Anastasia Oplakanets: Week 15 (That's all)

Well, I guess it's a

The subject has finally finished and the experince of having a blog was fine. However, having blogs where we post our 'homework' is not new for us, last year we did the same thing with another subject, cannot remember which one. I liked it, as well as I did last year, because I love editing texts and make them pretty and good looking with a tiny hint of humor. Actually, it makes me very relaxed because the entries do not have to have very serious content and I do not have to worry about it.
Two things that I did not like was the lacking constancy of the posted homework and the continuous repetition of the assignment 'Refer to all the activities you've done to improve your English', which made it very boring.

My piece of advice is to try to post more interesting homework with amusing or thoughtful issues so students do not perceive them as boring homework but rather like a way out for their creativity and passion. For example, I have really enjoyed writting Weeks 5, 9 11, 14 and others but I absolutely hated Week 10 and I had to bring all of my forces and will to do it.

For the next years and future students I would suggest to ask them to make a list or something of the themes they find attractive and interesting so they can enjoy doing their assingments; it doesn't have to be a concrete theme, it could be a review of a book or movie or whatever each of them likes, which in my opinion will appeal to them. Personally, I like my homework to be something I am looking forward to, not running away from it and postponing it every minute I can.
To finish...

Anastasia Oplakanets: Week 14 (Colours)

For this Week's assingment I have chosen the following article (click on it to be redirected to the web page), which describes colors and also gives information about Rainbows, Chakras and Auras (?)

I think this kind of articles are useful for people who believe in things like horoscopes and astrology, dream meanings, bad luck and evil eye, etc. Although it is interesting to know what different colors mean, in my opinion the only thing that matters is the meaning you give to them. For example, my favourite color is green and for me it may have a different connotation than to other people.  At the end of the day, colors are very powerful, they are present in absolutely everything (or not?) and they carry a different emotional meaning to every person. So, these articles are fun to read, especially if you are looking if your favourite color matches your personality or your zodiac sign, but it were people who had given them these definitions so it does not implies any credibility nor accuracy. 

Regarding the second task of this Week's assingment, I have chosen the picture above for two main reasons: 

· the matching with the blog's colors 

· its incredible beauty 

Personally, I am obsessed with aesthetic and I love when colors match well between them; I love seeing people dressing matching colors in their clothes, make-up, accessories, etc. It gives me real visual pleasure. Besides, blue is my second favourite color so this picture was perfectly fitted in my blog. The peachy orange of the sunset and its reflection in the lake is perfectly combined with the cold blue of the snow and the trees. 

The other reason behind my choice is that  winter has come  and I adore winter. I grew up in Ukraine and I have always loved snow and cold weather, and when I saw this picture I was astonished by its beauty and it brought me memories of my country. 

Anastasia Oplakanets: Week 13 (Making decisions)

This Week's assingment is a review about a film I have recently watched but I will do it about a series. It is called '13 Reasons Why' and it's been poping up a lot lately. As I read the book on which it is based many years ago, I did not want to watch it, I was afraid it was going to be cheap and bad. I must say it has surprised me a lot! Although it does not follow the original plot perfectly, it was more than worth watching and I think it matches very well the subject of this Week because is all about  'making decisions'.

In short, the series is very simple, it tells the story of a girl who commits suicide and leaves a series of tapes where she pre-recorded her story. She explains why she decided to end her life, saying that it was due to thirteen reasons, thirteen people who, as she thinks, pushed her to the end. As the first person receives the tapes, he has to pass it to the next person and so on.

In my opinion, her reasons weren't as strong as to do what she did. I feel very sorry for her and for anyone who had ever went through all the problems shown in the film, but still, no reason is justifying enough to commit suicide. I understand that being young means taking things way far to heart but everyone has problems and life is about overcoming those problems.

Regarding the second task of this Week's assignment, here are some pictures of my two favourite books, which are simply amazing and if you haven't read them you should but be prepared for very strong emotions that will mercilessly break your heart.

Some pictures of my favourite films though I have tons of them. Actually, all of Leonardo DiCaprio's films are my favourite.

