Too hot for studying

Two days ago, Ukraine became the hottest area in Europe. The thermometers showed up to 32 C in the shadow. Driving through the city in a car or more worse in a ”marshrutka” became terrible. The traffic jam makes the circumstances much more worse. Passengers “suffer” from the heat that makes one getting so tired.

Such a weather is so desirable in the cold winters. People are waiting for warm and hot summer days to spend them walking through a park or lying on the beach. For us students, this kind of weather is in a very unpropriate period of time. This is exactly the time of the last week of our first year of studying, which is one of the most important periods of time , because it includes many important final exams and research papers.

While studying and preparing for my last exams in this heat, I soon get tired and so, I often wish to be on the beach and to relax in the sun drinking a cold milk shake. But, I have to keep my imaginations away and to try not to be disturbed by them. For me, it is important to consider that after I will finish my first University year, which I hope to do well, I will be able to enjoy these hot summer days as I now imagine to do it.   

Love

Out in the nature, during our “fishing trip” this weekend, we talked a lot about many interesting things in life. It was partly almost a philosophical conversation that is very interesting to have at the circumstances of nature, river, forest, fireplace at night… (see the previous blog). One theme of our conversation was love. While we tried to explain what love actually means and what it is, I remembered one of Shakespear’s Sonnets that we have read and analyzed in the advanced English class at my previous school. It was the Sonnet 116 which gives an interesting definition of love:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come:

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

                                               William Shakespeare   

                                               (1564 – 1616)

Too hot for fishing

Last night I came back from fishing. It was the first time I have fished, or better to say have tried to.

On Friday, me and some of my friends went to the countryside near Kyiv in order to spend a great time out in the nature while fishing and barbecuing. One friend of mine new a good place to do that, but we did not get to it after we got lost at the dark night. So we decided just to find another place that was on our way. After a long trip, we finally have driven by a small field next to a river. There was a good place to build our tends on and it was near a river, so we all decided to stay there. It was probably one of the best places that we could find out there in the dark. The headlights helped a lot to build the tends and to make a fireplace. After all the preparation was done, we started to make a barbecue that was really great. I have seldom eaten such a good ”shashlik”. We also had music in the cars that helped to create a relaxed and nice atmosphere out in the nature at a dark night.

The next morning, after our breakfast, we started to fish. But all we catched was a small fish that was not even enough to make a fish soup. So, after trying to catch something for along time we gave it up, made another meat barbecue and swam in the still cold water. Probably it was not the right place for fishing, or it was too hot, or we just are bad fishers.

Anyway, we spend a great time out in the nature with nice people and I had a great time to relax and to get some new “power” and inspiration for my final week of the second semester.  

Congratulations to Serbia

Last week, on Saturday Mai the 12th was the final of the Euro-vision song contest in Helsinki (Finland).  24 European countries, including Ukraine, have reached the final that was won by Serbia.

 Basically, Euro-vision is a song contest, carried out ones a year, in that different groups or singers present their country. The nation of eachcountry decides which group or singer is going to the contest by voting for the best performer. This year, Verka Serdyuchka has presented Ukraine and unexpected reached the second place. Many Ukrainians criticized the decision to send Andriy Danilko, dressed as a woman (Verka Serdyuchka) to the Eurovisionand thought that other countries will not understand his style and the way of performance. According to many Ukrainian citizens, Serdyuchka is not the proper performer for Ukraine. “Her image and her style is interesting to our population, but strange to others.”

Anyway, the Ukrainian performer made a good job and was supported from many countries with high to reach the second place. The third place went to Russia.    

Celebrating the Great Victory

Today is the 9th Mai 2007. It is the Day of Victory of the Great Patriotic War. The whole nation and all the former Soviet Union countries celebrate the Victory of 1945. It is know the 62nd celebraition’s day of victory.

62 years ago, at this day, the Soviets forced the Nazi Germany to sign the capitulation. Thus, the long and horrible WWII finally came to its end. The war killed over 50 Million people and destroyed many nations. About 10 Million Ukrainians lost their lives fighting for their motherland and protecting against fascism. 

We must not forget the brave and heroic WWII participants who fought for peace and freedom. These people went through a enormous hard period of time; through a war! Today, for us it is not imaginable how it was to live under the circumstances during a war. We must appreciate and be thankful to live in peace. No words in a book and no scenes in movie can similarly depict the life during the World War II. We must be proud of these people who died for “us” and appreciate them. Unfortunately, the government is not able to give the veterans enough. The veterans do not get enough money and enough benefits, as for me. They deserve MUCH more.

Further, we must not forget the history of our nation. So it is important to keep celebrating today’s day and to think of the past. I am also glad that we have the “History Matters events”. They are important in order to learn or remember the so much important history that never must be forgotten!!!  

