15/09/18 - 19:31-19:58
1) How was your life changed since you came to the United States
Since I came to the United States there has been quite a few problems that I have encountered.
One of the problems was the language as my English is not very good. However, since I have been here, I have been taking some English classes that have helped me improve my language. Therefore, I do not really find that there is a language barrier anymore when I talk to the locals.
Secondly, one of the disadvantages that occurred was being away from my family which I do not like. Especially, when it is forever. The flights are always expensive and my life feels empty without them. This led me to be more independent and always being on alert.
Sometimes I find it very difficult to be by myself but from time to time, I do go out to visit them so I don't feel so lonely.
15/09/18 -
20:16-20:45
2) A special skill you have
I have various special skills such as being organised. I was always taught from a young age that it is important to be organised at all times, no matter what it is.
Organisation makes one feel better about themselves because things that are not organised can lead to being stressed out about things after.
So, for example, I am always organise about keeping things up to date and being able to inform myself the route that I will take before travelling somewhere. Sometimes, I may do this months before so I do not do it last minute and I am able to get it out of the way.
It is important to be organised as teachers and many other people should have this ability, especially when working.
22/09/18 - 21:30-21:50
3) A Hobby
One of my many hobbies is to paint and draw. I believe I took this hobby because my mum has been painting and drawing ever since I can remember.
She uses a lot of techniques to do these paintings and then sells them for a lot of money.
When I paint, it calms me down and makes me think about what I am painting. There is no need to rush to finish but it does require patience and a lot of love.
Hobbies are great to keep one's mind active and it is a way of relaxation and being able to be at peace with your thought. But not everyone has a hobby. I think it is quite important to have one because it is way that helps you throughout life and beyond.
22/09/18 - 22:00-22:20
4) Learning to play a sport
When I moved to the UK, I had to learn how to play netball and rounders. Netball can be said to be a little bit like basketball but not quite as they do have different rules.
Netball and rounders are an all girl sport which means men do not play it.
At first, it can be difficult for someone to understand the rules of netball because most people struggle with where they can go on the court and what their job is as each position has a different job.
On the other hand, rounders is not as difficult to learn to play as it isn't such a tricky sport as it is very similar to baseball.
27/09/18 - 20:32-20:51
5) Your favourite sport to play or watch
I very much enjoy watching the Olympics every four years, especially swimming and athletics because it amazes me how much stamina and hard work each person has to go through in order to do very well in these sports.
I also love to watch gymnastics as it is very fascinating the way gymnasts are able to move their body and twist it. Additionally, I like the way they dance to the music.
Furthermore,I love to play sports such as netball and rounders because they are team sports and I like to have that level of socialisation. When it comes to sports like these, it is not only about an individual player but all the players put together as they are there to achieve the same goal.
27/09/18 - 21:00 - 21:25
6) An accident
When I was 5 years old, I got into an accident with my brother and my parents. My family and I were in holiday at the time, in France, and we decided to do a road-trip to Spain because we do them all the time when we are in the United States.
However, I remember my parents arguing that day while my mother was driving. The atmosphere completely changed and I didn't know what was going on. So, while they were arguing and shouting in each others faces, there was a car that was coming towards us and it was on our lane.
It was coming towards us about 50mph and it hit us pretty hard, dead on. I remember waking up in the hospital but with no sign of my brother or parents. I thought they were dead. After asking a nurse, I found out that my brother was alive but in a coma and my parents were sadly deceased.
I didn't know how to feel that day. I just wished it was me instead of them.
02/10/18 - 21:20 - 21:45
7) Being on time
I believe that it is important to be on time as it is seen as professional. In other words, it is important when attending an interview for a job as it shows your punctuality to events and it tells the people more about you and what you are like as a person. It is also important to be on time to work, exams, important events, etc.
However, in order to be on time, one needs to be organised and be able to plan out a route to get to a place, especially when they do not know where they are going.
A good way, to make sure you are on time is to carry a watch and it is that way where you can check the time and make sure you are never late.
In my opinion, it is better to always be earlier and always being late.
