Having music in my life!

Well, I should say today that my favorite piece of technology is my cell phone. I don´t think necessarily that my cell phone is the best technological article in the world, but in function of my needs and abilities it is perfect.

I got the Nokia 5130 express music mobile phone and it is the perfect technology for me because I can listen to music thanks to it.

I had plans during a long time of buying an mp3, but when I realized that I could have both (the cell phone and the mp3) in the same object and with a lot of storing capacity, I had nothing more to think about it.

So the last year I got it, and since then my and “it” are inseparable. Now I listen to music everyday: when I am travelling to home or University, when I am reading or studying, etc.

In first place, the main features of my cell (for me) are that: has high quality sounds and also have high definition headphones for real music effect. In second place, in my opinion it is a very light and skinny cell phone. And thirdly, but not less important, I got this phone for a very low price.

So well, although I am not a very technological person, I am in love of my cell phone because it brings music to my life.

Perfect Job?

Well, definitely this is not the perfect moment to ask myself which will be my perfect job.

I don´t know maybe it is the pressure of being so close to the end of the career, or because I being noticing the difficulties of the job market. But, this could be the time to dream... I always wanted to have an investigation job, whether it will be at the university, in some research center or in a place like CEPAL, PNUD, etc.

In first place, I wish to job in a place where I will have some kind of freedom about the topics of research, approaches, and even theories that can be used.

In second place, I hope that the results of my researcher efforts could have some kind of impact in the society. So this is related for example, with the idea that studying public policies should have as results the modifications or improvements of them.

Well, besides of what I’ve mention, I will definitely love to performed in a good work environment. And obviously, will be terrific to have friendly and smart colleagues where I could find feedback (ajajaj).

Even so, or maybe cause I been pessimistic lately, I think that my dreams are kind of difficult to get, or maybe need big career efforts, like studying a lot, making good contacts (ajaja) and things like that. But well, it is a road that I am willing to go around it...

Characterizing people in the Faculty of Social Sciences

I don´t know if in all the faculties of this University, or even in other universities, there is such a big process of reflexivity about the “kinds of people” as it is in here.

It may be related with the careers that are part of this faculty, or maybe it is just the reactions of being into sciences and the cognitive capacities that we develop.

Firstly, exist the classic division between the rural and the urban (specifically “santiaguinos”). Definitely I am rural and when I came to University it meant a lot of joking, like people asking me if I raised chickens in my hometown or if my transportation were horses

Well, also there are the hippies (the real ones and the ones that take only the fashion part), geeks, revolutionaries, politicians (the yellow ones, the communists, the ones that love the role of the bases, etc), researchers, among many other categories.

In one hand I think I am kind of a geek, but partially, cause I love to have fun also (only if time allow it). On the other hand, I should say that I am a “researcher” (or I hope to be), cause definitely I used my time on it and I have enjoyed it.

Knowing the bad guys!

My favorite movie is “Reservoir Dogs”, the first movie that Quentin Tarantino directed and wrote.

I saw it the first time in 2007, when I came to live to Santiago with my cousin, since then I can´t remember how many times I watched it.

"Reservoir Dogs" it´s a crime movie, but the policemen are not the main characters. This is a movie that turns around criminals: the planification of a bank robbery, their ironic discussions and their fights over who was the snitch, their joking and laughing, the guns and the shots.

What I most love of it is their cruel humor and the violence that involves. I must say that my favorite scene is the one when one of the bad guys cut the heir of a policeman while he is dancing "Stuck in the middle with you" by Stealers Wheel. He obviously was crazy, but I love to watch his madness.

So the ones that haven´t seen it have lost the half of your lifes...

Travelling to Cuba!

The most meaningful trip of my life was to Cuba, this travel was in the summer of 2008. I went there with my mother and my younger brother for 24 days. We enjoy meeting “La Habana”, “Guanabo” and “Baracoa”.

Going to Cuba on vacation was very significant to me for two reasons: Firstly; because I always wanted to meet such a different and particular social system, Cuba it is an exception as political regimen in the world. Secondly, and most important, my older brother live in Cuba because of the fact that he study medicine in the ELAM.

The ex Cuban president, Fidel Castro, conceived the creation of the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), to train doctors free of charge, which after a lapse of six years, must return to their communities to contribute to the sustainability of their health systems. My brother study there since four years ago with students from 24 different countries

I was surprise with the city of “La Habana”, because it was full with old cars from the 50s and earlier as well as Russian Ladas everywhere. Old sidecar motorcycles are also a popular way to get around; I personally travelled in one of them.

I also visited “Habana Vieja”, which is a fascinating colonial city, the age and beauty of the buildings is astounding. Of course I saw the Capitolio, several of the big museums, the Hotel England and some of the bars that Hemingway frequented.

My favorite career-related website!

(http://www.cendachile.cl/ National center of studies for alternative development)

Definitely the career-related website that I visit the most is the CENDA's website. CENDA is a center that meets studies from different investigators, especially from economists and recently from sociologists too.


Their objective is that through research, teaching and extension they could make and promote ideas of social importance on a national level.

Their topics are preferentially income distribution and poverty, the effects of globalization and international trade for our country, the concentration and transnationalization of the Chilean economy and the region, the sustainable development, social protection funds and pension, education, etc.

They got now a special emphasis on the crisis's matters, in which I´m very interest.

They publish on his website their new courses, publications, investigations, findings, activities, news, projects, among other things.

You should visit the CENDA's website, it's very cool!

¿Do I have a hobbie?

I´m not that sure if I really have a hobbie.
There´s nothing I´m particulary crazy about...

I suppose that there´s just some things that I like to do more than other things.

For example, I love doing Pilates, listening to music on my own, reading to novels on my free time, dancing, going to parties, sharing moments with my friends, eating with my family, going to see a movie, surfing the web, etc.

This is not something new. When I was younger I used to practiced a lot of diferent things like contemporary dancing, ballet, artistic gimnastics, flamenco dancing, handball, among other activities. But the thing is that I never continued one of them.

But what I do know, it´s that I would really like to have a hobbie to enjoy,
something to set asside from my free time.

What happens with earthquake stays in the earthquake?

Almost one month and half ago the earth started to move like anyone of my generation has never seen it before.

That day I was in my natal city (Los Andes) with a friend and relatives watching the "Festival de Viña", we really enjoyed singing Ricardo Arjona´songs like in the old times.

We were just starting to sleep when the earth tremor started. When the movement started to increase I got panic and it was my younger brother the one who had to calm me down.

In conclusion nothing happened to my family or my house, but watching TV was upsetting.

The next days me and my friends went to a school where people was colecting clothes and food to send it to the most afectted areas, and we packed those things there.

Lore! first session

My name is Loreto Quiroga and I´am twenty-one years old. I´m from Los Andes, but since 2007 I live in Santiago. I´m studyng sociology in the University of Chile, and this is my fourth year. I am interest in economic sociology particulary, and I would love to study abroad in the future.