• 
   My group had to present the skill "listening" and one of my mates had a sub-theme  to present, In order to have a structure to follow for the lesson and make it more atractive my mates and I created a power point presentation. I considered the slides very useful as we used it like a reminder for our presentation: it contained the information that was gonig to be exposed and examples of all the topics. With regard to my presentation, I think It was good  because I could remember everything I wanted to expose and I could notice a good fluency too. During my performance I focused on my pronunciation and fluency as well as on the content of my lesson. So I did not pay attention to eye contact with the hearers. However, I could notice that the audience was listening to my lesson and they seemed to be interested in my performance. On the other hand, my group's performance was proper because all of my mates could develop their topics efficiently and non of them got nervous and or stuck in the middle of the lesson.  topics of our lessons. During my mates' presentations I was not able to take notes because I was afraid disturbing the development of their performances. However, I was listening carefully to my mates' presentations and the content of it.
     What is more, my mates' presentations proved to be very useful for understanding the whole chapter. Particularly, I had some doubts about the content of the chapter but after having listened my mates' performances I could clarify my doubts.

                                                 The only and negative effects of the War

War has become a natural method for powerful men to obtain what they wish with a remarkable absence of moral values. One of the most recent conflicts is the Syrian civil war which began on 15 March 2011 and provoked 110,371 deaths, with at least 40,146 civilians killed including nearly 4,000 women and more than 5,800 children. The Syrian conflict emerged with peaceful protests against the government and the lack of democracy. An armed rebellion to the regime soon took hold across Syria, dragging the country into a full-scale civil war. The conflict began on 15 March 2011, with popular demonstrations that grew nationwide by April 2011. Furthermore, protesters demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad.  As a result of allegations that chemical weapons have surfaced civil war became into an international contest for regional influence. Nevertheless, involving other countries (especially USA which have been involved in the Middle East’s wars) in the Syrian civil war only will develop negative effects which are:  increasing the number of deaths and conflicts between other countries that oppose the idea of taking military action, which could lead to terrorist threats and economical damage to these countries.

The more countries are involved in the Syrian war, the bigger and endless will be the war.  War is nothing but the darkness in human beings which use human lives as its fuel.  In addition, global powers such as the US, European Union and Russia are evaluating the possibility of intervention to prevent a nuclear attack.  Is it worth to continue involving countries which do not belong to the Syrian war? It only will increase the number of deaths. Furthermore, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman gave comparisons between the situation in Syria and the U.S. led invasion of Iraq and demanded that the countries do not repeat the same mistakes of the past. For instance, in 1950 the North Koreans invaded South Korea. The president of USA ordered U.S. troops to the aid of South Korea and convinced the United Nations to send military aid as well, in what was referred to in diplomatic circles as a “police action.” The consequences were devastated because the War cost 33,000 U.S. lives and another 110,000 wounded people.  In addition, during the First World War more than 2 million American soldiers had served on the battlefields of Western Europe, and some 50,000 of these men had lost their lives. As a result of the U.S involvement in the Syrian war is potentially much greater than can possibly justify the illusory intended results of a limited strike.

USA will be affected if they take part in the Syrian war because they will gain enemies which are the countries that are in favor of the Syrian government. Firstly, the Iranian leader said “U.S. will 'definitely suffer' if it leads strike on Syria” and he referred to USA’s reaction as a "reaction of the global arrogance”. International military intervention in Syria could develop a wider war that can damage the world. The main chain of facts is that Israel is waiting for a military attack on Syria so it would give them the possibility of an attack on Iran's suspected nuclear arms. Meanwhile Russia, which agree with Assad regime cannot stand doing nothing and see its only client in the Middle East go under. Taking into account the negative effects that USA’s involvement provoked in other countries it will be a huge disadvantage for USA to get involved in Syrian war.

Another important damage that USA will suffer if US forces interfere in Syrian war is in the global economy. For instance, the price of oil is rises because Western intervention in Syria probably leads to a bigger regional conflict in which major oil producers are involved and two allies to the Assad regime, Iran and Russia.  The big problem is the risk that US intervention in Syria could ask a bigger regional conflict, given the support that Iran has provided to the regime of Assad. Moreover, the war  involves a lot of oil-rich nations. Russia is one of the producer and gave support to Assad's forces. Therefore, Investors prefer gold in times of crisis which is a safe investment. As a result, gold prices rises very quickly. In conclusion, the majority of the countries of the world will be affected as a consequence of US involvement, just taking into account the economic aspect there are more negative effects than positive with US involvement.

