11. Internship.

  The concept of internships is very attractive for me, and I really plan to use this opportunity in future. But I really can't understand how people can work without getting wage. Money is one of the best human's incentive to work because everyone needs money. ( And don't say that you are the only exception). If you love your work, why don't you get money for it. And the argument about the fact that paid internships are in short supply is very ridiculous nowadays because there are big companies which have part-time job for each hour in a week. Also paid internships can attract more professional workers, and their work may be more useful for employers. Good paid job can also involve students who live on their own, without parents' or relatives' support into internships because internships are alternative way of earning money.
   I agree with Anya Kamenetz who critizes the concept of unpaid job in her article. I can't really find a reason why professional student, even if he or she loves his or her work, can choose unpaid job instead of another one, even if it doesn't make his or her very wealthy. I understand the importance of getting experience which was described by Jennifer Halperin and the concept that this experience is priceless, but I think I would get unpaid job only if it would be very, very interesting for me and at the same time there wouldn't be any other alternatives of paid job. 

10. First little "experience".

    All previous period of acquaintance with economics as a science I was operating with theoretical models of human's or market's reaction on different events. It was very exciting for me to try to create models which were describing people's behavior in different situation. Variety of different models from different sciences create a thought to me that everything can be analysed using rather complex mathematical methods. (It is very interesting theme for discussion but this blog is about another experience happened with me several hours ago and I don't want to focus on a question of mathematical modelling of the world. But I can say that this modelling may be done).
    So, short story about last days. On Saturday Andrei Nurumov from ICEF suggested me to participate in Changellenge Cup Moscow 2012 - a championship of creating a strategy in real bussiness situations (cases). Of course, solving of economical cases is not the same as doing real bussiness, but it is very useful for unemployed beginners. We created team, 4 people. Today, on Monday, championship started. I was reading the exercise for 2 hours, but I really couldn't understand what I should do because it was my first case. At 9:00 pm we gathered in Andrei's room, and after 2 hours of hard brainstorming we find several ways of solving given in case problems. It was very interesting to discuss problems of real firm and try to suggest advice to it. Many people can people can say in this part of blog, "Oh, this little boy finally understood that the real life is not graphs and equalities but work with real firms", and they will be right.  Not the least part of this work was the team. All people were creating more and more ideas, and I understood that I hadn't done anything without my groupmates. Now I understand the importance of professional team because before this event I prefered to work alone. But now I met the problem which couldn't be solved alone.
    This evening of discussion very interesting but now we should work very hard to achieve something in this championships. Of course, we don't pretend for the first place, because our opponents are older and have experience from previous championships. But it will give us rather valuable experience, so I wouldn't regret about participating even if we failed in the first tour, what is rather likely.
    

9. Russians vs. Americans.

   Nowadays many people all over the world say that people from RF and USA are rather similar in their characters and attitude to life. I can't agree with it. In my opinion, they have a lot of differences which formed historically.
   Histocally people from US didn't have their native territory that was why they couldn't connect them with some territory or society. It is their big advantage because if person isn't closed on one territory, then they are free to live and work where they want, especially where your wage will be maximum. Unlike americans russian people were alwats living in small communities where all property were common. This is a reason why russians are not so mobile as americans. These difference can also be explained by religions. Orthodox Church glorifies the tradition of equality and humility, while many people in the USA, as I know, are adherents of Protestantism which spread the ideas of individual development and permanent hard work.
   There is a very bad habit to do all their bussiness near the deadline which is called scientifically "procrastination". This habit can be also explained historically. As I know, american people don't have such a habit, (but I can mistake). This kind of habit is reflected in many russian proverbs. But in the same time russian have a brilliant ability to strain all their power in difficult times. This fact also can be explain historically. Because of climate conditions, russian had only 2-3 months of summer to prepare food for a whole year that was why they had to work hard during these months and then they could relax in long winter evenings. That nation's feature helped them to win the World War II. Unfortunately or fortunatety, amecans didn't have such an experience.
   Americans and russian are two of the most powerful nations in the world. In spite of existing contradictions, they should help each other and all world contries especially in difficult period, like last several years of the financial crisis.
 
   

8. Home, sweet home.

   After 2 months of rather hard study at NES I arrived home in the evening of 27th of October. But the studying process didn't finish in this point. I had an essay on my economics course that I should have written before the evening of the next day. Whole Sunday I was trying to write something interesting in my essay, but it didn't happen, so I uploaded rather bad essay to My.NES. Only after this moment I felt my freedom and, what I was especially happy about, my quietness. I went to my bed with a thought that I shouldn't go anywhere and should read or write anything tomorrow. I slept like I had never slept in dormitory. I was completely relaxed. I can say, I was too much relaxed because in the Monday morning I woke up because of the call of my friend. If he hadn't called, I would have missed meeting with him.
    Next 3 days I was walking with my friends and just talking about anything. I was really happy to talk not about NES, my group or anything connected with studying process. I met with all people who I wanted to see and on Thursday I understood that I should start doing my homework and preparing to my future works. I think a half of a week is rather long period for relaxation for NES students, but all people should have this period. Without it people lose incentives to studying, and they become robots which are studying all the time. But we are not robots, and I think NES administration understands it. I thanks very much it because I don't know any other universities in Russia where such a week exists. All my friends were very suprised when they heard that I had arrived in the town for the whole week. It is very unusual for Russian universities.
   Now I undertand what a big amount of work I have to do, so I became NES student from carefree man again.