Damn, after a beautiful day yesterday , I wake up to mixed rain and snow this morning. Man, and I was just gloating over my friends in the Rochester area who got snow yesterday. That will teach me!
But I forgot to mention my hectic Friday, which got lost in the excitement of the anticipated meeting with the transportation guy.
Friday, one of the boys came in with his mom and asked me to come to his house for dinner. Since I didn’t know whether the transportation man wanted to meet with me Friday or Saturday, I told him I could only let him know later in the day. And I didn’t hear. And I didn’t hear. Then, in the afternoon I had a meeting with the bosses. I told them I was still waiting to hear from the guy, and Dinar immediately got on the phone and called the guy and told him to let me know. That’s how to make it work!
So when the guy told me Saturday afternoon, I told the little boy I would come to dinner. When the mom picked him up, I rode home with them and had a great piece of marinated beef, salad, potatoes, some great cheese and even drank some red wine. It was a pleasant even with lots of good discussion. This family will be moving to Spain in August, so the little boy will go to an English-speaking school there. His early English lessons have paid off.
So, let’s cut to today. Ravil and I went to breakfast this morning. We tried a different place than usual and it wasn’t particularly good, so we not not to go there again. I came home and made a pizza for lunch,then went out to see the movie White Crow with Anna. Great dancing, great music, ok script. We still want to see Code Red with Judy Dench but that won’t happen until we get back from May Vacation.
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Bingo!
This weekend is a total frenzy. I had to change my plans a couple of times when I found out that the Ministry of Transportation guy could meet me at 5 today. But first the morning turned out to be a big surprise. The former student of mine who recommended me for this job is in Kazan visiting her mother. My boss, who is her good friend, asked if I had time to meet with her this morning. So we spent the morning together. It was great seeing her. Her daughter was also with her. I had her in my preschool class in the States when she was 3. Now she’s 14!
Then I came back home, made lunch and tried a Skype call to Germany. It didn’t work on the other end so I just basically relaxed until I had to go downtown again the meet the M of T guy. I knew I had seen him at one meeting before, but it turns out we attended two meetings together without knowing who each other was. I mean, to him it was obvious that I wasn’t from Kazan so he recognized me more quickly.
We met at an Internet cafe and spent an hour going over different ideas. I learned a lot about how things function in Kazan and he was very receptive to my ideas. And he had already had some of the same ideas. The discussion was very positive and hopefully he’ll be able to help implement some of the ideas.
All in all, it was a successful day. Tomorrow will be another breakfast in the morning with Ravil and a moviein the afternoon with Anna. We want to see the bio documentary about Rudolf Nureyev.
Then I came back home, made lunch and tried a Skype call to Germany. It didn’t work on the other end so I just basically relaxed until I had to go downtown again the meet the M of T guy. I knew I had seen him at one meeting before, but it turns out we attended two meetings together without knowing who each other was. I mean, to him it was obvious that I wasn’t from Kazan so he recognized me more quickly.
We met at an Internet cafe and spent an hour going over different ideas. I learned a lot about how things function in Kazan and he was very receptive to my ideas. And he had already had some of the same ideas. The discussion was very positive and hopefully he’ll be able to help implement some of the ideas.
All in all, it was a successful day. Tomorrow will be another breakfast in the morning with Ravil and a moviein the afternoon with Anna. We want to see the bio documentary about Rudolf Nureyev.
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Oh wonder of wonders, I’ve got a bicycle meeting with the Tatarstan Department of Transportation
Be still, my beating heart! I’ve caught the ear of someone in the Tatarstan government! Now I’ll be able to lay out all my ideas for bicycle projects in Kazan.
But let’s start with Monday. I met Dmitry for coffe again at Coffee Bean cafe. This guy knows a tremendous amount about the architecture in Kazan and also knows who gets away without paying taxes. Of course, it mostly the rich people who could afford to pay the taxes.
