September 21, 2008
Yesterday was a pretty long but really fun day.
I went to the school at 9:30 to observe the class of 8 year olds I'm to teach. They are certainly energetic, but they seem like a lot of fun. They don't know much English and it is hard for them to wrap their heads around the fact that I don't know Russian (and wouldn't speak it in class if I did). There was one little girl in the class, and she was so excited to sit beside me and hold my hand. The little boys also seemed to enjoy having me there as the other teacher is a lot older and probably not as much fun. Her teaching style is not what Language Link considers best practice. I then had my individual lesson, which was fine.
We had decided to have a taco party for all the teachers as sort of a house warming, so after I got out of class we headed to Real, one of the biggest supermarkets in the city. By odd chance Sarah had found taco shells in another grocery store called Gourmand and we already had Mexican seasoning, but we were hoping Volgograd would have salsa, corn chips, and avocados somewhere. We were very pleased to find the first two items, as well as a number of other things for our apartment, in this store, which is a lot like a very, very badly organized Walmart. The salsa was near a bunch of Lays potato chips while the corn chips were across the store nearer to the toilet tissue and dog food. One aisle would have flour and the next would have shoes. It was hard to find things, but we did and were happy. Avocadoes don't seem to be here.
When we got back, we had plenty of time to get ready. The party went off well and was a lot of fun.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Standing a marathon
September 15
Well, actually it is currently September 16, a little after midnight. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my marathon days. I start with an individual lesson at 12-1:30, then I have 3 classes back to back from 4-9. That might not sound like much, but with lesson planning it adds up pretty quickly. I planned one lesson yesterday and could have planned a second, but the other 2 had to wait until today so that I could see how far we got yesterday. That means I came in at 11 and stayed, except for 15 minutes to pick up some lunch, until about 9:10. My Thursdays will soon be worse as I’m supposed to be picking up a group of 8 year olds which will begin at 1:35.
I’m kind of excited about teaching kids, but the way they’ve been described to me is less than appealing. I’ve been told they made one teacher quit in tears and that they are spoiled rich kids. I’ve also heard kids described as “little devils”. Of course, it was also mentioned how horrible the teenagers would be, and I haven’t experienced that yet. It should be fun to get to play lots of games and sing songs. I won’t have to do too much writing or grading of papers. This Thursday I’m going to meet the kids, to take over next week. I’m going to have to figure out a way to do a lot more of my planning on Wednesdays.
Before you think that my schedule is too severe, let me point out that on Mondays and Wednesdays I just teach 2 classes from 4-7:15. I have Fridays off and just have one class on Saturdays from 11-12:30. All in all, it is pretty relaxed.
The main reason I’m writing this so late tonight is that Sarah was kind enough to cook dinner for us tonight after we got off work. She had a few problems with her oven, so the meatloaf wasn’t ready for some time. When it was, though, it was very good.
The appliances here really are confusing to figure out. We feel a little silly sometimes having so much trouble with washing machines, ovens, and hot water heaters, but they really are different. Our washer, for instance, is top-loading, but the spinning action is like that of a front-loader. To make matters “easier,” the settings have pictures and symbols rather than words. That’s a bit frustrating as I haven’t yet found an icon-English dictionary to interpret what setting the picture of a puddle indicates.
Our water situation is tricky, too. We have a tank-less water heater, it appears. While this is convenient and means that we always have a steady supply of hot water, it is very hard to get the correct temperature. It seems to switch from scalding to tepid and back again as one moves the knobs, with a very small in-between. Added to this is the fact that it is located in the shower, which means the shower head cannot be mounted anywhere. We must hold it. I always get a little nervous about accidentally spraying the heater and extinguishing the pilot light. I don’t really know where the gas shut off is and, while I’m sure I could find it quickly, we’d have to figure out a way to get it re-lit before we had any more hot water.
Well, I’m going to try for some sleep now. I doubt I will have to try very hard.
Well, actually it is currently September 16, a little after midnight. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my marathon days. I start with an individual lesson at 12-1:30, then I have 3 classes back to back from 4-9. That might not sound like much, but with lesson planning it adds up pretty quickly. I planned one lesson yesterday and could have planned a second, but the other 2 had to wait until today so that I could see how far we got yesterday. That means I came in at 11 and stayed, except for 15 minutes to pick up some lunch, until about 9:10. My Thursdays will soon be worse as I’m supposed to be picking up a group of 8 year olds which will begin at 1:35.
