My last day off

9. What will be there in my new flat.

Every young man wants to live independently. And I’m not an exception. Of course, the time will come, when I will alone in my flat. I wait for this moment and imagine, that my new flat will be at least three roomed. There will be a study, a bed-room, a dinning-room. Of course, there also will be a kitchen and a bathroom. The dinning- room will be big comfortable room with big table in the center. There also will be several armchairs, and a big TV set in it. In this room I shall receive guests. I also shall put a piano in the one of corners of the room and shall start taking piano lessons cause I like this musical instrument very much.

The bed-room will become my favorite one because it is a room of rest where everybody can spend several hours without noise and fuss. There I shall put my PC that helps me very much.

Another room – study will be the place where I shall do all my work. There will be a large table full of papers and several shelves. I am going to gather big collection of books, so they won’t stay empty.

That’s how I imagine my future flat. I hope that these dreams will become true.

10. How did I spend last summer?

I think summer is the best season for rest because it is warm, the nature is beautiful and we have great opportunities for rest. Summer is a time of holidays. We can go for a walk all day long, watch the clouds, swim, sit down by a river or a lake on fresh, green grass, climb high hills, play different games, ride a bicycle and so on.I spend my summer holidays at my granny. There were many things there to enjoy. I swam in the sea, laid in the sun and did many other things. Sometimes I made a fire with my friends at the seaside and cooked potatoes there. It was wonderful. We told anecdotes to each other, and did everything we wanted. I also got used to walk alone in the forest.

When the August was coming to the end, I went on a small voyage by ship. The ship name was «Olga Sadovskaya».

But the last summer wasn’t for me only sugar and honey. I have passed through the graduating exams in school and entering exams in the university and technical university. So the bigger part of my summer vocations I spent at the books. Of course, it was not interesting, but I’m glad that I did it because now I’m a student of the best university in Primorye and the whole Far-East.

11.My first journey.

For some people there is nothing so exciting as traveling, and I’m not an exception. And I’m happy that I have traveled a lot and I hope that my first journey wasn’t the last one.

First I bought a ticket for plane. Many people think, that nothing can be compared with traveling by air, because it is the most comfortable, and, of course, the quickest way of moving. There is none of the dust and dirt of a railway or car journey, none of the trouble of changing from train of another to streamer and then to another train. But booking tickets in summer is a problem. The air-fare is quite expensive and not all people can afford it.

Then I continued my way by the train. This kind of transport has also many advantages. With a train you have a comfort and speed combined. From a comfortable corner seat of a railway carriage you have a splendid view of a countryside. If you are hungry you can have a meal in the dinning-car and if the journey is long one can have a bed in a sleeper.

But I believe that there is no travel so fine as by ship. It’s wonderful to feel the deck of the ship under the feet, to see the rise and fall of the waves, to feel the fresh sea wind blowing in the face, hear the cry of the sea-gulls. Of course, the voyage isn’t exciting for those who are sea-sick when the sea is a little bit rough.

Many people say: «Give me a walking tour any time». And it is not surprising. The walker leaves the dull, broad highway and goes along little winding lanes where cars can’t go. He takes mountain paths through the heather, he wonders by the side of quiet lakes and through the shades of woods.

He sees the real country, the wild flowers, the young birds in their nests, the deer in the forest, he feels the quietness and calm of nature. And besides, you are saving a lot of money by traveling on foot. No one can deny that walking is the cheapest method of traveling.

12.My work at the foreign trade company.

Hello, my name is Maxim Sviridov. I work as a manager at the «Star tour» company. It is Russian company which works on the business travel market. Two weeks ago I was sent by the administration of our company to London where I studied the English travel companies, their traditions, their marketing and management. Now my business trip is coming to the end and I want to share with you my impressions of English business world. First of all English businessmen are well known all over the world for their honesty and decency. If an Englishman gives you his word he will keep it in any case. Besides that, nothing can prevent him from refusing the once taken decision. Of course, there are some exclusions, but they are so rare that nobody should put attention on them.

During the last two weeks my working day was approximately the same. Early in the morning I took a taxi to my hosts’ headquarters, which is situated in the City – the business heart of London. First of all I usually asked Ms. Lapital – my secretary if there were any letters or cables for me. Then she gave me my correspondence and fresh newspapers and I followed to my office-room. There I studied all documents that had come for my name and wrote a short report about previous business day and then faxed it to my native company in Vladivostok. After that I went to Mr. Forsberg’s office-room to get tasks for the new day and ask some questions about their company, its history, traditions, clients, and so on. After that I usually did what Mr. Forsberg asked. My usual job was meeting with potential clients, discussing their rest plans and offering the services of Mr. Forsberg’s company. I usually met with 10 or 12 people a day. They were representatives of different social groups and communicating with them increased my knowledge of England and Englishmen, their psychology greatly. This business trip was a great chance for me and I hope I used this chance fully. Now I know a lot about Western business world, about travel business and this knowledge will, of course, help my in my future career.