Possibility to study in the USA for a whole year? For
free? I am totally in! It’s appeared rather interesting for me. But, dear God,
that was pretty difficult. But I got it. I succeeded! “Lucky you! Damn that is
so cool!” But while everyone (almost) thought that was nothing for me (extra
easy I mean) I can tell you what has happened in fact.
It was the fall 2015. It was my last, senior year. I
was pretty sure what I would do in my future. I knew I would enter the MSU and
I would take Asian studies. I had no doubts at all. I had been preparing for
last 2 years. I knew I would succeed. But it was an accident that exactly that
year a new (kind of) girl came to school. Why kind of? Actually she had already
studied there but she went abroad for a year (in Germany) to study there. So
she told my friend and me about the program that she had participated in (AFS).
My best friend decided to try. All the competitors had to film a short
video-presentation of themselves. That sounded pretty easy for us. But as for
me I hadn’t enough courage to do that (luckily!) and I left. “I don’t want to
lose the WHOLE YEAR! I want to enter MSU!” Yeah, kind of crazy, I know. But right
that moment I knew that I simply couldn’t lose a year that I had planned
already. No way!
And by accident (again) pretty soon after that
competition I opened my email (well, okay, that wasn’t an accident, I check
this one usually) and saw a mail from my teacher. It was about kind of a new
program YEAR (Year of Exchange in America for Russians). I had no ideas what
that was all about (really no ideas at all). Nevertheless I filled the form,
attached all my diplomas and certificates, asked my teacher Simon from Canada
to write a recommendation letter. I sent that application form and to tell the
truth I forgot about that one. I forgot till I got a letter where it was said
that they have accepted my form and now I should pass the second stage – the interview.
After that moment, I am telling you, my life has changed. Absolutely. So I had
been preparing for that interview for a rather long time (ever since I found
out about it and till it was held actually). Oh, Gosh, I was so nervous! But
can you imagine, 3 or 4 days before the interview I found out that it’s going
be kind of a competition (the All-Russian Olympic Games of school students on
French (well, I don’t know how to translate that correctly but something like
that)) in which I’d been taking part since the 8th grade. What had I do? I couldn’t change the day or
even the hour of the interview. I was trapped. I guess that was what they call
your life choice. You should choose what is more important for me. And I have
chosen. So it was 9 am and my interview should started. I really hoped I could
be done pretty fast so that I can go to that Olympics. But it was like 9.20 and
there was no call (skype interview). I was ready to leave home and go to
school. But you know what? I have decided that I would stay and wait. I had
chosen some interview without any chance to win and forgot about really useful
and important event for me. I had no idea why. But I knew that I was going to
have that interview! But finally there was a call. It was pretty interesting. I
was 100% calm. I’ve answered the questions, I have asked some. But the moment
the camera turned off and the conversation finished I jumped, I took all my
stuff and I ran to the entrance. Oh boy I was so crazy that moment in fact. I
had so many emotions that I got to my school like for 15 minutes (but usually
it takes 30). I still had no idea how had I done that. Really. 
But once again I couldn’t believe it would be a
success. No. I didn’t believe. But you know, in fact something has changed.
After that day I have realized that I don’t want to enter the MSU so much as I
did earlier. Nevertheless I forbid myself to think about that trip to the USA.
It was pretty good for some time but then after the new letter had come
everything changed again. So I passed. Once more. The next stage – the TOEFL iBT.
I had only 8 days to prepare. Pretty impossible for a person who had never heard
about that exam (I knew that that one existed that was all). So I had to get
like 60/120. Actually I thought it would be 66 or like that. Once more I was
pretty calm, I had no fear, no panic. I was interested. So I have finished. I
have done everything. I left the building. I was calm. At first I was. Then I
started to panic. One more time my life was trying to change. No it changed.
And I knew that. And there was one more thing that I had realized. I really
wanted to get in the program. My friends (who knew about all that stage stuff)
told me that they had no doubts I would pass. And I did actually. I got 84 and
that was like 18 points more than I thought.
So what is next? What was the result? Congratulations
to me! I am in! I got it! My dream came true! The next year (10 months in fact)
I am going to study in the USA in Wisconsin! How cool is that? Pretty
impressive I guess.
So here it is a little story of this year and kind of
a promise to add something new in my blog. A new travel! My new life!
Absolutely new country for me! I am so happy. And I can tell you now it’s going
to be really funny!So you can check my Instagram and see my new photos. It’s www.instagram.com/asta_ribski/ so there you can find something interesting (starting the 8th of August). For now that’s all I have. I know it’s not kind of a travel note. But I guess it’s kind of a prologue to this new year (you know for me now years starts in September and finishes in May). And one more thing: keep trying guys. One day you succeed and all your efforts won’t be pointless!
