All posts tagged studies

FAQ to the Slavic studies student

So, what are you studying?

Slavic studies. (Note: in Dutch it sounds more like ‘Slavistics’.)

Statistics? Really?

No, Slavic studies.

What is that? (with a confused voice)

Russian, Polish, the history, literature and so on.

Why have you chosen that? (with a ‘I don’t get it’ voice)

Because I thought it would be boring and nothing for me at all, that’s why.

What will you then, as a job? (with a ‘I don’t understand’ voice)

You guys always make it sound as if these are the most worthless studies one could do. There are many options, they told us, but they never really gave examples. But there is a future for us. Don’t look like you don’t believe it.

Say something in Russian!

Вы всегда хотите что мы говорим ‘что-то’ по русски…

***

A few weeks ago, I had a little crisis about my studies. I had been doing so many exercices I didn’t feel capable of, it was exhausting. And then it seemed as if something snapped. Last year I was so convinced that this was perfect for me, but now I wouldn’t understand that feeling anymore. It was tiring, boring, hard. Why was I doing this again? The point is that there is no real ultimate reason for me to do this. I don’t have a Polish granny nor am I born in Russia. It just sounded good. But is that enough? Plus: this year I’ve got some courses that aren’t really my cup of tea. IT for example. Drama. Just drama.
But by now I start to be proud of this again. It starts to be an important side of me again. Somehow, the snapped thing got together again. I’m not as convinced as I used to be, but at least I don’t tend to feel something closer to hate anymore. Which is good, I wouldn’t know what to do if not this… But it will be a hard, hard year. I seriously need to work a lot harder.
I’m too tired now though, because luckily I can still go out as well every now and then…

27 Comments
by No Blog Intended on December 4, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture, Life
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Posted by No Blog Intended on December 4, 2013

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2013/12/04/faq-to-the-slavic-studies-student/

Let me out

Every time I enter classroom, I feel a bit locked up. Even though it might be warm there, and my friends are there, and I chose for this – I want to get out. I’m not sure anymore. I used to think I had chosen the exact right studies, and my life is changing for the better. But now I start to doubt. What’s the point of all these classes? What will they do for me in the end?
And it’s not even the boring, exhausting ones that make me want to run away fast. I used to love languages, I used to love Russian and Polish. I just don’t feel that way anymore now. Everything is obligatory, I don’t do it for fun anymore. I do it because I have to.

And everytime I enter a classroom, I feel like they are closing the doors behind me and I have to stay for the following boring two hours. There are windows everywhere, and I can see people outisde, and I want to go where they are going.

Of course I’ll keep on going. I just hope to find that love for this studies again. I just hope there will be more fun things instead of just doing all this obligatory stuff. Why is life only about your duties?

I just want to run around and have fun.

18 Comments
by No Blog Intended on November 13, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Life
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Posted by No Blog Intended on November 13, 2013

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2013/11/13/let-me-out/

Current condition: Studying

It’s summer, the sun is shining, it’s that kind of perfect weather… And I’m inside, studying to retake an exam. But I don’t really mind, as I don’t have the money to do all the fun stuff anyways. My life is so tragic.
Either way, here’s a sort of closer look, analysing of my current condition: studying.

Clothes: yoga pants and loose T-shirt with owl print.

However important elegance is to me, it doesn’t apply to all situations, okay? It’s bloody hot in my room, and I need the freedom to change my position every five to ten seconds. Plus: my inner dancer is very happy with these yoga pants. I can get up and throw my leg in the air whenever I want. Which is something I frequently do. (It sounds as if I’ve got a prosthesis. I mean to say I do a grand battement.)
The owl print is really cool, by the way. It’s more of a drawing made of stripes. Maybe I make it sound worse with every word I add, but seriously, it’s one of my favourite T-shirts. And it’s loose. Literally cool.

Makeup & Hair: Not really, and a mess.

Self conscious as I am, I do put on makeup when I leave the house, even if it’s just to buy bread or something. It makes passing by a mirror somewhat easier to deal with as well. But I got to the point where I sincerely long to dressing up and going all the way with makeup… Not just mascara, but eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick, everything I can find here (which isn’t that much after all). The only makeup thing I have done now, is nail polish. I don’t think I’ve ever had such well done toe and finger nail polish. Seriously.

My feet. With blue nail polish.

My feet. With blue nail polish.

The hair, well, that’s more of a bun, if you want to call it like that. In reality it’s more like hair surrounded by a rubber band (the ones you use for hair, not like car tires).

