05/07/2013, 03:21 AM
So yeah. I haven't been here for 3 months now. And now I am coming back.
Soooooooo... Where do I start.
For many months I've been suffering from depression. I was either completely oblivious of what was happening around me or felt like killing myself, literally. The fact that my high school class was comprised of complete assholes or just pretty stupid people (they barely managed to do the schoolwork, some didn't and will most likely fail high school), and the fact that most of our teachers didn't really care about us and were just feeding us huge heaps of information every time and not really caring that wee had MORE THAN 10 MORE GODDAMN SUBJECTS EXCEPT THEIRS with the same amount (=huge) of schoolwork, homework, essays, tests etc., didn't help it at all (god that's a long and ugly sentence).
I still just did whatever was required, and my academic record was pretty perfect.
I started to get interested in politics approximately a year ago, and decided that I should actually start studying it. Luckily, my local university (local not as in average, local as in geographically, it's huge and awesome) was running an organization that planned courses for high school students and university students, it isn't something colossal, not that many lectures, but they are long and go really deep. Basically, it was the uni student academy.
I decided to apply for the International Relations course there, and studied for two semesters, first one started in September, second one started in February. It was great. The stuff that was assessed were our essays. Wrote every one of them one day before the deadline, every one of them passed. I was pretty surprised to find out I came out as one of the best on the course in the first semester, and the best in the second semester. I guess they really liked what I wrote haha.
Anyway, a month ago I got an email from the academy; the current student representative in the academy council left, and they chose me to be the new one. I was pretty happy, because that meant that all that I did, and the 11 years wasted in my very hated school studying my donkey off, were now rewarded. No, I won't be getting money, and no, I am not an official member of the staff, but I, along with 11 more people, will be planning the courses provided by the academy. So yeah.
And now to the best part.
After studying at a school I hated for 11 years (I was bullied too, physically in primary/secondary and then mentally whooooo~) I decided that I got sick of it all (I was still going through the depression at the time) and I dropped out. My parents supported me too. I, of course, wanted to graduate high school so I wanted to choose some other institution. Sadly, the Estonian high school education isn't that rewarding and it's pointlessly hard (I don't mind working on something that is really useful, but 80% of the subjects/stuff they teach there is just unnecessary, especially for someone who has already chosen what they wanted to study at the uni). Anyways. I started looking for alternatives, and found out about the IB programme.
IB is short for International Baccalaureate. You choose 1 subject per group out of 6 groups of subjects. You can choose the subject in either the High Level or the Standard Level form. Minimum is 3 High Levels. Plus, you have Theory of Knowledge, it's basically philosophy but it's related to knowledge, what it is, how to get it, how to use it. Plus the Extended Essay, a long-donkey essay on a topic of your choice. Plus, CAS hours - Creativity, Action, Service. Throughout the 2 years of the programme you have to engage in creative (music, painting etc.), sports and community service (human rights campaigns, anti-bullying campaigns, charity) activities. Point is: you're doing it by yourself. It CANNOT be related to your school, but the school can help you with resources, people etc. It's something you do yourself, or with the other students, but independently.
So, after I remembered that a couple of my friends studied in an IB-certified school (wee have 4 of those in Estonia) I decided to apply there. And yeah, 11 wasted years, numerous contests, stuff I wrote and university helped here too. So now I am a student of the International School of Estonia. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO (this time for real)! I was so so fudgeing happy I got accepted. Now, there is one drawback: the tuition fee for IB years is around 23k/year (in USD), but hey, it was totally worth it. But, here, ONCE AGAIN, my effort was rewarded, and I got a scholarship, yay! It doesn't cover the whole fee though, but it's still awesome. Wee didn't even expect I would get it, and there it was, on the bill from the school.
111 people are studying there at the moment. Only 10% of the students are Estonians, the others are children of diplomats and ambassadors and stuff. So yeah, compared to the 800-1000 students at my former school that's pretty cool.
And now, for the next two years I will be studying English Language and Literature HL, Estonian Language and Literature HL, History HL, Biology SL, Maths SL and Visual Arts SL. It's perfect.
Also, our history teacher is from the US (like most of the teachers there) and he has a dog and he brings her/him/it with him sometimes, so the students can play with it.
Also, no depression for me anymore.
Also, turned 18 on May 23rd.
Also, I am pretty fudgeing happy.