To sum up, the main problem is that humankind does not hate war, it loves war. War is an addiction and human beings are always prepared to develop a war even if many innocent people have to die. War is lead by the hatred of men who only care about their main goals even if it damages their own country. Which could lead to terrorist threats and economical damage.

Outline

• introduction:

                                  Thesis statement: Syrian civil war only will develop negative effects which are:  increasing the number of deaths and conflicts between other countries that oppose the idea of taking military action, which could lead to terrorist threats and economical damage to these countries.

• Body:   

                        The involvement of other countries will increase the number of deaths.

                        USA will gain enemies if the president decide to interfere in the conflict.

                        The damages will be economic.

• conclusion: US intervention only will provoke negative effects.

Graphic organizer

Bibliography

Rankin, S.( 2013, September 10). “What you need to know about the crisis in Syria”. Refinery 29. Retrieved September 27 from http://www.refinery29.com/2013/09/52366/syria-conflict-chemical-weapons

Stoval, T. (2013, September 23). “ USA involvement in Syria conflict possibly illogical, dangerous”. the da online. Retrieved Septemberr 27 from http://www.thedaonline.com/opinion/us-involvement-in-syria-conflict-possibly-illogical-dangerous-1.3065781#.Ukd4xj8pkix

Botelho, G. (2013, September 6). “Iranian lider: US will definitely suffer if it leads strike on Syria”. Cnn. Retrieved September 27 from http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/05/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html

Roberts, Ivor. ( 2013, August 29). “Intervention in Syria could have untold consequences”. abc  net. Retrieved September 28 from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-29/roberts-intervention-in-syria-could-have-untold-repercussions/4922454

Lobello, C. (2013, August 28). “ The war in Syria: 3 economic consequences of Western intervention”. The week. Retrieved September 28 from http://theweek.com/article/index/248827/the-war-in-syria-3-economic-consequences-of-western-intervention

ENTRY 11

Before having read the five steps for a succesful writing I used to have my ideas disorganized in my head. So when I wanted to start to write I was not capable of deciding which ideas were the most relevant and which ones were the supportive ideas. Sometimes I had an extensive brainstorming but I used to get lose myself at the moment of putting the ideas in order into a composition and I got frustrated. My focus was on the content rather than the structure of the writing. Also, I tried to use sophisticated words and phrases, banal descriptions but the structure of the writing was disorganized.
 After having read the five steps for a successful writing I adopted a more organized style in the production of my writings. For example, everytime I am demanded to write I prepare a framework for my writing, that is an order of importance for the paragraphs, and assemble all the ideas that emerged  in my mind.
Another important process that I apply to my writings is editing them. For instance, when I end my writing I will probably end up re-organizing my information a number of times before I turn in the final draft of my paper.

Vocabulary

 successful adj

1. having succeeded in one's endeavours
2. marked by a favourable outcome
3. having obtained fame, wealth, etc
   extensive
   1. having a large extent, area, scope, degree, etc; vast
   2. widespread
   3. involving or farmed with minimum expenditure of capital or labour, esp depending on a large area of land
      Compare intensive
   4. of or relating to logical extension.
      
      
      banal adj lacking force or originality; trite.
      2. 
         
         emerge vb (intransitive) often followed by from:
         1. to come up to the surface of or rise from water or other liquid
         2. to come into view, as from concealment or obscurity
         3. (followed by from) to come out (of) or live (through a difficult experience)
         4. to become apparent.
            
            
            
      5. BIBLIOGRAPHY
      6. Word reference.  http://www.wordreference.com/sinonimos. Web. 14 Sept. 2013
      7. 
         
      8. 
         
      9.  
      10.  
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      

ENTRY 10

http://prezi.com/xldoto9on_m8/what-an-essay-is/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

What an essay is

An essay is an intellectual exploration of a topic dealing with a subject analytically or speculatively and looking at different arguments and evidence and developing the writer’s perspective.

Thesis statement

The thesis statement consists on what the writing is about and it includes all paragraphs of the essay. The purpose of the thesis is to give order both to the reader and to the writer. It does this by clearly stating the central claim that a piece of writing will try to prove. A strong thesis statement both names the topic and reveals the writer's opinion about that topic. It should be clear and specific. A thesis statement can also list the supporting ideas.

