Category: knowledge

Hobbies, information, knowledge

The Charm Of The Weather

dianangelika0607

03/08/2020

Many people have the misconception that living in a country like Canada is difficult due to its climate.

Before coming here, I was thinking about taking this important decision. One of the points that we evaluated with my husband was the climate for sure. This country has seasons but certainly the winter in Canada is really cold. However, when I lived through my first winter it was cold but it wasn’t too terrible.

Fortunately, in winter most places have heating like restaurants, banks, supermarkets or the inside of buses and subway. Condos, apartments and houses have heating too. On the other hand, it’s very important to have the right wardrobe. If you have a warm jacket, gloves, tuque and some layers, those clothing can help you to face the winter.  

The lowest temperature which I have felt has been between -30°C and -37°C (apparent temperature). That temperature certainly was low and sometimes I had headaches, pain in my bones and muscles and dryness on my skin and lips. My advice in those cases is searching for a warm place, drinking a cup of hot chocolate and enjoying the landscapes and winter activities.

From my point of view each season has its charm. When I lived in Colombia and I lived in a hot city called Villavicencio, its temperature was approximately 30°C.

Living in a hot place has its pros and cons too. For example, you can enjoy activities in a pool or river and you can wear informal clothes. Nonetheless, when the weather was muggy, I needed a fan close to me and was drinking a cold beverage all the time. Also, sometimes I saw annoying bugs like roaches, mosquitos or ants.

In conclusion, enjoying the weather is relative and depends on each person. Actually, I like to live in a country with seasons because I have the pleasure to live in different climates at the same place only.

DARR.

Hobbies, knowledge, Personal Development, Wellness

Was Any Point In The Past Better?

dianangelika0607

28/07/2020

Every week I like to do my writing. Today I was thinking about the topic and I had a flashback about my childhood.

When I was a child, I never used a computer, a smart phone, Alexa or Playstation. In my time I played backyard games like Statues, Cops and robbers, Hide and seek, Tag and Hopscotch. And my gadgets were Spinning top, Yo-Yo, Cup and Ball and Marbles. I liked playing sports like basketball and soccer where people admired basketball players like Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson and 90’s soccer players like Maradona, Baggio, Zidane or Ronaldo.

At that time, I loved listening to music and enjoyed singing and dancing. The 80s and the 90s music was really incredible because it was the period of Pop, Rock and Latin Music like Salsa and Merengue. Artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna and groups like Guns and Roses, Nirvana or U2 were risen to stardom.

On the other hand, TV Series like Magnum P.I, MacGyver, Manimal or Mission Impossible were my favorites and ThunderCats, She-Ra and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were cartoons that I enjoyed very much.

All of those events and memories were very special and significant for me. Good times are always in our memory and they make us travel through time. Moments with friends, family and beloveds are unforgettable and are invaluable.

However, at present kids are growing up with technology and gadgets in their lives, no matter their age. According to an article which I read in the web, technology “allows for creativity and freedom of expression… aids in socialization and relationship building…allows for independence and empowerment… improves problem solving perseverance…helps instill and entrepreneurial spirit…enhances learning and technology jobs are (and will be) in high demand”.

From my point of view each period is different and children take advantage of their environment. I was surrounded by some stimulus that helped me to learn and to know about the world and when I remember all of those things that I did when I was child, I conclude first of all that time passes really fast and secondly it is very important to enjoy life. There is a phrase that says “Any time in the past was better”. That is possible but the most important is “Seize the day. Make your lives extraordinary”. (N.H. Kleinbaum, Dead Poets Society).

The way of learning and socializing can change, but some aspects remain. The important thing is that parents and teachers encourage children. No matter the time, the circumstances, the resources or the environment, I think being curious, being restless and doing research moves us through the knowledge and into success.

Finally I want to share a link about an article that I saw on the web, which shows Benefits of Technology  and The Right Kind of Screen Time for children: https://www.idtech.com/blog/benefits-of-technology-for-children

See you later!

DARR

Hobbies, information, knowledge, Mental- Health, Wellness

The Power Of Music

dianangelika0607

13/07/2020

Music is an important component in my life. I love how music can generate emotions and feelings with a melody or just with the lyric of a song.

Ever since I was a little girl my dad used to put headphones in my ears and I liked to sing with him and we recorded our music in cassettes. By the way, the next data is for those guys who are very young, before listening to music in CDS, MP3 or Ipads existed on the cassettes. When I wanted to listen to the song, in that period it didn’t exist Youtube, Spotify or Apple music, then I had to listen to the radio station and if it sounded like the song that I liked, I had to run very quickly and record it in a cassette. Nowadays all of this is history and if you just write the name of a song in Youtube or other apps you can hear it as many times as you want.

