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.