 

And my favourite shows, Vikings and Game of Thrones, have both great stories and brilliant acting!

 

Anastasia Oplakanets: Week 11 (You live and learn)

Studying abroad?

This Week's assignment is to find out different online ads on studying abroad opportunities and make comments on the convenience of getting involved, trying to use participle clauses.

My opinion about abroad studies is very positive. Thinking about it, I would not go studying abroad partly because of cowardy, but mostly because there are too many obstacles and things that tie me strongly to Murcia. Although I'm not sad about it and I have never been, I love Spain and I love my city so staying here is absolutely fine by me.
I think studying abroad has countless advantages but countless disadvantages too. People always say good things about studying or working abroad and they are right but that doesn't mean that people do not have to sacrifice a lot of thing to do so. Yes, it is a great life long experience, you meet new people, people with different cultures and customs, languages, opinions, etc., your mind opens up and your personal growth is inmense; but you also leave behind your family, friends, your home, your whole life. Of course you will make new friends and have a new home but the new ones cannot replace the old ones.
In my opinion it takes determination and strong will to live or even study abroad. Not everything is good and rainbow about it as people make it look, especially at an emotional level, but if you really want to you can do anything so these things don't have to stop you from achieving whatever you want. Taking the previous disadvantages into account, in this moment I wouldn't travel abroad to study nor to live, but in the future I am sure I will.

This past weekend I went to a wedding but unfortunately I did not know many people there and one of my relatives introduced me to a very nice Australian couple. We talked a lot during the night and I really enjoyed their company. Although they were a bit difficult to understand because they talked very fast, plus they had an unusual accent. After I went home I realised that it was a great experience that improved my English skills.

  

Anastasia Oplakanets: Week 10 (Reports and proposals)

 This Week's assingment is to find an example of report and an example of proposal on the Internet, a book, etc; upload a picture of each of these texts quoting their source, and analyse each of them to see all their parts, and how they differ from the other. The following examples are the ones I have chosen for this assingment and if you click on the images you will be redirected to the original source.

Report example: 

This example of a written report starts with the following information: the name of the report, the names of the participants and their place of studies. Lastly, before starting with the report they place it in a specific category.
The report starts with an explicit introduction where the authours explain in detail the points they will cover in their report and its purpose, which is extremely useful for the reader because it gives an idea of every thing that will appear within the report and the lenght of it.
Then, the authors explain the method they had used to prove their point. They clarify the steps they had followed, giving all the information the reader needs to understand and be able to judge their work.

Proposal example:

http://www.rubenvalero.com/english/content/cae-proposal

In this proposal example we do not have any names at the beginning but there should be stated different labels depending of the addressee of the proposal (the name of the author, postal code, phone number, address,etc). As the report above, this proposal has an introduction to explain the purpose of it; a body composed of two paragraphs where the author explains in better detail its goals. Finally, the author gives a series of recommendations to the reader. The proposal differs from the report in its structure, this one is more structured than the previous one but in my opinion it lacks content.

Anastasia Oplakanets: Week 9 (Urban Living)

First task of this week: pictures of a place I like and how life would be there when I'm 50.

 The place I like is very unusual because is another planet, Mars. I have been thinking about it and who knows, judging by the technological advances we have nowadays I do not see any obstacles to not habitate Mars in 40 or 50 years, maybe that won't happen but let's use our imagination.

I have chosen this place because, as I said above, if technology in 40 years allows people to live in another planet I'm not staying in our regular Earth, I demand something fancier.

As I imagine it, when I'm 50  year old, life will be very difficult and I will regret my life choices. There will be very little water for us the marcians, no possibility of returning to Earth and people will go on strikes and fight against the government. I will be too old by that time to fight or protest but my strong and full of life son will lead the new generation and even start an interplanetary war and win it, which makes me very proud because I raised a champion.

 Regarding the second task of this Week's assingment, the other places I like are:

Australia, because its fauna and landscapes please my inner adventurer.

Norway, because I crave experiencing the aurora boreal on live and see its snowy beauty.