04/10/18 20:02 - 20:25
8) The people you live with
While being an Erasmus student in Spain, I live with two other girls and myself. One girl is from Mexico and the other one is from Italy.
We get on pretty well but sometimes it is difficult to maintain the house clean when we are sharing it.
For example, sometimes, none of us take the recycling out which lead to the bin getting overflowed or the plates are left in the sink and not cleaned which leaves no space for us to wash our own plates.
I'm always the one that does all the cleaning around the house and has to buy everything that is needed to keep it clean. I find this really unfair. Therefore, the best way to come about this is to talk to each other and come to an agreement about what we could do between us. So, one could take out the recycling and the other one could clean the floors, etc. It just makes our lives much easier.
08/10/18 - 18:40 - 18:55
9) American customs you like/dislike
Americans are stereotyped for their eating and amount of junk food that they have every day. In America, there is a fast food restaurant on every street which are always packed with people. This is a custom I do not find very healthy, especially for children.
On the other hand, there are some american customs that I like, for example, the big diversity of sports that they have as they are known for loving their baseball, ice hockey, soccer, etc.
This may be used for a motivation for young kids to get into sports at an early age and keep them active and healthy.
10/10/18 - 19:34 - 19:59
10) An important story in the news
The most important story in the news, that caught my eye was the Manchester Arena Bombing which was not only a very tragic moment but a lot of lives were lost in this moment.
It was an act of terrorism that happened on the 22 May 2017 tragically killed 23 people (including the bomber). An Islamic terrorist detonated a bomb while people were leaving the Manchester Arena after a concert of Ariana Grande was finished.
After a few days, tributes were paid for the victims and after a few weeks Ariana Grande made Manchester Concert in tribute to those that have died while raising money for their families and funerals.
People still remember it to this day and it is something that will never be forgotten.
15/10/18 -
18:30 - 19:00
11) The working student
There are various advantages but disadvantages of being a working student. Some may argue that being a working student is hard as it takes up most of your times. Therefore, there is no time for studying for exams or doing homework which can affect your final grades. So, it is important for time to be managed well.
However, on the other hand, if one is studying and working at the same time, it can be very important as your earn money which will make you feel more independent and not make you feel like you need to turn to your parents to ask for money.
It may give you experience and an idea of what is like out there in the working world and help you with work experience.
Some student do work or volunteer part-time as they find it as a way to explore what they would like to do in the future and what working path to take. However, others may find it better if they just concentrated on their studies. But if being a working student is better or worse, it totally depends on the individual.
15/10/18 - 17:51 - 18:01
12) A big mistake you once made
When I was 6 years old, I trusted my best friend with a secret, which she told the whole year about. This broke our friendship because this meant that I couldn't trust her anymore.
The secret considered of me fancying a new boy that just joined the class but it wasn't a MASSIVE crush, it was a small one.
I definitely learnt from this mistake. I learnt that sometimes you cannot trust people even though you are super close to them. Sometimes it is better to just not tell anyone and keep it to yourself.
22/10/18 - 16:40 - 17:00
13) Using e-mail
There are many advantages and disadvantages of using e-mail these days. For example, one advantage of using e-mail is that it is one of the many ways of communication around the world. E-mails can be used in a professional manner or in an unprofessional manner. In other words, the use of e-mails connect us and makes us have social interactions as well.
However, on the other hand, e-mails can have their disadvantages. They can be classed as dangerous and can lead to receiving blackmails and the risk of being sent viruses on the computer just by clicking a link which may not even be real. Therefore, it is highly important that children do not have e-mails at a very young age as they are most at risk as they are not aware of these.
23/10/18 - 18:35- 18:55
14) Cell Phones
Mobiles are considered the most used this technology device in the world. Today, we see a lot of people, especially teenagers, that use this device to connect with people and make new relationships and friendships around the world.
Using a mobile phone is considered one of the best ways to keep these connections and relationships but a cell phone can also be considered as dangerous and hazardous for the health. For example, many teenagers use cell phones for hours which affect their vision and, perhaps in the long term, their mental health.
