14. Writing assignments

Today I'm going to write about our writing assignment 5, which is absolutely different from all others essays. At althought it provides much more work than other essays, personally I like it the most. First, because I'm used to write these essays at school, second, because argumentation essay is one of the clearest tasks as you know for sure what exactly you should do and what is the purpose of your writing. And as to arguments, I think, it is easy to find arguments for any position, at least you can use sorces, that means you can use other people's thoughts.

As to my draft 1, I think, I should work more on integrating quotes, paraphrasing and summary into my text. To add clear warrants. To make anything clearer to sound more understandable. I also will add some arguments. However, my topic is easy for me, because I have no doubt that my opinion about that is the only true one. That's why I maybe should work a little on the accuracy of using sources as its quite important in this essay. I hope, that essay will be better after all these mistakes being fixed.

13. 18

In just 5 days I will be officially adult and I have very indefinite views on that. First of all, I will have so many rights, and I like it, of course. However, in reality, in our country the laws are not as strict, that's why nothing will change, despite maybe the opportunity to drive a car. Actually, the right to get a driving license is one of the main thing I am looking forward. Maybe because I can't see any other things changing. As to my feelings, I don't notice anything new in my personality. As to other people, I don't think that they will treat me differently because of the fact that I'm 18. What is sad about that, is that my parents, for sure, won't take me seriously as an adult. As to just the way I live, everything will stay the same. I will continue studying, I hope:) I will still live with my family, but on my own. And so on, and so on. However, I try not to think much about sad sides of being 18 year old, like responsibility, and I just wait to be 18 to drive a car and have a birthday party;)

12. Internetships

In texts that we supiosed to read for this class two absolutely different points of view about internerships were presented. With one author I absolutely disagree despite the fact that his arguments sound quite reasonable. As to me, as a student, who is likely to go on an internership in next 2-3 years or maybe sooner, I would love to gain a working experience even if I won't be paid. I support the author of the text "No pay? Most students say: "No problem"". And even thought the first author suggests to think reasonably and at the first sight it seems logical, real children' opinions matters much more. I think that it's absolutely fair that internership work is not paid for. To tell the truth, students with no work experience and unfinished education can't really be as useful as other employes. Therefore, paying students is non profitable for students. And if student's aim is gain some money, there are a lot if jobs which don't need any special requirements. So you can apply for this job and earn money. Internership a is more like studying, and are we paid for beeing educated? No, of course. So, it's normal that interns are usually no beeing paid.

11. Importance of learning foreign language

It is widely discussed whether it is necessary to learn foreign languages or thanks to technological progress this knowledge is useless nowadays. However, I absolutely disagree with this point of view, despite the fact that many of my acquaintances share this opinion. To begin with, needless to say, that getting any knowledge develops your brain, and as to foreign language, that makes you learn new system and that improves your skill to think logically. Moreover, what is the most important, it lets you to communicate with people from over the world. Of course, my opponents can claim that there are many electronical dictionaries with enable you to explain whatever you want. But, firstly, there are some small things in language like tiny differences in word sense, that can change the meaning of your phrase. Secondly, you can't use intonation to express your feelings while talking, if you don't know the language. And the last but not the least, you can't sound confidently, if you use a dictionary or a translator and it's much more difficult to gain trust and respect from people whose native language you don't know. To conclude, till it's not too late, try to learn as many foreign languages, as your abilities alow you!

10. America vs Russia

To start with, it's worth mentioning that comparing Russian and American culture can appear to be a difficult task, as these two countries are so different that on first sight it might seem that there is absolutely nothing in common between them. However, there are some similarities. I can't that for the whole Russia as I've been just to a couple if towns, but people's behavior here has something in common with one in America. But it is a first source of differences, on the other hand. You never can see a stranger smiling to you in the streat, if only he's mad, people are not ready to help you, not because they are mean, but because they don't trust you, they think you're asking to help to somehow swindle you. In America people are more friendly and helpful, not because they all have better characters, but just because they are used to behave in that way, so unless it seems so from my point of view. As to other culture things, like traditions, holiday's celebrations and so on it is almost impossible to compare and as to contrast, it is so obvious, that it is needless to mention. Both countries are great thanks to their independence from other culture, maybe that's why they are so different.

