An update from Kitezh!
Hey Guys! (Or should I say Privet!)
I've been here a week now, and I've kind of settled in as much as I think I'm going to in the near future. One of the adults (Zhenia) is in hospital with Hepatitis A, so we have a bit of a crazy-quarantine situation here, all possible precautions are being taken, with everyone eating at home and having separate plates and stuff. And I've had the jab, so I'm theoretically immune and thus am not too worried (so you shouldn't be!).There have been no other cases, and we hope to have the all-clear in a month (that being the incubation period) and then we'll be having meals together and things will be (slightly) less insane.
It is very relaxed here, which means, of course, that things rarely happen on time or where expected (school being, for the most part, an exception) and I have also had loads of free time, which, being a good girl, I have spent writing up Russian notes and planning classes. Except that now said Russian notes are more or less in order, I have to actually *learn* stuff, rather than revise (bloody genitive plurals!) so I suspect I shall get lazy soon. Actually, I hope to have some Russian lessons with Asya, so I hope some progression will be made. I am certainly speaking more Russian now (especially with the 4ths - I need a list of classroom vocabulary!) so all is good.
The days are pretty structured here. Classes start 8:45 and there are six 'hours' until 2:15 (they're called hours, but they're really 45min lessons plus 10min break). Lunch is at 2:15, or before that if we aren't teaching 6th period and can get the food early (strictly because we are not eating together and so have to collect food for our house from the kitchens which can happen from about 1:45, or whenever a trail of small kids with pans walk from Tamara's, past our house, on the way to the kitchens).
On the topic of kitchens, the food here is good. It is simple, but plentiful (in the sense that you always end up with a half-pan of soup/buckwheat/rice/pasta to be disposed of before the next meal - usually it goes to one of the two cats (Asic and Arican-american (because he's black)). There are large portions of all my favourite Russian foods - buckwheat, salted cabbage and (my absolute fav!) salted seaweed. But, sadly, not a salted cucumber in sight. I hope you noted the sarcasm there, but actually, I am eating more or less everything (although I draw the line at crab-stick salad) and, believe it or not, enjoying it (except the salted seaweed :-p). Although, it is market day on Friday, and I have a list of various foodstuffs (biscuits, dried/fresh fruit etc.) that I *have* to get, if only to add some variety:
I'm sorry, I appear to be over-using the brackets today, but you'll just have to suffer with it!
I have opted out of having to teach 1st period - I just can't be conscious enough to teach before 9am, and also it gives me the option of possible lie-ins:
Anywho, second period is Dyetsky Sad (kindergarten) who are lovely, if you don't mind short people jumping on you. We are supposed to teach them English, but no plan is necessary - we play games and learn words or songs. Very fun, even if Nastya is possessive and refuses to let Ksyusha near me:
I have two groups to teach - the 4ths and the 9/10/11 'top' group. There is such a difference between the two: the 4ths are cute, but difficult, not only to keep in their chairs and stop from throwing slippers at each other, but also because they don't know much English and I have to try to explain in Russian (god forbid!) but, regardless, I thoroughly enjoy teaching them.
The other group is just four, who are pretty good at English and leave me drawing a blank for lesson plans, since they won't say what they *want* to talk about, and I have no idea what they have/haven't done. English here is very sporadic and there is no one set of textbooks that are used so it is up to the individual volunteer which means that I have no clue. But their English is good.
Other than that, my every-day activities are not constant. Every day at three is Ped Soviet - the council - where much of what is going on at Kitezh is discussed (in Russian) and we are lucky if we get a few minutes' translation. We like to show up to prove that we are interested (and, with any luck, gain some idea of what is going on here) even if we only understand bits of it. Then there is the bi-weekly banya (which I have yet to join) and in the evening, we may be rota-ed to help out at Tamara's.
A little explanation is needed here - Tamara is the goddess of Kitezh. In her house live 8 children between 6 and 12, only one of whom is her biological daughter. There is therefore a rota for the adults to help out at Tamara's in the evening and put the kids to bed. She also seems to believe that we can understand her every word. Admittedly she is one of the few Russians I have spoken with that I can more or less understand (she speaks slowly and simply - must be having all those kids!) but the other day she was saying something about child soldiers (?! - she used the term 'little murderers') in some African country and we were totally lost, because the conversation had been, initially, about her older daughter, Masha, going to Scotland: It is usually a case of semi-understanding, and the good old 'smile and nod' procedure.
It snowed a little yesterday, which means that it is not *that* cold (not less than maybe -5) but today was clear and colder. I don't like when it warms up, because the snow melts on the paths and then freezes again and so they are not so much paths as ice-tracks, and if you step too far off the side of them, you are likely to end up knee-deep in snow. But at least it is *clean* snow (unlike Moscow). I've just realized this, but there is not a snowman in sight here: how utterly weird considering the quantity of snow
and the number of small (and not so small) children:
Yesterday we went for a nice, long walk. It was only a half-day of classes, since a lot of the teachers were (for some unexplained reason) in Bariatino, and the last three periods were scheduled as a walk. We ended up going over a field, rolling down some snowy banks, then wading through another field. I really hate when the ice-crust on the knee-deep snow just *won't* take your weight: anyhow, it was very cold, good fun, and a lot harder than it sounds.
In response to Clare's questions:
Pasha is fine, although I couldn't stay with him for the weekend, but I *did* spend Valentines with him - which was wonderful - we went skating in Gorky Park in a snow blizzard, which was very romantic...
What do you mean only a card from your aunt? Didn't your boyfriend get you one?
That's all for today, folks!