Wow, what a long post, sorry.
Soooooooo... Where do I start.
For many months I've been suffering from depression. I was either completely oblivious of what was happening around me or felt like killing myself, literally. The fact that my high school class was comprised of complete assholes or just pretty stupid people (they barely managed to do the schoolwork, some didn't and will most likely fail high school), and the fact that most of our teachers didn't really care about us and were just feeding us huge heaps of information every time and not really caring that wee had MORE THAN 10 MORE GODDAMN SUBJECTS EXCEPT THEIRS with the same amount (=huge) of schoolwork, homework, essays, tests etc., didn't help it at all (god that's a long and ugly sentence).
I still just did whatever was required, and my academic record was pretty perfect.
I started to get interested in politics approximately a year ago, and decided that I should actually start studying it. Luckily, my local university (local not as in average, local as in geographically, it's huge and awesome) was running an organization that planned courses for high school students and university students, it isn't something colossal, not that many lectures, but they are long and go really deep. Basically, it was the uni student academy.
I decided to apply for the International Relations course there, and studied for two semesters, first one started in September, second one started in February. It was great. The stuff that was assessed were our essays. Wrote every one of them one day before the deadline, every one of them passed. I was pretty surprised to find out I came out as one of the best on the course in the first semester, and the best in the second semester. I guess they really liked what I wrote haha.
Anyway, a month ago I got an email from the academy; the current student representative in the academy council left, and they chose me to be the new one. I was pretty happy, because that meant that all that I did, and the 11 years wasted in my very hated school studying my donkey off, were now rewarded. No, I won't be getting money, and no, I am not an official member of the staff, but I, along with 11 more people, will be planning the courses provided by the academy. So yeah.
And now to the best part.
After studying at a school I hated for 11 years (I was bullied too, physically in primary/secondary and then mentally whooooo~) I decided that I got sick of it all (I was still going through the depression at the time) and I dropped out. My parents supported me too. I, of course, wanted to graduate high school so I wanted to choose some other institution. Sadly, the Estonian high school education isn't that rewarding and it's pointlessly hard (I don't mind working on something that is really useful, but 80% of the subjects/stuff they teach there is just unnecessary, especially for someone who has already chosen what they wanted to study at the uni). Anyways. I started looking for alternatives, and found out about the IB programme.
IB is short for International Baccalaureate. You choose 1 subject per group out of 6 groups of subjects. You can choose the subject in either the High Level or the Standard Level form. Minimum is 3 High Levels. Plus, you have Theory of Knowledge, it's basically philosophy but it's related to knowledge, what it is, how to get it, how to use it. Plus the Extended Essay, a long-donkey essay on a topic of your choice. Plus, CAS hours - Creativity, Action, Service. Throughout the 2 years of the programme you have to engage in creative (music, painting etc.), sports and community service (human rights campaigns, anti-bullying campaigns, charity) activities. Point is: you're doing it by yourself. It CANNOT be related to your school, but the school can help you with resources, people etc. It's something you do yourself, or with the other students, but independently.
So, after I remembered that a couple of my friends studied in an IB-certified school (wee have 4 of those in Estonia) I decided to apply there. And yeah, 11 wasted years, numerous contests, stuff I wrote and university helped here too. So now I am a student of the International School of Estonia. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO (this time for real)! I was so so fudgeing happy I got accepted. Now, there is one drawback: the tuition fee for IB years is around 23k/year (in USD), but hey, it was totally worth it. But, here, ONCE AGAIN, my effort was rewarded, and I got a scholarship, yay! It doesn't cover the whole fee though, but it's still awesome. Wee didn't even expect I would get it, and there it was, on the bill from the school.
111 people are studying there at the moment. Only 10% of the students are Estonians, the others are children of diplomats and ambassadors and stuff. So yeah, compared to the 800-1000 students at my former school that's pretty cool.
And now, for the next two years I will be studying English Language and Literature HL, Estonian Language and Literature HL, History HL, Biology SL, Maths SL and Visual Arts SL. It's perfect.
Also, our history teacher is from the US (like most of the teachers there) and he has a dog and he brings her/him/it with him sometimes, so the students can play with it.
Also, no depression for me anymore.
Also, turned 18 on May 23rd.
Also, I am pretty fudgeing happy.
Wow, what a long post, sorry.