Africa; I hate heat but I would sacrifice myself because it is so exotic and full of history I just need to go there.

What did you do to improve your English? Apart from attending all of my lessons? The new Viking's season is out and of course I could not wait until the Spanish release so I watched the first two episodes in its original English and understood it perfectly.  I don't do much.

Anastasia Oplakanets: Week 8 - Odd Inventions

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝙱𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝙻𝚊𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚛


There is plenty of inventions mentioned for pets thay may look ridiculous and useless but actually some of them are really helpful things. I have seen umbrellas for dogs and although they funny, they keep your dog dry which is important because it could become ill.
I must say that I am a huge fan silly inventions and creations which purpose is to make our four legged friend's lives easier. Besides, they are just hilarious! The one I have chosen for this Week's assingment is something I have been seeing a lot on the Internet lately, specially on YouTube, it's the automatic ball launcher. When I saw it for the first time my first thought was 'how ridiculous, people should play personally with their pets, how can someone be that lazy as for not throwing the ball themselves?' but the videos were really funny so I kept watching and suddenlty I realised that it could be an invention of a great help for those who actually cannot do it themselves.

For example, invalids who are unable to play with their own pets or old people. I see old people with playful puppies all the time and it is reasonable to think that the owners may do not have the energy or patience requiered when you own a young dog. They run and jump all the time and make a big mess and I can see that for some people is really hard to keep their rhythm.
So in fact, the automatic laucher is a very useful invention. And amusing too, aren't they simply adorable when they put the ball in the laucher, wait for it to be thrown and then chase as if there was no tomorrow?

Paula Sánchez Morlesín - Week 8

The baby stroller and scooter hybrid

A funny invention I have come across with is the baby stroller and scooter hybrid, which consists in a baby stroller that also includes a little skate. This is a cool invention that I did not know about until I did this post. Moreover, I think this can actually be useful and funny, since while carrying your baby home or at the park you can skate in order to have fun and do sport at the same time. This invention could be appropiate for people who spend much time at work and do not have enough time to do sport daily, so this could be a way of doing little exercise while enjoying a moment of hapiness along your child. Thus, I think that if you believe you comply those characteristics you should totally get one soon. And even if you do not comply them, it would be nice to have it and have fun while using it!
Furthermore, I am sure your child will enjoy those rides and will always want to go outside for another one. Also, it can be a good way to create bonds between you and your child as both of you will be having a good time during that ride. I also think that it can educative and inspiring for your child, since she/he will start experiencing the good things sport and going out have. Moreover, it is surely helpful to go around the whole city because if your child gets tired, the only thing she/he has to do is to get on the stroller and let his/her parent take him/her for a ride and have fun !

Anastasia Oplakanets: Week 7 - Successful business

· What do you think is a successful business?
 In my opinion, any business, first of all, must be ruled by a capable person, an inspiring and passionate leader with a strong will and greater aims. I think a successful business is a mixture of a good leader, as well as employees, services and products.
You clearly cannot have success if:
- you are not able to keep everything under control and well organised
- you have uncapable or unexperienced employees in that field
- your clients receive poor treatment
- the products or services you provide aren't of a good quality
I think one of the mot important golden rules of keeping your business as a successful one is giving your clients the best of what they want, keeping them happy and satisfied, because without people buying your services your business will come to an end. Also, your employees have to be qualified for their jobs, not only that, they should be able to resolve any of your customers doubts and problems, so people can see you dedicate time to choose the right people for the job. Also, it is important to provide your customers with quality products or services, which will quickly give you reliability.

Click here to read an interesting article in which successful entrepreneurs share their tips to succeed.