I’m kind of excited about teaching kids, but the way they’ve been described to me is less than appealing. I’ve been told they made one teacher quit in tears and that they are spoiled rich kids. I’ve also heard kids described as “little devils”. Of course, it was also mentioned how horrible the teenagers would be, and I haven’t experienced that yet. It should be fun to get to play lots of games and sing songs. I won’t have to do too much writing or grading of papers. This Thursday I’m going to meet the kids, to take over next week. I’m going to have to figure out a way to do a lot more of my planning on Wednesdays.
Before you think that my schedule is too severe, let me point out that on Mondays and Wednesdays I just teach 2 classes from 4-7:15. I have Fridays off and just have one class on Saturdays from 11-12:30. All in all, it is pretty relaxed.
The main reason I’m writing this so late tonight is that Sarah was kind enough to cook dinner for us tonight after we got off work. She had a few problems with her oven, so the meatloaf wasn’t ready for some time. When it was, though, it was very good.
The appliances here really are confusing to figure out. We feel a little silly sometimes having so much trouble with washing machines, ovens, and hot water heaters, but they really are different. Our washer, for instance, is top-loading, but the spinning action is like that of a front-loader. To make matters “easier,” the settings have pictures and symbols rather than words. That’s a bit frustrating as I haven’t yet found an icon-English dictionary to interpret what setting the picture of a puddle indicates.
Our water situation is tricky, too. We have a tank-less water heater, it appears. While this is convenient and means that we always have a steady supply of hot water, it is very hard to get the correct temperature. It seems to switch from scalding to tepid and back again as one moves the knobs, with a very small in-between. Added to this is the fact that it is located in the shower, which means the shower head cannot be mounted anywhere. We must hold it. I always get a little nervous about accidentally spraying the heater and extinguishing the pilot light. I don’t really know where the gas shut off is and, while I’m sure I could find it quickly, we’d have to figure out a way to get it re-lit before we had any more hot water.
Well, I’m going to try for some sleep now. I doubt I will have to try very hard.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
It feels like the beach
After being in Moscow, Volgograd is a very nice, welcome change. We have a great apartment. The living room, which is also Megan's bedroom, is air conditioned and has a tv and dvd player. My room has a balcony, where I love to stand and look out on the Volga. The first night we were here there were fireworks, which we had an excellent view of from the balcony. Actually, all of our windows overlook the Volga.
The school is just a 7 minute walk from the apartment. When they told us that, I figured it would really take 15 minutes because in Moscow, all the Russians walked double time. Here, however, people walk at a much more relaxed pace. If I ever had to, I think I could make it in 5.
By the way, my mailing address here is:
Volgograd 400131
Ul. Komsomolskaya
Building 6
Language Link
Katherine Evans
The weather here feels kind of beach-like right now with the wind coming off the river. I've been told that in the wintertime, though, that will turn into a cruel wind.
I enjoy my job. Each class gets more fun as I teach it the second and third time, which seems promising. I'll give more updates later, and I'll put up some pictures I took.
The school is just a 7 minute walk from the apartment. When they told us that, I figured it would really take 15 minutes because in Moscow, all the Russians walked double time. Here, however, people walk at a much more relaxed pace. If I ever had to, I think I could make it in 5.
By the way, my mailing address here is:
Volgograd 400131
Ul. Komsomolskaya
Building 6
Language Link
Katherine Evans
The weather here feels kind of beach-like right now with the wind coming off the river. I've been told that in the wintertime, though, that will turn into a cruel wind.
I enjoy my job. Each class gets more fun as I teach it the second and third time, which seems promising. I'll give more updates later, and I'll put up some pictures I took.
In Volgograd
September 9, 2008
It has been a long time since I last got online. As I write this, I still don’t know how I’m going to post it. The school is supposed to get a computer with internet access soon, and Megan was able to use the Ethernet cord there for a while today, but then it stopped working. I’m not sure why. Many of the Russians working at Language Link seem to have no interest in the internet and so aren’t very helpful on that count.