9. Winter sports

I wrote "winter sports" on the heading, however I am going to describe only one kind of sports - skiis. Mountain skiis has been one of my favorite kind of sport since I was a kid. I've started skiing when I was 4, and of course I don't remember how I felt when I first experienced it, but I am almost sure that I've started to adore skiing from the very first time I did it! Unfortunately there aren't any really good places to go skiing at Moscow, that's why I ski rarely- just one time a year for one or two weeks. I wish I could ski more but there are no mountains in Moscow and I can't spend more than 2 weeks at winter abroad because of my studies. I've been skiing in many different countries: USA, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France and even in Russia. I liked all the places because I adore mountains no matter where there are, but my favorite place is Val d'Isere in France. It has many thing to see in town itself and it has great access to the majority if great pistes around. All in all, I am looking forward to this year ski trip to France!

8. Progress

Today our topic is our progress in the class ant I think it's quite easy to write about it as there are really a lot of things to tell. First of all, the biggest progress I have is the development of my writing skills, that is rather predictable, because this class is concentrated on the academic writing. I improved some grammar skills, fixed some constant spelling mistakes, but what is more important, I learned how to organize my essay correctly. Needless to say, that essay organization is one of the most important things in writing as it's one of those things a successful piece of writing can't be without. Moreover, there are some rules we haven't got in Russia and that's why I am glad we have a native speaker as our teacher. As to problems I still have, punctuation is quite difficult for me. First, I've never studied it before at school, as we didn't pay attention to it and punctuation mistakes didn't influence a grade of writing. Second, it has some similarities with Russian punctuation but it is still rather different and that's why I get lost sometimes and it seems impossible to me to write an essay with no punctuation mistakes. However I do make some progress in this field to. So I don't want many things to change in the next part of semester and I am satisfied with the progress I have.

6. School tradition

I'd like to tell about an annual concert that take place in our school every year at winter. This arrangement is called "English song competition" and its first aim firstly was improvement of our English language skills, but, frankly speaking, it's not why all the students take part in this concert. We all love to make a performance with our classmates and to compete with other groups. Actually, we don't just sing, we dance, we make some scenes, so, all in all, we are not really limited in what can we do and that's way some performances at thus concert are really worth seeing for everybody! But personally I love every song that take part in this arrangement as it's always funny. Preparation take much time and actually I am surprised every year that almost everybody takes part in this competition and even ready to sacrifice with his or her free time. But anyway, all the school live this tradition ant start inviting their performance from the very beginning of the year. And of course I love to take part in these concert and with my group even had prize-winning places twice. All in all, it's one it the things a liked the most about my school!

5.Key lost

It happened last day at Cyprus. Me and a friend of mine had been staying at one of those camp that is really easy to escape at night, so that was exactly what we did. We'd been partying all night, saying goodbye to all the friends there and to this place itself. Than, it was 5'o clock in the morning when we realized that we lost keys from our room in the hotel where the camp was situated. We starded looking for them, but it was impossible to find cause we've been like at 6 different places that night. What was surprising, everybody tried to help us at it seemed like the whole Limassol( town where we stayed) was willing to help us, as people stopped in the streets asking us whether we found it. But we didn't( so we came to our friends' from the camp room and slept there. Next morning we came for new keys and it appeared that we own some money for the keys to the hotel and we had no money left as we spent everything that rested the previous night. Luckily, we had some roubles but of course nobody accepted them, as unlike dollar, our currency is like nothing for foreign people. All in all, we found a guy who was ready to change it, but it took us many efforts. All in all, this story ended successfully and we were happy with that.