· From the provided link I have chosen my 5 favourite things to take into account for a successful business:

1. Be Fearless
Want to know why becoming successful in a business venture is considered such a daunting feat by society? While there are obvious hurdles to face, one of the biggest challenges is in overcoming the fear of jumping into a business in the first place. Most people dream all day about launching a successful business while watching the clock tick at their mundane day jobs. The reason they never quit the security of a paycheck is because they are too scared by the unknown that comes with starting a business. If you want to separate yourself from that crowd, you need to learn how to manage your own fears. Don't worry, you're not alone. When I quit my job to start my business, I was making double my salary outside my day job than I was inside working my eight hour job. I still had that huge fear of failure.
However, this is only the beginning of the road for those who want to be truly successful in business. Overcoming your fears and getting started is noble, but the true tests of a fearless entrepreneur will be constant, from initiating a conversation at a networking mixer, asking for the sale on a major deal, severing ties with a partner who is causing harm to the venture, and perhaps the most frightening of all situations - watching a business fail (it happened to Henry Ford twice before he designed his famous assembly line!) One who can fail miserably and not be scared to dust themselves off and try again and again until they are successful is truly fearless.

3. Grow As A Leader
Once you harness your fears and make the leap to starting a business, you've already begun the journey of becoming a leader. As we'll discuss shortly, your ultimate success will have a lot to do with how you help others find their own. Many of us hold successful entrepreneurs on a pedestal much like football fans hold a star quarterback or wide receiver in high regard. However, there's always a team that these individuals lead that ultimately leads to their success. You must learn how to be a leader on some kind of level in order to motivate others to join you in your venture, believe in what you preach, or give you money for a product or service that you offer.
Just because you need to possess leadership qualities does not mean that everybody successful in business has to be the CEO, face of the company, or person "in charge". When Google started to really grow, the company's founders brought in a successful CEO in Eric Schmidt to come in and run their company - they were engineers, not CEOs. The ability to lead a team or lead the masses can sometimes come down to just having the right charisma and message to get the right people to do the things that need to be done in order for the entire thing to just work. A great soldier may be good at leading troops on the field, but not managing the entire war. An amazing product designer may also be a lousy salesperson. But a great leader will discover what they do best and where their weakness lies, and know who to put where in order to ensure that their company is one that achieves real success.

5. Acquire Partners
We talked earlier about how becoming a leader is one of the most important qualities one needs to "move the chains" in the game of business. In order to achieve greatness as a leader, one must then have a team of individuals who believe in the mission in order to move forward. That's where assembling a great team of partners plays such an important role in any profitable business. Many start out alone and the wearer of many hats, but a business can only scale so far if there is only one source of energy, of inspiration, and of the actual sweat equity it takes to keep the lights on.
As we will see in understanding the meaning of success both in business and in life, a true "business owner" is one who does not need to be a part of the day-to-day operations in order for the business to run and stay profitable. The classic book "The E-Myth" is a great story of how many try (and fail) at running a business all by themselves. Instead, you need to take those leadership skills and motivate others to take their own specific skillsets and apply them together as a team for the greater good of the company. This doesn't just include employees, but also includes knowing who to shake hands with, how to create strategic partnerships, and how to use that leverage we previously discussed to convince others to have an interest in your venture. And once you reach a certain level of success, it will be an even greater feeling when you get to share it with all who helped make it possible.
 
6. Having the Right Attitude 
So far we've discussed some of the most important concepts you need to understand in order to achieve success in business - but how do you exactly justify what is true success? Is it money, or sales, or the influence your actions have over the environment around you? Ultimately real success in business only matters if it also equates to success in life, and that all starts with having the right attitude towards it. Nobody cares about those who are rich but hate the world they live in. Everyone knows the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge, the jaded old man that had all the money in the world but did nothing but create misery for others.
To have a truly happy and fulfilling life, it's important to know what's really important and to develop values around what you can do each and every day to make that world a reality. Sure, many who start a business venture want to achieve a certain level of financial independence. But what does one do with those riches once they finally have them? Those with the attitude that having money means they can buy more "things" to surround themselves with in order to feel superior to others will never be successful in their life. The entrepreneurs who focus on how they can create wealth that can help others and solve problems have the right attitude needed to obtain true happiness and be seen in a positive light by their peers and partners, and are the true embodiment of the word "success".