Then came Tuesday. Sonia and I had to go to the immigration office with Linar in the morning because Linar was sure we had to extend our immigration cards even though our visas had already been extended. I had asked Ravil about it since, being from Uzbekistan, he faces the same situation. He said it wasn’t true. His immigration cards often expire but as long as the visa has the right dates, everything is cool. Linar and Sonia were of another opinion, so off we trundled Tuesday morning to the immigration office across town. We were a little early, which was a good thing. We were third in line and by the time the doors were unlocked, there were about 20 people behind us. We were the first ones in the office responsible for us. Linar explained the situation, the guy looked at our papers and said.....it doesn’t matter what date is one the immigration form as long as the date on the visa is correct!! So we got a taxi back to school and life went on as usual.
But the absolute BEST thing about Tuesday was this. A couple of my dads hold high positions in the government. One family in particular is very supportive of my bike ideas. The wife came in that morning with a phone number and told me to call Mrs. Fishman that evening. She wanted to hear my proposals. Now, I’ve been hearing about the legendary Mrs. Fishman for two years. She’s responsible for the parks in Kazan and created a lovely bike trail with a pump track in the newest park in Kazan not far from me. You BET I’ll call Mrs. Fishman. Her English was great. She referred me directly to a guy in the Ministry of Transportation who is responsible for bike lanes and amenities. You BET I’ll call Mr. Kadyrov.
So I get Mr. Kadyrov on the phone, we talk a little bit (His English is also excellent!) and then he says, “Don’t I know you?” I replied that, if he was the man who gave a talk about bicycle infrastructure in Kazan to the Rotary Club a few months ago, then yes, he knew me. Yup, one and the same guy. So he wants to meet up with me tomorrow or Saturday. It’s going to be a very short notice thing, depending on when he has time. This is amazing. How many other countries take the time to listen to what their immigrants say? America, take notice. Everyone’s a foreigner somewhere and we’re not all bad people! It took me a long to fall asleep after that because I kept making notes about what I wanted to talk to him about.
Wednesday was table tennis day. It was Paul, Marat, Ravil and me. I’m still not smoking anybody, but I certainly have improved. I work on my backhand serve last night.
Today in school I asked the science teacher upstairs to help us with a science experiment we tried that failed. We had taken sugar and baking soda and put it on sand that had been saturated with lighter fluid. Then we tried to light it to make a carbon snake. The only problem was, when we tried to light it last week with simple matches, we couldn’t maintain a flame. She came out with a damned propane torch! That did the trick. Of course the kids loved it. They got to wear safety goggles and set stuff on fire. It couldn’t have worked out better.
Coming home from school this evening, I ran into Jenn at our little store. We decided to walk to McDonald’s for some ice cream after supper. It was a nice walk on a pleasant evening. But it also showed me that I have to get some sort of ice pack for my foot because, after I’ve been on my feet all day, the ankle that I injured in Almetyevsk is still very sore at night. I have a pack of ice cubes on it now.
But let’s start with Monday. I met Dmitry for coffe again at Coffee Bean cafe. This guy knows a tremendous amount about the architecture in Kazan and also knows who gets away without paying taxes. Of course, it mostly the rich people who could afford to pay the taxes.
Then came Tuesday. Sonia and I had to go to the immigration office with Linar in the morning because Linar was sure we had to extend our immigration cards even though our visas had already been extended. I had asked Ravil about it since, being from Uzbekistan, he faces the same situation. He said it wasn’t true. His immigration cards often expire but as long as the visa has the right dates, everything is cool. Linar and Sonia were of another opinion, so off we trundled Tuesday morning to the immigration office across town. We were a little early, which was a good thing. We were third in line and by the time the doors were unlocked, there were about 20 people behind us. We were the first ones in the office responsible for us. Linar explained the situation, the guy looked at our papers and said.....it doesn’t matter what date is one the immigration form as long as the date on the visa is correct!! So we got a taxi back to school and life went on as usual.
But the absolute BEST thing about Tuesday was this. A couple of my dads hold high positions in the government. One family in particular is very supportive of my bike ideas. The wife came in that morning with a phone number and told me to call Mrs. Fishman that evening. She wanted to hear my proposals. Now, I’ve been hearing about the legendary Mrs. Fishman for two years. She’s responsible for the parks in Kazan and created a lovely bike trail with a pump track in the newest park in Kazan not far from me. You BET I’ll call Mrs. Fishman. Her English was great. She referred me directly to a guy in the Ministry of Transportation who is responsible for bike lanes and amenities. You BET I’ll call Mr. Kadyrov.
