BLOG ASSIGMENT 3

SWEDEN DOES NOT SHINE YET IN DECEMBER

Time to go back home has come, and it has done so much faster than I could have imagined when I was still in the Basque Country, with my head continuously thinking about how the year I was about to face would be like, in that small city called Karlstad, in the faraway country of Sweden. In fact, in no longer than two days I will find myself sitting in the plain that will land in Hondarribia, bringing me back together with those who have shared a whole lifetime with me and are now expectantly waiting for all the stories and impressions I experienced here, without them on this time. So now that the first semester is almost over, considering all the expectations, hopes, and fears I had before coming to Karlstad and comparing them to the reality I actually came across leads me into this one undeniable conclusion: it is not that cold in Sweden! Not at least this year…

One of the factors which initially made my enthusiasm about moving so to the north decrease was indeed the cold temperatures I would inevitably have to face here. Paradoxically and contradicting my predictions, it has not been that unbearable at all. Regardless of the calendar stating today it is actually 13^th of December, snow has managed to slightly cover the streets only for a couple of days. At any rate, despite of the fact that thermometers have not shown too scary digits yet, it is not the case that I was mistaken when making up my own weather forecasts. This season has not shown its characteristics as it normally does and even when having escaped from my frostbiting fears relieves me, I am hesitant about whether if I should be glad or not.

Only a bit of attention is needed to be aware of how day by day climate change makes itself visible, even if timidly. Unfortunately, we only worry when big uncommon disasters happen, which momentarily make us realize that something alarming is going on. We have the great ability to rapidly leave these worries aside, though. But we should also pay attention to all the signs we are constantly sent, which silently shout out how big this issue is. For example, it only took today for all this information to reach me: fist my parents tell me yesterday they could once again enjoy lunch in the terrace we have outside, as December´s weather this year in my place is still permitting it. Then they tell me about the apple tree we have in the garden, which every September gives us red tasty fruits and now that winter is approaching is surprisingly again in bloom. Next I receive the first news from some friends who were back from their trip to Lapland, explaining that not finding enough snow made some of the activities they had arranged not result as enjoyable as they initially promised to be. Then the Basque news program I am watching announces the loss of shops this season due to the low selling rates of winter clothes, the devastating consequences of a terrible flooding in my area, and the successfulness of mushroom picking this season thanks to continuity of the ideal climatic conditions. Finally, when I go out I realize that the little snow we had is melting, as clouds have preferred to bring rain once again.

Maybe this is just coincidence, or maybe it is only me making linkages that truly have no meaning. Anyhow, climate change happening is still a fact which definitely needs major consciousness-raising and reaction. Nowadays ignoring the impact of global warming can result simple, but not taking urgent action to stop it can lead to irreversible damage. Once for all we need to treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves. As Greenpeace states, “Never before has humanity been forced to grapple with such an immense environmental crisis”.

BLOG ASSIGMENT 2

QUESTION C: You have now stayed in Sweden for at least two months. Are there any aspects of Swedish culture and society you find strange or surprising so far?

It was august when I arrived to Sweden together with my family. Thinking now about the first impressions this far-off country generated on me, I can perfectly remember that feeling I had on our way to Karlstad, when sitting next to my brother on the back seat of the rented car: it was not that different. It is true that we could only pretend to be listening to that radio program which was never really addressed to us. And it is true that never reaching the speed we would consider reasonable in our country did not make the road signs more readable, as they remained showing those endless tongue twisters. Maybe it was only because I was still surrounded by those who I know the most, or because I guess that not understanding the words of the radio presenter is not a big issue when the song that comes next is that so many times listened before, but the truth is that I did not tell the difference. Admittedly, in those initial moments, it required an effort to make myself believe I actually was 3.000 kilometers away from home.

In the very beginning of my stay in Sweden, when it was still warm and the sun shone for at least half a day, this sense of familiarity lasted on me. In any case, it took no longer than a couple of weeks for this illusion to completely disappear and for me to notice that this place is far from that I am used to. Each time my parents called me, I would see them wearing only a quarter of the clothes I have to wear here, making me envy the uncommonly high temperatures this autumn has brought to my place. Undoubtedly, the weather is much colder and darker here. Every time I received news from my friends I would miss the comfort their company provides me, as well as that simplicity of merely speaking in Basque, being able to express everything crossing my mind. And each time I spoke to my grandmother, she would instinctively remind me I must eat properly unless I want to end up getting ill in this freezing environment, making me miss the delicious dishes she used to prepare for me, sometimes using the vegetables she would just collect from her garden only a few moments before putting them into the casserole, at times cooking the tuna my own uncle would fish and keep for us… Needless to say I miss eating at home, and not only because it is there where I can taste those ingredients nowadays not everyone is fortunate to get, but also because the relevance gastronomy and eating habits have for us is something I have been unable to find here.

