if it's a seven-hour flight or a 45-minute drive

It seems I'm finally going to Brussels again! I'm going back! YES!!! I bought a ticket to Germany yesterday, so I'm going to spend a weekend in Trier... then I'd love to see Muse in Cologne and then... Brussels!!! Bruxelles!!! Irina!!! ISTI! av. Louise! Tram n. 94 (nonant-quatre, not quatre-vingt quatorze), les gauffres! le chocolat!!! Victor Horta! Mr. Louis? Monsieur Louis, est-ce que vous travaillez encore a l'ISTI? Tant de choses a voir!!!!!

Off we go

We have been rewarded for the effort - today at 3 p.m. I opened my passport and saw the thing I've been longing for for this whole year... Tomorrow at 9 a.m. we are leaving for Finland and then at 23.05 (local time) flying from Tampere to London.

We're now thinking about a name for our common blog. I'll post the link here.

Какая-то печально-радостная эйфория... Вот оно, приключение!!! Надо просто пережить чемоданное настроение. Леон, мое лимонное дерево, смотрит на меня с подоконника. Пусть не боится, мама поливает лучше и регулярнее, чем я. Со мной поедет мишка и Monsieur Louis le Renard.

Will write soon,

Sasha

another attempt

I've applied online for the UK visa and on Thursday I'll have to rush to the visa centre right after I am given my diploma.

Do I hope? I do. I still hope that they will take into account all the papers that we've attached, the touching cover letter that I'm going to write and be merciful...

I'm on the brink of a very big disappointment. I've been studying the English language for 15 years now, I've been dreaming about Britain since I was 15 and now I can't make my dreams come true because of some bastards in the consulate. If they don't grant us a visa again, Britain will get the Disappointment of the Year award.

dreaming

this would be perfect http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Dover,+UK&daddr=Gloucester&hl=ru&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=51.866742,-2.24867&sspn=0.217935,0.616608&ie=UTF8&z=8

beware of offices

Office life and office people (as my, well, ok, meagre experience shows) eat out your brain. those who I'm working with at the moment are mostly 1) ambitious, 2) not too amicable, 3) too self-confident. which is not exactly the type of people I like... Unfortunately, this generally refers to the younger employees... And I really can't imagine (due to my egocentrism or I don't know what) how anyone at the age of 30 could possibly like this rather dull office job so much that they could work over time and not rush out of the office towards freedom, summer, fresh air and so on and so on, as soon as the working days is over.

plunged into accounting

I'm here earlier than I planned. I was offered a job for two weeks, I refused at first, but then.. tempted by the money I was promised and by the chance itself to get some experience in interpreting right at the beginning of my "career", I agreed, talked to my grandma, got her consent and exchanged the ticket. So, today was my first day at this company. Next time I will not focus on particular terms but will ask for a general explanation of what is going on. Because the first, say, three hours today was, as D. says, "pain and humiliation". My interpreting skills and knowledge seemed like a very subtle advantage. Everyone (but me, of course) had an idea of what was being discussed, while I was groping for the right words. I felt like a blind person who's been asked to lead a group of more or less healthy people. They didn't mock at me or something... but there were these condescending smiles and looks on their faces when I said something in a hesitating voice - like, "oh, look at her, poor girl, she doesn't know a thing in our field". Anyway, after a few hours of trying and listening, I finally got some image and timorrow, I'll show them who is who.

news from the front line

Today we applied for a Finnish visa. We haven't given up our plans and dreams and are going to fight for them. Switched to Plan B.