So I get Mr. Kadyrov on the phone, we talk a little bit (His English is also excellent!) and then he says, “Don’t I know you?” I replied that, if he was the man who gave a talk about bicycle infrastructure in Kazan to the Rotary Club a few months ago, then yes, he knew me. Yup, one and the same guy. So he wants to meet up with me tomorrow or Saturday. It’s going to be a very short notice thing, depending on when he has time. This is amazing. How many other countries take the time to listen to what their immigrants say? America, take notice. Everyone’s a foreigner somewhere and we’re not all bad people! It took me a long to fall asleep after that because I kept making notes about what I wanted to talk to him about.
Wednesday was table tennis day. It was Paul, Marat, Ravil and me. I’m still not smoking anybody, but I certainly have improved. I work on my backhand serve last night.
Today in school I asked the science teacher upstairs to help us with a science experiment we tried that failed. We had taken sugar and baking soda and put it on sand that had been saturated with lighter fluid. Then we tried to light it to make a carbon snake. The only problem was, when we tried to light it last week with simple matches, we couldn’t maintain a flame. She came out with a damned propane torch! That did the trick. Of course the kids loved it. They got to wear safety goggles and set stuff on fire. It couldn’t have worked out better.
Coming home from school this evening, I ran into Jenn at our little store. We decided to walk to McDonald’s for some ice cream after supper. It was a nice walk on a pleasant evening. But it also showed me that I have to get some sort of ice pack for my foot because, after I’ve been on my feet all day, the ankle that I injured in Almetyevsk is still very sore at night. I have a pack of ice cubes on it now.
Sunday, April 21, 2019
The relaxing Sunday
The weather today was beautiful. I went out to breakfast with Ravil. The discussion today was about kids learning to read. After breakfast he went to run his errands and I took the bus up to Gorky Park to meet Anna. You could tell it was spring because the park was getting crowded. I even ran into some kids from school with their parents.
Anna had bought some nuts along because she was looking for squirrels to feed. Of course we didn’t see any! So we left the nuts on the ground and took the other exit out of the park down to the promenade to get there. It involved cutting through a construction zone because there’s no real entrance to the promenade from the street.
Man, there were cyclist, scooter riders, lots of pedestrians and some of the pedal cars that four people can sit in. We walked the entire length of the promenade and found some empty space on one of those recliner benches. We stretched out in the sun and just really relaxed for 45 minutes. I was THAT close to falling asleep! It was after three now and we started getting hungry so we walked back up into the pedestrian zone and went to Basilico where we had salad and tea.
Then I finally did have to get home. So, lesson plans are done, I studied some Russian and it’s time to call it quits.
Anna had bought some nuts along because she was looking for squirrels to feed. Of course we didn’t see any! So we left the nuts on the ground and took the other exit out of the park down to the promenade to get there. It involved cutting through a construction zone because there’s no real entrance to the promenade from the street.
Man, there were cyclist, scooter riders, lots of pedestrians and some of the pedal cars that four people can sit in. We walked the entire length of the promenade and found some empty space on one of those recliner benches. We stretched out in the sun and just really relaxed for 45 minutes. I was THAT close to falling asleep! It was after three now and we started getting hungry so we walked back up into the pedestrian zone and went to Basilico where we had salad and tea.
Then I finally did have to get home. So, lesson plans are done, I studied some Russian and it’s time to call it quits.
Saturday, April 20, 2019
The shopping tour and a German afternoon
Claudia had a friend coming in from Germany. She wanted to know if Katrin and I wanted to join them for some sightseeing Saturday afternoon. I'm always happy for a chance to speak German so of course I said yes. But before I met them, I had to do some wash and some shopping. I figured I would bike to the big Ashan store first to get some exercise in the deal. And I had been dreaming about spinach lasagna again, so I thought this would be a great way to spend my morning.
