miércoles, 25 de enero de 2012

Our ¿lovely? Santiago...


I'm from Melipilla, and I used to travel to Santiago many times in the year, and every time, when I was arriving  to the city, I thought "I'm really grateful to don't live in Santiago" Well, now I don't have choice, and I have to live in this... charming city. 
       Santiago have good things of course, you have a lot of places when you can have fun: theaters, cinemas, parks, museums. Also, you can go to the stadium, to a concert or a soccer game; and many communes have culture's activities in the year. I like classical places of Santiago, such as the Mapocho's Station, the Central Market, Santa Lucia's and San Cristobal's hills, etc.
       The problem of Santiago is Transantiago of course, I don't know anyone that don't hate it. Is uncomfortable, slow, and people don't help! All are running with a beautiful face of stress, and don't have time to look no-body. Other thing I don't like of this city is the noise... you can't run away of it. The noise is actually the traffic, many cars and buses running everywhere, and they are all time late. I have to say it, this a frenetic city.
        I really don't know how changes we could make to do Santiago a better city. I think the urgent thing is make the Transantiago a decent system of transport... its seems like an impossible. I would like to reduce the noise of Santiago (other impossible) and have more green areas. 
        I believe a visitor of Santiago have to know that this is a city of crazy people, but have really nice places too; so, go to classical and popular places of Santiago, but be careful, because some areas are dangerous, you mustn't look like a tourist! 
          This is our lovely capital; honestly, I would live in other city if I could...

miércoles, 18 de enero de 2012

Good people

     I have to say that I don't have a person who I considered the greatest chilean, maybe because I have never thought it. I don't want to talk about someone famous, I think is more interesting talk about these people that only a few know. I have someone in mind, I don't believe he was the greatest chilean but he was a good man.
     I don't like priets, but, incredibly, I'm thinking in a priest! He's father Demetrio, from my town. His family was very rich, but he was very poor, and that  was because he took poverty vows. Even, he don't have contact with his family, he always said that the only thing that they aprecciated was money, and decided to don't talk with them and never ask them nothing.
     He was the creator of many homes and  dining areas to poor and oldpeople; the only ones in Melipilla. Also you could find him many times in the week at the municipality, figthing for social benefits for workers and help for the construction of more homes and dining areas. For this acts, especially for the first one, municipality hate him.
      All in the town know him, he looks like and a very small and extremely slim oldman, like a weak person; but he was a danger when he take the wheel. He never had respect for traffic rules: he never drave slow, he never respect the traffic ligths, and he always was going against the traffic (once I heard that he don't know the streets!). The police never did anything, because father Demetrio enjoy figth with authority. Anyway, is wasn't necessary, all run away when sometone looked him driving.
          He is recognized like a very good man, beacuse he was the only one that never was tired of figh for the others. He died alone, without family, but every body in the time remembered him almost like a popular figure.
  

miércoles, 11 de enero de 2012

I'm a monkey?

    We are starting the year and , like every January, we are checking our horoscope. According to the chinese zodiac, I'm a monkey. A water monkey especifically, because I was born in 1992.
    The chinese zodiac say monkeys are curious, cleverness and masters of joke. I think I'm curious, but only in a few things, but not much really. The first time I read that monkeys like make jokes I thought that wasn't my case but... suddendly I remendered; I made many jokes in my life to my family and my friends; like sent some funny present and  this year, well , last 2011 only I did one to my brother. I think because I stopped to do that kinds of things my first thought was "I'm not a joker". Actually I think that it's a part of me I'm losing.
    The zodiac also say that monkeys prefer urban life than rural life. What that means!! It's definitely not my case, I love the country and I would live there if I could. I don't hate the city, but I don't like it too much.
   Continue with chinese zodiac, a water monkeys is extremely sensitive and can succeed if they can stay focused on their objetive, but they easily distracted. I was very sensitive in the past, when I was about 10 or 12;  but I don't distract easily; in fact, I focused easily.
     I think the descripcion of monkeys in chinese zodiac have somethings  I see myself; but are others aspects like carrer, health and relationship where I don't identify myself.
     I have to admit I like see differents horoscopes of different cultures, almost like a hobby. Sometimes I found myself in the descripcion of the sign, but the most of the times only I see my self in one or two things, and then I forget it. Anyway, I'll continue read any horoscope...I'm curious


miércoles, 4 de enero de 2012

Roman bath in London

    Searching the guardian.co.uk, I found this news: "Roman baths discovered under Thameslink site in Southwark". I was looking for a news thta talk about archaeology, because thath is the carrer I want to follow. I choose this one because I have always been interesting in archaeology's discovered on the city.

Here is the link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/sep/16/roman-baths-thameslink-site-southwark

   The news is about the discovered of a Roman bath house near the Thames in Southwark, London. This discovered was done, like many in archaeology, when was working a urban project; in this case was the Network Rail for the Thameslink project. 
   The city of Londinium is walled, and the Southwark is a marshy area with small islands separated by creeks. The bath house is a complex that include a cold plunge bath and rooms with a Roman system of heating: underfloor hypocauts.
   This is a very important discovered, because is changing, in addition with others discoveries, the perception of archaeologist of the area. An archeologist of Nertwork Rail who was working in the ruins, Chris Place said that "in romans time the main settlement was on the north of Thames, and was connected to the settlement of Southwark"; so, this ruins are a suprise because archaeologist wasn't expected structures of "this nature and size in the area".
    This kind of discoveries make rethink the local history; in this case archaeologist have to rethink the relation between the settlemens of the north bank of the Thames and Southwark.
 

                         Remains of Roman bath house on corner of Borough High Street and London Bridge Street in Southwark