August Reading List

August Reading List 🌴🌺🍍📚🍹🌥

In progress: ⛔⏳

Go Tell It on the Mountain (James Baldwin)

A Room with a View (E.M Forster)

The Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton)

Done: ✅☑️🏁

The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong

Scarlet Women: The Scandalous Lives of Courtesans (Ian Graham)

The Runaway Jury (John Grisham)

Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)

Wolkenhunde (Galsan Tschinag)

The Twins (Saskia Sarginson)

✧･ﾟ:✨♡ ༘* ✧･ﾟ🌅:

"In chaos I find solace."

-Unknown

How to study productively: In the Library

#slavic roots western mind

As experience taught me and many people, the library is a fantastic place to study in, especially for those living in dorms with chaotic roommates.

Don't get me wrong, chaotic can be good, but not when you're trying to finish that math set, or that literature paper.

So where do we go? The library is a pretty safe choice, but how do you actually study productively there? Even the library isn't free from distractions, especially when crammed with like-minded people trying to find a place to study.

Whether it's the obnoxiously loud laptop key tapping, grating coffee slurping, frustrated sighs and the occasional sound of someone's head slamming against their books (pretty common actually, especially in the med library), the library can be full of distractions, even more so when it's quiet.

For some reason, the quieter the place, the louder the distraction.

Here's my guide to studying effectively in the library, regardless of whether you're alone or squished together with other people like a can of sardines.

Headphones, earbuds, airpods, earplugs - if it blocks noise, it's your bff

If you prefer listening to music whilst studying, whether it's swedish rock, white noise, classical piano or acid jazz - you're no stranger to blocking out noise, so continue confidently.

If you absolutely hate any type of noise and need 100% silence to focus, then still wear some type of earbuds or headphones. It might not remove the noise completely (or it might depending on the quality), but it's much better than being subjected to an entire plethora of sound.

2. Dress comfortably - save the cute fits for actual class.

"Dress comfortably" - one of the most vague statements I have ever heard of. Pjs? Sweatpants? Leggings? Whatever comfortable means to you, wear it.

Chances are you'll be in the library from morning until the evening during exam week, so comfy and loose trousers are the way to go.

3. Don't study with your friends unless it's a verbal exam or a group project.

Sit away from each other, preferably on different tables or even floors but always get together during breaks to have a quick catch-up.

Sitting together means that you'll end up distracting each other and turn a would-be productive study session into a chill hangout. It's important to make time for friends, but not when you're trying to study!

I made the mistake of trying to study with a friend in our uni library during my 1st year, and it ended up with use sending each other cat videos and silently cracking up for 2 hours before our next class. Fun, but not entirely productive.

4. Turn off your phone's wifi when studying.

Don't turn it off completely, because emergencies can happen and you may need to be available. Instead, turning off your wifi gets rid off most notifications, and if it's really that important then they can call you instead.

5. Decide in advance what you'll be studying, and bring the relevant material.

Trying to decide if you want to get started with your history paper or go over your spanish notes and whether you have the right notebook can waste quite a lot of time.

You can easily do that by using or creating a study planner to increase your study productivity, as instead of spending 15 minutes on sorting everything out and making a note in the back of your textbook that you studied this and that, you'll know exactly what to study.

6. Bring snacks and drinks - include enough water! leave the coffee alone!

You'll definitely want to have a proper lunch or dinner or a linner, depending on personal needs, but you don't want to get distracted when you're in the zone.

Here is where snacks and water come in handy. If possible, stick to healthier snacks, but if those aren't available eat whatever works best for you.

And please don't forget ✨water✨.

That headache that you usually get around, say 6ish when you're headed home? Coffee could be the likely culprit, especially if instead of water you've been chugging coffee and energy drinks like ehem, water.

I'm no doctor, but drinking your bodyweight in caffeinated drinks doesn't seem to be too healthy. I get that it's tempting (and i'm definitely guilty of drinking way too much coffe), but your health affects you and your studies. So take care, replace some of that coffee with water, and enjoy some better sleep.

7. Check the library hours.

Some library's are open 09.00-20.00, others have more specific hours, whereas quite a good few are open 24/7. If you're planning an all-nighter, then definitely check the library's working hours. You don't want to be forced to leave just when you've finally managed to get the hang of a particularly difficult concept, so plan accordingly.

8. Switch it up with your seat.

Don't just study at the same spot, try out different locations. Not only can you find the perfect spot, but you'll be more alert as your mind gets used to the new location.

What I didn't know about learning a new language

Learning a new language has it's ups and downs, but sometimes you just hit a learning wall face-first and don't know how to climb it over.

For me, this came about quite recently during my 3rd year of learning Chinese.