7. Showing Gratitude 
We live in a world that is changing each and every day, at a speed that any of us can really truly appreciate. Technology over the last 30-50 years has altered the way we communicate not only with our neighbor and loved ones but our business contacts around the world. The generations that have grown up with this technology often take it for granted, never once stopping to "smell the roses" and to realize that they live in an amazing time in history and that much of what they have in their lives - everything from the electricity powering their lights, the cars that help them get to their next meeting, to their smartphones in their pockets are all things they should very much be thankful for.
Those who are happy in both business and if life are those who are grateful for the world they live in. These are the people who make sure to thank the barista for their coffee in the mornings, who open the door for others, who actually listen to those who they have conversations with. Successful entrepreneurs should never forget all the people, places and things that have played a role in their lives that helped them get from their humble beginnings to where they are today. The next time you're flying on a plane, remember the comedian Louis CK's amazing observation that you're "sitting in a chair in the sky", and be grateful for all the wonderful things we get to experience every day.

 

Paula Sánchez Morlesín - Week 7

What is a successful business?

For me, a business can be considered successful if it collects the following aspects:

1. Be kind.
A business cannot be successful if it treats people poorly, it must take care of the employees, costumers and partners.
2. Invest.
If you want you business to grow bigger and stronger, you must invest so you get the latest equipement and techniques.
3. Stay healthy.
For you to stand up for your business, you have to stay healthy and do your best. If you are not there for your business, you will?
4. Go for it.
Do not be afraid of anything, just bear your goals on your mind and do whatever it takes to achieve them (as long as it is ethic, of course).
5. Be surrounded by good people.
It is important to be supported correctly both on the familiar and financial aspects. Regarding the familiar one, keep your family by your side. And regarding the financial one, be sure to keep investors around you so you can show them what you can achieve, and that you deserve their confidence, and money, of course.

To end with, I have not done anything special to improve my English, just the same as always. Watching TV shows in English and learning new words every day.

Paula Sánchez Morlesín - Week 6

Dear Ester,

As you already know, I am on my second year of my degree and I must stay curious and willing to learn more and more English in order to pick up my level. So, I wanted to tell you that I have started to attend conversation lessons with a native English speaker, specifically he is from New Zeland and he has just come back from his country to work here in Murcia. What I now, is that he wants to set up his own English academy but he does not have enough money yet. Summing up, we meet up twice a week at mine during halg an hour ato speak about anything, it does not matter qhat we talk about. What matters is that I gain both fluency and new vocabulary. Moreover, I have started to watch a new TV series called Stranger Things (in English, of course) and I absolutely love it! I totally recomend you to watch it, it is just so interesting. I can´t get my eyes off it, it has captured me. 

And last but not least, I am currently working on how to write letters, and I have found some interesting webs where we can learn about that issue. Since I think you might be interested about it, here I enclose you some of them:

https://www.skillsyouneed.com/write/letter-writing.html

http://library.bcu.ac.uk/learner/writingguides/1.06.htm

That is all I had to tell you Ester, If you are coming to Murcia soon let me know the dates so we can arrange to meet up.

Hope to see you soon,
Paula.

Anastasia Oplakanets: Week 6 (Phrasal Verbs)

Dear Mimi

I have quite few news of this past week but I still hope you enjoy reading them. Last Sunday I was playing a game online and couldn't sort out one of its levels so I had to ask around for help in the chat. So this guy came across me, helped me out and now we've been chatting in private for more than a week. He is is really interesting and funny. He is American, from Washington, and his name is Henry. He knows no Spanish words apart from 'paella' and 'toro' so we have been talking in english all the time and I have learned a lot this week. We have spoken a lot about USA and he has told me tons of interesting facts about it; at first I thought he was showing off but then realised he is just a really passionate person! Talking to him really cheers me up and I found out that we have a common friend here in Spain! I hope to keep in contact with him so be alert for any message you receive because for sure I will be infroming you about everything!
Besides my interaction with Henry, I have been rewatching Vikings for like the third time in its original voicing and I simply love Ragnar's and Ivar's voices. I defenitely prefer the English version rather than the Spanish one or the Russian one. Remember I fell off of my horse almost a month ago? My clavicle is healing slow but well, and I hope I can get back in the saddle soon, can't wait! I've been reading a lot too. I had to read 'This Time It's Personal' by Alan Battersby really quickly because I was running out of time for my LI lessons and it was not as bad as I had expected. Also, I have read two other books, which were very thick, and I can't figure out how I am able to read so fast... I am already starting a third one.