02/11/18 - 17:50- 18:10
15) Teenagers
During the teenage period, a lot of teenagers go through puberty. Puberty is when hormones level changed. Therefore, the voice, the hairs around one's body and the body itself changes in various ways. However, it is different in a boy than it is to a girl.
In a boy, the Adam's apple starts to appear and the voice gets deeper and lower. Also, they might get more aggressive due to their hormones changing.
In girls, the breasts start to enlarge and their voices also change but not as dramatically as the boys'. They will start to get periods and perhaps go through a phase where they will try to 'find themselves'.
02/11/18 - 18:20 -18:31
16) The right age to get married
Some people believe there is a right age to get married. But is there?
I believe that the right age to get married is when the right time comes. In other words, you will need to feel financially stable and think about the future.
On the other hand. some scientists believe that they have found the ideal age to get married which is between the ages of 28 and 32. According to studies, if people tie the knot between these ages then they are the least likely to get a divorce.
09/11/18 - 16:12 - 16:43
17) A good friend
For me, a good friend must have various characteristics and likeable things about her/him. Things such as being a nice person. It is always better to be around someone that will do nice acts towards you and others and which you can learn form. However, being beside a nasty person can be taunting and quite unhealthy for someone.It may lead to depression or some unhealthy views.
Another important characteristic is to be trustworthy. S/he can keep all your secrets and they are always there in case you want to talk to them about something privately or perhaps a secret that you do not feel comfortable to speak about it with your parents or other peers.
A good friend will always make you happy and make you smile no matter what but most importantly when you are down. They will make you feel that you are an important person but the most important thing of all, is that they will make you a better person in the long run.
09/11/18 - 17:00 - 17:27
18) Shopping
Shopping is an activity that a lot of people enjoy, especially women. It can be said that it is a bonding activity between various people as it is something that anyone can do in their free time.
Shopping involves buying anything you want such as clothes, furniture, houses, animals,etc. This activity seems like a fun, loving way to meet up with friends but it is not always like this.
Shopping can be seen as sometimes addictive which leads to a bad lifestyle. For example, shopping addicts buy everything they like and they want but no necessarily that they need which can be classified as a way of throwing money away and wasting it. So when it comes to buy things they desperately need in their lives, they cannot buy it as they do not have enough money.
Sometimes, this leads to a 'sugar baby' kind of lifestyle as they do are so obsessed with shopping that they want more and more money so they are able to do it.
16/11/18 -
18:16 - 18:32
19) Your last day in your country
My last day in my country was very hectic and I was very nervous to move to a new place where I did not know anyone at all. Firstly, I remember my parents were very anxious about having everything packed and made sure that we were all ready to leave the house at the right time so we don't miss our plane.
But we did not do a lot in our last day. We just ate left overs and I remember I was allowed to visit my friends to say goodbye to them one last time, which was very upsetting.
In all honesty, that day wasn't very exciting but catastrophic and I remember carrying my doll around me every day, all day.
16/11/18 - 18:40 - 19:01
20) your first day in the United States
My first day in the United States wasn't very exciting. I remember that I was mad at my parents for making me move to another country and not being able to see my friends killed me inside. I knew that everything was going to change and that I had to make new friends which I am not very good at doing so.
When we arrived at our new house, it was massive. This was the only thing I liked about our first day to be honest but all we did was unpack and meet the neighbours. As soon as we stepped foot in our new house, our new neighbours came to say hi and seemed very friendly and that same night we went around theirs to have dinner.
Before I went to bed, I remember not being as mad anymore and I was sure that I will get over it and enjoy my new life in the United States.
23/11/18 - 19:56 - 20:22
21) Discrimination
Discrimination has always been a problem around the world. The definition of discrimination simply is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of categories of people, especially on the grounds of sex, race and age.
Therefore, discriminating someone based on their looks or sex is very bad and unfair which still happens in the employment sector as they could be really smart and improve the company but many people let them walk about just because of looks. Just because people are different physically and mentally doesn't mean that one should discriminate them like that.
