Our Final Date

Despite the blizzard* that is going on outside, today Anastasia and I met for our last date, which got pretty emotional.

Okay it was not emotional in any conceivable way, but I thought that might add a little spice to the blog post, considering it was a very average conversation partner meeting.

Most of the hour was spent by Anastasia asking me questions about American culture, society, norms, teenagers, rules, etc. I explained what my Christmas and New Years traditions are and how much family time is spent during Christmas break. Anastasia had previously mentioned how holidays are spent more with friends in Russia, so the whole family-centered idea of the holidays is still a little funky to her.

We also joked a lot about how wimpy we are here in Texas when it comes to winter weather. The current weather is a warm fall morning back in Russia, but here we are canceling classes, shutting down businesses, and fearing for our lives when simply walking on the sidewalk.

Despite my rocky start with the IEP program (still not bitter against Mull...), I throughly enjoyed my time with Anastasia. It fascinated me to hear about life in Russia and even the subtle differences between our two countries. So many customs and traditions we consider normal and expected could easily be viewed as strange, even pointless, to those from other countries and cultures.

Answering Anastasia's questions about growing up and living in the US made me reflect on what I have always considered so normal. I gained an outside perspective and was able to look at these habits, expectations, and social norms like never before. And what did I surmise? We're a weird culture.

I asked her again the question I asked when we first met: are you going to stay in the United States? Her response, however, had not changed. She still has no idea what she wants to do with her life, much less where she wants to do it.

At the end of our meeting, we said goodbye and wished each other well. Though I wish I could tell you some heart-wrenching story or last-minute confession, it was a terribly standard goodbye. Who knows, maybe we'll keep in touch?

More the goodbye I was looking for

*In Texas, the term blizzard applies to weather that's extremely cold (30s) and has the ever-so-slightest chance of precipitation.

True Life: Twitter Is My Diary

I am a big fan of Twitter. It's all been within the past year, but I've developed some series feelings for the social media website.

Let me explain, though. I don't post emotional junk or little updates about my life that no one wants to hear (i.e. Pizza for dinner!). I think sub-tweeting is hilarious because the sub-tweeter always looks dumb, so I don't partake in that practice either. Instead, I tweet almost any funny little thought that pops into my head. Well, I think they're funny.

Me as I read my own tweets

The point is Twitter has become an outlet for my thoughts the way many people use diaries or journals. Though, unlike the traditional forms of recording your thoughts, Twitter is convenient and doesn't require much commitment.

I tried countless times to start a diary and have always given up within a month at the most. If I can't write in it every day, I feel like I'm failing. Then I grow frustrated (there's no way I have time to write in a diary every day) and just quit.

Regardless, Twitter and I have been together for over a year, so safe to say things are getting pretty serious. I have realized only recently how beneficial Twitter can be. I'm going to share a few of these realizations with you.

1. I have learned how to write comedy. Granted, it's very short comedy, composed of 140 characters or less, but nevertheless I have had to adapt my thoughts into tweets that others will find humorous. 
2. I have learned how to appreciate different types of humor. I follow many random, unknown comedians on Twitter, along with my friends. I have grown to enjoy the vast array of comedy styles that are shared. Some are weirder than others, but all are valid senses of humor.
3. I have learned that a little laughter can turn my day around. When I'm having a particularly stressful day, I can scroll through my Twitter feed and after a few funny tweets, I'm already feeling better. This is fast, simple way to improve my mood and find some quick comedy.

These are just a few things I've learned from Twitter. These benefits are only gained when you use this site to share funny tidbits, not every aspect of your life or your deepest, darkest feelings. No one wants to be the over-sharer on social media. You've been warned.

Our Fourth Date

Anastasia and I have really been clicking lately.

We talked about her hometown, Kaliningrad, for the vast majority of our meeting today. She introduced it as the "Alaska of Russia," meaning that it is separated from the rest of the country. Anastasia goes back to mother Russia about 2-3 times a year, as it requires a 2-hour plane ride or an all-day train ride from Kaliningrad.

Mostly destroyed in World War II, Kaliningrad is currently more than 700 years old. Despite the destruction of many buildings, it has a rich history riddled with conflict. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I am fascinated by cities with such a long, deep history, something we lack in the majority of the United States.

The Cathedral of Konigsberg is the most visited and meaningful attraction in Kaliningrad. The city's most famous resident is the philosopher Immanuel Kant. He is buried in Kaliningrad and many travel to his tomb every year.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Anastasia's hometown and Texas is the weather. Yes, Americans envision every part of Russia as Siberia and a constant blizzard, but there happens to be some truth in that. Because Kaliningrad is positioned on the sea, it is the recipient of a great amount of precipitation every year, paired with freezing temperatures.

An average day in Kaliningrad

She asked me about my hometown, Dallas, and I described the differences between it and Fort Worth, which was more difficult than I anticipated. You really just have to experience the vibes of the two cities to understand it. 

All in all, this date was an enlightening one. I got to learn so much about her city and hopefully she learned about mine. I'm excited to see what our next meeting has in store!

PS. She made fun of us for freaking out about the possibility of sleet...which I guess is fair if I think about it...

Our Third Date

You know what the third date means...well for Anastasia and me it meant talking about the differences in holidays and drinking laws.

One of the main differences between holidays in America and Russia is with whom you spend them. The majority American holidays are centered around family time, when many generations come together to spend the day together. In Russia, on the other hand, Anastasia rarely spent the days with her parents but rather her friends. In her words, "holidays in Russia are just excuses to drink."

