Learning Global English

JOSE ANTONIO
Banning something in the Western societies could have the opposite effect. Human beings never understand the prohibition, and the result is that never works it. In my point of view is not the way to resolve the problem. Violence is part of music, if you like or not. But the issue is that children do not tell the different right and wrong, you have to teach them. They are listening all the time the songs with violent lyrics in video games and TV, too. To conclude, it is time to all of us to do something about violence.

FRANCISCA
In my opinion, all the external factors of the environment have an impact on people´s behavior. It can be in a good or bad way. And it´s impossible to control all this factors. Violence it´s part of the human behavior. And we can think that through music, humans can control this violence. It´s a way of expression.
So maybe songs with violent lyrics don´t make people more violent. Anyway, to banned this kind of songs won´t resolve the violence in the society. I disagree with this opinion.

IVAN

Songs with violent lyrics make people more violent and should be banned.

The first question is this. How is a song with violent lyrics? For example. Is it the same one song with sentences about fascism than another song with sentences about street fight?

I think that violence always is here, it is a reality and it is very difficult that we can hide this reality, so I am disagree with this affirmation. I know songs about important people that they had to take the weapons to defend the liberty and social justice. I think that a lot of songs have lyrics with violence expression, but the writer didn´t want to generate more violence. I´m thinking in Silvio Rodriguez.

Another thing is if you ask me if I am agree with songs with violent messages. I´m disagree this type of songs.

ELENA

It is Clear that music is one of the best way to connect different kinds of people.People with different ideas, ages or sex find a point of agreement in music. Sometimes this music brings a kind of life, and in this case, when we are talking about songs with violent lyrics ,it is true that perhaps those songs get people more violent in particular moments,probably it is increased by alcohol or other drugs, but I don’t think that it should be banned. I have different reasons. First, a lot of people could enjoy these songs because they like the music and they don’t agree with their contents. Second,if it was banned it could become in something to protect therefore more attractive. Third, I think that hearing isn’t so powerful than sense of vision , It’s worse to watch a violent film than to hear a violent song. Finally , nowadays it is impossible to ban anything because there are so many ways to keep informed.

CARMEN

I don´t think that violent music , videogames, film can do violent to people.I think that the social injustice , in healt , education do the violence to the people.

When person don´t have enough money to have a dignified life it ´s appear the violence.The biggest violence is from the avarice of a people than confusing charity with justice.

ARACELI
CRISTINA
FEDRA
ISIDRO
MARIA
PABLO

Cristina

My profession is my passion I am journalist. It´s true that I have studied a major in Journalism at Madrid University and I have ten years of experience in different mass media. But, I think that I am not only journalist for this reason, I have chosen this profession because I love reporting histories for understanding the world where I live. The first time I realized this fact, I was only 12 years old.

By coincidence my first job was ten years ago at a local TV, and since then I have always worked in TV. I enjoy this kind of job because every day I learn something new. In my last job I was working in a newsreel for Madrid TV where it was a mass layoff nine months ago.
Now, I am triying to find a new job. I know the situation due to economic crisis is not so good. But I don´t give up hope and I think that I will work again in the field wich I love. I continue studying to be prepared for the future, whereas I unemployed.

Elena
When I was a child a lived in a small village with only 250 population. It was located near a mountain in the countryside, I was always looking for different animals, insects and plants and I loved it. I hated to be in a flat, far of this kind of life. I always said that I would be a veterinary or a biologist, and my father said that I should be a economist like him because these degree aren’t very good to obtain a job in the future , but I’m very obstinate and I studied biology. I love it but, one more time, I should have listened my father! actually I don’t regret, althought we’d need a million of economists to sort out the world problems.Spain isn’t the best country to research and there aren’t so many natural reserves.

When I finished my degree I started to work in my husband’s pharmacy and I found a very interesting job, because I love to be with people, to talk with them and to heard their problems or diseases, mainly old people who are alone and need somebody to speak more than pills to take. There are so many reasons for me to love my job and this is one of them, other thing that I like is that I need to be up to date and this is a way to don’t feel boried.

Sometimes I dream that I work in an exotic, far or wild place like jungle or savannah, because I like to be outside without noise cars , only with the sound of the animals but I recognize that it”s imposible ,and perhaps it would be so hard.
In spite of sometimes the election is difficult, but I think that you should study what you think that it ‘d make you happy in this moment because you couldn’t know the future.

