This book is for every single girl aged 12 to 20. For those who have already started earning their own money, and those who only dream of doing so. For those who want to go study far away from home, and those who never even imagined such a thing was possible. And even for those who have absolutely no such opportunities and wouldn't even consider such options—it's for broadening their horizons and for inspiration. Because this book is about how to work toward your dream, about how a dream might look completely different than it did from afar, and about how every effort we make toward self-improvement is never in vain, even if it doesn't yield the desired result.
A word or two about the plot. Masha is 15, and she loves learning foreign languages; she speaks English and Spanish perfectly. Life then tosses her a cool opportunity: to go to Spain for language courses during her holidays! Masha is fired up, but she'll have to earn the money for the trip herself because her parents can't afford that right now. Well, she can try her hand as a tutor, although the student she finds is so-so—peculiar, not very pleasant, and not motivated at all. But what wouldn't you do for a dream? So, Masha gritting her teeth, forces herself to continue the lessons and find a way to connect. Spoiler alert: she manages to save up the necessary amount and goes to Spain. The second part of the book is precisely about that: studying at the courses, life in Spain, solving a million incidental problems, meeting new people from all corners of the globe... And about the fact that these 15-year-old girls can be much stronger and more independent than they seem at first glance!
This book is not only for girls, but also for their moms who have ever gone to study abroad. If you have had such a life experience, you must read this—remember your golden childhood and have a smile!
You know, all those situations where you spend a hundred years learning a foreign language and feel like you're at the top of the class, the teachers praise you, you feel like a star—but then you arrive in the country and discover you don't understand a sin-gle thing.
When you doubt every word and think with a sinking heart, "What if they don't say it like that? Did I use the right form? How does my accent sound?" And, of course, the second-guessing: "Damn! I said that wrong, oh no, what will this shopkeeper think of me? He's probably going to tell everyone about the inarticulate foreigner, ahhh!.."
When you need to solve pressing issues, but I don't know how, I'm just a little kid and want to be carried, but there are all these strange men and women around...
When you're too shy to ask the locals anything, even where the bathroom light switch is. Well, it's fine, I'm okay, it's not that dark, I won't miss...
Go eat? Oh no, I don't think I'm hungry... (yeah, right, thinking to yourself at the same time: "Because that would mean interacting with people, AND I CAN'T! Never mind that I haven't eaten a proper meal since yesterday, I've still got two chocolate bars in my suitcase, I'll hold out a bit longer!")
We poor things: we didn't have such books in our childhood, and yet they would have helped us so much, wouldn't they? If not to avoid getting into awkward situations altogether, then at least to avoid feeling like fools, because it turns out we've all been there!
"First Job" by Yulia Kuznetsova is for teenage girls and their moms. Teenage boys and their dads could read it too; there's nothing specifically "girly" about it, but it does feel like it's primarily women's reading.
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