My weekend

Some people come to think that weekend is some kind of a reward for a long exhausting week, so they work very hard during the week to gain a good holiday at the end of the week. “He, who knows how to work, knows how to rest” – people say. And the saying is quite believable. Very many people I know very well at both working and resting, but not all like that. Some of them can be very industrious at work, but not really inventive about their rest and relaxation. Well, some people may just be the opposite. In my view relaxing is as important as work. I mean, who would have enough strength and even willing to labour if he knows that he neither had nor will have some rest at the end of the week.

So, let me introduce my typical weekend.

The first one. After four classes I have here at the University every Saturday I grab my bag and run home. If I am not invited anywhere and no friends are coming along I just spend my time listening to music and reading different books or doing something with my computer. If I am in the proper mood I drink beer and watch film. But, to be honest with you, the “proper mood” comes very seldom. There is one truly good thing about Sunday. Most of the time I get a really good sleep. As I am an owl and it’s vital for me to get a good sleep in the morning, I get up at quite a late hour, when most people prepare to have their dinner. It’s all because I don’t get enough rest during my weekdays, so Sunday is the only day when I have a possibility for it.

During the day I try to meet with my friends which I enjoy enormously and the evening is usually spent doing my homework. If it is already done I watch some TV program or any movie. I go to sleep not very long before midnight in order to have some slip I’m unlikely to have during weekdays.

As you see my weekends neither very active nor very original, but this kind of recreation is of a really good help for me and I have nice rest before another exhausting week.

My studies at the University

Well, some students like their studies at the university and some don’t, but all of them have to face the fact that university is an establishment of higher education and studying hare is the straight way towards their future career. So, I can say that students’ future lives depend on their efforts made here. And I can assure you that it is my philosophy.

I have chosen Minsk State Linguistic University not by some accident. I have always known that it is a leading centre of linguistic education in the country and that it has long experience of training teachers and, of course, interpreters. In fact, live chosen this university because I have wanted to become one for a long time. A proverb says: “No pain, no gain”, so I believe that every student is obliged to take pains, endure them, in order to gain as much knowledge as possible. Besides, students at this university have at their disposal almost everything that is necessary for their disposal almost everything that is necessary for their mastering two or three foreign languages.

So, after being an MSLU student for one year I can describe what life is like here for a student (at least a first year student).

Normally, we have four classes of speech practice a week, twice a week we visit our classes of phonetics and 6 grammar classes. These subjects, along with Translation, are the main ones, because they are necessary and the most helpful (useful) in our future profession of interpreter. All other classes we have only once a week and I can’t say that I would like to have more, because I don’t practically enjoy them, to be honest.

In our phonetic classes we have a lot of pronunciation practice. We are trained to imitate native speakers in order to get rid of our accent. It’s rather a hard job which takes a lot of time and effort, but if you have a good ear for sounds and intonation everything is possible.

In our grammar classes we do a lot of exercises, translations and grammar tests. We try to make a fewer mistakes as possible, but still they do occur and it makes me realize that there is still much to be learnt.

In our speech practice classes we do all kinds of work. We male up dialogues, talk on various situations, act out role-plays, do vocabulary tests. Listening and reading comprehensions are also included. I do believe that regular practice helps us to get a good command of the language.

My studies don’t end when I leave the university and go home. A few hours a day are always spent in reading up and getting ready for the next day’s classes.

Well, for me this university is not only a place of education, it is also a place, where I can develop my relationships and create new ones. I can assure you that I enjoy having conversation with my group mates and other people. I enjoy difficult cultural activities here – the university is full of talented young people as far as I can see it.

So, for the conclusion I can say that I like my studies at the university. Spending a lot of my time here I can say that it’s my second home.