Now that three months have passed I can perceive those special characteristics standing out among Swedish people, which build their culture, habits, and behavior, and significantly differ from ours. I have had the chance to get to know the food they like, the timetables they follow, and the sports such as ice-jockey or curling that are uncommon in my place but move masses here.

Even if I do not comprehend it, I am now familiar with their melodic language. Now I understand what the sun means to them, and I share their will to exploit every sunray available. I have also been witness of the curious transformation their personality suffers when they are not sober. But eventually, there is this one thing I would like to mention among my discoveries regarding Swedish people, which if not strange is at least curious and funny.

It happened when I was in my kitchen, talking to my Swedish neighbor about the goodbye dinner we are planning to do before everyone leaves back to their hometown, when the Christmas topic came out. Considering that this dinner will gather people from very different countries and that it will practically be Christmas by the time we manage to find the date when everyone is available, we thought it would be a great idea to turn it into a Christmas dinner, and by the way learn how these magical holidays are celebrated in other countries. Hence, we were just discussing the dishes each of us could contribute with in order to make the best Christmas dinner ever, when among words like meatballs, lamb, apple pie, and hot wine, the word “Donald Duck” pop out.

Strangely enough, it turns out to be that the Donald Duck, whose origins have nothing to do with Sweden, constitutes one of the Christmas symbols of this country. Indeed, it is since 1959 that in Christmas Eve around 3.5 million people (in a nine million inhabitant country!) watch the adventures of this Disney´s character trough the public television before starting their celebration.

Therefore, every 24^th of December at three o´clock in the afternoon the very same one hour length program is broadcasted by the SVT public television. Then, every kid in the whole country sits in front of the TV to watch “Donald Duck and his friends wish you all a Merry Christmas”. Of course, adults also watch it, pretending they are doing it just for the kids and it is only when it is over that the kids can proceed to open their presents.

Evidently, I found this Swedish Christmas tradition very surprising. The fact that every Swede watches this program year by year, ending up knowing almost every dialogue is something extremely curious to me. Now I am expectant to find out what other striking things Swedish culture hides!

ENGLISH FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

BLOG ASSIGMENT 1

If there is something uncertain that we may think about that is definitely the future. In our attempt to feel more secure when facing such a doubtful outlook we are constantly making predictions on what will happen sometimes based on scientific or empiric facts, or more commonly just on our own experience, knowledge, thoughts, or wishes. Moreover, when it is our personal life that we are considering, we all intend to make those predictions and our own expectations match, by making specific plans aimed to achieve what we desire. Indeed, not possessing the capacity to control the future does not necessarily mean we lack the determinacy needed to make our way in life, as we are at least in control of our actions, what makes us perfectly able to choose the path we would rather follow.

In my case, when thinking about the things that in my opinion will change in my life within a relatively short period of time, the leap from the student life to the working life is what first comes to my mind and what will probably constitute one of the most substantial changes ever happened to me. In fact, I am currently coursing the fourth and last year of my degree on Audiovisual Communication, meaning that even if I decided to further on my studies and consequently took a master, I will definitely be finished with my university studies by no longer than two years, and hopefully working on something related to them.

To what my living place for the next years concerns, it is also something I assume that far from being static will be actually in constant change, just the way it has been since I started university. My studies have led me into experiencing how independent life is like firstly in Bilbao, and now in here, in Karlstad. Therefore, the choices I will now be making regarding my studies as well as the job opportunities I will hopefully soon come across will definitely determine the place I will be living at, even if only temporally.

Considering the changes that will emerge in my life within a longer period of time, my speculations are no longer clear. Right now, any guess I could make on what my life will turn into in 30 or 40 years results completely imaginative. I can for instance expect a wide sort of technological and medical advances taking place and inevitably shaping our way of living, only by considering the manner in which they have done so during the last decades. I can also assume the formation of a more multicultural community and a more globalized environment. But when focusing specifically on myself and on what my life will be in what right now seems such a distant reality, only wished based speculations can be made. I guess that just like anybody else I have nothing to lose in desiring a bright future, with a comfortable situation and surrounded by the loved ones.

