Times Are Though, Huh, Bud?

Credits to Carl Barks!
Click here for the picture source.

I just could not avoid thinking of this evergreen quote in the morning. My roommate NR and I have faced here certain problems challenges, and we opened up about our last week to our international coordinator LK in Finland. I cannot tell everything here now, because later on it might lead to worse problems, but let me give some milder examples.

The language of instruction is...

I am taking a marketing course focusing on advertising. The course is supposed to be held in English.  The teacher SI said in the beginning of the class: "the principal of this school asked me to give these lectures in English. I do not understand why I should teach at a Russian university, to Russian students ( - adding "mainly" after hearing that I am not Russian), in English language". Then he asked the students' opinion about the issue, and even though majority of the class voted for classes in English, the teacher kept talking in Russian. During the class he repeated that he will explain later to me in English, but after class he offered me private teaching in English.

Excuse me? That teacher would save both his and my time by providing the class in English, as it should be. I heard from a student TK, who studied in my home university last spring, that the issue was the same last year as well. I sent an email to IS and also to our Russian-coordinator EP. Let's see what happens.

Chilly air

That is quite mildly said. Our dormitory is freezing. I heard from my classmate that on October 10th, the radiator will be switched on. Good old Soviet practices ♥ I am quite fine with the temperature (- thanks to my little sister who never keeps the radiator on even in the winter time!), but it is still quite annoying.

No student cards - yet

We have been waiting for our student cards for two weeks. We should get them next week. I hope so.
Now we heard that we cannot get the discount for metro tickets, because we are here less than one year. "It is the state policy", we were told. Later on, when I asked about it from RM, she finally admitted that it is the school's policy.

Internet is not working

Pretty self-explanatory. The Internet connection here sucks. The only website that properly works here is Facebook. And not even that always. And the Internet works faster with my phone than my computer. I always have problems with getting to my email, or read the news, because the connection is so bad. I have been able to open YouTube here probably twice or thrice. This would make whoever frustrated...

Am I in London or Moscow?

Because it is raining all the time. If it is not raining, it is so gray. In other words, the weather is rather depressing. I would not care if the weather was the only thing to be complained here.

What a pity...

With my roommate, we find this situation sad. We were really happy to get to Moscow, but at this point we are really disappointed in how the school has treated us. This I find especially pitiful because the lessons are, in my opinion, quite good (in most cases), and my classmates are really friendly.

LK comforted us as well as she could and told us that we will be stronger persons when we come back to Finland. Definitely. "What does not kill you makes you stronger". At least we will learn to fight for ourselves, if nothing else! :D

Something good?

Well, I saw the sun a couple of days ago. On that sunny day, we visited the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour with NR and her kind aunt. Then we took a ride in Moscow river by boat. I almost felt like it was summer again :)

And yesterday we got our extended visas. They will expire on December 25th, thus our return to Finland by Christmas is ensured ^_^

After all these complaints I want to wish you all a very nice weekend. [: