Would you...?

There are lots of things in life that we definitely would never do, would secretly do or have already done. In my opinion never is a very strong word. I'd say never for a lot of things, but maybe someday it'd be necessary for me to do these things, so I prefer to avoid this word. Everyone has secrets, and a lot of them are very funny and interesting. Things that we have alrealdy done can be also interesting, but sometimes commom or maybe unusual.

I would 'never' dye my hair bright purple or orange or have it shaved . I have already dyed my hair red, but I think a bright purple or orange hair would stand out against a red one. This is not my purpose, I really prefer not to draw attention to myself. I wouldn't have my hair shaved because I really like and care about my long hair, so I would certainly spend more than $100 on a haircut, as I have done many times. I would 'never' go to dinner in a restaurant wearing trainers if it was a chic place. I feel that wearing them is out of keeping with this kind of situation. I also would 'never' wear leather trousers or cover my walls with photos of my favourite rocky star or football team, I don't like these things.

Now I'll point out things I would secretly like to do. I would get a tatoo and have my navel pierced. I have already pierced my nose, but it was so painful that I'm really afraid to pierce my navel and to get a tatoo (also because it is something permanent). As a person that appreciates good food and places, I'd pay $100 a head for a meal in a chic restaurant. Although I would 'invest' half a month's salary on a well-cut classic suit, I'd also buy my clothes from a second-hand shop. The most important thing for me is the comfort. I'd dress up an eye-catching shirt with a 'loud' psychedelic pattern and paint my bedroom lime green or bright purple. I love colourful and unconventional things. I would fill my home with antique furniture and with abstract art. I'd put something contemporary too, I'd like to mix old things with modern ones. However, I'd avoid cluttered and not tidy spots, because I really like airy spaces. I would spend $500 on an ornament that I loved or buy myself a flashy sports car. Even thought I don't need it, I think it's good to satisfy our desires sometimes.

I have already bought a cute cuddly toy to put on my bed. In addition, I have lots of toys in my bed and I sleep with the one that my boyfriend gave to me. I have already worn pyjamas with cute cartoon characters on them, specially when I was a child. However, I still use them. I love funny things.

In my opinion, we do have to do what we really want to do (if it's possible, of course). We do have to live life to the full!

Does socialization influence gender roles?

The aim of this report is to discuss if male and female socialization influences in gender roles. Information was collected via a survey from a group of 9 students (4 female and 5 male) aged 18-26 at Tamwood International College. The students were asked some few questions about the topic and the answers were compared and analyzed for significant similarities and differences.

The first part of the survey dealt with the way men and women were brought up and if it encouraged them to be ‘typically’ female or male. Almost all the interviewed people answered yes to this question. They said their parents used to dress them as boys, with shorts and pants, put them in some self-defense sports and also tell them to be strong and responsible; or as girls, with dresses and skirts, putting them in arts or ballet classes. Only one of the students felt he could choose what he really wanted to dress or do.

The other part of the survey shows what kind of things they used to do when they were a child. The vast majority of female students reported that they used to win lots of dolls and play outside the house. In contrast, all the males in the group used to win cars, robots and balls and play some video games or computer games and also some sports, as soccer, basketball, tennis and judo.

In addition, it was said by the female group that in the house they had to do the dishes, clean their bedroom and sometimes cooking. Rather surprisingly, the entire male group had the same jobs to do in the house.

Apparently, they all had the same subjects at school. As high school students, subjects would be usually the same for almost all the students.

A significant minority of those interviewed thought they were told off for the same things as their brother, sister or friends of the opposite sex. However, it was generally felt that they were not told off for the same things as those people. The reasons given for this were that usually men have more freedom and advantages than women. They could spend more time out and do dangerous things. Women did not have the same freedom and they were also thought as too fragile and delicate.

In conclusion, the survey suggests that the way people are socialized significantly influences gender roles. It also appears that we still have things specially designed for men or for women and that we are always following the society stereotype.

My hostfamily...

Before arriving in Vancouver, I planned to spend three months in a homestay. It is generally a very good experience, because you can practice the language a lot, know some new culture and make good friends. Unfortunately, it was not a good thing for me. They were so terrible that I decided to look for a better place to live a lot of time before my plans. I left the house two weeks after I arrived when I had just found an apartment to rent.