Ivan
My professional life
In think that my professional life has two sides. As you can think, one side is better than another. I started to work since 1999. The first years were well, I learned fast and I felt good because I earn a few money and had friends in my job. But, as normal, after my boss wanted more of me but with the same salary. I have known a lot of interesting people like presidents of latinamerican countries or prestigious academics, but I knew a few bad persons too. For example, I was with important Mexican politician, who wanted to drink a Vega Sicilia wine in a one dinner. That dinner was paid for Mexican people with their taxes.

Actually I´m laid-back, but I´m not happy in my job because I want to change it and to know new things, new experiences. I feel that I achieved my goals in my actual job, and I need new challenges. For example, I´m here, in my English class because it is one challenge. It´s good for my job but it is good for my growth like a person too.

This year I´m studying one master in Rey Juan Carlos university. I want to be a teacher of high school and I need this diploma because European Union required. All days I wake up at 7:00 am and I go to my job. After, at 16:00 I catch my car and I drive to Fuenlabrada, where I stay since 17:00pm to 21:00. When I arrive to my house, I´m tired, I can doing nothing. I don´t know how I will do this year because I doní want to die, but I know that I do well because I am writing my future.

Fedra
I'm working at the European Commission, in the Documentation Service, since 1988. (This year added at the Press Department).I like my job. (I'm so lucky).

When I was selected, as Local Agent, they interviewed me in a selection company, who was famous and independent of the EC, named Tea Cegos. The interviewers selected to me for the EC and, at the end, they selected me. Oh Yeah ¡¡¡.

My carreer in the EC has developed in steps with different tests, and now, I want to improve my lenguages, with English.

My first job was "Instrumentista de quirófano", en Ruber Clinic, 30 years ago. I finished when the studies system changed. After that, I worked at a Spanish Company, which sold veterinarian materials, that was merged with a French Company.

Jose Antonio
When I was a boy, I want to be an architect. I studied very hard, in order to get the grade, which allow to study in the architecture school, here in Madrid. I was very glad to achieve this goal. But it was only the beginning, a lot of large days was passed and the responsibility which involves the adult´s life.

Now I have my dreamed degree, although at the moment I don´t work like an architect, I am working like a librarian, who make the Psychology´s web site in the Autónoma University. Sometimes, this job maybe interesting, however the most time I am only modify or update the information, indeed.

During the last few months till now, I was making an exhibition, which subject was statistics in Psychology. For the reason, that 2013 is The International Year of Statistics (Statistics2013). I make the web design and the university professor, who teach maths in the Faculty of Psychology. Nevertheless I hope in the future to work everyday planning beauty and useful buildings .

Maria
I´m Degree in Economics and Bussines Studies and Master in Financial Markets. I have developed all my professional career in a Saving Bank at the Treasury´s Back Office department. At first, during 10 years, I have worked on the Foreing Exchange Market and something at the Stock Exchange and Syndicated Loans.

When my first baby was born I requested for 2 years of maternity permission, that it continued for 3 years more when was born my second baby. At this time I retaked my Psicology studies that I began years ago as the same time I´m working, I like Psicology A lot. I enjoyed this time of my live very much.

After that, 3 years ago, I was incorporated at the same department at the Saving Bank, worked with Derivates and Estructural Financial Products. This year after a fusion with another Saving Bank and a processing in which the Entity was conversion into a Bank I decided to leave it, it was a very difficult decision but I think it was the correct one.

Now I spend my time take care of my children, take care of me, doing exercise ,doing voluntary work, and of course, studying English.

Almudena
I studied Law and currently I'm working on issues related to the laws. I'm a lawyer. One of the things more difficults for me in my job, is having to speak in a Court, with the Judge, other lawyers (who are waiting for my mistakes), my client, legal experts, and sometimes my boss, etc. It's the most difficult for me, in my job (hold trials), for two reasons mainly:

1.- Because I have to speak in front of people (I mean public speaking); normally people who are very high skilled professionaly people.

2.- Because although I don't have to talk to many people, the consequences of my actions in Court, it will be very important for the judgment and also these consequences will be suffered or enjoyed by other person, the client, who has placed, their trust in me, for I solve theirs problems.

