Francaie (language)

Pace by pace I am getting ready for my one term exchange in France. And by that I mean not only getting in touch with AUDENCIA, the university in Nantes, France where I am studying next semester. This also means I am looking for a host family where to stay. Yes, there are no dormitories for international students so everyone is supposed to live in a native family. Cool beans!! What else can I tell since it is the best way to explore French culture, cuisine and to get further knowledge in my French language? The program at the university will be in English (that was my very first prerequisite to have it considered) but we are supposed to take classes in French as a foreign language. Living with a family will help get ginormous! :-)

As some of you know me personally, I don’t like it to be unprepared. This is the reason to start taking French classes here in Bulgaria. Yesterday was actually my last lesson and we had an exam – both oral and written – and I passed them well. So I can brag I covered the first half of the very beginning level successfully. At first we had a Bulgarian teacher who however was absent for the very last week so there was a native French grandma (she is really old, but she is native after all!) to finish the course. This language is freaking difficult to understand when listening it – that said, I confess I failed at the listening comprehension part of the test. It is easy to understand when written, at least for me, because everything is so similar to English. The grammar is a bit more difficult but it is nothing in comparison to the German. I studied German at school as a second foreign language and then continued with it as a private student and then my brother paid for me to go to Germany for a summer school for a month. So after all these years of studies, I cannot tell I know it as I would like but I can simply find my way, ask for prices, directions, weather what so ever and use 4 different tenses in German.

Now in French I can simply somehow introduce myself, ask for directions and time and know 3 different simple tenses which however I am not very sure how much I can use. But listening, oh my, French are from another planet for me when they start talking. Anyway, I am not very pleased with my teachers a t the French Institute in Bulgaria and I would either go on with another private teacher or will just forget about it for the next 4 – 5 months.

But now, now I feel so relieved mentally. Really! French classes must have been a great burden for me, even if I had not realized it before! Or I guess since the teacher did not have any pedagogical method or a slight hint of it (trust me, I studied English Philology (Language, Literature and Pedagogy) and practiced as a teacher fro two years) she was absolutely unable to kindle any interest to the language in me. As I talked to the rest of the group it was the same with them too. I am not bragging but heck the groups I was teaching always insisted on me teaching them the next level and even signed a petition to give to the director of the school to keep ME for the next level. That said, all the group grumbled against our teacher and those who subscribed for the next level hoped she would not be teaching them. Now do you get the difference ..??

More Fancy Blog's Name....

It is a fact!

I was under the shower last night when it struck me out of the blue that I need a better name, than the previous, of my blog. Actually, I have been thinking of this for a while now but it was last night that the actual name struck me! I tried to remember it (I am very forgetful since I have so many things to think at once) and today I looked how to change it manually.

It is a fact now!

I am content with the new alternation but that does not mean that I put a full stop. I do not promise either to change the blog\'s name again. I am simply making an assumption that I might change it again sooner or later - I like change (especially, or only, when I am satisfied with it). Call me mean.....

My Game for Today

 

I think this is one of the two only pictures we are both in. you know we take turns shooting each other and it does not cross our mind to ask others. In Switzerland I bought a frame because I wanted to make a present picture of us both to my sweetie. The exposure on the background was really strong and I think this is the most smoothest way to make it less saturated.

Now I am heading to the store to have it printed!

Hope he will like it! If not, better teach me how to do it!

Necessary Clarification on ERASMUS Grant

This is it! I have always been postponing sharing my thoughts around my grant in France with you because I have been afraid they might not sound honest or just be justificatory. At the same time I did not want to go on with any other post before making it clear to me and to anyone reading it I was awarded ERASMUS grant by а completely unbiased committee. Yes, ERASMUS turned out to be a big crumb for most of my “friends”. They could not face the fact that I was selected rather than someone else. You might think that I exaggerate but trust me I have been pondering over it ever since it happened! Most of my friends shared with me there were more vacant positions than applicants!! On the contrary, I would like to state it here that this is the case with the Bachelor students – they had 65 something places to choose from all around Europe – Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Italy and not only a place or a city. DOCH! (as Germans would say) – Plenty of opportunities! And not enough applicants as it became clear because the committee pleaded all the other students to submit their documents even once the deadline had passed. Simply put, there were more open positions than candidates!

Master’s students – like me, however, had two places in a single French university and that was it! No matter are MBA students let’s say 200 of whom only 50 are eligible for this competition and let’s presume half of them submitted their documents, it is still a very very small percentage of vacant positions (only two – one, two) in contrast to the Bachelors. So in a nutshell, around 12 people struggled for one place. As all the other students I submitted my documents and was lovely surprised to see my name on the list! No cheating, no persuasion over the electing committee (as some suggested), no relative connections with anyone part of the commission as others guessed foolishly. Just a lot of dawn-to-dusk work and a bit of luck. This is it!!

It might sound like a foolish idea to someone that I have not posted anything between the last post and this but I really want to state firmly this is a result of strong endeavors from myself in all the two years of study. I really appreciate I was given this opportunity and hopefully will be enjoying it completely in less than 6 months!

Erasmus + Me = FRANCE!! YaY!!

As most of you already know from facebook, last night I found to be a reward owner! WoW!

I had no idea the results had come out, I strongly believed they were made known at the end of the term.

I was wrong!!(I like it when I err in situations like these! :-)

Together with one more girl, we are leaving to France on one semester student exchange program called ERASMUS, named after the great Dutch Renaissance humanist! This is a student mobility program funded by the European Union!