Snowing in Mai

How paradoxical is that? It is about zero degrees and yesterday morning I noticed that it snowed. Wow. It is a bit strange, because it is spring, Mai 4th. The weather is horrible and I do not feel like going somewhere out and leaving my apartment, which is also not very warm due to the cold heating and the old windows. The cold weather, rain, snow and the very cold wind makes one being tired and having a bad mood. Yesterday, going to University was terrible and it was much more terrible sitting in the very cold rooms and being dressed only in spring clothes. Thank God, it is warmer today  By contrast, in Germany, as I learned from my friends, there is already summer. People enjoy hot 25-30 degrees and a very nice whether.

As far as I always try to be optimistic, I can say that because of the bad weather I stayed at home and so, was able to do some assignments for next week. I also could sleep long, watch some movies and just relax. Now waiting for a better and warmer days I remember words from a Russian song: “The nature does not have bad weather, each type of weather must be appreciated”.  

How to finish well

Only one month has left until the second Semester will be over. In Mai we will have many exams, essays and presentations. To manage all them, one has to be organized.

First of all, one must be able to organize the time in order to do all the assignments and to do them well. Secondly, it is vital to know which results one wants to achieve. In other words, one must know where “one wants to go and finally where one wants to be”. Often it is not enough to be pushed by friends or parents to study well. It is much more important to study on the one initiative. Then, studying for exam, or preparing a research or a presentation needs time, patience and lots of concentration. Because of this fact I would not recommend to study while listening to music or watching TV. It is important to separate studying from resting which is also important. A mistake that is made often by many students consists of doing the exercises at the very last moment. For example, it will be never a very good paper if you write three or even more papers at the last day or maybe even at the last night. Again, one must organize the time and not begin to do the things when it is too late. Further, a very important aspect, as for me, is to try to have at least a little fun when doing assignments. I noticed that I always do a better job when an assignment is interesting to me. Therefore, I suggest to choose an interesting topic if you are able to do so. Finally, the most important thing is that you do not learn in order to get high grates, but you learn to get good knowledge! This aspect one always must consider, as far as you will need the theory, which is given to you in the University, in your later life (job).  

All in all, organize yourself, know what you want to achieve and understand that the knowledge is a very important tool  for the further life.

Preparing for vacations

The second Semester is almost over. “Only” one month has left and I can hardly wait untill finishing this semester well and then enjoying the deserved vecations. I probably will first go to Germany to visit my friends that I miss so much. There, I will have a great sommer time and do all the things that me and my friends like to do: That is playing poker untill the early morning while having interests conversations or laughing a lot. It is also camping next to a lake, having a fire place at night, playing guitar and singing old songs. From time to time we like to go clubbing at night or just “hanging around” and being together. 

Then, I want to go to the ocean, maybe to Krimea or to Monte Negro, with my parents. With my father I used to do wind sefing which is one of my favourite hobbies. After learning how to wind serf I realized that I have gotten to know a very fun activity. Enjoying the wind and the speed standing on the serf board is so special and very exciting to me. It is hardly possible to describe that feeling in words. Further, I like water skiing which also makes a lot of fun. And finally, if I will go to Monte Negro I will have the possibility to go out in the ocean on a boat and to go to some small island to have a picknick with my parents and their friends.

It would be great if the summer will be so as I imagine it to be. I hope to be able to do all the above mentioned things. I can hardly wait for it! 

Unstability in the Ukrainian Policy

In 2005 Ukraine went through a peacefull revolution that seemed to change the Ukrainian political system and to create a more democratic republic. Today, all people understand that the Orange Revolution did not bring what Millions of people standing in a harsh coldness have expected. Unfortunately, not much has changed and people were disapointed and even ”fooled”. The government became unstable again and it is not clear what will happen in the future.

 Because recently some actions of the Ukrainian Parliament were against the constitution the President of Ukraine, Viktor Juschchenko threatened to “fire” the members of the Parliament if they will keep acting against the laws of the Ukrainian constitution. After some days of considering, the President did what he threatened for. The members of the Parliament did not stop acting against the constitution and Juschchenko signed a paper to dismiss all members of the Parliament. But the Parliament did not act on this order and asked the constitutional court to consider the President’s order whether it is constitutional correct. Still today the court did not give it’s result.

Some politicians already prepare for the new elactions while other are convinced that there will be no elactions. The Ukrainian population is already tired and thinks that the new elactions will not change anything (as they did not in 2005) and that they are very costly. Ukraine’s budget is not able to give such a big amount of money that is needed for the new elactions. All in all, the country faces a political problem that is hard to solve and the head of Ukraine is loosing his authority. This situation creates again unstability in Ukrainian’s policy in a period of time when getting a stable policy is so much important.  

Bag again

After many assignments including research papers for different subjects and studieng for exam students could take some holidays to relax. I went home and visited my parents and the city where I was born. It is great to visit the old place, the place where one grew up. When I passed some places of my native town I remembered my childhood: the kindergarten, my first school, the house I lived when I was a lottle boy… For me it is important sometimes to go bag to Vinniza and to visit my old friends and especially my parents. We never must forget where we have came from.