#15. What are your plans on the summer holidays? Do you want to work during it or rest and travel? (Maria's topic)

In my opinion, the best way to relax during these hard weeks because of preparation to final exams is to tell about my summer holidays' plans. Actually, by telling about that plans I can forget about any problems for at least one minute.

First of all, I'd like to say that I began thinking about my summer holidays' pastime a long time ago. At the beginning, my plans for June were: go home after passing exams for about 3 weeks. Then, in July, I planned to return in Moscow so that to have a trip to Austin's summer school in the U.S. I had never gone abroad before. Therefore, in that time it was my daydream to visit foreign country. Moreover, it was the U.S. which I had been dreaming to visit for many years! However, because of my residence in Odintsovo, a passport which gave me opportunity to visit foreign countries, was said to registered for 4 months. That was a great pity because I gathered my documents and sent it ti the passport Office only in March that meant I would give my passport in July. It was late for me, because school would start at the beginning of July.

However, I decided to not waste my time for melancholy and began making my new summer holidays' plan. Therefore, I’d like to share it with you. 

After passing all final exams, I'm going to stay at Moscow till the beginning of July. You can ask me, "Why don't you go to home right away?". Really, I can do it. However, it is not very interesting for me because Moscow gives me great opportunities to spend my time more efficiently. At the beginning, I'm going to visit many museums there so that to know about Russian culture, literature, and history as much as I can. Moreover, during June a theater season is not closed. Therefore, I'm going to visit many fascinating performances. I'm sure that there will be much ones that are worth to watch! In addition, now I have a kind of daydream, which could be seemed very odd to you - In June, I am also going to visit libraries so that to read books that I've decided to read this summer. There are many ones, so I shouldn't waste my time. 

What about July? At the first half of July I'm going to spend my time at home for 2 weeks. I think it is enough.
In the second half of July I'm going to work as a tutor, a teacher of Economics and as an assistant of other subjects in Krasnoyarsk summer school. That's a great challenge for me because, as you possibly know, last year I worked in KSS as a tutor. However, now I have become older and have got some experience. Therefore, I feel myself empowered to get more responsibilities in KSS. I think it will be great experience not only in teaching, but also in communication with students and other teachers. 

To tell the truth, I haven't certainly decided what to do in August yet. However, I want to go abroad. I wish to relax by swimming in the Black Sea. Notwithstanding, now it is only one of my many ideas. It means that my desires can change at any moments. Nevertheless, I wish many of my plans will be accomplished.

P.S. That was a last blog post in this semester, so I'd want to wish you luck in final exams and spend your summertime as efficiently as you can. I'm sure, it will all be OK!

See you soon!

#14. Topics for blog #14

1)Are you fond of theater? What is your favourite performance genre? Do you have a favourite theater in Moscow?
2) How is your spring break? Do you travel somewhere? What places do you visit that spring break or what places are you going to visit?
3) Tell us about the last film that you watched. Did you like it? Do you advice to watch it?

#13. Do you remember the last time, when you visited a theater? How was that? What you liked more? (Ivan's topic)

I am really fond of theater. When I was living in my hometown, I always tried to attend all theatre performances that were organized. Therefore, when I moved to Moscow, I had great expectations about attending theatres here and now I can say my expectations came true. 

First of all, there are great opportunities to visit theatres in Moscow for free - you should just ask administrator for tickets in advance of performances and very often he or she give you a free ticket.

Secondly, my dormitory's roommate is studying at Cultural Studies faculty and he has great ties in theatrical sphere. Therefore, if there is no opportunity to attend performance with help of theatre's administrator, I visit great performances because of his agreements with actors who give us free tickets.

During that spring break I visited two theater performances that were A Handsome man in Gorky Moscow Art Theatre and Triptych Petr Fomenko Studio.
The first performance I liked very much because it was a classical direction which scenario was based on the piece of the same name by Alexandr Ostrovskiy. Despite the fact that I didn't read this piece, it wasn't hard to understand the plot and I got pleasure of visiting it. Moreover, it is worth to say I attended that performance with my classmates and it was a great way to relax after the hard study.

The second performance is Triptych that is based on three separate stories such as Earl Nulin, O Donna Anna, and Faust. I have to say that it was the most amazing and fascinating performance I have ever seen! Too much metamorphosis, special effects, great actors' play, and unrepeatable plot did that performance really remarkable! The interesting fact is that was shown on New Scene which has many complex details and was built to show that performance namely! I highly recommend you to attend that performance on 30 May because you will be certainly impressed with it! 

If you have any additional questions about how to get to any Moscow theater for free or which performances I could recommend to you, don't hesitate to ask me about it :)

#12. Spring break (Liza's topic)

Sometimes it seems to me that I'm looking forward to spring break as no one else. Actually, I think it is because of my grandiose plans. 

My friends often ask me, "Why don't you go to your hometown that time? You haven't been there for 4 months and won't have been for 6 months till the second semester end". I agree with them it is really long term I haven't been at home, but I'm not going to there because of two reasons: firstly, that trip is expensive enough because if I want to go home I should by plane tickets so that to fly to Krasnoyarsk and train tickets to go to Kansk from Krasnoyarsk.  It seems to me that I can spend that money at Moscow more efficiently. However, it isn't the main reason. The main reason is my grandiose plans that I wish will be performed completely. 