The weather was absolutely beautiful it was a pleasant 25 minute ride. And interestingly enough, everyone and his brother was out raking leaves and picking up trash. Whole school classes were out at every school I passed. It must have been a Russian version of Earth Day.
In any case, I get to the store and am happy because I am early enough to beat the crowds. I buy all my cheeses and the other things I need, find a short checkout line, get through quickly.....and realize I forgot to buy spinach. I didn't see any lockers where I could lock up my purchases and go back in (Most stores here have them.), so I said screw it and rode home. I figure it's a good excuse to ride again tomorrow.
I got home, did my wash and then took the subway to the Kremlin, where I met Claudia, Kathrin and Christine. We drove to the tonier part of time to walk around and look at the beautiful architecture. Kathrin knows a lot about architecture and the history of Kazan, so we got a real guided tour. Afterwards, we went to the best restaurant I’ve eaten in yet. I had a salmon/spinach pasteta with caviar sauce. It was luxurious. Good food, good company, nice afternoon.
We split up then, and since I wanted to go to couch surfing later, I decided to hang around in town instead of going back home. I went to Kofein cafe and started to blog and text. The I headed over to the Cuba Libre bar right down the street where the meeting was going to be. There were a lot of familiar faces and I met Ali from Syria. He’s studying neurobiology here. He made the point that, because of the political situation, there is a limited number of other countries whic invite Syrians to study there. Syrians definitely don’t have it easy at the moment.
A lot of people showed up. There was a lot of good music and dancing. I called it quits early and headed out. This morning I’m going to have breakfast with Ravil and Sonia, if Sonia didn’t stay too late at the party! Afterwards I’m going to walk through Gorky Park with Anna (and probably a million other people because the day is so nice) then I’ll come home and throw some lesson plans together.
The weather was absolutely beautiful it was a pleasant 25 minute ride. And interestingly enough, everyone and his brother was out raking leaves and picking up trash. Whole school classes were out at every school I passed. It must have been a Russian version of Earth Day.
In any case, I get to the store and am happy because I am early enough to beat the crowds. I buy all my cheeses and the other things I need, find a short checkout line, get through quickly.....and realize I forgot to buy spinach. I didn't see any lockers where I could lock up my purchases and go back in (Most stores here have them.), so I said screw it and rode home. I figure it's a good excuse to ride again tomorrow.
I got home, did my wash and then took the subway to the Kremlin, where I met Claudia, Kathrin and Christine. We drove to the tonier part of time to walk around and look at the beautiful architecture. Kathrin knows a lot about architecture and the history of Kazan, so we got a real guided tour. Afterwards, we went to the best restaurant I’ve eaten in yet. I had a salmon/spinach pasteta with caviar sauce. It was luxurious. Good food, good company, nice afternoon.
We split up then, and since I wanted to go to couch surfing later, I decided to hang around in town instead of going back home. I went to Kofein cafe and started to blog and text. The I headed over to the Cuba Libre bar right down the street where the meeting was going to be. There were a lot of familiar faces and I met Ali from Syria. He’s studying neurobiology here. He made the point that, because of the political situation, there is a limited number of other countries whic invite Syrians to study there. Syrians definitely don’t have it easy at the moment.
A lot of people showed up. There was a lot of good music and dancing. I called it quits early and headed out. This morning I’m going to have breakfast with Ravil and Sonia, if Sonia didn’t stay too late at the party! Afterwards I’m going to walk through Gorky Park with Anna (and probably a million other people because the day is so nice) then I’ll come home and throw some lesson plans together.
