Tag Archives: Coursera

Nov2

Commune, Coursera and Duolingo

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Commune, Coursera and Duolingo

I’m back in Mexico and that means I’m back on line taking courses again. There are so many of them out there and it’s hard to choose. But here are the three I’m doing now.

Duolingo. I’ve been doing this one for years now to improve my Spanish. When I go up north for a few months every year I always take a break from Duolingo. But seeing as I’m the only gringa in my neighborhood, I really need my Spanish. I have friends learning other languages on this site, but for now I’m quite content with Spanish only.

Commune. This is a new one to me. There are a variety of guest speakers on this site primarily geared toward women. Breathing, body image and yoga have shown up in the first couple of days. So far it’s been interesting. I haven’t yet decided if I’ll sign on for the full course. I’ll make that decision once the free trial ends.

Coursera. I’ve taken several courses on this site in the past. While I’m mainly interested in psychology, I have taken other courses in writing, philosophy, anthropology and sociology. Right now I’m taking a course from Yale called The Science of Well Being. I did the preliminary survey and discovered that I’m not as happy as I thought I was. Interesting. Once the course ends I get to do the survey again and then compare the results with the preliminary one.

So this is what I’m doing at the moment in my quest for learning. I highly recommend taking courses online. As a bonus, when you audit there are no tuition fees and there is no exam stress. Instead it’s possible to learn at your leisure. And at this stage of my life, this is a great way to keep on learning from the comfort of my home.

Oct12

New This Week

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New This Week

I’ve been back for over a month and have spent time reacquainting myself with the city of Aguascalientes and a few friends and neighbors. I’ve also made some new friends but more about that in another blog post. Right now I’m going to focus on three new things I’ve started this week.

I started a course on mindfulness offered by Rice University. I’ve taken two other courses in this area previously and am always open to ideas that will improve my quality of life. I’m taking this course through Coursera, a sight I’ve used before. It offers a variety of courses for free if you don’t want or need that piece of paper.

Guilty. I downloaded a new game onto my tablet. Word Connect. I’m learning new words that I never knew were words. It’s a stimulating game and a welcome addition to the other word games I’ve played in the past. And no, I’m not hooked up to Facebook with it so you won’t find me there.

I found a new place to shop, although it won’t be very often. I prefer to frequent the corner stores in my neighborhood and support the locals. But a new HEB opened up while I was back in the USA and I just had to check it out. And it’s only a 10 minute Uber trip away. Far superior to Walmart or Sam’s Club although a tad smaller than Costco.

A new course, a new game and a new place to shop. That’s my new things so far this week. And it’s only Wednesday!

May13

Legal Again Among Other Things

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Legal Again Among Other Things

It’s the middle of May already. Despite the fact that I’ve been primarily self-isolating for over two months now, time is going by quickly.

I’ve always loved learning. Now I have the opportunity to delve into areas of knowledge I had no time for in the past.

A course I’m taking from Berkeley on EdX deals with the science of happiness. Today’s topic was forgiveness, forgiving ourselves as well as others. The health benefits of practicing forgiveness are phenomenal. It is encouraging that it is never too late to learn to forgive. Holding grudges and exacting revenge are definitely detriments to experiencing happiness.

Another course I’m taking on Coursera is offered by University of Edinburgh and deals with how to become more active and less sedentary. Because I’m self-isolating I am not nearly as active as I was. So setting new fitness goals to improve my lifestyle is quite important to me now.

Yesterday marked my final visit to Immigration. The extension of my FMM had been processed and I returned home with my renewed visa. I am now once again living legally in Mexico and am grateful that this country has allowed me to remain here at this time.

WestJet announced that international flights to Canada will not resume until at least July. The American airlines are flying to the USA but the borders are still closed to foreigners. I have an additional 180 days thanks to my new visa. Maybe in July I’ll figure out what comes next.

Apr6

Coursera and Telcel

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Coursera and Telcel

Coursera is a fabulous site where you can find a variety of courses to study at your own speed. Throughout the years I’ve taken courses in psychology, sociology, writing and so much more.

On Sunday I started a psychology course dealing with anxiety in light of COVID-19. This course is being given by a professor at the University of Toronto in Canada.

In my last post I discussed the importance of caring for our mental health. This course is another tool I’m using to do just that.

Did I mention that these courses are all offered free of charge?

Another thing I did on Saturday was renew my phone plan. This is huge for me because I have a plan that includes unlimited international calls to the USA and Canada. This allows me to connect with family and friends on a regular basis. The state of the world right now due to the virus makes this connection even more important than ever.

I was pleased to see that only one person at a time was allowed into the building to access the cashier. People lined up outside were spaced far apart. Physical distancing is definitely being enforced by Telcel.

These are two things I’ve done this weekend to take care of myself.

What have you done to take care of yourself?