God said that he made everyone equally so if someone discriminates, they should be ashamed of themselves.
Discrimination still happens all over the world and we should try to diminish it as much as we can for the sake of the human race. We should be positive to each other and not negative by judging other people on their sex, race, and age.
24/11/18 - 22:00 - 22:31
22) Your favourite food
My favourite foods are normally very unhealthy ones because for me, they are the tastiest ones but I do not like when these unhealthy foods have too much oil on them. In total, I have two favourite foods.
The first one is pizza. I tend to have pizza every weekend but I would have it everyday if I could but I know that would be really unhealthy for me and would lead me to have an unhealthy lifestyle. My favourite type of pizza is a 4 cheese one or a mozzarella but I do not like spicy food, therefore I do not like pizzas which are hot like pepperoni (because some of them are very spicy). To be honest, I don't trust people that do not like pizza because I find that quite weird.
My second favourite food is hamburger and chips. Now, I am bit fussy about this because I do not like salad in my burger, therefore it has be a plain burger with only the burger and the bread (boring, I know). The chips have to be crunchy and quite thin because I think that is the best way to have them. My favourite burger and chips are from McDonald's but I don't really go there as their burgers are very tiny and their food is not the best in terms of healthiness so I tend to do home made burger and chips.
01/12/12 - 23:30 - 23:45
23) The best car to own
In my opinion, the best car to own is a Lamborghini because I love the way they look and the way the engine sounds. It is known for being a beautiful Italian sports car that is even used by Italian police which I found fascinating.
I would love to own one one day but this type of car is very expensive and you don't really see any of them out on the road. Some very expensive cars become vandalised or keyed by people that walk by which is not what I want. Therefore, it would be better to have quite a big garage and leave it in there when you are at home but I would be a bit concerned about leaving it in car parks as it would most likely get stolen.
Obviously, apart from being pretty and perfect, the Lamborghini is not the best car to own when on the roads as it is quite a low car, it will hit the speed bumps if you go through them very quickly and may damage the car.
01/12/12 - 23:50 - 00:21
24) Smoking in public places
A nationwide smoke-free policy pertaining to public places came into place on the 5th October, 2005. There are other places where smoking is banned such as airports, nightclubs, restaurants, bars, etc.
I believer that smoking in public places is a bad thing as it does affect and disturb other people and not just the smoker. For example, the smell of tobacco is not the nicest and it may portray a headache into some individuals which will make them feel sick and unwell.
Especially when kids are around, it is not healthy for them to inhale that kind of smoke, especially when 20 people are smoking in a tiny room and everyone is inhaling the tobacco.
Furthermore, t will not help with the health problems that occur as more and more people may become ill in the long-term as they have been inhaling this smoke without even knowing as smoke can travel very rapidly and causes problems for the people around.
So, smoking in public places does have an effect on non-smokers as it damages their will and it might even lead to lung cancer which they have not even asked for.
07/12/18 - 19:01 - 19:32
25) A movie star or singer you like
There are various singers and move stars that I like for different reasons so I will talk about one movie star and the one singer that I particularly like and then give the reasons why.
The first movie star that I like is Angelina Jolie. This is because she is very well known for helping third world countries and her hard work towards many charities. She seems like a very caring woman that wants to help others and inspire others to do the same and come out of their shell in order to be able to give a helping hand. She is also known for going through a divorce with Brad Pitt which shook the nation but she remained strong while still being on the spotlight even though she didn't want to talk about it but actions like this show how caring and powerful women are which I really like that.
Now I will speak about a singer which I like which is Ariana Grande. She is known for her various numbers 1s and her singing voice is just out of this world. Like Angelina Jolie, she does charity work to help others. An example of this would be, the concert she set up in 2017 after the Manchester bombing had occurred, she showed that she cared and it was important to bring this sense of solidarity into the country so we can all mourn together but not in a sad way. Remembering those while we enjoyed music and showed the terrorists that they can't take that away from us.
