Important Relationships (Journal#14 )

I can’t say that I am in expert in relationship between parents and children in USA. I have been here for 2 months and I hadn’t chance to observe such kind of relationships. I know that my neighbors have three boys, but I have never met them outside, because the majority of their free time they spend in front of TV or computer. May be it is the result of hi-tech development and flourishing of home entertainment. On the other hand the reason of keeping children inside of house is parents’ anxiety for their children. Because a lot of dangers lie in wait for kids. All parents want to be sure that their child is in safe place and doesn’t experience negative influence. The best secure place for many people is their home. However parents can’t protect their child against all perils of outside world; they can’t accompany their kid all the time, twenty four hours a day. That’s why it is very important to teach and inform children how to behave themselves outside the house. Kids must know what is good and what is bad. They should feel responsibility for their actions and realize consequences of these actions. Some parents totally control their children’s every step; they try to protect their kids against making mistakes. But if children don’t make mistakes they suffer from the lack of life experience in future. Children should have failures and successes in their lives; they should learn to realize that life is not perfect and nobody is perfect. Through making mistakes kids know how to deal with this problem next time. The role of parents is to advice, not to order or command.

Amazing Place ( Journal#13 )

I came here from the small mountain country; mountains cover eighty percent of my country. But don’t think that I live on the one of Tian Chan’s peaks. I live in the Chu valley; it looks like a saucer with ranges of snowy mountains on its edge. There are six valleys and all of them are connected by the web of roads curving in the mountains. You can visit a lot of beautiful and amazing places there; unfortunately tourist sector isn’t highly developed in my country. So if you like hiking, “wild” way of life – without “five stars” hotels, and pure environment with astonishing natural see sights, my country is the best place for your vacations. Nonetheless, the pearl of Kyrgyzstan is Issyk – Kule Lake.

Issyk – Kule Lake is “lost” among the Tian Chan Mountains, it’s like an oasis in a desert, where traveler can find shelter and rest. The road runs along the shore and through a great number of villages and recreation centers. The boards with the names of guest houses constantly flash before the eyes - “Sun”, “Ray”, “Rahat”, “Golden Sand”….While visitors are looking for the place to settle, the cool and tender breeze from the lake blows into their faces and brings the smell of salt water. Vacationers as “ants” occupy every free “corner” on the shore. They enjoy warm and lulling rays of the sun, softness of the “golden” sand, purity of the gentle water, “music” of the waves and awesome view of the lake. Brightness of the blue lake blind the eyes and snowy peaks of mountains on the other lake’s side make this picture incredible.

She & He ( Journal#12 )

She and he were sitting on the bench. The yellow leaves fell to their feet. They were silent, only the man tried to say something from time to time. The woman was really upset, the sorrow and tears filled her eyes. She leaned the bench with her hand and her fingers tightened the edge of the board as she was trying to find power in it. She bowed her head and propped it up with her left arm. She was deep in her thoughts and only sudden tapping of her fingers on the face drew her back to the reality. Her straight hairs partly covered her face, but she didn’t tidy them because it was like a “wall” between her and him. Her cute features were distorted with sadness. Her lips were clasped as she didn’t want any word to come out of her mouth. Her slim and shapely body was bended under the mass of soul pain. In contrary the man changed his pose all the time. He was nervous; he shook his leg and tapped his fingers over the bench. He tried to look at her but he couldn’t; his glance wandered on the ground. The picture of his face expressed, that he was lost and he was trying to find right words. He nodded his head as he justified himself in his mind. They understood that it was the end of their affair.

Seasons ( Journal#11 )

One season changes another one, each year passes faster and faster with the time. I can’t say that I have favorite season, because every season has its charms. Spring is awakening of the nature, the snow melts, the buds swell on the trees, the birds come back from warm countries, the first flowers blossom, the air is very fresh and filled with the scent of “love”, and the sun pampers us with its first warm rays. Summer is associated with vacations and holidays. It is time of fresh vegetables and fruits. It is really hot outside as a result many people leave the town and move to the villages and dachas. Autumn is the gold season. The weather becomes cooler and rainy. Everything has bright yellow color around you - the grass and the trees. The leaves begin to fall down from trees and cover all roads, sidewalks and parks, so you can see the beautiful carpet under your feet. The smell of wet grass and soil fill the air. The last season is winter. Snowflakes whirl in the air and form white scene; the trees and houses are in snow hats, the road is like a skating rink, the air is freeze and biting, and the sun hides behind the clouds very often. People say:”There is no bad weather, there is bad mood”.

