I’m also taking my Russian ten times more seriously than before. (If you don’t count four hours a day of self-study during the summer as ‘serious.’) At least at the university I had a proper classroom and language club. But, I suppose you can’t learn everything in a classroom, and that is precisely why I will be moving to Moscow very soon.
I think it’s the first thing I’ve ever been completely sure of in my entire life. I’m an international business major stationed out of Little Rock, AR, but attending school in Fayetteville, AR. To be completely upfront, in the beginning, I wasn’t sure about Arkansas, and I wasn’t sure about my own bachelor’s degree. And even though it all worked out perfectly in the end, I never was 100% positive on the front side. But I’m completely sure about Russia. It’s just the right move.
Now, being completely sure about something doesn’t mean you’re completely fearless about it. Don’t get me wrong. I’m scared. In a good way, I think though. I’m not scared about the people or the country or culture. I’m just more anxious about finding new friends and that new coffee shop or that new study nook. It’s like moving to a new school all over again. And, in reality, that’s all it really is. Which, in retrospect, I suppose, if these are my only fears, I’m doing quite well.
My family and friends, on the other hand, are afraid for Ukraine and the fact that I have to filter or boil all my tap water or how I’ll navigate in a new place with a different language. It’s not like I’m moving to the United Kingdom, I suppose.
But, at the end of the day, it’s a new school. And if the past is a foreteller for our futures, then I’ll do fine. I’ve always done fine at new schools. You’ve just got to take it day by day. Until then, I have 34 days left in America.
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Read more from Natali at https://russiaweekly.wordpress.com/
To find out more about the CIEE Business and International Relations in Moscow, Russia program, check out http://www.ciee.org/study-abroad/russia/moscow/business-international-relations/