Kinds of essays

Definition Essay:

You take a term or an idea and write about what is. You can combine definitions with classification or other forms of organization in the essay. To write a definition essay, you’ll need to define a word that:

  1.  has a complex meaning.

   2. is disputable (could mean different things to different people)

 Sequence Essay:

You write to describe a series of events or a process on some sort of order (based on time). You write it step by step in the order it occurred.

Classification Essay:

You separate things or ideas into specific categories and discuss each of them. You organize the essay by defining each classification and by giving examples of each type.  Think about the categories we place things in everyday and the characteristics of those categories.  The topic you choose should allow you to argue that something has been misplaced.

Choice Essay:

You need to choose which object, idea, or action that you prefer. You organize it by describing each option and then giving your opinion.

Description Essay:

Your write about what a person, place, or thing is like. Your organized it by describing different parts or aspects of a main subject.

Explanation Essay:

You explain how or why something happens or has happened. You need to explain different causes and effects. You should organize the essay by explaining each individual cause or effects.

Compare and Contrast Essay:

You write about the similarities and differences between two or more people, places or things. You can organize it by writing about one subject first and the comparing it with the second subject.

Evaluation Essay:

You make judgments about people, ideas, and possible actions. You make your evaluation based on certain criteria that you develop. Organize the essay by discussing the criteria you used to make your judgment.

It is obvious the fact that using mobile phones while driving is very dangerous and put human lives in danger. Therefore, laws which regulate this behaviour are neccesary. Taking into account the high statistics data from death in countries in which laws do not regulate the use of cell phones in moving cars, we will be safer with the prohibition of the use of this element.

People in my country reflect a contradiction of being a nation of immigrants that does not like immigrants, because we discriminate them and we forget about the fact that our ancestors were immigrants . When we meet an immigrant from Latin America or poor countries instantly we considered this person inferior to us, or people who come from countries which belong to the First World and we do not even consider that we are descendents of immigrants. What is more, there is a natural tendency to reject specific immigrants judging them as a result of stereotypes that we have built along our life. On the other hand, stereotypes are not quite uncertain because many of them are true and also negative. In conclusion, we discriminate immigrants without thinking that many of them have contributed to the development of our country and our ancesters were aliens in our country.

                                       The contradiction of discriminating immigrants

People in my country reflect a contradiction of being a nation of immigrants that does not like immigrants. When we meet an immigrant from Latin America or poor countries instantly we considered this person inferior to us or people who come from countries which belong to the First World and we do not even consider that we are descendents of immigrants. What is more, there is a natural tendency to reject specific immigrants judging them as a result of stereotypes that we have built along our life. On the other hand, stereotypes are not quite uncertain because many of them are true and also negative. In conclusion, we discriminate immigrants without thinking that many of them have contributed to the development of our country and our ancesters were aliens in our country.

1) In my country people who have completed their basic education have the opportunity to be involved in different careers. People who want to continue studying after finishing school are able to do this without paying any amount of money. Government grant towards education provide people varied opportunities to access to an educational system. In conclusion, people in my country have the opportunity to study which is different in other countries and foreign people can find in Argentina an education they cannot find in their original countries.

2) Education is one of the most important things in life, because without it, you cannot contribute to the world or earn money, and do not have knowledge. People who want to continue studying after finishing school are able to do this without paying any amount of money. Government grant towards education provide people varied opportunities to access to an educational system. In conclusion the communication, research, reporting, and collaboration skills that education provides can produce a generation of individuals who are better prepared for any career and can make greater contributions to society.

Metacognitive analysis

In my paragraph the overall meaning does not vary so much. My topic sentence is more appropiated than my mate's topic sentence because my sentence focuses on the education in a general view and my mate's topic sentence is foucused on one specific aspect of the education: studying to earn money. My paragraph contains some repetitions because it is specified to leave the message clea

Structured Paragraph Writing

Structured Paragraph Writing

 

Writing Structured Paragraphs

·         -  The structure Academic Writing contains three elements: the Style (formal), Correct Punctuation and Paragraphing (that is to understand material)

·         -  A paragraph is a distinct section in a piece of writing. It’s formed by a number of related sentences and one main idea. It should start on a new line and be well organized

·          - The paragraph has three qualities: Unity, Coherence and Development.

·          - In terms of unity, the paragraph should contain a topic sentence which can be placed in any line of the paragraph. The topic sentence must not be confused with the topic. One part of the topic sentence is the topic itself and the other part is the controlling idea. The controlling idea has to be developed in the following sentences.

