Hello everyone! I’m sooooo sorry for the lack of posts and very little communication from my side, but I have not forgotten about this page or everyone supporting me. Life as a foreign “first year” student has just taken most/all of my attention. My studies have honestly caused some real anxiety and stressful/worried moments since I started in September. I’m here to be brutally honest and not just make everything sound like fairy dust and rainbows, because it’s not. Yes, I have and still struggle sometimes. The language barrier that’s still there can cause some extra stress because you don’t know if you’re missing anything very important, it can also trick you into thinking you need to know more/learn more but then at the end of the day, after stressing so much, that information wasn’t even needed. To sum it up, basically I experience everything a normal student would in university minus 100% full comprehension of everything that’s being said. (For now)
Enough negativity!!! That’s something I’m telling myself every day because if I can’t keep my head right, nothing will get better but worse and honestly, it almost did, until I made the decision that it won’t. So dear friends and family, yes, I still have my “stressful” moments but I’m not letting it get to me!
SOOOOO now that you know what’s going on in my head, let me tell you what’s been going on in my life. Firstly, to clear up the language barrier thing, I can speak, read and write. I can communicate the normal daily conversations, but put me in Anatomy, Russian history or Psychology classes to name a few, the whole vocabulary world changes enormously. But it’s been getting better week by week, day by day. Yes, I have double work than all the other students because they comprehend in class, then just need to do homework. I on the other hand have to get the notes that I couldn’t write in class/lectures, re-write them, translate and then do the homework. But you know what, yes, it’s more work, but I’ve been getting it done! I won’t deny that it has taken some free time away from me, but I know that this will also pass, and it won’t be like this forever. Just think this time last year, I couldn’t even have a basic conversation in Russian and now I’m studying in it. Next year this time I will look back and have progressed so much and things will be different as well.
“Your life is moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts” – Craig Groeschel
And therefor I’m aiming my thoughts on the amazing, good and positive possibilities of my future.
My subjects for this semester are: Classical ballet, Folk dancing, Organizational and creative choreography work, Composition and staging, Physical exercise, Russian and culture speech, Russian history, Art history, Psychology, Music theory, Piano, Life Safety and also Rhetoric. A normal week of classes goes Monday-Saturday. Sunday is our weekend.
I’ve also been busy working as a volunteer when our University holds competitions etc. (We had American guests, so I was asked to help with communications)
On another note, in-between all the classes and hectic schedules we finally got a long weekend! This is why I finally got time to write a quick update! The 4thof November is National Unity Day and so after our last class on Saturday, I haven’t been back on campus…till tomorrow. We had Monday and today off!!! It was a much-needed brake! Although I spent it doing work, I was much more relaxed and slept in! It was a good brake. But now it’s hard work again as we have these types of “tests” in December and then January is our exams.
Last weekend I also got to get a piece of South Africa! My dear friend Cara Rau who works in Moscow at the moment, came to visit me last weekend. It was also sooooo nice to take off of any studies, have a person from home here, speaking Afrikaans and showing her around while talking non-stop and laughing. Thank you Cara!!!
Some other quick news….I will be coming home for New year!! It’s just about a week and a half but it’s exactly what I need to give me a booster for the next semester.
That was my weirdly structured catch up, I hope everyone could follow and make sense of it all! HAHA. In short, things are going well, it’s getting better and I won’t give up!!! The posts will still not be frequent, and I hope everyone understands. I promise I will not just leave it, I’ve put in too much work to do that. Thank you for everyone’s ongoing support, I really appreciate it all!!!
Talk to you all as soon as possible and have a blessed week ahead!
To live is to Dance
xoxo
Bonus: Here is some photos of our Freshman Day Show!
