My course programme

Study architecture could be a very stressful experience, especially if the course programme is not the accurate. This career is know by the fact that you need to be able to create something from nothing, only using your imagination, creativity and the little knowledge we have about architecture.

The principal course we have in the career is workshop, this course requires the most of our time and dedication, leaving us a few hours en the week to focus in the other subjects we have. The workload that this generates is huge, because all the stress that we have at workshop it is added together with the homework and activities from the others courses.

Is obvious that workshop is like the most important course in the career but that does not mean that is the only course we have, and sometimes it feels like it because of the teachers opinions (it obviously depends in the teacher), they could be very subjective at the moment of evaluating and that makes us focus more in workshop (to be improve) and less in the other courses. Despite that the faculty of architecture has a great environment to work and that is a relief at the moment of stress.

Other fact that relief the workload of workshop and the other courses in the career is that we can use the technology for many things that makes our life easier at the moment of work; I think that if this was not present our experience at the career will be more difficult that it is.

In any case the workload of the career is something that we have to learn to manage, and that is something that nobody teaches you. You have to discover it by yourself.

English Course at University

This semester I’ve decided to take the English course at the university. At first I wasn’t very sure about it, because I did not think I was able to managed my times with one extra course. After many time thinking about it I trust in my instincts and I take the course.

At the beginning of the course the class wasn’t so interesting, because we didn’t know each other and the conversations activities were kind of forced. With the pass of the time this change. We were able to speak in class without been nervous. The Blogs was the principal responsible of that because it was a way for use to interact with our classmates and know a little more about their lives and experience at different situations, that sometimes were very similar to ours.

I think that during the course I have improve myself at the use of English and self-confidence at the time of speaking with others. But I still can be better at it, for that I could practice more at my free time, so I could went used to speak without troubles.

Using English outside the class is not my reality, we are used to speak in Spanish and the situations outside this class aren’t the better ones for the use of English. Sometimes I see movies or series sin English but that’s it, that is kind of my relation with English. But I want to change that, I want to have more time were I could talk in English so I can improve at it.  

SUMMER

I think that is the first time in my life that I want so desperately it is summer. This has been a tough year so a little of summer vacations could be the best thing to hope for.

Usually in summer I travel with my family and spend some time with my friends. But this year I want it to be different, for the first time I want to work. I want to travel for my own, maybe with some of my nearest friends. we have always talked about going in a trip together but we could never accomplish it.

But I’m only dreaming about it, for now the only thing I know is that I’m going back home in Antofagasta for the last time, because my family is moving to Santiago next year. So this will be my last summer in Antofagasta. There are not so many things to do there but all my friends are there and we always find a way to have a good time either going to the beach or the cinema.

Usually in February my family travels to some resort in a beach to spend the last weeks of summer relaxing and enjoying the beautiful days that the summer brings with it.

No matter what kind of plans I do in summer, I only want to recover the sleep hours I have lost during this year, so I could start a fresh new year.

Travelling around Santiago

Well everyone knows that travelling around Santiago can be difficult, especially for someone that has not lived the experience of moving around the city in the public transport, mainly the Santiago subway.

When I am talking about some people that aren’t used to, I am talking about me. I lived my whole life in Antofagasta so I wasn’t used to use the subway. That made my firsts travels kind of a nightmare because all the different stories that your friends tell you. I remember one story in particular… when my dad finds out that I wasn’t very confident moving around Santiago by myself he take me to the center of Santiago in his car and then he left me in the subway, while he was leaving he told me that I would have to go back home by my one. At that moment I panic, I did not know where I was and how could be able to go back home.

When I realized that my dad would not come back I went to the subway and ask for directions to different people, then I get into the subway praying that I was going to the right place. The people were very nice (they help me a lot) and the atmosphere was quite relaxed, not like the subway at 7am. Finally, I get home, a little traumatize but safe, since that day I can travel around Santiago without troubles.

My Future Job

Unlike the rest of the architecture students I don’t want to start working as an architect immediately after finishing my studies. What I would like to d is travel and visiting other countries, but to do that I have to work in something to afford the costs of the trip. Been a flight attendant has been always a present thought in my mind.

I always loved to travel and this job will let me do that, it also will be an opportunity for me to improve my English and maybe learn other languages.

Know maybe you think why I’m studding architectures if I want to work as a flight attendant… well that is because the career of a flight attendant don’t last so long and when I finish the career (and also is the possibility that I never get to work as a flight attendant) I want to something that I enjoy doing as a daily work, that is why I’m studding architectures first.  I also could work some years as a flight attendant and establish myself in a foreign country to start working as an architect there that is also an idea crossing my mind.

But that for now is only a dream that I am working on, it can become true as may not.

Postgraduate Studies

In some point of you studies career you think if you would like to continue studying after you receive your diploma. Some people just want to finish and start working immediately, but in my case is different, I would like to continue learning more about what I want to do in the future, maybe specialize me in something related with the old day’s architecture, like the one present in the Rome or Greece.

For this I would like to travel to Europe, specifically Rome in Italy, because I love the architecture there and I know that they are many courses that I could take to learn all about it. I think that the best way of learning something is seeing it for yourself (LIVE THE EXPERIENCE) and for that a part-time course is the ideal thing to do. You can study in the morning and put in practice everything you have learn in the afternoon. I remember when I travel to Rome when I was younger I saw many student of architecture sitting in a long stair of the coliseum drawing all the buildings and landscaping. In that moment I realized that someday it will be me sitting there and drawing, if I don’t take a postgraduate course definitely y would try to go for my own.

The studies aren’t an obligation; they are something that motivate you to BE THE BEST in what you LOVE doing.  

STRESS and more STRESS

At the moment someone tells you that they are studying architecture you instantly think about all the stress related with the career. Everyone thinks that when a student of architecture says that she/he is stress they are exaggerating. But the truth is they are not; the career involves a class called workshop, this class takes all of your time and is the most important one, without saying the others aren´t important. So the management of the time is the key for success.

At the beginning workshop is overwhelming, but do not let that stop you. They are many ways to manage the stress that the career involved; one way is learn how to organize your times, that sounds an easy way to do it, but if you don´t know how to do it workshop could be a real nightmare. Don’t get me wrong workshop can be the worst and the best class in the career, that is because you suffer with all the assignments, but in the end is where you learn more about architecture.

One advice is although you have to focus in workshop don´t let the career consume your life, no matter what make a little of time for yourself, go out with your friends or just relax in your house without thinking want you have to do for the next assignment. But the most important thing over all the others is get some time for SLEEP.