The great melon drop
I've now got 6 of my 15 kids wearing helmets. But I wanted to convince everyone how important it was. So yesterday we did a bike parade around the school with several other classes. Before we rode, I stood on a bench with two melons. One of then I dropped on the ground. Predictably, it cracked open. The other one I put in my helmet and then dropped it on the ground in my helmet. And it didn't break open! So what did we learn? We are safer when we wear helmets. The parade was lots of fun. Some of the kids are just learning how to pedal. Some of them being their scooters. But they all have fun.,
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Another busy week
We’ve been busy at school this week. Tuesday we had planned on coloring “spring eggs” with the kids. (I wasn’t allowed to say Easter.) some of the moms were going to help and Claudia was coming to teach us how to do it, so we decided to have a little tea party afterwards to thank everyone who participated. So that meant we had to bake cookies for the tea party. We did that Monday and the kids had a great time. It’s one of their favorite activities. The egg coloring and the tea party both went well. For Friday we’ve got a bike parade planned. The kids will get to decorate their bikes with ribbons and whatever else we can find. We’ve invited other kindergarten classes to join us. I can’t wait to see how this works out.
After work on Monday I met Dmitry for coffee. He knows a great bike route out to one of the lakes about 5 miles out of Kazan. When the snow’s really all gone, we went to ride out there. Yesterday I had a really pleasant experience. One of the guys at school had an extra theater ticket to a performance of “The Taming of the Shrew”. I jumped at the chance to go because I had always wanted to go inside this theater and you have to get tickets months in advance, just like for any other cultural event in the city.
The performance was brilliant. I understood very little of the language, but I knew the story and the acting was superb. I even laughed at the comedic parts because they were so well-acted and funny. It was just so well done.
Tonight was table tennis. This time it was Claudia, Marat and me. Claudia even beat Marat. Tonight I worked more on my forehand and we even stayed an extra half hour. And Marat lives out my way, so I caught a ride home with him.
So, now it’s time to call it quits for the day.
After work on Monday I met Dmitry for coffee. He knows a great bike route out to one of the lakes about 5 miles out of Kazan. When the snow’s really all gone, we went to ride out there. Yesterday I had a really pleasant experience. One of the guys at school had an extra theater ticket to a performance of “The Taming of the Shrew”. I jumped at the chance to go because I had always wanted to go inside this theater and you have to get tickets months in advance, just like for any other cultural event in the city.
The performance was brilliant. I understood very little of the language, but I knew the story and the acting was superb. I even laughed at the comedic parts because they were so well-acted and funny. It was just so well done.
Tonight was table tennis. This time it was Claudia, Marat and me. Claudia even beat Marat. Tonight I worked more on my forehand and we even stayed an extra half hour. And Marat lives out my way, so I caught a ride home with him.
So, now it’s time to call it quits for the day.
Sunday, April 14, 2019
How to do time in a Russian jail
I got the apartment all cleaned early this morning and Ravil got here at 10 to help me take my two suitcases and one box to the post office. We had to get a taxi (about $1.50) because it was too far to push the suitcases even if they were on castors. There was hardly anyone at the PO when we got there and yes, some branches of the Russian PO are open on Sunday. Ravil didn’t believe me at first either. A very nice young lady started to help us. When we asked about sacks to put the suitcases in she had to ask her supervisor, who was a first-class, nasty witch. She immediately said they were only for PO use and not for private people. So I had to buy more packing boxes. I opened my suitcases in the middle of the post office and started filling the boxes.
When the supervisor asked what was in the boxes, Ravil told her “drugs”. NO, RAVIL, NO! I don’t want to go to jail in Russia! But then the mush-for-brains supervisor says, “Well, if it’s drugs, we can’t send it!” Ravil then proceeds to explain that it’s clothing and books. Then supervisor lady wants to know how she can be sure. Ravil tells her to open the package and look! Man, she’s a few cards short of a full deck.
It took us 1.5 hours to empty the suitcases and pack everything in the boxes. And each box needed 5 separate forms filled out for it. I packed and Ravil wrote. By the time we were finished, there was an awfully long, angry line behind us. Boy, was I glad when that ordeal was over.
Now the suitcases were so light, we could push them back to my place. I made lunch for us, the we both took off again. I was going to meet Anna to see the Russian history exhibit again and Ravil headed home.
Anna and I both arrived at the exhibit at the same time. This time we concentrated on the portion starting with the revolution. I noticed that I could read more and more of the descriptions under the pictures.After 1.5 hours there, we headed downtown to have a salad at Beanheart’s before we went home. Ah, yes, another eventful weekend.