My sister ( Journal#10 )

There are many people around us all the time. Some of them are very important for us, the others are just people. But any people with whom we have closer relationships influence us in this or that way. Sometimes this influence can be positive, sometimes it is negative. As a result, we change our attitude towards different things and we change our understanding of the world as a whole. Only one person in my life has a great influence on me, it is my sister. We have ten years difference between us, but we can understand each other without words. I love her very much, she is really amazing person. She believes in people, she always tries to justify and understand people’s bad actions, like priest does. She is a very kind person; her constant readiness to help other people sometimes makes me really surprised. She is an extrovert, she can’t keep joy feelings inside of her soul, and she needs to share it with other people. At the same time she never pours out her anger or negative mood. Her sense of humor and support help me to go through difficult times in my live. Sometimes I ask myself:”How does she do it?” And I think I know the answer: “She is my angel on the earth”.

Do you believe in fate? ( Journal#9 )

Do you believe in fate? Some people say that a fortune of every person was predetermined when he/she was born. Sometimes we really can’t change a course of some events. They just happen in spite of our desires. I remember one girl; she tried to enter the same school three times. I told her:”This door is closed for you. You should try something else”. I think everybody experience the situation when they want to do something but because of some circumstances or events they can’t do it. Let’s take one more example: 11th September, many people died in this horrible day, however I knew one person he had to be in that building, but he had been late to his train. Was he lucky or it was a fortune? Some people can say it was not his time to die. May be? Anyway sometimes we can’t affect some events, but sometimes we have to choose. How many decisions do you make during the day, week, month or year? Tens, hundreds, thousands or millions… Some of them are very important, they can change your life and some of them are just daily routine. Even Adam had choice – to be mortal or to be immortal; and all of us know what his choice was. So our life is like a labyrinth with numerous doors. And it is up to you what door you will choose.

Tulip Revolution ( Journal#8 )

It was 24th March of 2005 year; it was the end of week, I was just exhausted because of exams and projects which I had during the week. I came home from the University. The weather was cloudy and it seemed that it would rain soon. I was so tired and sleepy. So without having dinner I just lay down on my bed and fell asleep at once. I thought I had slept only for one hour, when a loud sound of my telephone forced me to wake up and slipped down from the bed. I picked up the phone and whispered: “Hello”. It was my mother, her voice was nervous and she repeated several times the same question:”Are you OK?” Her question made me feel anxiety and I firmly answered:”Yes, I am OK”. The second question was more surprising:”Do you know what is happening on the Ala-Too Square?” I replied:”No”. Then my mother commanded:”Turn on your TV”. It took me some minutes to find a remote control under the piles of papers and books, which were everywhere in my room. At last I switched on my TV. All local channels broadcasted events from the “heart” of my capital. Opposition stormed White House and seized the power. It was Tulip Revolution.

Horrible Day ( Journal#7 )

It happened three years ago, but my memory still keeps the picture of that horrible day. It was the day of my grandmother’s funeral. It was the end of September; the weather was very sunny and warm, although it was unusual for this time of year. The air was filled with the smell of ripe apples, grapes, peaches and flowers, which grew on the back yard. There were a lot of people everywhere; some of them were my close relatives and other faces I met the first time in my life. I met my mother at the stairs of house, her face was very pale and distorted with sorrow. When I embraced her, I could feel her pain, which began to burn me inside. I couldn’t stand to be among people, that’s why I went to the back yard and seated down on the bench… I was thinking about my granny, a lot of memories came to my mind. I remembered that her clothes always smelled medicines, her skin was thin and I could see her veins, her face was covered by deep wrinkles, and she always smiled when I came to visit her. Somewhere in the depth of my heart, I understood that my granny gained the peace. Her death was a “release” for her, because she was completely paralyzed during 20 years, she couldn’t move at all. I hardly remember the rest of the day and I don’t want to remember it, because it makes me feel pain again, again and again.

The best age to get married ( Journal#6 )

What is the right time to get married? It is a good and very complicated question. It depends on a person, his/her goals and sometimes on circumstances. Some people dream of having successful career, others want to have family. Some people can just combine marriage and career. But sometimes people are still single because they haven’t met their second half.

There are different points of view what the right age is to get married. According to one of them, the best time is when you are under 20 years old. In this age, it is easier to make such important decision, because you are not experienced enough. You can’t even imagine with what difficulties, you are going to meet. You are not so fastidious to others’ habits. After 20 years old people become more and more scrupulous in choice of their husband/wife. They can see others’ imperfections and they can realize if they are able to stand these imperfections or they aren’t. On psychological point of view, you should be ready to do this step, it must be conscious action.

As for me, I think that we are pretty adult so if you have loved person and you want to marry him/her, so just do it.

New life ( Journal#5 )

My life has changed completely since I came here. During several first days it was difficult to get used to new water, climate and food. I don’t know how about others, but I had a lot of problems with my health. There were also some difficulties with getting accustomed to new way of life.

New people are around you, they speak foreign language all the time. You have to understand what they are talking about. Sometimes my brain gets very tired of translating from English to Russian and vice versa, I just “turn off my ears” and enjoy silence. Can you imagine? I haven’t spoken my native language for one month because I have no Russian speaking friends here.

I also want to say some words about transportation problems. There is only one bus per hour. It is horrible!!! If you miss it you will be late to the classes. I didn’t have such problems in my country; you can catch a bus whenever and whatever you want.

