Dance school

One thing very few people know about me is I absolutely love dancing, like really love it except I am not good at it. I think it is a great way to express yourself while keeping fit (let's face it exercising is just so tedious and super boring). When I finished high school, I applied to study choreography at the University of Bedfordshire in the UK and got in. I never actually pursued it though, I mean choreography is not really something you can do as a career in my culture so I ended up enrolling to study Chemical Engineering instead. I did not know many dance studios back home (or any dance schools for beginners) so when I came to Russia I was determined to find one and learn some moves!

So a few months after my arrival, when I had settled in, I joined NS Наш Стиль dance school and man turns out choreographed dances are a lot more difficult than I thought (I have a whole new respect for the art). I always thought how hard could it be, you have a routine then you practice over and over again but I was in for a surprise (left me really confused about dancing being one of my talents, I mean I have really good muscle coordination...). I had the best time though, we practiced three times a week for an hour and a half and I did stay fit during the time. At the time my command of the Russian language was really poor (the language ain't easy y'all) but one of the instructors spoke English so she would explain some stuff to me after the lesson.

I was in the dancehall group and we occasionally danced to some African songs (I am pretty sure I had something to do with that). Once every year on their anniversary the school holds a festival and  in May 2017, I found myself performing at Tsaritsynskaya Theater! I was nervous (I was probably the only foreigner in the whole theater and I got stared at...really unnerving) but the experience was super awesome, I would do it again! My Russian counterparts definitely made it worth the while (and of course my own adrenaline had a lot to do with that high LOL). I think we performed very well judging from the applause we got.

Things to do before I die; dance in a Russian theater to a Russian audience...check ✔✔ (I added that one once I realized I had actually done it!). You can check out some of the NS dance school Volgograd videos on YouTube, they are awesome. I have added a picture collage of me and my former dance mates, cool huh (you can't miss me in the photos). I am thinking if I go back to dance school, maybe this time I should learn some traditional Russian dance routines, it would be interesting. Until next time...Пока!!

Final Year

Today, I had my first lecture for the second (and final) academic year and let's just say I basically picked up from where I left (I still sit in the front row in class...alone because students like to sit in the back even when we are not writing a test). I am pretty excited about this year because my schedule is very flexible, apparently I should be working on my dissertation and I am sure other students know what that technically means (waste time and wait for adrenaline to kick in a few weeks before the deadline!). We had laboratory work today and as always I finished last but the good thing is I understood 80% of the stuff we where doing (which is an improvement from my previous 50% or less) so things are looking pretty good.

The other thing I am excited about is that autumn is finally here (yaay, my favorite season!). Volgograd is still kinda hot but I am just happy summer is technically over. Was a little tired of the heat and for some reason some Russians think Africans enjoy the heat. You get remarks like 'oh it is 40℃ today, you must be enjoying the weather'...no it's too hot! (I normally just smile but I will be screaming on the inside). I can safely say I have experienced my hottest (40℃) and coldest (-25℃) conditions in this city. This summer was particularly brutal because I was out and about more often (in 2017 I had lectures up until end of July), I mean with the city hosting the world cup and all...

I moved to a different hostel (away from Prospekt Lenina and the bikers who rode in my room thank heavens!) and it is really cool. My new roommate is from Guinea Conakry and she speaks French and no Russian at all so for now we basically just sign to each other...I am getting a good vibe about this academic year, a lot of good things have been happening and I am sure the trend will continue till end of year. I will be sure to keep you guys up to date. Until next time...До Свидания!