Conversation 2

February 25, 2014
My second meeting with Anastasia started off with a small amount of animosity.  The week after the Olympics had ended this year, Anastasia had to rub it in my face that Russia had won the most medals.  Her first words were “Did you watch the Olympics?”  They were all that was needed for her to show pride and her home nation, and I had to swallow mine and congratulate her.  It was a difficult time for me, but Anastasia had been so nice the first time we met I let that comment slide.

            After we discussed the Olympics for a few minutes, Anastasia told me about where she went to school before she came to Russia.  She had attended a four-year university in Russia and had completed two years there.   Her dorms were in poor and there were always problems with it.  One day she had her brand new iPhone stolen from her while she was taking a nap.  She much preferred the TCU and the facilities it offers to every student.  I began to think about how lucky I am that I have a nice place to live, eat, study, and go to class.  I was glad I felt safe on campus and did not worry about neighbors stealing my things.

            While I was thinking about how lucky I was, Anastasia began to talk about how there was no free school in America.  She got to attend her college for free in Russia.  All she had to do was get accepted and she could go there without paying fifty-thousand dollars a year.  We began to discuss how Americans pay a lot of taxes, but it was hard to see where all the money went.  She said that it seems feasible for Americans to go to college for free, because of all the money we pay our government.   She then added that the nicest and the best colleges in Russia cost money, but there were many more free colleges, and that the cost of the those colleges in Russia were nowhere close to what it costs to go to school in America.

            I already wish there were free public universities in the United States.  It would help everyone in the long run.  People would not have to factor money into their college choice as much and could focus on going to the best school possible.  Her experience with secondary education in Russia only furthered my belief in free universities, but it also made me realize that the quality of education could go down.  If her buildings were run down and difficult to live in, the education one received there could also be of lesser quality than it is at these expensive schools Americans attend.