Now I live with my homestay mom, she is really nice, but as in every house there are certain rules and I have to follow them.

Anyway I like this country, my new friends, and everything what surrounds me now.

A Narrative ( Journal#4)

It was December morning, she even didn’t want to open her eyes and leave her warm bed. At least she gathered all her will and made every effort to get up. It was very cold in the room; the floor was like an ice. The cold ran through her body and she tried to dress as quickly as possible.

She remembered that it snowed yesterday. She approached the window and moved aside heavy velvet curtains. Everything was white like a clean sheet of paper. The sun was very bright and its “yellow” rays warmed her body a little bit. Suddenly some unjustified feeling of anxiety overflowed her heart. She didn’t realize the nature of this feeling, but she knew that something would happen today.

She spent 5 minutes in the bathroom and ran downstairs. She was not hungry and she decided to have her breakfast in the office. She didn’t drive in her car to the garage the day before, because there were some problems with door of the garage. The car was outside the whole night. She sat in her car and realized that it didn’t move at all. She screamed:” Oh my God! What has happened now?” She went out and began running around her car, but it didn’t help. She stood on her knees and looked under the car. The horrible picture appeared before her eyes. The car was frozen up to the road. The fury seized her body and mind. She pulled out her cell phone with shaking hands and called…

Cultural shock ( Journal#3 )

Free writing! I like this topic, let’s talk about stressful situations, which take place in lifetime of many international students, when they leave their countries, families, friends and move to another part of the world. Of course, they experience cultural shock.

Changes of climate, water, food, people, and culture influence your body and mind. You need time to get used to new life conditions, meanwhile your organism is in shock state. You are homesick, your mood changes all the time from happiness to sadness and vice versa, sometimes you are sleepy and depressed, etc.

If we look at this problem from biological point of view, we know, that all cells of human body renew during seven years. Don’t you think it’s a lot of time? When we change surrounding environment very fast, we force our organism to adapt to new conditions in ultimately short term of time. That’s why every cell of our body sends impulse to the brain, that it doesn’t feel comfortable. But people interpret these impulses as desire to return home. As a result we feel boredom.

There is also psychological side of this problem. We leave in our home countries everything that was important for us. We miss our friends, families, trifles which brought sense in our lives before. You are lucky if you have somebody in a foreign country. But if you don’t, in this case your social and personal connections with outside world depend on your ability to communicate with people.

Anyway be optimist, do your best to get used to new circumstances. And never forget, EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT!

Didion's quote ( Journal#2 )

Didion says that "we are brought up in the ethic that others...are by definition more interesting than ourselves." And Ellis stated that "we don't like writing diaries because we don't think our life is important enough."

My understanding of these statements is that some people have boundless imagination; they can create amazing ideas and plots for the wonderful books, which could be best sellers. Nonetheless they think that their thoughts and internal world are not interesting to others, because most of us have a lot of things in our heads. But not everyone has talent to write a book.

Almost everyday people do the same things. Let’s take, as an example, the life of an ordinary working man. From Monday till Friday he gets up early in the morning, takes a shower, has breakfast and goes to work. After work he goes back home, has dinner, watches TV and etc. May be he has hobbies or he participates in different kind of clubs. Anyway it sounds like a routine. All of us encounter with such situations in our lives. In connection with this we begin to consider that our lives are not interesting and important than somebody else’s life. Don’t forget that all people are different; everyone has unique way of understanding and attitude towards the same things, events or something else.

Some people can be delighted by looking at the sunset, listening to the stir of leaves or smelling a rose. For others it doesn’t make sense, they don’t think anything towards such trifles. But our lives consist of a great number of trifles. That why we should realize, that every moment of lifetime is very meaningful and it will never repeat again.

In order to remember “these little things” people can keep a diary or write a book. May be there are a lot of talented writers around us but they hide their gifts behind the fear that their lives are not as significant as others’ ones. They have to be brave and start to develop as writers. The future will show who is right and who is wrong.

What is writing for me ? ( Journal#1 )

When I think about writing only one question comes to my mind. Why do people write? They do it for pleasure or they have to do it just because it is a required part of their job, study or personal life. As for me I have only two reasons which force me to write.

The first one is duty. Basically it is connected with educational process. Sometimes you don’t want to work on an essay or research paper, especially when the topic doesn’t inspire you at all. But you must do it in order to be academically successful.

The second cause is internal personal necessity. Life is a wonderful thing and many events take place in our lifetime. Sometimes your soul overflows with feelings, hopes, emotions and thoughts, which your desire to share with somebody, but you can’t. Because you haven’t such person or you realize that this treasure is important for you, but it doesn’t make sense to anybody else.

In this case I keep a diary in which I can express all my concerns, plans and thoughts. Actually it is not difficult to write a diary, you just put on paper everything you have in mind, soul and heart. Relax and enjoy yourself. As a result your ideas and thoughts are more organized. Your internal world is more stable.