The train trip from Moscow to Volgograd was fantastic. We were riding second class, or coupe. That means that the train car is divided into about 6 compartments, each of which has 4 berths. The bottom bunks are also the seats and there is a table. Megan and I were in one coupe and Ivor and Sarah were in the other. Somehow we lucked out and no one else was in either coupe. Our compartments were pretty nice, too. We had a teapot and four teacups, with hot water at one end of the train car. They gave us a box with salami, rolls, cheese, tea, and such. We also got a hot meal. Since we hadn’t expected this we also had a bunch of food with us.
My apartment is very nice. It is right on the river, which we can see from all of our windows. Our ceilings are high with nice molding. We have a large fridge, a modern oven, and a washing machine. Mostly it is just really nice to look out the window at the river, surrounded by trees. When I am going to sleep it feels like I am at the beach.
I started teaching Monday. My classes seem pretty good. So far I have 5 classes: upper intermediate adults, upper intermediate teens, beginning adults, an upper-intermediate individual teen, and an elementary individual adult. I was told I would get some 7 year olds next week. The elementary and children’s classes (except the individual) are shared with a Russian teacher. I teach the beginning adults on Tuesday and Thursday, and an English-speaking Russian teaches them on Fridays. I’m hoping he is also able to give me some advice for working with the elementary level. It is more difficult than I was expecting because the class is very large. One good thing is that it can only get easier as they learn more.
As one might expect, many of the people I’m teaching are fairly wealthy or important. My individuals are an engineer with an oil company and his daughter. Many of the adults in my classes have introduced themselves as engineers and specialists, which usually means scientists. One of my elementary students introduced himself as “deputy chief of police of Volgograd city” which seemed to impress and somewhat intimidate the class. I think he found the reaction amusing. When I had them tell why they were learning English, his answer was “for the international mission.” I was glad that class was ending then, because I wasn’t really sure I wanted to know what that meant.
Tuesdays and Thursdays will be my busiest days with 4 classes each. Right now I have just 2 classes on Monday and Wednesday. I have Fridays off and one tutoring session for an hour and a half on Saturday. That is so short that I basically have a 3 day weekend.
If only we could find internet, I would feel very satisfied here.
It has been a long time since I last got online. As I write this, I still don’t know how I’m going to post it. The school is supposed to get a computer with internet access soon, and Megan was able to use the Ethernet cord there for a while today, but then it stopped working. I’m not sure why. Many of the Russians working at Language Link seem to have no interest in the internet and so aren’t very helpful on that count.
The train trip from Moscow to Volgograd was fantastic. We were riding second class, or coupe. That means that the train car is divided into about 6 compartments, each of which has 4 berths. The bottom bunks are also the seats and there is a table. Megan and I were in one coupe and Ivor and Sarah were in the other. Somehow we lucked out and no one else was in either coupe. Our compartments were pretty nice, too. We had a teapot and four teacups, with hot water at one end of the train car. They gave us a box with salami, rolls, cheese, tea, and such. We also got a hot meal. Since we hadn’t expected this we also had a bunch of food with us.
My apartment is very nice. It is right on the river, which we can see from all of our windows. Our ceilings are high with nice molding. We have a large fridge, a modern oven, and a washing machine. Mostly it is just really nice to look out the window at the river, surrounded by trees. When I am going to sleep it feels like I am at the beach.
I started teaching Monday. My classes seem pretty good. So far I have 5 classes: upper intermediate adults, upper intermediate teens, beginning adults, an upper-intermediate individual teen, and an elementary individual adult. I was told I would get some 7 year olds next week. The elementary and children’s classes (except the individual) are shared with a Russian teacher. I teach the beginning adults on Tuesday and Thursday, and an English-speaking Russian teaches them on Fridays. I’m hoping he is also able to give me some advice for working with the elementary level. It is more difficult than I was expecting because the class is very large. One good thing is that it can only get easier as they learn more.
As one might expect, many of the people I’m teaching are fairly wealthy or important. My individuals are an engineer with an oil company and his daughter. Many of the adults in my classes have introduced themselves as engineers and specialists, which usually means scientists. One of my elementary students introduced himself as “deputy chief of police of Volgograd city” which seemed to impress and somewhat intimidate the class. I think he found the reaction amusing. When I had them tell why they were learning English, his answer was “for the international mission.” I was glad that class was ending then, because I wasn’t really sure I wanted to know what that meant.