Physical condition: hypochondriac.

Insomnia has been kicking in, I’m hungry all the time, headaches, chest ache for the moment, and so on. I’m always convinced I’ve got some terrible illness, but that’s probably not true. I mean, everyone has aches every now and then. I just wish I could sleep well. That would be so great.

Mental condition: happy as ever.

Hehe. I’m not really the shiny happy person who’s always optimistic. Things have been better, things have been worse. My self-esteem has decided to go on a holiday, but hey, he deserves it. He’s had a hard time after all. I hope he sends a post card.

Concentration: what’s that? Some kind of illness? It’s certainly not something I’ve got.

Desk condition: pretty crowded!

I’ve got like four piles of papers in the running, a book, Word documents, books I use to procrastinate, pens, pencils, movies I still have to watch, a Spanish fan (the ones you have in your hand. the automatic one has a place on the floor) and a stuffed pig. I’m not sure what to do with that pig. He’s kinda cute, and I got it once at a dance performance. Good memories. I’ll just let him be another witness of my struggle.

Knowledge condition: however much I’m trying to get all facts straight and in my head, I’m sure he’ll ask something I don’t know. Plus: it’s history I have to retake. Only the Polish, but all history is so tied together. Hurray hurray. I wish I had the feeling I know stuff, but I still feel like I don’t know anything at all. Like ‘Poland? It’s a country, right? Somewhere, I don’t know, south from America?’.

Only five more days to go.

Five’s not much.

Dear lord.

22 Comments
by No Blog Intended on August 21, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Life
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Posted by No Blog Intended on August 21, 2013

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/current-condition-studying/

The Advantages of University

Or rather, the advantages of living in the city of your university. As you know, I have moved to the city where my university lives for five days a week. I live there in a quite old house with creaking stairs, in a room that’s pretty big compared to other rooms. Plus: I’ve got lots of advantages.

Advantage 1: The house is placed at a little square, with almost everything you could imagine needing around: a doctor, a pharmacy, two florists, a nightshop, a bakery, a French fries selling place (is there really no translation for that?),… Two streets further on, we’ve got a shop. Each Wednesday, there’s a market with fresh vegetables and very good waffles and eggs payed per piece, I’ve been told. Awesomeness rating? High.

Advantage 2: From my window, I can see the pharmacy, and this pharmacy has this cross attached to their wall. This cross lightens when the pharmacy is opened, and shows the hour and temperature. Very useful, because it looks cold and rainy and very winter-like all the time. You wouldn’t think it’s still 18°C. It really looks like trash outside. (I hate that. Just sayin’.)

Advantage 3: This city is not very big, so you can do everything by bike. Yay! Driving my bike for ten minutes is an improvement: last years, I always had to drive at least 15 to 20 minutes.

Advantage 4: There are no parents around, there are not so many freaky people around, so if I decide that Tuesday night is the perfect night to have a drink with friends, I can just leave and have a drink with friends! I don’t have to arrange stuff to not drive alone. Here, at home, we live nearby a city that is too unsafe to drive around on your little bike alone. I simply don’t dare to do it. But the city where I spend most of my time is filled with students, and it feels safe. Plus: no one will tell me that Tuesday night is not a good night to go out. Everyone does it.

Advantage 5: It’s simply not my narrow-minded home town!

16 Comments
by No Blog Intended on October 6, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture, Life, Other
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Posted by No Blog Intended on October 6, 2012

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2012/10/06/the-advantages-of-university/

The New Life

So here I am, in my own little room in another city, having had a lesson, having met new people. Somehow, it seems a bit surreal. I wasn’t prepared, but I don’t think you can really be prepared for something you don’t really know. The most important thing though is that things are going well! Huzzah! I’m lucky to know some people here, lucky to have my brother who has helped me a lot in advance already. Lucky to not be a loner, too.

I’ve been busy yesterday. We were given information, too much, too vague, we could do a guided tour which I did, I had dinner with some classmates and some older people, I had a reception with free wine and a lot of talking. Even about Roman writers. I don’t think I should complain. For now, the people are really nice. Some of them seem to be so young still… Like kids. But after all, it doesn’t matter that hard. I’m so happy I had a busy first day! It felt like a good way to start the year. Talking to as much people as possible seems to be necessary for me. You might have noticed that, I always need people to love me. Attentionwhoring is my hobby. That’s why I started a blog, right?