4.School time

Today I would like to write about school time as I miss it really much. I went to 3 different school and I do love people from each of them, but of course the strongest feelings I have about my last one. To tell the truth, I'm not one of those people whose first aim at school is studying and who love school because of lessons. (Actually I  still don't get why I needed more than half of them). However, I have always understood the importance of learning and I had good marks, but it's not what I'm talking about now. Doubtless, school is all about people! So, it's exactly what I liked at my last school, there is no other place where you can meet so many great people and that made some special atmosphere there. I love almost everybody I've got acquainted with there no matter how well I know them, and, for sure, there are some people from this school I will never forget. I hope, that it will stay like this for a long time, despite the fact that, of course, I would like to have new friends here, at the university. But, anyway, there must be reasons of existence of the saying: «An old friend is worth two new ones». In addition, as a picture gives twice as much as verbal description, I will post some photos.

3.Cyprus

As it's a blog I will start without any long introduction and I will say just that there is no other place I can't live without but a famous island called Cyprus. I first visited it with my parents and I wasn't really impressed as the majority of time we stayed at the hotel. The next time I went there with a friend of mine and that was absolutely different! First of all, this place is full of really great people who are ready to help you, cheerful and always with a smile (so different from people here in Russia). Than it's a place where you yourself become just as Cypriots: happy, funny with no thoughts about any problems! I can't say that it's a good thing for the whole year as thanks to their insouciance they have an economical crisis at the moment, but anyway, when it's just for a couple of weeks at summer, there is no harm to you success in real live. On the contrary, this place makes you so relaxed and happy that you turn back ready to work hard after whole days just lying on the beach and whole nights partying. However you'd better not stay to long as we are very fast to getting used to the good things, and people who stay there for more than month then feel even depressed when they turn back to their native countries, I mean, to the real world. All in all, me and a friend of mine now have a tradition to turn back to this place every year, as it is so special: it has special smell, taste it is so different from all others and what is most important, in changes you!

2. Letters

Invention of the Internet has brought many new opportunities to our life. One of them is communicating without any barriers. Needless to say that it has so many advantages that without any doubt they overwhelm any drawbacks. However many people miss old times when people wrote real  letters. Despite the fact, that I was born after the invention of the Internet, and my whole conscious life I was using the Internet to contact people, I still feel that there is some special magic when  you receive a message written on a piece of paper. First of all, the letter is a result of someone's work. When you write on paper you think of questions, like "Why? What? Who for am I writing?". Consequently the letter is usually kind of essay that expresses feelings and thoughts of the author, but some short note used just to give some information. What is more letters are much more personal, it's much more reliable to put you worries into the letter to good friend but to put it on the Internet, even if it's direct messages. The third argument is quite subjective, but anyway I think that it is a great pleasure to hold in your hand a real letter, but to see what is written on the screen of your computer. I can say it for sure, as I have a tradition with a friend of mine and we write each other a letter per 2-3 month and I really love it!

All in all, I suggest everyone to try writing letters sometimes!

1. My story

My story started very simple, as many: in a maternity hospital on the outskirts of Moscow at 2 P.M. on 8th of december i was born in the young family of a doctor and in those day a programmer. The first conscious memories - is a tiny rented flat in an old house.

Then after a few years we moved to the bigger flat which I still remember as most of the memories from my childhood are connected with that place. It was here that I went to the first class of school № 1543, and here in our family was born my younger brother, Anatoliy. And then the whole stage of my growing up was connected with this district.

School

I studied always good, was a diligent and hardworking. However, I had never put to studing all the time, I have always  tried to leave time for, in my point of view, more interesting activities. And because of that from the early childhood I was learning painting, skiing, gymnastics, dancing, swimming etc.

Parents

My parents are wonderful people. I always tell everyone that I grew up in a very good family. My mom is half jewish half romani. She has finished medical university and till then she's been working as a doctor. My father is half polish, half russian and he finished mathematical university.

Continuation of the story you'll find soon on this blog...