I'm sorry there's anything else fresh and new in my life. I am waiting for your response so don't take long!
Love you, Anastasia ♡

Second Week's task: Links
 https://www.skillsyouneed.com/write/letter-writing.html

 https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/writing-help/how-to-lay-out-a-letter

 https://www.familyeducation.com/life/writing-letters/writing-letters-letter-format

 https://www.businessballs.com/communication-skills/writing-technique-general-59/

Isabel Martínez Puche (Week 5)

Write a text describing your worst job. Upload pictures if you find them, or a drawing on your own of that particular job.

I would not want to be doing a job that I do not like. Regarding the situation we are now in terms of job search I know that is not an easy task and the priority would be to find a job, but if I could decide, I would choose a job that makes me happy. What makes me happy? Well I like to help people and I want to end up doing something that contributes positively to society. Also I would like to work in a secure work ambient, both physically and mentally. There are many jobs nowadays with still terrible conditions even people dying while working because of this. It is important as well that the job does not damage your mental health. Sometimes works put people in situations with too much stress, that have to be supervised too. Summing up, my worst job would be one that puts my health at risk and one that does not motivate me. I am afraid of being trapped in a job I do not feel well with, since it is something that I am supposed to do until I retire.

Ask your grandparents or any other relative over 65 about job conditions when they where young and discuss pros and cons.

What I have been told is that the conditions were very bad. My grandfather for example worked for too many hours and that affected his relationship with his family, since he could not spend many time with them. My grandmother as well had been working since she was a kid, and when she grew up and had kids had to manage to do the housework at the same time. It is true that “men jobs” have always been considered harder than “women jobs” but people tend to forget that due to the thinking that women are obligated to take the role of housewife as well, they had to double their work. Job conditions have been improving along the years but these situations I explained are still present in today’s society. Even though there has been an improvement, conditions should keep getting better for the future generations.

All you have done this week to improve and learn English

This week I have kept reading as I do all the weeks and since most of the subjects are taught in the English language, that also helps to improve my level. I would like to say that I have done more things to improve my English but sadly my time is limited and I do not have the time to do everything I want to do.

Anastasia Oplakanets: Week 5 - My Worst Job Ever

There are uncountable and totally unpleasant jobs to do in the world and although I am quite picky about them  I know I could end up doing one of them. I really want to make a distinction between jobs I would be unhappy to do and jobs that absolutly disgust me: the former are those kind of jobs that are okay but they aren't really what I am aiming to do. For example, if currently I am studying English Studies I wouldn't be glad if I end up working as lawyer or an assistant, not because these are not acceptable jobs but rather because it is not my goal, I want to do something related to my studies. So, this situation wouldn't be the best for me but I would accept the job if I had to. Now, the latter kind of jobs are definitely out of discussion for me, on the peak of this jobs there's the one I hate the most: babysitting.

I have never liked babies and kids and I don't understand how come that so many people find them adorable.They are always sticky, dirty, loud, full of saliva and buggers, etc. Also, I don't think they like me neither, not because I treat them badly, but maybe because I have no idea how to behave near them and they have some kind of super powers to detect these things and know that I would rather be in any other place of the planet than with them. For this and so many other reasons I could never be a babysitter or a primary and even secondary teacher, I know for sure that I would quickly lose my temper with those little monsters and say something totally unappropriate and get fired.

 

Regarding the second task of this Week's assignment, I do not have any relative to ask about work conditions when they were young but I know that working conditions about sixty or seventy years ago were pretty harsh. Most of regular people didn't have many possibilities to study or at least to finish their studies and had to start working at a very young age, having to work a lot of hours for little money. Plus, there were not many choices regarding jobs, you couldn't pick between one or another, you had to do what you got. I honestly don't see any pros to this situation as I think that everything about working conditions at that time was awful. 