There are for sure a few things that have been surprising. For example, apparently there’s a guy doing similar studies, and he’s a good friend of a good friend of mine. How small can this world be? One of the funniest things is that everyone is so predictable. You can easily tell their characteristics. Just from the way they look and act. Maybe I’m just right the same. Who’ll tell?

In Belgium, mostly the people move to the city of their university. Some don’t do it, it depends on how far away you live of course, but for me it’s two hours in a bus, doing that everyday is just suicide. So I moved as well. You can live in a residence or in a building that mostly started out as a regular house. We’ve got no roommates, but we live together with people in a building. It’s always a guess, will they be nice? Will they be horrible? I succeed a girl who wasn’t popular here. But the people in this building are all nice and friendly and I can feel at home here. They’re already a bit like family for me, just because we live here together.

I’m starting a new life and I find it both exciting and slightly frightening.O, and my studies? I’ll try to explain: my studies contain Russian and Polish, but not just the languages, also their history and stuff. It’s about both the languages and the area. They’re called Slavic studies. So nothing with dance after all :). I might perhaps do a year of journalism after this, but I’m not sure yet. Depends on how fed up I am with studying…

Thanks for your support, you people are always so nice, and you cheered me up!

 

27 Comments
by No Blog Intended on September 25, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture, Life, Other
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Posted by No Blog Intended on September 25, 2012

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/the-new-life/

Fear (and A Competition)

I’m scared. Yes, I’m really getting scared. In a weird way.
Monday, in two days, I’ll be going to university. For the first time in 18 years (my entire life) I’ll be living somewhere else for the greatest part of the year. And that is rather scary…

In Belgium, the school system is quite easy. You have nursery school from when you’re ready until you’re six. Then you’ve got primary school, with two months holiday every year, until you’re twelve. Next, you go to high school, for six years again, with two months holiday again. Somehow, this step wasn’t that hard to make. I mostly followed my brother to his high school. I knew a few people there, and I was tired of my old classmates anyway. But this last year of high school, I was getting tired of it. I was tired of people telling me what to do. As a real member of my family, I can’t cope with people patronizing me. At seventeen, you don’t want to do useless stuff anymore. I wanted to get out of this grey zone with this patronizing, overly useless courses and teachers. It wasn’t all that bad, of course, but I needed to break free.

Yeah, me too.

Now I’ve come to the point of leaving high school, leaving this city, leaving this people behind (man, like I’ve got tired of people this year!). And now I’m getting scared. I will know no one in my new class! I’ll have to find out stuff by myself! I’ll have to feed myself!
I’ll have to survive completely on my own!

In fact, that’s not true. My brother will be in the same city , some friends will be there as well, plenty of help is available if only you ask for it. And yet it keeps me awake at night. Not too long, because sleep takes over eventually. You get my point. I’m changing my life Monday and I can only hope I’ll make it better. But who can guarantee that my class will be filled with nice, amusing people, that my courses will be fun and that I will be able to handle it?

That’s why I’m scared. Nearly scared to death.

Bonus! If you are a good reader of mine, you could perhaps know which studies I’ll be doing! I need at least one keyword. E.G. ‘Swahili’ if I’d so Swahilian and Star Warsian studies. The first one to guess the right studies may choose his own prize!

18 Comments
by No Blog Intended on September 22, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture, Life, Other
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Posted by No Blog Intended on September 22, 2012

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2012/09/22/fear-and-a-competition/

Decisions upon a life

I’m tired, things go wrong, irony strikes back and I’m tired. I want to sleep for days.
All of this is causing me to be in a bad mood, which shows itself by me being silent, critical, cynical and sarcastic. I am not the friendliest person now. You’d better hide if you have ever done me harm. I’ll strike back with violent words and mean remarks.
So… it might be better if you, my dears, take over and tell nosy me about your ambitions. You know, next year I’ll go to university and that means I have to choose. (Choose! Like I can choose! What a duck. Put me in a cafe and I cannot choose what I’ll drink. And now I’ll decide on my future?) I’ll probably do Slavic studies (Russian, Polish and the history, geography and so on).
But what about you? What did you want to be when you were a child? (I wanted to be a dancer – imagine! how weird! – or a writer – until I saw my inpiration fogging away (moving away like fog) as soon as I started a blog)
What do you do now? Do you like your job?
Tell me all about it. I’m a patient audience.

27 Comments
by No Blog Intended on March 7, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Other
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Posted by No Blog Intended on March 7, 2012

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2012/03/07/decisions-upon-a-life/