We are around 200 students in all Masters' programs and only two places are available. Of course, a great number of these 200 students cannot apply because high grades are required. Others, simply show no interest. And still others, are like me - well even if we presume that 15 people fought- I still believe this was a serious number for two seats only!

Those who are in Bachelor degree have 67 places to choose from available in France, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Greece to name a few. Whereas we as Master's are allowed to "chose" from one single option only. Sadly, but true! Not that I regret about France, don't get me wrong, but I preferred Amsterdam where my brother lives. Unfortunately, despite my written expressed desire (and a slight reproach to the administration!) to the University of Amsterdam, they said there was no chance for me to go there!

Let's look from the bright side, I have never ever been to the Atlantic Ocean coast and now they offer me to live there for 5 months! That is just glamorous! I hardly slept last night out of excitement! Better rest some more tonight because I have an exam tomorrow!

25 Hours Day

It is Palm Sunday!! In Bulgaria we call it Tsvetnitsa or Vrubnitsa (Цветница или Връбница). It is a the most beautiful (for me) spring holiday and it is always one week before Easter!! I went to church this morning to take small sanctified willow branches, made it on a wreath and put it on my front door! This is the way things are done according to the Eastern Orthodox church canons.

The weather, however, is not flowery and birdie - like today. Instead it is rainy but it was sunny and warm yesterday, so I think it counts ;-). After all it is March and you can expect every kind of weather from Baba Marta (Баба Марта) as we call this month here in Bulgaria.

Furthermore, today the day is 25 hours long since we are putting watches one hour ahead according to the summer time! YAY! I am so excited cause it happened - I have always been lamenting for having more time and the way I can extend my 24 hour day. Now it happens! And I have to admit I am taking no advantage of it! And I know I have to. I have so much to study (my exams start right after Easter! :-( - hey I stopped studying for exams 3 weeks ago and now exams are right behind the corner again!! whew!!)

And I hope once my exams are over (they are expected to be only 6 more till the end of June)I promise to be more diligent here. After all there are many differences between Americans and Bulgarians it might be interesting for you to read about but for the time being I am running out of time again!!

spotlights from the last month and a few

Uuhuuu!! It is getting warmer and warmer and as per the forecast we can expect really spring time till the end of the week!

And I am here and I am alive! I hardly survived it but did! I was soooooo occupied with school and work that hardly got some hours of sleep! My grandfather died in the middle of my exams on the top of everything so euphemistically I was a wreck!! It is my first close relative that dies during my conscious life so I was very...perplexed, to put it mildly!

Besides all the misfortunes, I mentioned some, others better keep for myself, I performed excellently at school - still dunno how I have made it! Out of four grades - I got 3 sixes (As) and one five (B).

And now I am in my last semester, my last pains. It promises to be more challenging that the first one, though! Ouch!

But still - I am very content with the grades - are they high enough for an Ivy Leagues school?

Snapshot of January - I half

Happy and Full of Fulfilled Dreams New Year, Everybody!!

By the time I have been navigating between time and worthy topics for the blog, January made off. How????

I checked my friend Kay's blog secretly hoping it was not only me staying mute but was down to see her being several posts ahead for the first month of the New Year.

Well, since I have been living on deadlines from Saturday to Thursday and from Thursday to Saturday, I decided to do with an account of the whole past month, still better I believe than skipping it all. Conclusions I leave to you!

Let's start with the very first day – the New Year's Eve.
I was already in Sofia, having some plans arranged with N., an old friend and schoolmate of mine. Having no plans in mind furthermore Andrew had been back in the States for several weeks then, it was pretty much just gloomy part of the year I had to endure somehow. Well in the very last moment things were improvised and got a happy and friendly party with a bunch of other amiable people none of whom I did know in advance but all of whom were a great company. We went to the main square in the city to watch Goran Bregovic and his band playing while the whole mass of people and us incl of course were dancing or simply humming at his underground rhythms! Very Good start of the New Year, I thought!

The day after that I was submerged in academic atmosphere again! The first deadline came sooner than I thought. Three colleagues and me had to prepare a final project by the first Saturday after the winter holiday and since none of us spared a thought on it during Christmas time we had only several days now to finish everything. It was so long and difficult that we stayed several times after lectures to discuss and one of the evenings we stayed up pretty late only to find ourselves trapped in the faculty.

On Jan 13 I had a presentation on Strategic Human Resources Management in front of the group! That went good but only three days later I found myself sitting at a test in Organizational Behavior.
Several hours later I was sitting at the bus leading me to my sweetheart! YEP! It was time for him to come back to Bulgaria. I love arrivals at the airport – there is something so exciting surprise-ripe and tension bound in this little moment! It takes a second for the person to hop out of the sliding doors on our airport but I could spend hours in anticipation. While I was waiting I decided to spend my time mindfully so took a Sudoku puzzle out of my purse. I am crazy about Sudoku and always have a book of it in my purse. In order not to miss the passenger I was waiting for, I scribbled his name on a sheet of paper. There were a number of small kids from a Warsaw flight to come out first though who were jumping at my sheet to notice what it is written there – had a lot of fun!! Finally he came out too bringing as it became know later a kilo of peanut butter jar, a kilo of peanut butter cups, half a kilo of peanut butter chips and a package of minty Ghirardelli – yummy tummy!!!!

This same week I had been going to facial massages on the top of everything. So my day started at 6:30 am and lasted till I lost energy – facial rehabilitation, work, lectures, preparing for the exam – I went out at dark and came back at dark! It was a depressing period!

So that was the first half of my month. After keeping up that pace for almost a year I would have liked to learn how to overcome all the day tasks with ease. Unfortunately, I feel very exhausted all the time which prompts me I still have not mastered this. Sigh!