As for the third task of this Week, I haven't done anything new to improve my English sorry.

Summing up, not so many decades ago working conditions were very hard and didn't considerate people's needs and even rights; and my worst job ever, my nightmare, would be doing something related to babies and little kids such as babysitting or teaching. Really, babies aren't cool.

Paula Sánchez - Week 5

First of all, I have had zero working experiences until now, so I do not have any specific knowledge about any kind of job, just general information. Having said this, I believe I do not think of a particular job as the worst ever, but there are certain aspects that can help me discern between jobs that I would enjoy and others that I would not. For example, I would like to have a job in which I do not have to stand all the time, a job in which I could have my own bureau to traduce documents, TV shows, films etc, not a job in which I have to face the public and stand the whole day. I would be totally fine as long as a I do not have to speak every day to lots of people, since I really dislike it.

Regarding job conditions decades ago, I asked my grandmother, who is 82 years old, to let me know about them. And what she told was that she has had only one job in her life, and it was as a waitress at a café in Córdoba. She has had only one job since women "could not" work when they got married, since during those years it was believed that men had to be the ones to bring money to their homes. So, she told me that her job conditions were correct. The café was clean and nice, and her boss was also a nice person. In fact, when she got married he lamented to lose her, since she was so good at her job that he felt no one could replace her. But she has also told me this was her case, there were many people in poor conditions and getting low wages.

Taking in account was she has told me, I cannot see any pro of older job conditions since many were low waged and in bad conditions. And even though she was lucky and could take advantage of a good job, nowadays the same job is higher remunerated and developped in better conditions, since we now have more rights as workers. Personally, I am happy I was born not so long ago so I can aim for a proper job and achive my goals.

Lastly, what I have done to improve my English is to attent my classes and watch TV shows in their native language, which is English. 

Tips and Advice - Week 4

Paula Sánchez Morlsesín

Tips and Advice 

1. When browsing the net I found a piece of advice I especially liked, which is the following:

"When there is a problem don't just complain about it. Don't do something about it either, change it! Doing something usually isn't enough. If the element broke on your stove, would you go buy the replacement part then be satisfied because you did something about it? No, nor should you be satisfied with 'doing something' about life's bigger problems. Do you feel that people are wasting too much of their lives on their electronic devices? Don't be satisfied with making a youtube video about it, to try and get the word out there, Keep going until the problem is fixed! Too often people 'do something' then stop as if that was enough.

Everytime someone has screwed up their life in some way or another, figure out what went wrong, then make sure you don't follow the same path. You'd be surprised just how many people have actually screwed up in life once you start paying attention. If they are unhappy or unsatisfied, something's gone wrong. Don't make the same mistakes as those around you!"

Source: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-piece-of-advice-you-could-give-someone-about-life

   2. And the text I chose that contains modal verbs is an excerpt I took from 'Twilight', a book written by Stephenie Meyer:

"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?" La Push is the tiny Indian reservation on the coast. "No." 

"He used to go fishing with us during the summer," Charlie prompted.

That would explain why I didn't remember him. I do a good job of blocking painful, unnecessary things from my memory.

"He's in a wheelchair now," Charlie continued when I didn't respond, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap." 

"What year is it?" I could see from his change of expression that this was the question he was hoping I wouldn't ask. 

Now, I will explain the specific meaning they have in the context of the sentence they are used.

- Would: in the sentenced it is used, it expresses the consequence of the situation the character refers to.

- Can't: is used to express prohibition in the present and in general time.

- Could: could is used to express permission and prohibition in the past.

- Wouldn`t: is the contraction of 'would not',' and expresses an action that did  not in fact happen. Someone was not willing for something to happen. 

   3.The activities I have done during these last four weeks to improve my English,  apart from attending English language classes and working with this blog, have been the regular ones, such as watching some shows in their original language (which is English), chatting with my friends in English on the SNS and listening to some British songs. In addition, I have also started to read our compulsary reaing book for English language. And regarding speaking I have just spoken English once, and it was because a tourist needed my help to get to a place in Murcia.