jueves, 17 de julio de 2014

Third week! Digital Landscape


This week I learned a lot about platforms on the web to create presentations, I learned new concepts like influencer marking. 

I consider myself to be terrible in terms of technology. But this week, I was surprised to see how much I can do. 

I liked this class very much because I will be able to use the new tools I learned in my work, and also in the new business I'm starting. It was interesting to learn how I can attract people who can help me promote my products. 

The only thing I didn't enjoy and that in fact, made me super frustrated was that my iPad doesn't work properly! It didn't want to cooperate!! That is the reason why I don't upload pictures in this blog, this device doesn't let me. So, I also learned that the iPad isn't useful for some of the new tools Liz teached us. 

Oh, another great thing! We get to use one of this platforms for our final presentation! And that is exciting because I'll be able to practice! 

miércoles, 16 de julio de 2014

martes, 15 de julio de 2014

2nd week!!! A little bit of rest!!

The second week is over! The first week was long! I felt like I had been here for a month already! Maybe because I did a lot of things! This week went by so fast! I didn't do as much as last week, I slept a lot.

Fun thing this week! I went to the Moulin Rouge!!!! The show was awesome! I didn't expect what I saw! All the dancing, yes, but it was more than I expected, also, there were some entertainment, like a sort of clowns, but they are acrobats, and also a rollerblade show with a couple that almost gave me a heart attack! They were in this small circle, spinning, and the man lifted the girl with his head, hands, even his neck! It was great!.
The customs are amazing! SO detailed and pretty, as a textile designer I tend to pay a closer attention to those things! I just find it facinating!

Not so much fun thing.. I did my laundry and I put in a new pink shirt in the washer with my jeans, and other clear tone clothing, and of course, they ended up pink :( so now I have 2 pink jeans, 3 pinks shirts that weren't that color before and a weird colored towel.


On Friday I took a roadtrip! With other 4 friends! We rented a cae and we drove to Belgium and Holland. We went to Brugges for an afternoon, took a little tourbus around the city, had a local beer on a local bar, really good, but also really strong! ate a waffle! Real tasty! And took off to Amsterdam! We stayed at a little hotel near downtown, for 2 nights, the five of us in one room, but we each had a bed, and they were so comfy!! We had a pretty view of one of the canals that goes through the Vondelpark. We took a water cruise and then we went to an ice bar! It was awesome!!! They gave us something to keep warm inside because the temperature inside is -10, everything but the floor is either made out of ice or covered with ice, even the glasees were ice! It was fun! But it is a tourist attraction, so you can only stay half an hour inside, because a new group has to go inside, I was expecting something different, like an actual bar, big, but still, it was a, literally, cool thing to do!

On sunday, we took the car and made our way to Brussels, it was way different of what I was expecting, it is a big city and it was hard to find the city centre, but we did, the only bad thing was that we only stayed for like 20 minutes because we didn't want to come back late to París.

It was a fun weekend! And also a nice week, i really needed to rest a bit!

I wonder what the next week will bring!

2nd week!! Employee Paradise!!

This week, we met a different teacher, Steve Kruse, he teached us about Human Resources in France. Really interesting!!

I learned about all the benefits the employees get in this country and how the laws work in order to keep the employee employed.

Steve called it "Employee paradise" and I agree, it is incredible how people here can keep their jobs even if they are lazy, bad at it, rude with coworkers, their employers and even clients, and all because firing somebody in this country takes months, a lot of money and it sounds like it is exshausting, besides, the employee CAN sue the companie for firing him or her, even if the dismiss of this person is valid, the laws, judges and jury are on the employee's side, so almost everytime, the employee wins and the company ends up paying thousands of euros to this person!

I find this unbeliable!! To be an employee here is best, but I feel bad for the owners of companies! They have to be extremly carefull during the selection process of workers, and also during the trial period they give the almost new employees, but even if they are, people can act  like they are kind, hard workers, loyal, etc, and after that trial period, if they get hired, and sign a contract, they can change! And the companies are stock with this people.

Also, if somebody has been working for a year in a company, and they don't want to anymore, they rather get fired than resignate on their own because if they get fired, they can get into the unemployment program, and depending on the reason of the firing, they give them money for two years!

I can't believe the attitude of people here, they get 5 and a half payed vacations each year, they can study more, even if it has nothing to do with their actual jobs, they can leave their jobs for a year, without payment but with your possition secure in the company, and a fund covers everything for them! And I see people angry and fighting on the streets! With a frown walking around or on the metro.

I have experience some bad service in restaurants during this 2 weeks I've been here and I always think about what I learned this week, how sad for the employers, that sometimes, they can't afford to fire somebody, but it affects the image of their business.


martes, 8 de julio de 2014

First week in Paris!!! Did a lot, learned a lot!

This first week I tried to do as much as possible! A month in Paris is a long time, but if you try to take it easy, thinking that you have time, you won't be able to see everything that this amazing city has to offer.

Every morning I go to class, from 10 am until 4 pm, after that, I get to enjoy Paris!

I visited the Eiffel tower, 3 times already, but haven't had the time to go to the top. I had a picnic with my friends under the tower during the weekend, we waited for the tower to light up, and we stayed until they turned it off.

Also, I went to the Arc de triomphe, did't go to the top either, but I took some pictures and also walked along Champs Élysées, I even did some shopping, it is sales season!!

I went for the second time to the catacombs! Ever since I was a kid, and watched The hunchback of Notre Dame, I got curious about the catacombs, I used to wonder if they were real, so finding out that they exist, I definitely had to go! Besides, the history behind them is so interesting, how thousands of bodies had to be place there at the end of the XVIII century because they had no more space in other cementaries and also because the bodies were so badly handled, that people would get sick. But what I find more interesting is the way they placed the bones to create walls.

I also went with most of the group I am here with to a concert at Notre Dame of Paris, it was of music of Bach, it was extraordinary! Being in that place listening to such beautiful music, it was a wonderfull experience!

I went to the Moulin Rouge to get tickets for the show for next week!!

And finally, at the end if the week I went to Disney!!!! That was fun!! But it rained a lot.

Hope the weather gets a little drier!




lunes, 7 de julio de 2014

First week in Paris!!!! Did a lot, learned a lot!

Dr. Jean-Louis Burban was the first teacher of the program, he taught us about European history since world war 1 and how the European union was created.

He is very enthusiastic in the way he teaches which makes it very easy to understand, follow and pay full attention.

I find very interesting how 28 countries found a way to work together and make this union work, of course it was and continuous to be difficult because there are rules the countries have to follow, treatys, conventions, a constitution, and also the standarization of the coin, a few years ago, every country had a different coin, Spain had the peseta, France had the franc, Italy the lira, Germany the marco and so on.
It wasn't until 2002 when the European union decided to create only one, and in that time, only 8 countries were part of the E.U.

One of the things I like about this European Union is that no matter which country you're from, as long as you stay inside the E.U. and as long as you know the basics of the local lenguage, you can travel, move or work anywhere without any questions asked.

I think that the reason why this union works is because they follow the rules, the countries grow because they know what's important, like education, health, etc. they keep their country healthy and happy, and that's why more countries wants to join it.

Also, I think that the European Union is a role model to every other country, and the example that there can be peace and growth between different governments.