3. ataza: euskal ondarea

Maider Lizarriturrik, Maddi Ruizek eta hirurok egindako bideolan honetan euskal kulturaren gainbehera islatzen da. Euskal gastronomiak azken urteotan eduki duen bilakaera negatiboa erakutsi nahi izan dugu bertan, hau betidanik gure kulturaren pisu handiko atala izan delarik.

telebistarako moldatutako albistea

Telebista: 101 telebista
Albistea: Twitterren informazio agentzia
Albistegia: Palazioren Berriak
Berriemailea: Anne Unzueta
Atala: Komunikazioa
Iraupena: 36 segundu



Honako hau telebistarako moldatutako albiste bat da. Testu originala idatzizkoa da, Berria egunkarian argitaratutakoa hain zuzen ere. "Twitterren BNOk nazioarteko albiste agentzia bat sortuko du" da albistearen titularra.

2. ikaslana: Audio-Presentazioa

Bigarren ataza den hau Iratxe Garitagoitiarekin batera egin dut. Audio, argazki eta hitz idatziak dauzkan presentazioa da, Nabarralde edo Nafarzaletasunaren gaiaren ingurukoa. Guk konkretuki Nafarroan dagoen Xabierko Gazteluaren argazki erreportaia egitea erabaki dugu.

Interneten garapena: bi direkzioko komunikazioa

Hasiera batean, Sarea komunikazio direkzio bakarreko bidea zen, non erabiltzaileak informazioa irakur zezakeen, baina ez idatzi; datu eta iritzi kontsumitzaile soila zen. 2005 urteaz geroztik, baliabide informatiko berriak agertzearekin batera (blogak, wikiak…), direkzio-biko komunikazio bidea bilakatu da, non erabiltzaileak bere ordenagailutik parte har dezakeen.

Horrela, Internet ideia trukaketarako bide aproposa bihurtu da, eta honekin batera, informazioaren demokratizatze prozesu bat eman da, herritarrek edukiak sortzeko aukera duten heinean. Honek, bitartekorik gabe informazioa eskuratzea ahalbidetzen du, eta era berean, erakundeek ezarritako zentsura gainditzea dakar, edukiak jada ez daudelako elite profesional baten eta bere interesen menpe. Eduki informatiboak jada ez daude erredakzio kontseilu baten irizpidepean edo arlo juridiko zein moralaren murrizketapean, edozein internautak sor ditzakeelako. Informazioaren gaineko boterea herriak dauka, iraultza elektroniko baten bidez autoritatearen inposizioak gaindituz.

Teknologia honen bitartez ez-profesionalen emanak notiziak osatzen dituzte. Honek guztiak dakarren arazoa edukien kalitate eta fidagarritasunean datza, ordea. Datuen trataera profesionala informazio magma nahasi batek ordeztu du, eta bertan, edozein baieztapen baliagarria da. Bere irizpideak eta kalitatearen selekziorako prozedurak ez daude finkatuak. Edozeinek, ordenagailu baten jabe izatearekin soilik, egiazko gertaera bat barregarri utz dezake, edo kalumnia bat egi bezala aurkeztu. Internet era guztietako datuz gainezka dago gaur egun, informazio ugaritasuna dago, datu faltsutasuna eta manipulazio interesatuak presente daudelarik, eta horrek datuen kalitatea zalantzazkoa izatea dakar.

Giza-sareak web 2.0 mugimenduaren barruan sailkatzen dira, Internet ulertzeko forma berri bat osatzen dutelarik. Hauen ezaugarri nagusia giza parte-hartzean datza. Interneten erabiltzailea jada ez da konformatzen Saretik informazioa jasotzearekin; horren ordez, bere esperientzia eta jakintzak konpartitzea bilatzen du; adierazpen, influentzia eta independentziarako desioak dauzka. Hau dela eta, adituek behar hauei erantzungo dieten soluzio berriak diseinatzera behartuta sentitu dira, erabiltzaileek egiturak gehitzeko aukera izan dezaten.

Gaur egun, informazioa bilatzeko errekurtso ugari sare-sozialetan oinarritzen dira, non artikuluen edukiak erabiltzaileen parte-hartzearekin osatzen diren. Hemen garrantzitsuena ez litzateke edukia bera izango, testuingurua baizik. Horregatik, erabiltzailea informazioaren kalitatea baloratzera behartuta dago. Gune hauetan aurki daitekeen materiala ez da aurreprozesatua edo balioztatua izan. Egiteko hau erabiltzailearengan geratzen da, batzuetan, bazterketarako irizpide egokien jabe ez dena. Beraz, informazioa filtratzeko beharra dago; erredakzioaren kalitatea, iturrien fidagarritasuna, edukien aberastasuna… aztertu behar dira. Faktore hauek izango dira kalitatezko informazioa aurkitzeko erabiltzailea gidatuko dutenak.