Hope to hear what's going on at your end soon!
Ali
I've been here a week now, and I've kind of settled in as much as I think I'm going to in the near future. One of the adults (Zhenia) is in hospital with Hepatitis A, so we have a bit of a crazy-quarantine situation here, all possible precautions are being taken, with everyone eating at home and having separate plates and stuff. And I've had the jab, so I'm theoretically immune and thus am not too worried (so you shouldn't be!).There have been no other cases, and we hope to have the all-clear in a month (that being the incubation period) and then we'll be having meals together and things will be (slightly) less insane.
It is very relaxed here, which means, of course, that things rarely happen on time or where expected (school being, for the most part, an exception) and I have also had loads of free time, which, being a good girl, I have spent writing up Russian notes and planning classes. Except that now said Russian notes are more or less in order, I have to actually *learn* stuff, rather than revise (bloody genitive plurals!) so I suspect I shall get lazy soon. Actually, I hope to have some Russian lessons with Asya, so I hope some progression will be made. I am certainly speaking more Russian now (especially with the 4ths - I need a list of classroom vocabulary!) so all is good.
The days are pretty structured here. Classes start 8:45 and there are six 'hours' until 2:15 (they're called hours, but they're really 45min lessons plus 10min break). Lunch is at 2:15, or before that if we aren't teaching 6th period and can get the food early (strictly because we are not eating together and so have to collect food for our house from the kitchens which can happen from about 1:45, or whenever a trail of small kids with pans walk from Tamara's, past our house, on the way to the kitchens).
On the topic of kitchens, the food here is good. It is simple, but plentiful (in the sense that you always end up with a half-pan of soup/buckwheat/rice/pasta to be disposed of before the next meal - usually it goes to one of the two cats (Asic and Arican-american (because he's black)). There are large portions of all my favourite Russian foods - buckwheat, salted cabbage and (my absolute fav!) salted seaweed. But, sadly, not a salted cucumber in sight. I hope you noted the sarcasm there, but actually, I am eating more or less everything (although I draw the line at crab-stick salad) and, believe it or not, enjoying it (except the salted seaweed :-p). Although, it is market day on Friday, and I have a list of various foodstuffs (biscuits, dried/fresh fruit etc.) that I *have* to get, if only to add some variety:
I'm sorry, I appear to be over-using the brackets today, but you'll just have to suffer with it!
I have opted out of having to teach 1st period - I just can't be conscious enough to teach before 9am, and also it gives me the option of possible lie-ins:
Anywho, second period is Dyetsky Sad (kindergarten) who are lovely, if you don't mind short people jumping on you. We are supposed to teach them English, but no plan is necessary - we play games and learn words or songs. Very fun, even if Nastya is possessive and refuses to let Ksyusha near me:
I have two groups to teach - the 4ths and the 9/10/11 'top' group. There is such a difference between the two: the 4ths are cute, but difficult, not only to keep in their chairs and stop from throwing slippers at each other, but also because they don't know much English and I have to try to explain in Russian (god forbid!) but, regardless, I thoroughly enjoy teaching them.
The other group is just four, who are pretty good at English and leave me drawing a blank for lesson plans, since they won't say what they *want* to talk about, and I have no idea what they have/haven't done. English here is very sporadic and there is no one set of textbooks that are used so it is up to the individual volunteer which means that I have no clue. But their English is good.
Other than that, my every-day activities are not constant. Every day at three is Ped Soviet - the council - where much of what is going on at Kitezh is discussed (in Russian) and we are lucky if we get a few minutes' translation. We like to show up to prove that we are interested (and, with any luck, gain some idea of what is going on here) even if we only understand bits of it. Then there is the bi-weekly banya (which I have yet to join) and in the evening, we may be rota-ed to help out at Tamara's.
A little explanation is needed here - Tamara is the goddess of Kitezh. In her house live 8 children between 6 and 12, only one of whom is her biological daughter. There is therefore a rota for the adults to help out at Tamara's in the evening and put the kids to bed. She also seems to believe that we can understand her every word. Admittedly she is one of the few Russians I have spoken with that I can more or less understand (she speaks slowly and simply - must be having all those kids!) but the other day she was saying something about child soldiers (?! - she used the term 'little murderers') in some African country and we were totally lost, because the conversation had been, initially, about her older daughter, Masha, going to Scotland: It is usually a case of semi-understanding, and the good old 'smile and nod' procedure.
It snowed a little yesterday, which means that it is not *that* cold (not less than maybe -5) but today was clear and colder. I don't like when it warms up, because the snow melts on the paths and then freezes again and so they are not so much paths as ice-tracks, and if you step too far off the side of them, you are likely to end up knee-deep in snow. But at least it is *clean* snow (unlike Moscow). I've just realized this, but there is not a snowman in sight here: how utterly weird considering the quantity of snow
and the number of small (and not so small) children:
Yesterday we went for a nice, long walk. It was only a half-day of classes, since a lot of the teachers were (for some unexplained reason) in Bariatino, and the last three periods were scheduled as a walk. We ended up going over a field, rolling down some snowy banks, then wading through another field. I really hate when the ice-crust on the knee-deep snow just *won't* take your weight: anyhow, it was very cold, good fun, and a lot harder than it sounds.
In response to Clare's questions:
Pasha is fine, although I couldn't stay with him for the weekend, but I *did* spend Valentines with him - which was wonderful - we went skating in Gorky Park in a snow blizzard, which was very romantic...
What do you mean only a card from your aunt? Didn't your boyfriend get you one?
That's all for today, folks!
Hope to hear what's going on at your end soon!
Ali