In the house there were three cats and a big dog. I love animals, but they didn't take care of them. The animals used to go into my bedroom and leave a lot of hair inside it. The problem was that I am alergic. They were always going into the kitchen even if we were having dinner. I also used to find their hair in my food. In my opinion, it is not hygienic. In addition, my hostmother and her daughter kept on forgetting my name and they were not chatty and lively, so I did not have the opportunity to spend some good time with them. They kept themselves to themselves. They used to do nothing during the day except lounge around by the sofa. Apart from that, my hostmother was always turning on the heat even if it was hot. It was a really big problem, because the tubes of the heat were on my bedroom, so it used to get very hot. They were also unpredictable, they were always changing their mood for no apparent reason.

In my point of view this explains why i did not like my hostfamily. I am not prepared to put up with that kind of people and situations!

If I could do anything in the world....

If I could do anything in the world, I'd travel around the world for a long period, maybe one or two years, but not only to find new people, cultures or languages. I'd also like to do lots of dance courses, especially jazz, to learn as much as I can.

When I started to think about what I would do If I could do anything in the world, the first ideia that I came up with was about dance, my real passion. Although, I'm really interested in other people, in other cultures and in different languages. I wish I could speak a lot of languages, it's something that fascinates me a lot. So, I decided to link this desires.

I would travel for all continents of the world and try to get the best experience of each country. I think I'd learn a lot, because each place has its own way of life, its language and meeting new people is superb. It's also a good way to do a real change in our lives. Besides, it'd help me a lot to have jazz classes in various countries, because I'd be able to try something new all the time and take all the suggestions on board. I wish I were a professional dancer and had my own group of dance and a dance centre to shower people who love dancing everything I would know. I'd be absolutely over the moon about it.

In my point of view, it would be a great opportunity not only in my personal interest, but also in any kind of interest. Having experiences abroad count for your job, your hobby and especially for your life!

Book Review

The Twits

The Twits central event is the disgusting things done by Mr. Twit and Mrs. Twits, the nasty and ugly main characters. They play mean bad jokes on each other and they are always looking for revenge. They also catch birds to make pies and their caged monkeys are supposed to do everything upside down. But these animals have enough and they want to punish the Twit’s family. The nauseous plot overlaps with a very funny story exploring comical situations between the couple and the animals. Even though it describes a couple story there are not loving moments, so it far outstrips its form. It is for sure a page-turner full of twists.

This is a minutely plotted comedy with well-drawn characters. These are disgusting situations we would not do, because they are also unrealistic. These are very strange characters but they can become familiar to us, as it was described in the first part of the book. This comedy is not set in a real time and it is also a fiction story.

Although the book is written for children, it has a style immediately accessible to any reader. The language is very rich and the vocabulary is full of unusual words. Roald Dahl's descriptions of actions are superb.

This is a hugely attractive book for all ages, written in clipped sentences and with images that make the reading easier. It is a surprising book and for those who enjoy funny stories it is recommended.

Vancouver News

Large-scale bicycle rental program in Vancouver!

Bicycles for rent in Paris.

A large-scale bicycle rental program like the Velib program in Paris is expected to be done in some parts of Vancouver. It is known that in Paris, where the system opened last year, there are lots of stations where bicycles can be checked out by commuters with a daily, weekly or monthly pass and also be checked back in any station. Vancouver and Paris are considered to have almost the same size, specially in central areas. So, it is said that this kind of program would be successful, well-used and financially viable in certain areas of the Vancouver, especially in downtown and UBC. Although, there are lots of hurdles to overcome. It is not yet known which levels of government will be responsible for the project and who will be responsible to pay for it, because the operation costs is supposed to be very high. It will be necessary to find space for bike racks and to make improvements to cycling routes, but it was pointed that the number of cars in downtown Vancouver has been going down since 90's and the number of cars will drop even more because of the Canada Line rapid transit and the Olympics games, so people are going to accept the idea of not using their cars. Other problem is that in B.C. wear a helmet while riding a bike is an obligation, so it is thought that this can reduce the number of riders. Meanwhile, Vancouver is believed to be one of the first cities in North America to have this system.