his wife. Apparently, the more you lie, the more awful you feel. Moreover, sometimes lies can represent a way to respect other people choices. For instance, it was no my business that my friend decided to cheat on his girlfriend. I confronted him with my opinion, but it was no my problem that he chose to did it. 

In summary, telling the truth is not always the best option because there are situations when lies can protect someone. Taking aside some values and moral standards, we know that life is packed with constant changes and replete of specific situations when we manipulate the truth a little bit in order to keep someone safe. The more subjective you are, the more likely you are to lie.

Unit 1

Hi gorgeous class buddies!

The person that I want to write my letter is my mom. She has been the light of my eyes and my best guide ever. She died when I was nine years old because of cancer and I REALLY miss her. If she hadn't died, a lot of things would have been different in my life because she was the heart and joy of my home. If she hadn't taught me to smile and be strong when bad times arrive, I wouldn't have been so optimistic nowadays. I believe that it is very common for almost all relationship to have someone who is the serious person and the other person is the crazy one. Well, my mom was the wacky one hahahahahaha. She was always dancing and singing around the house, making jokes and spreading kisses and hugs. Plus, she was always in good mood, trust me, ALWAYS. I do not know how she did it. Without nothing to add, here are a couple of words for her:

Dear and lovely mom,

Thanks for giving me the chance to be in this crazy and bizarre world and thank you for always being by my side. You have been my engine of life and my desire to continue moving forward to achieve all my goals. You are an angel and I am so grateful to have you in my life. You know that you are always in my mind and I remember you as my mother superstar spreading good energy and kindness to all your surroundings. If I hadn't had you as my mother, I would have waited until God would have given me the opportunity to be your daughter over and over again. I cannot deny that it has been quite tough not to have you physically around here, but I also know that you have commissioned to do it a little more bearable for me. Say hi to your buddies up there for me ok?.

With love, 

Jacky.

Self Introduction

Hi guys! You already know my name and guess what?... it hasn't changed! :)

I was born in Caracas, Venezuela and I have been in Calgary for nine months. Three years ago I proposed myself a goal, I wanted to study another language and change my life living in another country to get out of my comfortable zone and to build a different future. So, here I am working on the steps to achieve it. I chose Calgary because my best friend and her family are living here and it is always easier if you have a place to stay the first months and people that you already known just near to you. This is my second semester at the U of C and I want to learn English pretty well in order to find a job and start making money. I have to admit that I really miss the tropical weather of my country, but I do not miss the economical, political, cultural and social problems there.

"Wild Child" by Wekeed is a song that cheers me up when I feel down and remains me that everything is going to be all right. This song helped me when I was having problems in my last job. Not only it helped me to resist my feelings of impotence, but it made me feel relaxed and remained me to have patience and keep saving enough money to study here in Calgary. Music is one of my favorite escapes and helps me to clear my mind from my concerns. When I listen to music, I can create my own world of freedom and everything around me just disappears; also, it is a space where I can put aside my problems and think clearer.

See you!