First of all, during the first week of the spring break I'm going to visit an event that is called "The Night in the Culture Centre" at HSE. There will be many entertainment I'm going to take participate in: dancing, playing "Mafia", and others. However, the most important entertainment for me is a poetry evening. I'm fond of reading poetry by heart in public, so it will be great opportunity to do it! 

Secondly, the first and second May I'm going to attend two theatre performances in the Satirikon and Bolshoi Theatre. Since I had gone to Moscow, I became fond of theatre much more.
         Moreover, if I have some free time, I'm going to visit the Ostankino Tower once more. I visited it in January. It was 10 a.m. and weather was foggy, so I was upset because it was hard to see Moscow's scenery when I was staying on high 337 meters. In addition, during the winter a viewpoint is only close, but at May it is open, so it will be great to stay here in the open viewpoint and enjoy evening Moscow's scenery.

         Fourthly, I’m going to visit Saint-Petersburg with my classmates. I've never been there and I think the spring break is convenient time to attend many cultural places in Saint-Petersburg. Moreover, I'm going to visit my best friend from Saint-Petersburg State University. May be I will stay at his dormitory.  I wish I will get unforgettable memories. 

Fifthly, I and my friends from HSE and MSIIR are going to participate in case-championship that will be based on cases of the real American company Nielsen. The best thing about that case for me is it has fully English format. All our solutions should be formatted and then presented in English in the second half of May. I think it will be great challenge for me to present our solutions in public from many Russian and foreign large companies. Now I'm anxious about it because except oral presentations I didn't have opportunities to say in English in public. However, I'm full of tenacity I can handle this task. Therefore, one of my goals on this holiday is to take participation in that case and train my public English speaking skills. I promise I will try to do my best. 

Of course, I'm going to have some time that I will dedicate finishing my history course project. It will be complex work because my goal is to do real research so that to answer whether GULAG really had important impact in the Soviet Union economic. 

I should also mention that I'm going to read some prose which is Demons by   Dostoevsky and One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. I will fell catharsis if I can accomplish all my goals for that spring break.
         I think, that's all. If you have some suggestion for me to pay much time in Moscow efficiently, feel free ;)

#11. What would be in my room 101?

 In 1984, Winston has to face rats when he goes to Room 101 because he fears them more than anything.  What would be in your Room 101? (David's topic)

In the first semester I wrote a blogpost  "A short, but scary story of my life" where I told about one case in my life when I was only 6 years old. It was a story about me and huge dog which began running towards me at the moment I got had got away from my parents. It was really one of the scariest case in my life. I even haven't got a clue how I didn't become a stutterer after that. Since then, I have been afraid of big dogs. I become anxious when hear a barking dog close to me.
Therefore, it isn't a secret that in my Room 101 I would meet big, barking dogs with crazy eyes, who would try to bite me.
When I see the pictures below I begin understanding fears of all prisoners in "1984" to go to the Room 101.

#10.Reserve-officer Training Department

For boys: are you going to go to reserve-officer training department (a class which gives you the knowledge of soldiery and which is similar to army) next year? Why? Why not?  (Tim's topic)

In short, I'm going to go to reserve-officer training department. It was a tricky question for me during March. I thought whether it would be useful for me except I got an opportunity not to go to the Army after graduation. Really, the reserve-officer training department has some big disadvantages:
First of all, it is one more day I have to pay for activity I'm not going to do in the future.
Secondly, as I understand, I won't be able to do my homework during lectures in the training department. But even if I have that opportunity, it wouldn't be convenient to learn efficiently because of many distraction factors. Therefore, I expect my grades won't be much better than I have now. 
Thirdly, I will have to be in the training department (T.D.) at 8.45 a.m. one day every week. It means my day will begin at 6 a.m. because of too much time to go to the T.D.  from my dormitory - approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. 
However, the reserve-officer training department has some important advantages.
Firstly, having finished it, I won't be go to the Army and will have the rank of Lieutenant. Some people can say  that they will find a method for not to go to the Army because of bribe to an official or medical conclusion that will confirm they are unfit for the army. However, I'm not sure I will have that opportunity. Therefore, know I see only way to avoid military service. 
Secondly, I will get some knowledge about soldiery and army at all. I think it is very important for every man to be aware of this. 
For one more point, I will get a second profession "Military economist" that isn't bad because we never know what will be tomorrow and sometimes extra skills are very useful in our life.
As you can see, despite the fact that there are some disadvantages to go to the training department, there are the same quantity of advantages at the same time. Moreover, the advantages are more important for me. Therefore, now I prepare myself  to enter reserve-officer training department by doing exercises on the horizontal bar and running.

Topics for blog #9

1. The question for both men and women: what is more important for you in a love affair with a girl/man: his or her pretty appearance or inner world? Can you date with a girl or man who has beautiful appearance, but poor inner world or on the contrary?
2. Is it important for you to have the same or approximately the same financial position as your girlfriend/boyfriend has? Do you think that boyfriend should always pay off the girl, for example, in a restauraunt ot other places? Or should they share their payments?
3. How often do you leave a seat in the metro or other transport for old people? How do you think should men always leave a seat for women who are the same ages as men, or even for all women?