08/12/18 - 16:30 - 16:58
26) A belief you have or used to have
I was brought up in a Christian household, therefore I would consider myself a christian but not a fundamental christian. When I was small I would go to Church everyday on Sundays but not anymore as I feel that society has changed over the years and there is less stigma about going to church on Sundays. I also believe that I just lost interest in going to church and got bored of it but I am actually thinking that I should start again in order to find that friendship with a particular someone again.
I still believe in God because I feel that it doesn't hurt to believe in someone that is up there that will guide you throughout your life. Some people may think it is a waste of time but I don't think so. I think many people use it as a guidance of life which helps them when they feel like they are in a very deep hole and begin to search help. They feel like they can turn to someone.
I have always wanted to practice Buddhism because I feel that is a religion with various different beliefs which are very peaceful and this ideas of enlightenment which is really interesting for me. Perhaps in the future, I will get to practice this but I don't think that right now is the right time for me to begin this journey.
But overall, I believe that beliefs are quite important to people as it helps them in different ways.
10/12/18 - 18:00 - 18:32
27) A story from your childhood
When I was around 9 years I old, I used to live in Argentina. My garden was huge and we had a swimming pool that we would use in the summer that was in the corner of the garden and it was all closed off with wire so the dogs could not go in it as they were out in the garden 24/7.
One day, I saw a little black dog hanging out in the swimming pool area but we had no idea of whose it was or how it got there and me and my family found it really strange because the garden was not against the main street but with the other neighbour's gardens.
After we say her for the first time she kept coming back every single day so we thought she was a stray but we did not adopt her. I remember that I would go outside everyday to feed her and giver her something to drink and the dogs would go crazy every time they they've seen her.
After about 4 weeks the dog stopped coming and I got really upset because I didn't know the reason behind why she stopped coming but I was scared that she might have been ran over or that someone kidnapped her or scary thought like that just went through my head every single day. But on the other hand, there could've been a happy ending where she got back with her owner but I simply didn't know and I still don't know to this day.
11/12/18 - 17:40 - 18:12
28) A favourite possession
My favourite possession is a necklace which I always wear and never take off because it is too special for me. The necklace is a picture of St.Christoper who is also known as the patron of travellers and it was given to me by my boyfriend a few months ago before I started my Erasmus journey to Spain and Italy so there is a lot of meaning behind it.
This necklace makes me feel more comfortable when I travel and visit different countries without my boyfriend. It may sound stupid but a little thing such as a necklace has helped me feel more confident about doing things without my family and boyfriend as I am a person that is very family-oriented. I have never been independent when it comes to travelling as my parents are very protective of me and do not let me go to other countries by myself so I have never been so far away from them for a long period of time but this possession of mine makes me feel safe and not scared about things that may not even happy.
15/12/18 - 17:02 - 17:16
29) Music that is special to you
Music that is able to evoke emotion is the most powerful thing in the world to me. It may be evoked though lyrics that bring out a very important message or even skilled musicians are able to tell stories without words.
Music has this powerful things of changing people's moods and emotions, sometimes going from up to down and vice versa. The type of music that brings out special messages and emotions within them are very special to me, especially the type that I can relate to when I am feeling down or sad.
15/12/18 -
17:20 - 17:51
30) Your worst habit
All habits start from somewhere and then they start getting gradually worse. My worst habit is that I am a cleanliness freak so everything has to be clean at all times and I always have to make the bed because I find that if I don't do this then it affects my mood for some reason.
Every time I go over to my boyfriend's house everything needs to be clean, and if it is not then I would have to clean it myself and make sure that there are no dirty spots. On the other hand, my boyfriend is not a cleanliness freak and he does sometimes get annoyed by this habit because I am always cleaning but I do this because I have always been taught that things need to be clean and if they are not then you could get ill or a disease which is something I do not want.
Over the long period of carrying this out, I found out that it actually affects my mood as well. So if things are not clean and all neat, then I will feel sad until they are done and I wouldn't be able to study or do my daily chores.
I find this habit to be a really weird one but I didn't realise how bad and irritating it was until my boyfriend told me about it but I am actually trying to work on it and perhaps let some things be dirty for a couple of days and then clean them.