Tomorrow we bake cookies in school and Tuesday we will color Easter eggs except that I’m not allowed to say “Easter “. So they will be spring eggs.
When the supervisor asked what was in the boxes, Ravil told her “drugs”. NO, RAVIL, NO! I don’t want to go to jail in Russia! But then the mush-for-brains supervisor says, “Well, if it’s drugs, we can’t send it!” Ravil then proceeds to explain that it’s clothing and books. Then supervisor lady wants to know how she can be sure. Ravil tells her to open the package and look! Man, she’s a few cards short of a full deck.
It took us 1.5 hours to empty the suitcases and pack everything in the boxes. And each box needed 5 separate forms filled out for it. I packed and Ravil wrote. By the time we were finished, there was an awfully long, angry line behind us. Boy, was I glad when that ordeal was over.
Now the suitcases were so light, we could push them back to my place. I made lunch for us, the we both took off again. I was going to meet Anna to see the Russian history exhibit again and Ravil headed home.
Anna and I both arrived at the exhibit at the same time. This time we concentrated on the portion starting with the revolution. I noticed that I could read more and more of the descriptions under the pictures.After 1.5 hours there, we headed downtown to have a salad at Beanheart’s before we went home. Ah, yes, another eventful weekend.
Tomorrow we bake cookies in school and Tuesday we will color Easter eggs except that I’m not allowed to say “Easter “. So they will be spring eggs.
Saturday, April 13, 2019
The touchy-feely workshop
Yesterday was a combined Russian/English-speaking staff conference. The Russian teachers in our school are still teaching in the old Soviet style. The bosses are trying to convince them to edge on up into the 21st century. Nope, not interested. It’s too much work to change. So the meeting dragged on for two hours and all the boss got was resistance to his ideas. Lordy, why do I have to attend these things. We all know what the outcome will be.
This morning a workshop was offered for the kindergarten teachers. It was supposed to be about games. Sounded interesting to me! I only found out about it by accident because my TA said she was going. I guess they don’t bother to ask me because of the language. But they never consider that I understand a lot and there’s always an English-speaker there to ask if I don’t understand something. So I decided to to attend.
There were about 25 of us ( some of whom showed up in spiked heels. As my friend in Henrietta always said, nothing says child care like stiletto heels.) and the seminar was run by two young guys. We started out standing in a circle. OK. So, now we’re supposed to look at everyone in the circle directly in the eye. OK. so, now we’re supposed to wink at everyone in the circle. Getting weird. And now we’re supposed to give everyone in the circle an air kiss from a distance. That ain’t gonna happen. Fortunately, this exercise terminated. Then came a couple of games where, if you goofed up you had to do a penalty round. OK. the discussion after these games was useful. They made the point that it’s not a tragedy to make a mistake. Then came the coffee break and I sat with 3 others who can speak English and we discussed the exercises. That was useful.
So, now comes the good part. We stand in a circle again. Now we are supposed to walk around and look people in the eye while trying to hit people on the back of the head and avoid getting hit ourselves. Hmmmm, I think I’ll sit this one out. You’re not intruding in my personal space. So, as I’m watching this whole thing, the exercise comes to an end and transforms into a conga line and they all have to give each other shoulder massages and back rubs. I’m out there. I’ve got better things to do than play touchy-feely games with staff members I barely know.
So, I hopped on my bike and rode down to another Home Depot type place, still looking for the sacks I need to send my suitcases. Of course, all they have are small ones. Next stop, post office. I bought two large boxes because I know the suitcases are overweight and I have to redistribute some things. It took me a few minutes to bungee them on my bike basket, but I got them home all right. I dropped them off and headed to the bank because I know I’ll need cash, not debit card, to send the suitcases. Then I headed to the store to buy a few things before I ride back home.
I repacked, I studied some Russian and I cleaned. Tomorrow Ravil will meet me here at 10 and we’ll head for the post office. I’m sure glad I didn’t wait until the last minute to try and send this stuff. What a day!
