Every story has an ending, but in life endings are new beginnings

School was over with, graduating seniors were hosted a celebration with champagne and biscuits, cloaks and diplomas rolled tightly and decorated with red lace that was tied into a voluminous bow. I knew this was an ending but, also a new beginning.

I packed as much as I could to take eighteen years of my life with me across the world, a long journey from Ecuador, South America, to Saint Petersburg, Russia. A total of almost twenty three hours and twelve hours of continuous flight should definitely sound like something scary for a freshly graduated eighteen-year-old-girl but, for me it was just the starting point of a fresh new story (or should I call it «adventure'?).
It took a lot of courage to say goodbye to my family at the airport, knowing that I was departing from a lifestyle I had known for a lifetime but, I had the certainty that I was chasing after a bigger dream — a dream that ITMO University supported even before I departed.
Through e-mails, I was able to get in touch directly with the department of foreigners' of the university in order to receive information about what life is like in Russia. I was encouraged and given motivation to start off with, then, once I arrived I was received with open arms not only by Russia, but also by the university. I was facilitated what I needed in terms of documentation, helped with understanding of the ways of living in the city and also guided around to run errands, and despite not understanding a single word of Russian language, I was given general understanding of what was going on, depending on the case.
And so, I slowly incorporated not only to the schedule (that is an eight hour difference from my country), jet lag was definitely not easy on me, and the food tasted different too. The adaptation process awoke curiosity and eagerness in me, to explore, to learn and know what Russia is all about.
The next day after my arrival, class started for me in preparation faculty, which is a year full of Russian language and preparation for other subjects such as mathematics and informatics; and not only was it a year of academic occupation, but also a year of culture learning. During the first month I got acquainted with the city and of course, the language.
My first impression of Saint Petersburg was the shocking beauty of its layout. The shopping malls, the buildings, the streets and the metro are beautiful! It is irrefutable, admirable and entertaining at the same time. There are so many things to do and see in Saint Petersburg hence, boredom was not in my plans. Also, I learned Russian language not only by grammatically studying it, but also by doing all kinds of activities around town.
ITMO, as well, hosted several activities which allowed for me to accelerate the learning and the adaptation processes; one of the things that helped me greatly was the choir singing hosted by the international department of the university, it was not quite an official event but, I learned songs that are classic in the history of Russia, one of my favorites is «Katiusha», and we also presented «exclusive concerts' to our teachers and classmates every once in a while. Not only I enjoyed this series of events, but also the teachers enjoyed it too.
Another one of those events was the participation of the choir in a contest named «Liudiy Mir» that translates into «People of the world», which is some sort of talent show that involves students from around the world, studying in Russia, and even Russians from all over the country participated. At the conclusion of the event, our choir group was rewarded with a certificate and souvenirs that to the date put a smile on my face.
At the end of the year, I not only made friends but memories, tales to tell my children in a future.
But then, again, every ending is a new beginning; summer holiday began, and after having experienced a very cold winter filled with snow, Christmas celebrations (Yes, celebration[s]: in Russia, orthodox Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January. But in some places it is also celebrated on the 25th.), new years — which is a very big celebration for Russians — and of course, a handful of snowmen and snowball fights; the sun finally arose, and the trees began getting green as the days passed. The weather was pleasant and new attractions came in sight: the amusement park on Krestovskiy Island, skating and biking on the streets and so on.
The outside of the city is also a big attraction for resident students like me, during the summer I visited many beaches around the Gulf of Finland and I also went to Ladoga, where the water was refreshing, and so crystalline I could see the little fish swimming around my feet. I ate «shashliki' which are pork skewers made on a Russian style carbon grill often at the park, or at gatherings. Or both.
Summer is a very warm season, it is not overly hot, but it is not cold, so even the weather was enjoyable!
Now, I am officially a freshmen, my major is Computer Science, and all my lessons are in Russian language. I can say that after my first month I have enjoyed the thrill of this journey, even though sometimes it can be a little hard, I can always rely on the staff from ITMO and friends I have made for support and encouragement. Autumn has also begun taking place, and the change of colors of the leaves from the trees is amusing, the weather is crisp but I enjoy it very much.
I am more than sure this year has so much ready for me, I could not expect anything less because I am going after my dream building my own story.