Another experience that I had when I was at school, I was part of the choir and we made some performances at other schools and events, that was a fabulous experience for me. At the same time, I had a subject of music and I had the opportunity to learn to play the flute and the marimba. My biggest frustration so far is didn’t learn to play other instruments like the piano, the cello and the guitar but, you know, it’s never too late to learn and to reach goals.

Anyway, music is present every day of my life. When I start my morning and I’m cooking my breakfast, the first thing that I do is turn on my TV and listen to music on YouTube. I feel motivated, with energy and a good vibe with music.

Finally, one of my hobbies is to listen to music for sure. One plan that I did and I loved was walking on the streets of Havana (Cuba) and to listen to the groups of Cuban Son, playing with their instruments like guitars, flutes, maracas, bongo drums and congas. Another plan that I did last year was to listen to the orchestra that played the soundtrack of the Tv Series Game of Thrones on live concert. That was amazing!

The last activity but not less important is to listen to Colombian music, we have different genres and artists, fortunately my country has an enormous variety and it inspires us day to day.

In summary, music is life, health and helps us by making our lives better and Happy like the name of the song by Pharrell Williams.

DARR.

information, knowledge, Mental- Health, Personal Development, Self-Help, self-improvement, Wellness

Capacity Of Reinventing During Pandemic Time

dianangelika0607

29/06/20

At present our life has been changing drastically with the presence of Covid 19 and certainly that virus has generated devastating consequences like human casualties, unemployment, financial problems, changes in emotional, social and familiar life. However, in pandemic time, people have had to reinvent and change their life habits. For example, virtual work has increased. Some platforms like Zoom, Skype, Google Duo, Meet or Hangouts provide the best choices to have meetings, besides to see our relatives who are far away.

On the other hand, families are together all day because job, school, restaurant, gym and entertainment are in the same place. That situation has its cons and pros due to people need their spaces to do their activities separately. For that reason, some couple relationships have had problems as a result of those changes.

Some companies and productive sectors have grown their businesses due to the pandemic such as Amazon, Netflix, Virtual Schools and Universities, Supermarkets, Pharmacies and Home delivery services. On the opposite side, businesses in tourism, transportation and entertainment have been totally affected. 

Finally, mental and emotional problems are a consequence of this event. Is totally understandable if people are unemployed or their life is reduced to living into four walls, doing and seeing the same day after day they are going to feel depression or sadness. At this point is very important the resilience and the capacity of reinventing.

Certainly, our life has been changed with this eventuality, some of our projects and goals have had to wait. In my case the process to get the permanent residence is on hold. Sometimes I feel frustrated, other times disappointed, but I know that someday this chaos and historic moment of our life will just be in our memories.

DARR.

Cultures, information, knowledge, Mental- Health, Personal Development, Self-Help, self-improvement, Travel, Wellness

Taking Decisions

dianangelika0607

22/06/2020

Today I want to tell you about my experience living in a different country, due to nowadays I live in Canada but I’m from Colombia.

The determination to change of life wasn’t easy because I was starting again in a new place, far away from my family, friends, culture and customs. When my husband and I communicated our decision some friends and close people told me they wanted to change their lives too and they wanted to search for a better quality of life. However, some of them were afraid to get out of their comfort zones and it was understable considering that they had a stability in their jobs, social life, education and finances but at the same time they told me about their frustrations, emotions and needs in their lives.

My case was similar in the sense that I had my life in Colombia but I wanted a change and better life. However, to be an immigrant is not easy and if you don’t speak the language fluently, for example, in Canada it is important to speak English and French (Depends on the province). If you aspire to a good job you should speak good English (In my case it is English language because I’m living in Toronto). It’s true that Canadians are friendly and kind with newcomers but certainly there is a lot of competition in the labor market and for that it is important to have certain skills or abilities.

On the other hand, Toronto is a multicultural city and for me has been a nice experience to know about the variety in gastronomy, cultures, religions and other forms of life. Nevertheless, in this pandemic time the possibility to continue knowing about Toronto is limited and for that reason we have to wait.

Living in another country makes you feel alone, the emotions and feelings change but it’s important to have a social network, in our case we are introverted people but there are several ways to meet other persons like events at parks, libraries, workshops or conferences about different topics.

In summary, moving to another country is not easy but not impossible either, the success depends on each person and its behavior. Fortunately, there are opportunities and the most important is to take advantage of them. 

