Education on campus

For some of the adults who work a full time job and who want to get a degree studying online is the only option. Online study is convenient, you save time, money and keep on working towards getting that degree. Once I considered that option for the reasons mentioned above, but was always hesitant as I know that nothing can substitute a classroom experience.
Having mentioned some of the benefits the online education has, it greatly deprives a learner the most valuable experience- being able to interact with peers, professors and being on campus. Spending time in academic environment and surrounded by the people who share the same goal is empowering, it gives you the sense of direction and makes learning so much fun. A simple conversation with a professor on campus urges to want to know more, talking to peers before class or on break about projects, assignments and same interests is invaluable. In the classroom, all the questions you have can be answered. So glad to be back.

Suze Orman on Student loans

As I was asking about some advice on taking a Student loan, a friend of mine sent me a message that he was watching the Larry King's talk show "Politicking", and Suze Orman was his guest, talking about the student loans.
Suze Orman talked about many things- American dream, the current market, home buyers, poverty in America and college education. What she said about the education was that one should go to college he can afford and never borrow for college more than the first year salary would be (if you decided on your career path you should know how much it pays, therefore, you can calculate approximately the first year salary).
Suze is a great financial advisor and an inspiration. She told her story how she was a waitress until she was thirty years old. She is a self-made millionaire, author and a passionate motivational speaker. For those who are looking for an answer her advice is definitely worth keep one's ears open, on many subjects.

Student loans

For some reason I hesitate to take a student loan. Majority of people don't think this way, and, in fact, it is a common way of paying for education here in the USA. For me, it's a dilemma.
The reluctance I have to take it has to do with my upbringing and background. In Russia it was living within our own means, saving money for big purchases, and a grand opportunity to obtain a free education  (things have changed now). In the US, the better part have a more relaxed attitude towards credit, it almost doesn't stress them to accept offers for it, and then slowly pay it off.
However, I've read and heard stories about how credit and loans destroy peoples' lives. We forget that we have to pay back the money we were given so effortlessly, and it's super easy to spend it. Some still paying for groceries they purchased a decade ago; students are up to their ears in debt until after many years from graduation. It takes a toll on them, they devoid themselves of  things like being able to buy a home, opportunity to travel- they are basically trapped. The student loans is the only type of credit which can't be written off in bankruptcy.
The student loans are like a snowball - one just keeps taking more and more and offers don't end. It's very tempting. The solution could be, if a loan is needed, to calculate accurately and to take it as little as possible.

What should I do ?

It's not easy to balance your work, study, personal life and all the driving you need to do. The work I do now is not my career path (glad I have it though), and it takes a lot of my time and energy, and it has little to do with my education. I would really love to dedicate my time to school, I enjoy it, and the only thing I can have it is to quit working. It means that I'd need to take student loans. The idea of having loans is terrifying me. Am I overthinking ? Advice needed badly !

"Dancing with the Stars"

I haven't been a fan of "DWTS" until I learnt Meryl Davis would be competing. She and her longtime figure skating partner Charles White won the Olympics. On the show, Meryl has a partner Max Chmerkovskiy, a notorious dancing coach.
Max has been in the show for many years but, in spite of his tremendous talent, great dancing technique and incredible looks he has never won. And that's because of his uneasy attitude towards the judges and challenging teaching style (a lot of his previous partners stated that and the viewers of the show would agree). When dancing with Meryl, Max shows the audience a different side of him, not that of a monster others used to see, but of a very dedicated, caring professional, even sensitive. His attitude is still overwhelming, but Meryl, with her feminine approach and professionalism succeeds to tame Max! Max and Meryl have unforgettable performances, every single one on the show.The chemistry they have is like lovers do. I really want them to win!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AKVhfKjTJM

LA and celebrities

Residents of LA are fortunate not only because they enjoy almost a whole year of beautiful weather but also living next to world famous celebrities. Having lived here for over three years and having seen so many of them I still get starstruck.
I like watching a good movie, and the "Sundance" cinema always has something special to show to movie lovers. The other day my friend and I decided to go watch a movie on a Thursday night. The show was late and there were only few people who wanted to catch a late show. We entered the lobby and handed our tickets to ticket taker. Standing in line to get something to drink I see somebody walking by and whom I've seen many times before, and I can't believe he is who I think he is - Quentin Tarantino.
At first, I had doubts It was he until I saw other few people started noticing him. Besides, when he began talking I had no doubt (Tarantino has a distinct voice). I had a great chance to ask him for an autograph, nice picture and maybe have a conversation but It would feel wrong. Instead, we just watched a great movie maker and an Academy Award winner enjoying his night out.

  

Egypt

Egypt is one of the first foreign countries I've visited  but it still tops the list. The Pyramids, the environment and the myths the country is full of just mesmerize me. I keep on asking myself why Egypt is so spellbinding. The Pyramids - how on earth  were they built, thousands of years ago , these huge, dominant eminences and no machine helped to mount them? Someone made a joke saying it needed just one smart Jewish engineer to rise them - but it's just out of this world.

Seeing sandy dunes, hot desert son with pyramids on the background are pure captivation. The whole atmosphere there is mystical. At times I felt I was present at a movie set passing by wrecked stone architecture with camels standing by and watching dressed in their national garbs and exhausted by the sun locals. 

I was struck by how natural it comes to the Egyptians reciting the endless myths belonging to their country. Almost every Egyptian could serve as a tour guide to tourists, how passionate they are about their history. Children haunting tourists trying to earn money and offering city tours know the history by heart and speak many languages, I mean at least three. They approach you first, ask which country you come from, and in a second switch to the language you need to be talked to. Simply astonishing ability to speak languages so well and effortlessly selling their tour guide services to tourists.

Cultural shock

Studying at a Faculty of Foreign Languages in Russia brought to me to the USA to work as a counselor at a YMCA camp. I was ready for the experience and everything that came with it. The camp was located in New Hampshire near a lake surrounded by heavy woods. I worked as a counselor before in Russia, but the camp in the US was different. In Russia the camps for kids were just like homes with big rooms placing up to twenty children, and they were slightly furnished with beds, bedside cabinets and drawings on the walls penciled by campers. The YMCA camp had children placed in a big cabin with bunk beds with no mattresses and kids slept in sleeping bags. Huge difference! It looked like a survival zone and I was taken aback.
The cultural shock was terrible. Then other counselors started to arrive- from England, European countries, Australia, New Zealand and the Americans who already were there. Here was me, from Russia, having no previous exposure to so many accents trying to understand what they were talking about and to get engaged in the conversation. I waited for that trip to the US for so long and so anxiously, but at that moment I wanted to immediately go back to Russia. That how bad it was. I couldn't think straight, there was only one thought in my mind - I must go back. So I burst into tears. The girl from England approached me, began talking, and I listened attentively to what she was saying. I eventually composed myself and answered back. I understood her. The dialogue finished with her bringing me a sleeping bag and I decided to sleep on it.
Next day things got better as I met Russian speaking persons and I felt braver talking to the rest of the stuff. After a week of training I was ready to be a counselor.
http://campfoss.org/