That led us to discuss American holidays such as Halloween and July 4th. While they are celebrated for a reason, many simply use these holidays as a reason to throw parties. Maybe we are more similar to Russia than we thought?

Anastasia then brought up the debate over the drinking age in the US. She had done some research on it and the United States is one of only three or four countries that have 21 as their drinking age. She also thought it was very funny that Americans' 21st birthdays are celebrated so greatly because they've most likely been drinking for years at that point, so it's really nothing new. I had never thought about that aspect of a 21st birthday. It is meant to celebrate the ability to do something you've never done; though at this point, it's being able to do it legally.

The last topic we discussed was the difference in ages of cities in Russia and America. I mentioned the bicentennial and she countered with the fact that Kaliningrad is over 700 years old, so she won that one.

It must be amazing to live in a city, country even, with such a rich and long history. Even visiting New York astounds me - every place there used to be something else. Here we so easily throw out the old in favor of new, shiny, state-of-the-art buildings. It must be simply awesome to live in a place where history surrounds you at all times.

Well, the moral of our conversation today was: Thanksgiving is a great holiday, readily adopted by the foreign exchange students. Who doesn't love a day off to just eat? So to my millions of blog readers, happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Working on all of my papers and projects

Whining and Dining

We're here. The time has come. We have entered the last few weeks before Thanksgiving. And what does that mean? It means it is time for every teacher to suddenly remember they need more grades on eCollege and assign additional papers, projects, presentations, and exams.

But what does it really mean? It really means that every man, woman, and child who steps foot onto a college campus feels the prerogative to complain about the amount of work they have to do. And no one will understand what they're going through.

Approximately every student's reaction to their to-do list

I must admit, I have participated in this competition to see who has the most work to do. (I would also like to point out that I have been winning. This means that when I tell people all of my assignments due, they shut up about their workload.) I have even called friends at other schools to vent to them about my 5 papers, 3 exams, and 2 projects all due before the salvation that is Thanksgiving.

We have heard our entire lives that we shouldn't complain, that there are people far worse off. I agree with the latter. When I complain, I'm not proposing that my life is the worst possible situation on the face of this earth. However, I think it is healthy to complain, at least for a little.

Humans have a natural desire to connect with others and share experiences. Unfortunately, the majority of our experiences during these three weeks of our lives revolves around the library. So isn't it only natural to share that with others? It takes a little bit of the load off when someone else knows what you are going through and can relate.

Complaining allows us to let off some steam, rant about our professors (or our procrastination habits), and then move past the anger/frustration and get to work. If we kept all of that inside, we would simply spontaneously combust.*

So, yes, I have learned many things this semester. I have learned about Aristotle's views on humor, acute glomerulonephritis, analytical essays in Spanish, the symbolism of an egg in the Japanese film Tampopo, and how to assess the environment of a learner. Your tuition dollars are well-spent, Mom. But I have also learned that it's okay to complain. It's alright to let a little frustration and panic out to your friends (or random people if your friends are tired of hearing it).

In the end, you will get everything done. You will make it to Thanksgiving. And you will get to come back and take all your finals.

 You deserve a little pity, college student, so go out there and get it.

*This is just a theory of spontaneous human combustion that has yet to be scientifically proven.

What's Funny? My Schedule Next Semester

My latest uncontrollable fit of laughter occurred yesterday when I got my schedule for next semester. This was not a completely joyous fit of laughter, however.

We are randomly assigned our classes and I actually could not have been given a worse schedule. Here it is so you can understand the gravity of the situation:

Monday: 6:30am - 12:50pm
Tuesday: 8:00am - 10:50am, 3:00pm - 7:50pm
Wednesday: 2:00pm - 4:50pm
Thursday: 8:00am - 1:50pm
Friday: 6:30am - 12:50pm

Let me emphasize, as well, how I hate mornings.

As soon as my friends and I saw my schedule, we all just started laughing uncontrollably. I had discussed with them the worst possible scenarios for my schedule, and none of them were as bad as the schedule that unfolded in front of us.

A few reasons this schedule is so tragic:

1. Unlike the majority of TCU nursing students, I have to be at lab or clinical at 6:30 am two times a week, rather than one.
2. I cannot do anything on Thursday nights because I have to wake up at 5:30 the following morning.
3. I am taking 18 hours, but I will in fact be in class for over 25 hours per week.

The laughing, which I believe was an attempt to make this unfortunate situation more bearable, led on to tangents of other educational horror stories. As fits of laughter tend to do, this snowballed into who-knows-what.

As this fit continued, it slowly morphed into an impending sense of doom. I don't think my friends even noticed by gradual change in tone, but it went from (literal) tears of laughter to (metaphorical) tears of distress.

Kristen Bell gets me

This laughter, at least temporarily, diffused a stressful situation. I have begun to notice more and more often how important it is to have a good sense of humor, particularly during trying times.

Example: One of my life-long friend's fathers passed away this summer. We were all talking after the funeral and were trying to keep the topics light, but didn't want to offend her by making jokes. A man also attending the funeral fainted from the heat, and, surprisingly, my friend looks at us and says, "Geez, this is my dad's funeral, why is he stealing his thunder?" This simple joke changed the mood of the day and reminded us that there is still joy in the world, despite the the difficult day at hand.

While my situation obviously in no way compares to my friend's this summer, it shows again that laughter is a great medicine (real medicine may be better, though). Not only does it release endorphins, which are proven to make you feel better, but it brings you together with those around you.

I continue to laugh at my schedule for next semester, or else I just might cry.