Tuesdays and Thursdays will be my busiest days with 4 classes each. Right now I have just 2 classes on Monday and Wednesday. I have Fridays off and one tutoring session for an hour and a half on Saturday. That is so short that I basically have a 3 day weekend.
If only we could find internet, I would feel very satisfied here.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
More pictures
This was my breakfast the first morning. It's pretty typical. That's berry jam in the dish on the plate. Sometimes they eat it just straight. That's very hard for me as it is even sweeter than American jam.
This is a picture I took at the Prospect Mira metro station. I wanted to show how elaborately some are decorated. I had to be a little furtive with the picture taking as I don't think it is strictly allowed.
This blurry photo is of the lights in the Mendelev station. They look very atomic, so we were trying to remember who Mendelev was. Speaking of which, some of the metro stations can very obviously be easily converted into bomb shelters. I always wonder as I walk through whether those very heavy doors close on their own if a disaster butten is pushed or whether a bunch of soldiers would suddenly appear to push them closed.
I'll try to get some better pictures ready to post the next time.
This is a picture I took at the Prospect Mira metro station. I wanted to show how elaborately some are decorated. I had to be a little furtive with the picture taking as I don't think it is strictly allowed.
This blurry photo is of the lights in the Mendelev station. They look very atomic, so we were trying to remember who Mendelev was. Speaking of which, some of the metro stations can very obviously be easily converted into bomb shelters. I always wonder as I walk through whether those very heavy doors close on their own if a disaster butten is pushed or whether a bunch of soldiers would suddenly appear to push them closed. I'll try to get some better pictures ready to post the next time.
You asked for some pictures
September 3, 2008
It is very odd feeling like I'm getting into a routine here, especially since I'll be leaving and going to a completely different town so very soon. I found out our train is supposed to leave at 1:30 on Saturday, so that's good. I didn't want to leave or arrive in the middle of the night, so this works well. I think it puts us at arriving at 9:30 in Volgograd.
I haven't really had a chance to take very many pictures, but I do have some. I'll put them up now, if I can figure out how.
The picture here on the left is my bed. Very interesting, I'm sure.
The picture on the top left is the view out my window. There are lots of trees. The two buildings are pretty old apartment buildings.
The picture below is the view out of the living room window. Those apartment buildings you see are exactly like the one I am staying in. There are a lot of them. It is staggering to think of how many people live in them. The cloudiness of the sky is entirely typical also. I've only seen the moon once since I've been here. I think I'll start a new post to put more pictures in. This is getting unwieldy as I try to figure out how to use it.
I haven't really had a chance to take very many pictures, but I do have some. I'll put them up now, if I can figure out how.
The picture here on the left is my bed. Very interesting, I'm sure.
The picture on the top left is the view out my window. There are lots of trees. The two buildings are pretty old apartment buildings.
The picture below is the view out of the living room window. Those apartment buildings you see are exactly like the one I am staying in. There are a lot of them. It is staggering to think of how many people live in them. The cloudiness of the sky is entirely typical also. I've only seen the moon once since I've been here. I think I'll start a new post to put more pictures in. This is getting unwieldy as I try to figure out how to use it.
See a kopek, pick it up...
September 1, 2008
Instead of dollars, in Russia there are rubles. It takes nearly 25 of them to make a dollar. Instead of pennies, they have kopeks. That means that each kopek is worth about .04 cents. One might think that such a small amount would be too trifling to actually be represented in coin form, but that would be silly. This is Russia! Of course there are coins that cost more to transport than they are actually worth. Today at the baked potato stand, the woman asked me to give her 2 more rubles so that the change would come out more nicely. I did so and she handed me my change, which included two 50 kopek pieces. I think everyone hates kopeks and just looks for ways to get rid of them. As an American, I was an easy target, I suppose.
Instead of dollars, in Russia there are rubles. It takes nearly 25 of them to make a dollar. Instead of pennies, they have kopeks. That means that each kopek is worth about .04 cents. One might think that such a small amount would be too trifling to actually be represented in coin form, but that would be silly. This is Russia! Of course there are coins that cost more to transport than they are actually worth. Today at the baked potato stand, the woman asked me to give her 2 more rubles so that the change would come out more nicely. I did so and she handed me my change, which included two 50 kopek pieces. I think everyone hates kopeks and just looks for ways to get rid of them. As an American, I was an easy target, I suppose.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
