The Magic Show

"Annushka has already bought the sunflower oil, and has not only bought it, but has already spilled it." Mikhail Bulgakov from The Master and Margarita

In chemistry we have "practical work". This practical work is done in pairs and before every lesson there is homework to work through the experience theoretically. I was pleasantly surprised when both me and my classmate had done a reasonable amount of work on our own. The reason this impressed me was because I realised that I am working with people who are genuinely interested in the subject not just doing homework for the sake of getting it done. The practical lesson itself took place on Wednesday and it was really enjoyable to put into practice the heavily theoretical information that we had received over the two weeks.

Also on Wednesday I got to play volleyball for the first time in about a year. I got to a training through my school's sports director who just happens to also be a volleyball coach for a French "Nationale 2" team. Nationale 2 is the fourth volleyball league, it is where the ball starts to move faster and with more precision. I was smiling during the whole two hours since I was truly happy to be back on the pitch. For now I don't know if I will be able to fully commit to volleyball with the preparatory school. Next week will be an experiment to see if I am able to manage two trainings a week. I do believe it to be possible since I managed to do exactly that in the 11th grade.

I am genuinely enjoying this journey, everything seems to fall into the right place. I am especially grateful for the teachers that I got. All of them manage to explain things clearly and manage to answer all of the questions asked. The intensity and the speed of the study plan are off the charts, but it feels all the more rewarding to calmly read a book or watch a series in the evening, since every single day I know that I got something done.

This week I would like to suggest The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. It is a compulsory read in the Estonian high school curriculum (for a good reason). The plot takes place in 1930's Moscow and is seasoned with subtle criticism of Stalinism, that is why the book has a history of censorship in the Soviet Union. Those hints are easier to understand with a little historic background of the time, nonetheless it is full of priceless moments like : "The only thing that can save a mortally wounded cat is a gulp of gasoline."

That's enough for this week! See you next Monday!