4 months of holidays at Hendrix

Once, it was during finals, I was standing and chatting with my friend in front of the cafeteria. We were joined by one guy who asked me, how did I like Hendrix College. I remember I said that it was amazing, I liked it a lot and I have never had 4 months of such a great HOLIDAYS. I have seen big disappointment on his face. After, my friend told me that this guy works in admission office and is in charge of international students, so most probably he was the person who gave me a change to study at Hendrix.

I still do think that my stay at Hendrix was the best and the longest holidays I have ever had, but I want to explain why.

Since I remember I was working and studying and doing tons of things in the same time. Then I went to Hendrix to spend my semester abroad there. I end up in a very small town in Arkansas, on the beautiful campus, with sunny weather, where people were enjoying their lives. I didn’t have to work (even I couldn’t because of my visa status), I didn’t have to worry about such a things like cooking, cleaning, traffic jams, permanent ringing phone which I was afraid to answer, deadlines, budgets, invoices and many more.



At Hendrix I had just my studies. I have chosen four classes I really loved: Introduction to Film Studies, American Parties and Elections, Model UN and Conflict Management and Resolution. I had homework (it is hard to say if it was a lot or not), but this kind of homework it is a pure pleasure. We had to read a lot. And what is more relaxing then sitting in the shadow in the sunny day and read good book. Maybe in the beginning I was a bit frustrated, because I have found few mistakes in one book (so I have written to the publisher), but when I got such a book as “The Prince of the Marshes” by Rory Stewart, I couldn’t stop reading.

I had papers to write as well, but most of the time I had a feeling that I can express myself. Mostly I was walking around with the topic in my head and analyzing what I want to write, what I think in this topic, what is important to me. Then I was making additional research and finally writing. I was writing in the library, which was the social place, you could always find friends there who wants to have a break with you.

I still think that I had the best holidays in my life. And it is not because I was doing nothing, I was doing a lot, but I was doing things that I like a lot. I am happy because finally I have learnt what studying really means! And the life on the campus it was like the summer camp, a lot of people living together, eating together, partying together, studying together, and the biggest worry was how to dress up for Haloween.