·          - Coherence means that the reader can easily follow what he/she is reading. It is achieved by creating logical bridges from one sentence to another. In order to achieve coherence, key words, synonyms and transition words must be used.

·          - The main point of development is to hold the reader’s interest. Also, details and evidence are important to support the topic sentence

·          - The TEE Rule as it reads topic sentence, explanation and examples.

·          - Introduction Paragraph states the topic on it importance and it states the main argument on how you intend to answer the Wh-question (what, when, why, where, how). These Wh question are necessary to generate the controlling ideas and each one creates a new paragraph.

·          - Conclusion Paragraph summarizes the main points and states the main conclusion. Also it should answer the question.

Parts of a Paragraph – English Academic Writing

·          - The parts of a paragraph are the topic sentence, the body and the closing sentences.

·          - The topic sentence introduces the topic and gives opinions but not detailed.

·          - The body is the supporting ideas (details) of the topic. The body could be organized by importance or by chronology.

·          - The Closing sentence reminds what you are writing and keep the audience thinking.

Written by Leandro Pelaez and Melany Cordeiro

 Bibliography

·         AlexESLvid (2009, May 19). Parts of a Paragraph - English Academic Writing Introduction. Retrieved May 31, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cCuExRE6N-4

·         Masseyuniversity (2009, July 22). Writing Structured Paragraphs. Retrieved May 31, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=w183qB0KDFg

written by Cordeiro Melany and Leandro Pelaez

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Commonwealth Lecture 2012

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks about the power of realistic fiction in people's lives and its main objective beyond the simple words. She focuses on the wonderful ability of books to enlarge our imagination. After listening to Chimamanda's speech I reflected on the power of books touching people's hearts and lives. On one hand, realistic fiction is not the recording of the real it also seeks to enfuse the real with meaning. Giving a meaning to the stories is the most important goal of realistic fiction. We can read just words but that does not mean that we are reading the truth of the stories more than reading simple facts. When we read we can discover the truth through the words by giving it our emotional meaning. On the other hand,  humanity is something we must always keep searching for. To read realistic literature is to search for humanity. We can read anything we want by internet but we do not know about people's stories. However when we read humans stories we immerse ourselves in other person's story.  Finally we can see that logic can convince but  the emotion leads us to act and it is the power of realistic stories to touch people's lives.

Chimamanda Adichie is a story teller who presents a revolutionary point of view of the danger of having a single story of nations and people who belong to a specific country.Chimamanda Adichie demonstrates how   impressionable and vulnerable we are when we read a story, particularly as children. We made a generalization when we read stories assuming that the world was like we read in books.Therefore our vulnerability to believe the stories of a country begins when we were children and this conveys what we believe as a single story of a country. Having a single story does not mean that it is false but it is not the only story that exits of a country. It is important to identify different versions of the single story because in this way we are able to form a more completed one and being more objective with our perception of reality. In addition, it is important to tell the majority of the stories of a country because positive and negative stories make us who we are. On the other hand the single story creates stereotypes. The stereotypes are true but they are also incomplete. The consequence of the single story is that it drops people’s dignity. Taking into account the fact that the stereotypes emphasize people’s difference, discrimination begins to flow. Chimamanda Adichie explores both poles of the dilemma in order to give us two different perceptions. She has judged, and been judged, and has learned that only hearing one side of a story can distort accurate perceptions. Giving her personal example invites us to reflect that we can be on both sides: sometimes we can be the single story of a person and sometimes we can have a single story of a person who is full of amazing stories. Finally Chimamanda Adichie expects a change in the way we discern the stories of a country in order to reject the single story and break the stereotypes.

Citing sources in the text by MLA

In MLA style, writers place references to sources in the paper to briefly identify them and enable readers to find them in the Works Cited list. 

Give only the information needed to identify a source. Usually the author's last name and a page reference are enough.

Place the parenthetical reference as close as possible to its source. Insert the parenthetical reference where a pause would naturally occur, preferably at the end of a sentence.

Information in the parenthesis should complement, not repeat, information given in the text. If you include an author's name in a sentence, you do not need to repeat it in your parenthetical statement.

The parenthetical reference should precede the punctuation mark that concludes the sentence, clause, or phrase that contains the cited material.

Works Cited list

References cited in the text of a research paper must appear at the end of the paper in a Works Cited list or bibliography. This list provides the information necessary to identify and retrieve each source that specifically supports your research.