DARR.

information, knowledge, languages, self-improvement

Real Life English

dianangelika0607

08/06/2020

My principal target now is to be able to understand the English language. My experience with the language haven’t been easy because before beginning with Real Life I studied at an English school where I learnt some topics and grammar tools, which were useful for me when I got out to the real world but I realized that I needed more since when the people talk to me many times I didn’t understand and I thought “ Holly cow those people are talking very fast and I don’t understand anything” I felt so frustrate and sometimes I thought to give up the dream to learn English. However, I chose another way and with the situation of the Covid 19 I started to learn English for myself. I took advantage that I like watching tv and a good resource to learn English for me is watching tv series. I started to watch Friends. I love that series due to being so real and very funny. First, I watched it with subtitles and now I don’t use them. Another series that I recommend is Modern Family which is very funny too. The plot is about three families with different problems and cases that imitate real life. There is a character who is a Colombian lady and I feel identified with her because her Latin accent is very remarkable and funny also her pronunciation is really hilarious. Other series that I’m watching are Fullest House, The Witcher, The Crown and 13 reasons Why. I tried to watch Suits but I didn’t catch their vocabulary because it’s a series about some lawyers and there is a lot of vocabulary about business, law and other stuff that was complex for me. It’s a really interesting series but I felt that the series develops at a very fast pace, however when I improve my English, I’ll come back to watch it.

Another way that I think it’s really good to learn English is on YouTube where I found the channel Learn English With Tv. That channel from my point of view is amazing, creative, original and helps me to learn a lot of vocabulary. I’m a visual person and the method to see a scene and doing their analysis is very practical for me, also the series, movies and songs are really great. 

Listening to music and following the lyrics of a song is another way to learn English, sometimes it’s difficult since there are fast rhymes but if you like the music is an enjoyable activity.

Anyway, there are other ways to learn English like podcasts, reading books, participating in Meetups, watching or listening to news, going to libraries, participating in conversation clubs, definitely the best way to learn is by playing and enjoying it. For me to start this course is a big challenge but it´s an opportunity too. I agree that if you want something the attitude is very important to reach a target. I know that sometimes it´s difficult and you feel down, of course the method is very important, since my experience staying in a classroom all morning learning vocabulary and grammar in not enough and schools still use that methodology, I decided to change the traditional education  and use other ways like to be immerse in the native community. The most important is practice, take risks, have a good attitude and hit a hurdle. In my country we say “jump into the water” or in other words to take the correct pill.

DARR.

information, knowledge, Travel

Unveiling Colombia

dianangelika0607

15/06/2020

I would like to tell you a little bit about my country, Colombia which is a country located in South America. Sadly, our image around the world is not the best because most people associate Colombia with drug trafficking and cocaine. It’s true that in 80s and 90s Pablo Escobar and their cartel were responsible for spreading that bad image of violence, drugs and mismanaged power. Unfortunately, that perception nowadays hasn´t changed. However, my purpose is telling you briefly other aspects about Colombia and show you the other side of the coin.

Firstly, Colombia has the best coffee in the world with extraordinary quality, its geographic conditions is very favorable for coffee cultivation and Colombia has the ambassador of the Colombian coffee worldwide who is Juan Valdez.

Secondly, we have a lot of birds, almost 1.900 species inhabiting there. Also, Colombia has a diversity of natural resources like wildlife, flora, water sources, fruits and vegetables. In general, a marvelous ecosystem.

Thirdly, Colombia has a cultural variety that is represented in their different habits, traditions and beliefs. Colombia is rich in dancing, music, painting and literature and has remarkable representatives in each one. The most relevant Colombian writer is Gabriel Garcia Marquez who wrote the book One Hundred years of Solitude and won The Novel Prize of Literature with that book.  On the other hand, Colombia has some outstanding painters like Fernando Botero, Alejandro Obregón, Lucy Tejada and David Manzur. Singers like Shakira, Juanes, J Balvin and Maluma. In acting has an excellent actress like Sofia Vergara, the unforgettable Gloria in the TV series Modern Family. Besides, if you like dancing there are different genres like salsa, merengue, vallenato, cumbia and reggaeton (some of them). In science Colombia has important scientist like Rodolfo Llinás, Jorge Reynols and Adriana Ocampo.

Colombia has different landscapes surrounding its cities, towns and villages. People will choose the place to visit depending on their interest. I recommend some places like Caño Cristales, The Coffee Zone, Medellin, Cartagena and Villa de Leyva.

The gastronomy in Colombia is fantastic there are uncountable receipts, with incredible flavors, soups, desserts, juices and delicious plates. 

The last but not less important is its people, if you go to Colombia you would feel a warmer atmosphere with people. Although the economic situation, problems that happen, people in Colombia are friendly, kind and try to do their best so that the tourists feel terrific and have the desire to come back and visit Colombia again.

DARR.