The first snow arrived today, which can only mean one thing - NO MORE MOSQUITOES. Though I say that, I bet I'll now get bitten by some super mosquito with huge jaws that will come to me at night as I sleep, like a Spiderman villain. Well, that's my insomnia for the week established...
I warn you this is going to be a self indulgent post from here on, but hopefully it'll be an insight. I feel somehow compelled to write about it in a 21st Century "iGeneration" narcissistic kind of way, so I hope you will allow me this. A lot of you reading this may not have had the experience of a year abroad, yet an equal proportion may be considering taking one. I want to talk about my experiences in this post. I apologise if this is self centred, but I think a year abroad is actually a rather selfish thing to do - and a very good one at that. Who says it's bad to be selfish?! I am sure I speak for a lot of people in this post - the contributors to thirdyearabroad.com would substantiate this claim.
By all means go and make a cup of tea and put the telly on until I've finished, I won't be a minute.
I've been doing lots of thinking lately about how much this year abroad has helped me develop. I think I have grown exponentially as a person. I've found a confidence and inner peace I didn't know I could achieve and I am sure it is due to my being in St Petersburg, rather than the fact I am 21 in 3 months.
(Actually, what is WITH that?! I'll be OLD)
If the truth be told, I'm feeling my age a bit these days.
There is a fantastic word in Russian which means "young lady" - devushka - which I think sums up where I am in my life right now. I am not a child, I am not a zhenshina (mature woman), I am a devushka. I feel like the world is my oyster now that I have come this far and still have a long way to go - I still know nothing about the world, really, but I have more of a clue than I did before. But I can look back now and safely say that gone are the days of the shy girl who hadn't quite waved goodbye to her teenage years and was unsure how to conduct herself as a 20 year old woman. I was 20, for sure, but I didn't know how to act it. Mother Russia has taught me this much. She has taught me that I actually look and feel better with a bit of war paint on in the morning and that effort is always worth it. I have learned bravery and courage from her in the face of emotional turmoil.
I have discovered that a scarf is enough to change any outfit from drab to interesting and am hoping to pass "Scarf wearing for Anglichanki - Beginners" with flying colours before I leave (I have 2 very stylish Russian teachers, they put my scruffy student garb to shame).
I have made a life for myself in a foreign country, with a culture that is incredibly alien to that in which I was brought up. I have routine, a social circle, a local supermarket and personal favourite spots in the city. I make weekend plans. I have embraced my circumstances and grabbed the bull by the horns. I've become a regular at the local Stolovaya, where the staff and I are pretty much on first name terms and they know my daily preferred lunch order (mushroom soup and a samosa, pozhalusta). I've learned a sense of propriety - when to keep my mouth shut and when to open it. I've learned that outward appearances are no reflection of a person's inward self - remember the post about smiling? Yeah, that. I have developed a sense of responsibility - to myself and to others. I have learned values of respect - for myself and for others, culturally and personally. Most importantly, I have learned the value of all relationships - familial, social, personal and cultural.
I strongly believe that I will return from this first part of my year abroad a changed person - and a person changed for the better at that. If these first 9 weeks of my year are anything to go by, this will be one of the best years of my life, as well as one of the most challenging. I am looking forward to the rest of what it has to throw at me - I've been practising my catching skills ;)
(To my old school friends: Yes I know, SERIOUS practise needed right there!)
Again apologies for my self indulgence right there, but hey, it's a Friday!
In other news, I have become completely obsessed with Georgian food and flatbread. SOMEONE in England, please start making it as freshly and deliciously as the Russians! OH MY GOODNESS. Actually, all of English bread is of inferior quality to Russian/Azerbaijani/Georgian. I shall have to start making my own.
I warn you this is going to be a self indulgent post from here on, but hopefully it'll be an insight. I feel somehow compelled to write about it in a 21st Century "iGeneration" narcissistic kind of way, so I hope you will allow me this. A lot of you reading this may not have had the experience of a year abroad, yet an equal proportion may be considering taking one. I want to talk about my experiences in this post. I apologise if this is self centred, but I think a year abroad is actually a rather selfish thing to do - and a very good one at that. Who says it's bad to be selfish?! I am sure I speak for a lot of people in this post - the contributors to thirdyearabroad.com would substantiate this claim.
By all means go and make a cup of tea and put the telly on until I've finished, I won't be a minute.
I've been doing lots of thinking lately about how much this year abroad has helped me develop. I think I have grown exponentially as a person. I've found a confidence and inner peace I didn't know I could achieve and I am sure it is due to my being in St Petersburg, rather than the fact I am 21 in 3 months.
(Actually, what is WITH that?! I'll be OLD)
If the truth be told, I'm feeling my age a bit these days.
There is a fantastic word in Russian which means "young lady" - devushka - which I think sums up where I am in my life right now. I am not a child, I am not a zhenshina (mature woman), I am a devushka. I feel like the world is my oyster now that I have come this far and still have a long way to go - I still know nothing about the world, really, but I have more of a clue than I did before. But I can look back now and safely say that gone are the days of the shy girl who hadn't quite waved goodbye to her teenage years and was unsure how to conduct herself as a 20 year old woman. I was 20, for sure, but I didn't know how to act it. Mother Russia has taught me this much. She has taught me that I actually look and feel better with a bit of war paint on in the morning and that effort is always worth it. I have learned bravery and courage from her in the face of emotional turmoil.
I have discovered that a scarf is enough to change any outfit from drab to interesting and am hoping to pass "Scarf wearing for Anglichanki - Beginners" with flying colours before I leave (I have 2 very stylish Russian teachers, they put my scruffy student garb to shame).
I have made a life for myself in a foreign country, with a culture that is incredibly alien to that in which I was brought up. I have routine, a social circle, a local supermarket and personal favourite spots in the city. I make weekend plans. I have embraced my circumstances and grabbed the bull by the horns. I've become a regular at the local Stolovaya, where the staff and I are pretty much on first name terms and they know my daily preferred lunch order (mushroom soup and a samosa, pozhalusta). I've learned a sense of propriety - when to keep my mouth shut and when to open it. I've learned that outward appearances are no reflection of a person's inward self - remember the post about smiling? Yeah, that. I have developed a sense of responsibility - to myself and to others. I have learned values of respect - for myself and for others, culturally and personally. Most importantly, I have learned the value of all relationships - familial, social, personal and cultural.
I strongly believe that I will return from this first part of my year abroad a changed person - and a person changed for the better at that. If these first 9 weeks of my year are anything to go by, this will be one of the best years of my life, as well as one of the most challenging. I am looking forward to the rest of what it has to throw at me - I've been practising my catching skills ;)
(To my old school friends: Yes I know, SERIOUS practise needed right there!)
Again apologies for my self indulgence right there, but hey, it's a Friday!
In other news, I have become completely obsessed with Georgian food and flatbread. SOMEONE in England, please start making it as freshly and deliciously as the Russians! OH MY GOODNESS. Actually, all of English bread is of inferior quality to Russian/Azerbaijani/Georgian. I shall have to start making my own.
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