Just got the TOEFL score The highly expected day finally arrived: the day I got my TOEFL score. The TOEFL test was the reason I started using italki. When I had registered for it, I realized I needed to work on my fluency. As a foreigner, you have plenty of material to practice your listening and reading abbilities, but the opportunities to actually speak with a native speaker, at least where I live, are practically nonexistent. At that moment, I had no idea there were websites that allowed you to contact people in other parts of the world for a language exchange. I soon came across italki, which I think is the best I've seen so far, and started practicing immediately. The test was four an a half hours long. It measured your skills in four different areas: reading, listening, speaking and writing, all of them at college level. So.. what score did I get? I'm not telling you, since I recently got involved in a spiritual movement that forbids to reveal any kind of result.... just kidding... it was one hundred and nine, out of one hundred and twenty. Not bad, huh? My strongest point was reading, whereas the weakest one was writing. Italki was an excellent tool that played an important role in my preparation, I'm sure I wouldn't have gotten the same score had I not came across it. I find fascinating the way a simple idea can have an enormous impact on our lives. I mean, I don't think these websites existed ten years ago. I can't help but wonder what kind of technology will we have and how much easier will things be in ten years from now...

Preparing for the TOEFL test I just registered to present the TOEFL test in just one week. For those of you who don't know it, it's an international test that measures your proficency in English. The reason I must do it that fast is because I wish to apply for a masters programme that starts next year, which means I must do all the paperwork this summer. And so begins the task of getting ready for the test. I plan to study intensely this week so I can get a high enough score. I plan to make diary entries everyday, since there is, naturally, a section that evaluates your writing. I'm also going to read a lot, speak, watch movies, talk to myself, think; pretty much do everything I can in English. How I'll do is something I'm not sure of, but at least I'm going to try the best I can.

Started watching TV series I few days ago I realized I had stopped watching TV for some time because of my studies. I decided to change that, and include a little time each day in my agenda for that recreational activity that would spice up my life a little bit (you see, reality can get boring sometimes). Not only that, but it occured to me that I could also kill to birds with one stone if I watched it English. And so began my search for the appropiate TV show in English for me. I started asking friends and family for nice TV shows and got all sorts of recommendations. I was undecided. I knew I was looking for a not too long, smart and well done TV series but had no specific genre in mind. I faced another problem, how would I watch it? I had never downloaded a TV show to my computer. (I hope this doesn't sound weird) Then my aunt from the US, who I saw on this vacation, told me she had a Netflix account and that she'd give me her password (so nice of her =P). So that issue was solved. I accessed her account and took a look at the series they had, and I saw one that had been previously recommended to me: The Walking Dead. Everyone's crazy about it where I live, it's on Netflix, my friends watch it; why not give it a try? I saw the first two chapters and really enjoyed them, I was surprised at how enjoyable watching zombies being dismembered or getting their heads blown up could actually be. Then a third problem arose. I very excitedly singed up yesterday to watch the third chapter, but couldn't find the series anywhere. Did they take it away? I hope I find a way around this soon so I can continue practicing my listening in English and enjoying the action and suspense that series has to offer.

Writing my résumé Today I started a task that turned out to be far more complex than what I was expecting: writing my résumé in English. Not only is it hard because of English not being my mother tongue, but also, the formatting using MS Word can give serious headaches. I have trouble using tables, which are quite unfriendly, but I feel are required to give my CV the organized, polished and professional look I'm looking for. But it's fine; if I look at it like a fun challenge, like completing a puzzle or a computer game, then it doesn't seem so tedious anymore. When I finish, I will have learned about MS Word and making résumés in general, I'll be able to help other people by sharing my experience, and, finally, I'll be a step closer to one of my life goals: being accepted for a postgraduate program abroad. =)