In the 21st century, friends are new family. Are there many extended families living together or at least close to each other? According to recent research people prefer change their location when they have their own families. Many people move from countrysides to towns, as well as they move from small towns to big cities. When you live in New York and your parents live in London it isn't easy to have a family get-together even on Christmas eve. However, all humans are presumed "social animals", so we need society to support us, to share our wins and losses. We all need someone to cheer us up, someone to spend the whole evening doing nothing, or, conversely, doing something really important. Also, we need someone to share common interests. There is a gap between our generation and the generation of our parents. The world around us changes so quickly, that it's becoming hard to keep on for elder people. Can you imagine talking about "Pokemon Go" game with your grandma? Or would you enjoy talking about knitting, gardening or whatever like that with her? Want it or not, we are completely different people, like aliens to each other. Thirty years ago, sixty years ago world wasn't so fast and running, people prefers live near their families to have someone close. In our days we need friends to be "on the same wave", to be understood and supported, and, of course, to understand and support, to share someone's interests too.

IELTS I decided to attempt the IELTS exam this autumn. I'm not sure if I'm ready enough, but I need to know my current level so as I am able to move forward with my language skills. I've been learning English for many years by now, so maybe I have a chance to succeed with the exam. The problem is that I learnt English all by myself mostly, so I have no confidence in my English skills. Who has any experience in IELTS? Was it horribly difficult or just difficult? What did you do to revise for it? Have any advice where to start?

Is it possible? I could never expect this, but I need German. I have no idea where to start because I hardly know any word in it, and it's doesn't look really familiar to any language I learn or know. I have something about three or four months to get the basic knowledge.

Bilingual people A few days ago I bought "Fry's English Delight" #8 to have some pleasure of listening to my favourite show. The topic of the last discussion was dedicated to bilingual people. I'd never known that there are two kinds of such people: so-called "early bilingual" and "late bilingual". Late bilingual are really rare, because most people have few opportunities to use two (or more) languages every day for communication and work. Usually bilingual people have a more flexible mind as they understand from their own experience that there are more than the only way to express thoughts and feelings, that some facts or ideas might be described completely different ways, thought initially they are the same. Once I asked a bilingual girl "What language do you think in your head?".She stared at me and had nothing to say. "I'm thinking the language I'm talking at the moment" she said. Now I can understand her as I had no need to think in Russian before the English talk. That's because I'm that lucky one who has to communicate in two languages every day, sometimes I need English more than I need Russian as I work with our foreign branch offices. I noticed an interesting thing: these days I can easily explain something to my Malaysian colleague while I'm writing something to our Russian developer in Skype (in Russian, of course). I'm not saying that my English is perfect, it's just good enough to use it without "sentence-by-sentence" translation. Occasionally funny things happen, for example, I start talking or write having two languages completely messed up. Usually it happens in the evenings after I have the especially difficult days. So, my next goal is Portugues, even though I hardly use it these days.

Useful Language CV Starting and ending your letter Dear Mr /Mrs /Ms ... Yours sincerely, Dear Sir or Madam, Yours faithfully, I look forward to hearing from you. Introductory sentence I am writing in response to… I am writing to apply for… I would like to apply for… I am interested in the position of… as advertised in… Personal information Currently… enthusiastic / professional / hard-working / energetic / helpful / (highly) motivated / outgoing I am keen on… / I am enthusiastic about… Experience and qualifications I was in charge of… I worked closely with… I am a confident user of… I work well with other people / as part of a team. I am used to… Why you are suitable I believe I would be suitable for this post / position because… Final paragraph I would welcome the opportunity to join your company. I attach a full CV. (email) I enclose a full CV. (letter) I would be grateful if you could send me…

Notes about my team If I had to write a letter about my time I would write something like this: P. Is very good at drawing out the shyer and less confident members of staff. Her ability to handle team spirit shines through. She seems like an excellent candidate for promotion in the next quarter . N. Sometimes come across as a little aggressive, but in general he has good relations with his colleagues. He prides himself on his ability to cope with huge amounts of stress and to deal with major crisis.

Do you know any nice or funny text with the only phrasal verb "get"? Do you know any nice or funny text with the only phrasal verb "get"? Something like "I got up that morning in a bad mood, cause that very day I had to get throw my last and the most difficult exam. I tried to get away from my fear but nothing could help me to get the exam over with"...

I'm not a fatalist (Part I) - So, my dear master of magic tapestry, shall I order a dessert? – Irma looks at me curiously, suspecting a new tale – Last time you began telling about granny’s attic, what happened with it? “Tale-for-dessert” is our old tradition, we played this game almost twenty years to the common joy. - Well, nothing special about that attic, actually. I even berated myself for climbing this old wreck chamber. There was a lot of stuff around: old grandfather’s toys, a broken distaff, a rusty ax without handle and other trash. You know, how it usually happens. And there was a window, it was so dusty that the Sun could hardly squeeze through it. Beside the window there was a vespiary as abandoned as granny’s house. So, I stood in the middle of all this stuff thinking what did I want to find there when unexpectedly a fell down to my head. At first I decided that the roof was going to fall and I jumped aside and crashed into a beam with my forehead. There was a really huge mar afterward! .. (to be continued)

The Road Goes Ever on and on "Roads go ever ever on Under cloud and under star" It seems to me that ages passed since I left Moscow. However, it also seems to me that no time gone. I don't want to return home, I don't want to stay here. So, it is time to change something. "Help" - cries my soul, "Socorro*!"- echoes my heart. Three wonderful weeks overs, it's time to say good-bye. I didn't know that it would be so difficult for me. Though, there is a light side too, as I'm gonna change something. I have no idea what exactly I will change, it is like a blind bend: no idea what is after it. Something's gonna happen. As usual, I write in English about the things I cannot talk in Russian. *Socorro - Help! (PT) Btw, Brazil was wonderful. Especially Rio. Picture from my instagram: