Our studies

Normally we have three or four classes a day. We are taking phonetics, grammar, speech practice. In our phonetic classes we have a lot of pronunciation practice. We are trained to imitate native speakers. Those who have a good ear for sounds and intonation learn more quickly than others. Anyway it is rather a hard job which takes a lot of time and effort but it has to be done if you want to make progress. In our grammar classes we practice the use of various grammar patterns, comment on the use of tense forms. We do a lot of exercises, translation and grammar tests. In our speech practice classes we do all kinds of work. We talk on various situations, do vocabulary tests, answer the teacher`s questions, we read texts, discuss the texts, do exercises, translate sentences from Russian into English . Students sometimes complain that they are given too much homework but if you plan your day well you can manage it without much difficulty. I have problems with practice speech because I don`t understand sometimes that teacher says. Also I have difficulty in speaking orally because my vocabulary is very poor. Also I have problems with phonetics because I don`t have a good ear for sounds and intonation. I haven`t problems with Byelorussian language and History of Belarus because I have good memory for rules and dates. The other students in my group much better than I and I difficulty in keeping up with them. But I hope that will catch up with them. As far as other subject go the term is divided between theoretical and practical work: we have a few weeks of lectures followed by seminars. This term we are having lectures on linguistics and history. We are to take notes at the lectures. Those who miss a lecture usually copy up the notes if they wish to be successful at the exam. Twice a year in January and June we have our end-of-term exams.

Taking exams is a real trial. Many people don`t get through their exams or only manage to scrabe through them with a very low grade because they make two simple mistakes: they often choose the wrong questions to answer and they don`t plan their essays in sufficient detail. There are some a pieces of advice which I usually follow. When I get my exam paper I look through all the questions before I choose which ones I want to answer . I take down on a spare piece of paper any relevant ideas that come to mind. I think through what I want to say in my essay before I begin writing. This advice doesn`t guarantee that I will get through all my exams without difficulties at all but it will help me to avoid making major mistakes. I know when I will prepare for exams I will be burn the midnight oil, but I don`t learn parrot fashion because swotting is not the only way of getting ready for exams. I will prepare for exams with my friend because two heads are better than one. I don`t drink endless cups of tea or coffe although caffeine is stimulant it will eventually only make more tense and nervy I don`t use alcohol or other drugs to relieve stress. They create more problems than they solve.

For most of us are familiar long list of wedding traditions of throwing the bouquet and cutting the wedding cake to a pair of crumbling grain. We think that the wedding - not a wedding, if these traditions are not respected. However, many people have a unique wedding tradition that they cherish and pass down from generation to generation. Most wedding traditions come from ancient Rome and other cultures of antiquity. The white dress symbolizes the virginity not as many people think, and the joy and prosperity. The ancient Greeks and Catholics wore white robes holidays. They even painted on the day of the wedding ceremony, their bodies in white. For centuries, white was considered just one of the festive colors. Only in the mid-17th century, Queen Victoria, introduced in England and throughout Europe, the bride's wedding fashion wear only white, because Queen Victoria herself was wearing a white at his own wedding. According to another version, this mode has been introduced earlier Anne of Austria. Before her, the bride wore a pink wedding dress, but Anna came in white. It was so beautiful that all the ladies of high society in France, and subsequently in England, Spain and Portugal began to look to Anna. They were joined by the common people.That veil and wedding dress is not white, it means chastity. Therefore, it is believed that if a woman marries more than once, she should not wear a veil at the wedding ceremony.The tradition of exchanging wedding rings supposedly came up with the Egyptians. The round shape of the ring - an eternity, endless happiness and love between the spouses.