I'm at this frustrating stage where I can read and actually understand the nuances and more subtle points, but I can't for the life of me understand normal spoken Chinese. And I don't mean the classroom kind, where the teacher speaks slowly and clearly and doesn't use idiomatic expresssions or slang. In class 我没有问题

But when I'm talking with my Chinese classmates and friends, and they're excited or passionate about something they switch into rapid-fire Chinese mode and then they look at and I'm just frozen, staring blankly at them and not having the faintest clue as to what just happened this past minute.

I should be better at this, after all I've been studying and practicing like hell, and yet.

Maybe with time I'll get better, and be able to properly participated in a conversation. Language learning is a marathon, and not a sprint as someone once said.

In the mean time, all I can do is continue to practice and to just try get over this wall of frustration. Or alternatively grab a metaphorical hammer and just smash it.

Intro: Favorite Mongolian Authors & more

#slavic roots western mind

I've always had an interest in Mongolia, primarily because there's literally so little international news coverage, at least in my neck of the woods so to speak.

Despite my Mongolian language learning attempts being paused for the time being, I nonetheless continue to fall in love with Mongolian literature with every read, especially with poetry, which is why I've wanted to share my favourite authors.

Here's my quick list of Mongolian authors who's works I've read so far (and a few that are on my to-read radar).

1. Galsan Tschinag

My absolutely favorite poet, born in Mongolia in 1944, famous for his poetry, which interestingly enough was originally written in German, and then translated to English.

His works primarily feature the themes of a nomadic lifestyle, nature, heritage and cultural identity, so if any of these topics interest you, definitely check out his works!

2. Chadraabalyn Lodoidamba

I've only managed to read one of his novels "Тунгалаг тамир" (The Crystal Clear Tamir River), but it's definitely a worthwhile read. Set in the 20th Century, it provides an interesting insight into Mongolian history leading up to the uprising of Mongolia in 1932, with a strong focus on the struggle of the poor against the rich

There's no official English translation (there are German and Russion versions somewhere, but I didn't find them yet), but google translate helped me create a readable version from the original Mongolian.

There's also a movie split into several episodes avaliable on yt but with iffy subtitles, so if you liked the book, you can sort of follow along with the movie.

It's rare for me to hear spoken Mongolian, so watching the movie episodes has been a fascinating experience.

3. Choinom Ryenchi

Once again, I've only read one of this authors works "Buriad", written in 1973 and published in Sümtei Budaryn Chuluu [A Stone from the Steppe with a Monastery] in 1990, but it was enough to interest me.

Buriad refers to an ethnic group in Mongolia, with the poem describing their lifestyle and history. I don't know if what I've read is the entire work, as I found it in a research paper, feauturing said poem with the translation, but it was still quite beautiful.

The style is very lyrical, almost like a song or even a chant at times, and very captivating. A must-read.

4. Mend-Ooyo Gombojav

He has written quite a lot of novels, with many of them luckily translated into English.

His "The Holy One" is a great work of historical fiction, about a 19th century poet and teacher of Buddhism, whose memory and works were later persecuted by the governments fight against intellectuals and free-thinkers, all whilst his works protector attempted to save his works.

Unfortunately I've only read excerpts and bits and pieces, which is pretty frustrating because it seems so good? The style is unusual for me, but it's pretty great either way.

I've read the peom "The Way of the World", which has a rather nostalgic vibe, remembering the past warriors and their heroic deeds but also suggesting that only the stories of their victories will remain. Short but "sweet".

5. Oyungerel Tsedevdamba

I only know her "The Green-eyed Lama", co-written by her and her husband Jeffrey Lester Falt, but the plot description is enough to have me hooked. A love triangle, love and faith amidst war and rebellion... Here's me hoping that it won't be a tear-jerker, because sad endings are not my favorite genre.

Here's a link to a video about Oyungerel's and Jeffrey's writing and research process and how they wrote the novel. It's actually based on a true real-life story, so I guess I'll see how reading this novels turn out. History isn't exactly known for it's happy endings, so we shall see.

6. Combo: Mongolian Short Stories

This one is a compilation of short stories by various Mongolian authors rather than just one author, but it'll have to do because Number 6 exhausts all my knowledge of Mongolian literature.

Edited and compiled by Henry G. Schwarz, each story is about 4-15 pages long with different themes, ranging from daily life in rural Mongolia to critiques of the political situation at the time, the style is a tad over the place, as each author has their own distinct style. Nonetheless, this book gives interesting insights into what life was like in Mongolia at the time, and whether our notions and initial ideas about Mongolia reflect the literary depictions.

Here's my list so far, but chances are I'll update it soon, so watch out for any new updates!

I'll happily share any links and digital copies of these works that I have, just message me please!