By the moment, I don't think I have reached my professional accomplishment, but I have obtained satisfactions like for example when I won a judgment to the City Hall (or Council) of Madrid. It was a judgment about a property (ground) of my client that was occupied by the Council without permission. I won the judgment and now the Council has to compensate my client.

I think one of the most important things for the career of a lawyer is to being recognized for your peers, that your clients/customers trust you and to be able to open your own office, but is not in my plan in this moment.

This is more or less a summary of the work I do.

ISIDRO

When I was children, I wanted to be a veterinarian. Years later I wanted to be a journalist. But I ended up studying art history. This degree offers a multidisciplinary training, very wide and varied, which I still find fascinating. I studied at the University of León (Spain) and the Università degli Studi di Lecce (Italy) for one and a half course. Then I back to León and during the last several years I also took the Diploma in “Biblioteconomía y Documentación”, and I decided to began a Ph.D. in Art History with a main discourse about the Pre-Romanesque architecture.

During all those years that I was studying in León, I worked in a Restaurant every single weekend and hole the Summer for five years in a row. From 2002 I had a work-scholarship in the University of León: two years in the Office of International Relations, and three more years in the Radiouniversitaria. I also worked in the Diputación de León and I was a guide in the exhibition “Las Edades del Hombre” in 2007. But my first job with my degree was in the Summer of 2008, teaching a subject about Spanish Art History for North-American students in the Language Center of the University of León. And that was the moment when I understood what I would to be, and where I would to work.

In Autumn 2008 I got my first job in Madrid. It was a “cultural orientation” course for North-Americans studients at the program of the Stanford University – BOSP in Madrid. Five years later I still working with them like Cultural Guide, and also teaching a subject about El Camino de Santiago in the Spring quarter. I also teach for The George Washington University at the Universidad Autónoma, and in the Language Center of the University of León during the Summer. I’m so proud of myself but I have pretty clear that my job, like freelance, depends 100% not only by myself, but also from students evaluations, and personal decisions of the different Directors. In the near future I would like to continue with my jobs, got another course for other Universities, and to finish my Ph.D. in 2014. And the biggest challenge I never had… becomes father.

PABLO

Hardworking would be a great word to summarize all my childhood. Since I have memory I have been awake and hard worker. I was always doing something. Quickly I discovered what my passion was, music. But also I used to practice sport. So, since I was a child I have been doing these three activities; school, music and athletics. With Bachillerato became more difficult to keep this activity and the decision of what I wanted to study. Although my teachers pushed me to study at the university because of my good marks, I chose music.

These days I’m studying the last of 6 years of Music Mid-Degree(called here Grado Profesional de Música). Here, we study classical music preparing us to play in orchestra which requires decades to reach the level. I play in a lot of ensembles which fill my schedule. I’m studying English and German also for studying outside in the future and as usually, I’m always doing something.

The next year I’m going to start Music Degree(Grado Superior de Música) which is 4 years totally. Maybe later I’ll study Composing Music Degree. My plans are to become trumpet player at a good orchestra. But I also would like to became composer of videogames's music. But I'm sure that I'll have to move outside for searching job.

FRANCISCA

I would like to be an actress. That is why I´m concerned about improving many aspects related with drama. At the moment I´m taking different lessons that I think they going to help me in my process, which I hope enjoy. I want to do many things in an intensive way, but it´s quite hard. So I want to get in a good British drama school that can give me a quality education.

First of all, I´m taking English lessons. Now a days, English it´s very important in our lives. It´s the most important language. It´s very useful to speak English. Anybody knows it. And it´s even more important for me because of my future job. The cinema world is dominated by Anglophones. I already speak Spanish and French fluidly, which is a huge advantage.

I´m also taking dancing and singing lessons, which I like very much. An actor has to be very complete. I´ve been dancing since I was 7 years old.

Obviously I´m taking drama classes, which includes interpretation, body expression and voice. I´m really looking forward to having some little jobs related with drama. So I have to do many auditions and castings.

ARACELI

Learning Global English

Do You Know Your Grammar?

Double negatives

15 Grammar Goofs

Inspiring Video

High Inter Writing - Songs-Violent Lyrics

Students' Useful Links to Learn English

High Inter Writing - Career History

Cristina

Favorite Websites

Favorite Blogs