Arrange entries in alphabetical order by authors' last names (surnames), or by title for sources without authors.

Capitalize the first word and all other principal words of the titles and subtitles of cited works listed. (Do not capitalize articles, prepositions, coordinating conjunctions, or the "to" in infinitives.)

Shorten the publisher's name; for example, omit articles, business abbreviations (Co., Inc.), and descriptive words (Press, Publisher).

When multiple publishers are listed, include all of them, placing a semicolon between each.

When more than one city is listed for the same publisher, use only the first city.

Use the conjunction "and," not an ampersand [&], when listing multiple authors of a single work.

Pagination: Do not use the abbreviations p. or pp. to designate page numbers.

Indentation: Align the first line of the entry flush with the left margin, and indent all subsequent lines (5 to 7 spaces) to form a "hanging indent."

Italics: Choose a font in which the italic style contrasts clearly with the regular style.

Books:

References to an entire book should include the following elements:

author(s) or editor(s)

the complete title

edition, if indicated

place of publication

the shortened name of the publisher

date of publication

medium of publication

Basic Format

Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.

Citing sources in the text by MLA

In MLA style, writers place references to sources in the paper to briefly identify them and enable readers to find them in the Works Cited list. 

Give only the information needed to identify a source. Usually the author's last name and a page reference are enough.

Place the parenthetical reference as close as possible to its source. Insert the parenthetical reference where a pause would naturally occur, preferably at the end of a sentence.

Information in the parenthesis should complement, not repeat, information given in the text. If you include an author's name in a sentence, you do not need to repeat it in your parenthetical statement.

The parenthetical reference should precede the punctuation mark that concludes the sentence, clause, or phrase that contains the cited material.

Works Cited list

References cited in the text of a research paper must appear at the end of the paper in a Works Cited list or bibliography. This list provides the information necessary to identify and retrieve each source that specifically supports your research.

Arrange entries in alphabetical order by authors' last names (surnames), or by title for sources without authors.

Capitalize the first word and all other principal words of the titles and subtitles of cited works listed. (Do not capitalize articles, prepositions, coordinating conjunctions, or the "to" in infinitives.)

Shorten the publisher's name; for example, omit articles, business abbreviations (Co., Inc.), and descriptive words (Press, Publisher).

When multiple publishers are listed, include all of them, placing a semicolon between each.

When more than one city is listed for the same publisher, use only the first city.

Use the conjunction "and," not an ampersand [&], when listing multiple authors of a single work.

Pagination: Do not use the abbreviations p. or pp. to designate page numbers.

Indentation: Align the first line of the entry flush with the left margin, and indent all subsequent lines (5 to 7 spaces) to form a "hanging indent."

Italics: Choose a font in which the italic style contrasts clearly with the regular style.

Books:

References to an entire book should include the following elements:

author(s) or editor(s)

the complete title

edition, if indicated

place of publication

the shortened name of the publisher

date of publication

medium of publication

Basic Format

Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.

Analysis

Before having read the steps for a succesful writing i had my ideas disorganized to start to write. Sometimes i had a huge brainstorming but i lost myself when i had to put the ideas into a whole composition. My focus was on the content rather than the structure of the writing. i tried to use sophisticated words and phrases, banal descriptions but the structure of the writing was disorganized.

4) paragraphs

I am very exciting to make our holidays plans but my problems come to my mind everyminute while you are talking.
Darlene is as miserable as ever, jackie never comes to visit us. Anyway, I am sure you don't want to hear my problems, so let's get back to those holidays plans...sorry again! but i can't go on with the holdiays plans without telling my family I am going to travel next month with you. perhaps we never come back and stay in California for ever. So i have the obligation to fix the situation with my family.
My sister is extremely depressed for her economical situation and Jackie decided to move and rent a house and live with her boyfriend.

I am very exciting for the good news. my job is much better after having received the most important letter of my life. I had a letter from patrick Eggli the other day. By the way i don't suppose you remember Carine Imlof? well... she is my boss in the office and Patrick Eggli is her boss. So Patrick contacted me because Carine Imholf was fired and he wanted me to take her job. Whats is more, I was very exciting because my salary would be increased. However my partners would not look at me in the same way as before.

3) I am a writer. improved version 

I am a writer

An important event took part in my life five years ago when I was enjoying an emotional perfect balance. Taking into account the state of my personal life, my relationship with my boyfriend was perfect and everything was going perfectly. So that I considered myself very lucky but I was afraid of something wrong would happen to disturb my quiet life.  So that my fears became true.

