Sometimes, life really sucks here…
1. Russian Language
Communication is always the biggest problem since the first day I reach Russia… English can be said totally doesn't use in community here...
Something that should be very easy to do when in Malaysia, becomes difficult and troublesome in Russia… all the thanks to a totally new language to me, Russian.
When buying things and doing other stuff, we can’t express well what we want as we don’t really know what this and that things are called in Russian…and when Russians speak to us, mostly we don’t understand and can’t reply anything…
Supermarkets are the best place to buy things... Just need to take whatever things I want, then go to cashier counter, see the total price on the screen then pay... no need say what we want to seller and negotiate price...
2. Bathroom in hostel extremely very often no HOT water supplies:
When you wake up early in the morning and prepare to have a hot shower to begin a brand new day, always only cold water serves you…
When you finish enduring a chilly day outside and want to enjoy a hot bath, again, only cold water awaits you …
I have no choice but give up to bath during the time I feel want to bath the most… and normally I can only bath at the late midnight as the hot water normally will only be available during that time…
Somehow I think everyone here has faded up of this condition already…
Instead of that, the facilities (lamp, water pipe, etc) of hostel, perhaps my floor, spoil frequently …and have to wait quite a time before they are repaired…
This hostel really has caused me lots of troubles…maybe I should consider to move out here and rent living place outside in next 1 or 2 years…
3. Have to travel a lot everyday to classes:
From hostel to main building fastest need 20min, to anatomy & bio building and informatics building need 35min… some more sometimes the break between 2 classes are very short… and time-consuming travelling also means that I have to wake up and go out earlier in the morning…
Go other places also need travelling long... somehow really feel sien to go out...
Everyday feel like living in chasing time from here to there, and it gives a feeling that my life is so empty but pass by so quick…
4. Time-table is hectic:
What I hate the most bout our class time table here is we study full day for 6 days a week (almost everyday start from 8 something until 4 something)…We have only Sunday to really rest and slow down the pace of life… It’s damn insufficient…
Some more our summer holidays will be as long as 2 months only, while other universities in Russia have nearly 3 months; we (first year students) have 4 days winter break after first sem final (got 1 week new year holidays from 31 Dec to 7 Jan, that is before final exam…), but other uni have 3 to 4 weeks… Can’t understand…
5. Poor English pronunciation of Lecturers:
Several Russian lecturers here are very poor in speaking English… So when in lecture classes which are conducted by lecturers who are suck in pronunciation, sometimes I really can suffer severe headache to get and copy what the lecturers speak…
Most critical one is my this sem biology lecturer…99% speak Russian during the class…so u know…with our current Russian language standard, how to understand? I get to know that this biology lecturer is first time teaching English medium class this year and this means we are the lucky number one…(by the way, not much for us to understand also la… cause she always not in class and never teach also…my biology confirm sucks this sem…)
Anyway, of course can’t deny that there are some very great and excellent lecturers in VSMU also…
6. Russia is very far from Malaysia
Due to the super long distance and high cost flight ticket, I can only go back home once a year, during summer holidays...
Haih... my india bound dentistry friends are now back to malaysia already; Indonesia-bound friends will go back in mid-january... STPM friends are enjoying long holidays now... and I, still need to wait till July... Some more next year will be the first ever time that I won't celebrate Chinese New Year at home town together with family... sucks...
really miss Penang & Malaysia...
7. Life’s boring
There are not much interesting and fun things to do in Volgograd… Not much nice places to hang around also…Here don’t have McD, KFC (but got some Russian fast food restaurants, mostly pizza-based)…
Shopping complex even sucks…The largest one (Park House) still smaller than Prai Megamall… Anyway, Park House got lots of grand shops there, mostly selling famous brand clothes… But it still can’t compare to Malaysia’s shopping malls la (heard shopping complex in Jakarta very good also rite, friends?)… and it’s quite far from hostel also…
Cinemas here show all the films in Russians (English films all are translated to Russians)…sienz…
No place to sing K also…hehe… and I try to tune and listen Russians’ Radio here…No station is conducted in English…but all the channels got play lots of English songs… so no need say also know no chinese channel here la...
TV programmes here all in Russians also… Though some seniors staying upstairs got TV in their rooms, free sports channel here always broadcasts damn Chelsea matches only (some more often are delayed)…sienz…
If want to watch Man Utd live matches, have to go to cafés at central city… far la... some more is cold night time…So since coming here, I rarely have chance to watch football d… really miss weekends at Melati when in Shah Alam last time leh…
Basically my entertainment here is online lo…but need to pay according to how much megabytes we use…means can’t simply download any new songs and movies…sienz again…
OK… I think that’s all the suck things that I can think of now after 3 months staying here… will add in more when I discover more…
So…Life sucks…
(sorry... the picture of Zima playing cello is not clear...)