In the autumn of 2010 my life changed abruptly in a negative way.  Due to my unusual perfect life I experienced an emotional insecurity that something wrong could happen. I felt something wrong inside me as I would lose the control and do something very bad. Intrusive thoughts came to my mind. They were unwelcome ideas, memories and traumatic flashbacks that repeatedly found their way into my mind. This included uncomfortable and disturbing thoughts about losing control, fearing pain, fearing death or hurting other people.  A deep sensation of sadness seized me. However, I did not know the reason of my depression. I experienced extreme anxiety but also irrational fears were in my mind every day. I was afraid of contracting the virus of hiv. Bye casual contact. For that reason my life became a hell and I was not capable of living a normal life anymore. Three months after having the irrational fears I decided to visit a psychologist looking for answer to my problem. Sadly she diagnosed me with obsessive-compulsive disorder (ocd), which is due to the lack of serotonin in the brain. OCD is typically characterized by obsessive ideas and fears that become overwhelming. Since I had an important lack of serotonin in my brain I was not capable of discriminating the real risk situation from the non-risk situations.

Nevertheless, I decided to fight against the devil inside my mind who always told me “be careful with that chair, it could have blood and you could contract hiv and die”, “be careful with that person, do not touch him/her. You could touch her/his wound and contract hiv and die”.  Every day was a challenge to “avoid” hiv in the train or the bus. My brain is hard-wired into noticing and holding on to negative thoughts. Keeping me “save” implicated buying one bottle of alcohol to wash my hands, checking my hands and face to find any stain of blood. The checking implicated multiple times, sometimes hundreds of times, and for hours on end, resulting in myself being late for work. People were my enemies if they touched me or cough near me. The list of the places or things that I avoided could be infinite. However I had the strength to find a cure to my disorder. Not only had I spent five years on cognitive-behavioral therapy I also went to a psychiatric who put me on sertraline. Apart from the medical help my family and boyfriend supported me a lot.

Even though my life was hard, I found the strength to tell my story. I published a book about my disorder which helped people around the world with the same problem. By the time my book was best-seller I had to travel around the world attending to seminaries. Nowadays I am married and I have a beautiful son. I am a writer and a famous journalist. My disorder is just a bad memory because I am cured.

I am a writer

An important event took part in my life five years ago when I was enjoying an emotional perfect balance. Taking into account the state of my personal life, my relationship with my boyfriend was perfect and everything was going perfectly. So that I considered myself very lucky but I was afraid of something wrong would happen to disturb my quiet life.  So that my fears became true.

In the autumn of 2010 my life changed abruptly in a negative way.  Due to my unusual perfect life I experienced an emotional insecurity that something wrong could happen. I felt something wrong inside me as I would lose the control and do something very bad. A deep sensation of sadness seized me. However, I did not know the reason of my depression. I experienced extreme anxiety but also irrational fears were in my mind every day. I was afraid of contracting the virus of hiv. Bye casual contact. For that reason my life became a hell. Three months after having the irrational fears I decided to visit a psychologist looking for answer to my problem. Sadly she diagnosed me with obsessive-compulsive disorder (ocd), which is a characterized by the lack of serotonin in the brain. Since I had an important lack of serotonin in my brain I was not capable of discriminating the real risk situation from the non-risk situations.

Nevertheless, I decided to fight against the devil inside my mind who always told me “be careful with that chair, it could have blood and you could contract hiv and die”, “be careful with that person, do not touch him/her. You could touch her/his wound and contract hiv and die”.  Every day was a challenge to “avoid” hiv in the train or the bus. Keeping me “save” implicated buying one bottle of alcohol to wash my hands, checking my hands and face to find any stain of blood. People were my enemies if they touched me or cough near me. The list of the places or things that I avoided could be infinite. However I had the strength to find a cure to my disorder. Not only had I spent five years on cognitive-behavioral therapy I also went to a psychiatric who put me on sertraline. Apart from the medical help my family and boyfriend supported me a lot.

Even though my life was hard, I found the strength to tell my story. I published a book about my disorder which helped people around the world with the same problem. By the time my book was best-seller I had to travel around the world attending to seminaries. Nowadays I am married and I have a beautiful son. I am a writer and a famous journalist. My disorder is just a bad memory because I am cured.

welcome to my blog for writing expression 4!