This morning a workshop was offered for the kindergarten teachers. It was supposed to be about games. Sounded interesting to me! I only found out about it by accident because my TA said she was going. I guess they don’t bother to ask me because of the language. But they never consider that I understand a lot and there’s always an English-speaker there to ask if I don’t understand something. So I decided to to attend.
There were about 25 of us ( some of whom showed up in spiked heels. As my friend in Henrietta always said, nothing says child care like stiletto heels.) and the seminar was run by two young guys. We started out standing in a circle. OK. So, now we’re supposed to look at everyone in the circle directly in the eye. OK. so, now we’re supposed to wink at everyone in the circle. Getting weird. And now we’re supposed to give everyone in the circle an air kiss from a distance. That ain’t gonna happen. Fortunately, this exercise terminated. Then came a couple of games where, if you goofed up you had to do a penalty round. OK. the discussion after these games was useful. They made the point that it’s not a tragedy to make a mistake. Then came the coffee break and I sat with 3 others who can speak English and we discussed the exercises. That was useful.
So, now comes the good part. We stand in a circle again. Now we are supposed to walk around and look people in the eye while trying to hit people on the back of the head and avoid getting hit ourselves. Hmmmm, I think I’ll sit this one out. You’re not intruding in my personal space. So, as I’m watching this whole thing, the exercise comes to an end and transforms into a conga line and they all have to give each other shoulder massages and back rubs. I’m out there. I’ve got better things to do than play touchy-feely games with staff members I barely know.
So, I hopped on my bike and rode down to another Home Depot type place, still looking for the sacks I need to send my suitcases. Of course, all they have are small ones. Next stop, post office. I bought two large boxes because I know the suitcases are overweight and I have to redistribute some things. It took me a few minutes to bungee them on my bike basket, but I got them home all right. I dropped them off and headed to the bank because I know I’ll need cash, not debit card, to send the suitcases. Then I headed to the store to buy a few things before I ride back home.
I repacked, I studied some Russian and I cleaned. Tomorrow Ravil will meet me here at 10 and we’ll head for the post office. I’m sure glad I didn’t wait until the last minute to try and send this stuff. What a day!
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Table tennis and bicycles
Table tennis was good again yesterday. It was just Claudia, Ravil and me, so no games, just practice, practice, practice. But we were all really tired even before we started, so we all went home exhausted. The kids were still hyper today. But the neat thing is, they’ve been bring their bikes and scooters to school to ride during outside time. This is a good thing because the playground itself is still covered with mudand snow, so they ride on the paved courtyard most of the time and stay relatively dry. But the even neater thing is that some of the parents have bought helmets for their kids. I hope this will start a trend in school now because none of the older kids wears a a helmet when they ride. No I’ve just got to get them to stop riding like bats out of hell!
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
The Golden Horde
Who remembers their history? Remember Genghis Khan, the leader of the Mongolian tribes? This was all part of his empire. Anna and I went to an exhibit about him and the Golden Horde down at the Hermitage at the Kremlin. It was a well-done exhibit of artifacts borrowed from other museums. And gold was a large part of it. It was interesting to learn how religiously diverse the empire was. And also interesting was the fact that, if horses had not been domesticated, the people never would have been able to travel as far as they did. One friend pointed out to me that the Tatar language may be so guttersl because the rider-warriors had to be able to give commands to their horses above the sounds of the constant wind on the steppes. Interesting theory. And the exhibit was well worth it.
Afterwards, we walked down to Balsamico’s and had a salad.
I had gotten my lesson plans done in the morning so it was a nice, relaxing evening.
On Monday, the kids were off the wall. I think they are excited that spring really IS coming. Most of the snow in the school courtyard is gone. They’ve started bring their scooters and bikes and we’ been sharing rides. I’m raising them all to be Uber drivers! In the evening I met Dmitry for coffee. It’s always an hour of good conversation. When I got home, I booked a flight for St. Petersburg. I’ll travel there Ma1-5. Can’t wait. It’s been more then 50 years since I’ve been there.
Tuesday the kids were still hyper. The terrible thing is that, although it is warming up, we still have to put snowsuits on everyone of them before we go out. Please let summer come soon. Please, please.
In the evening, I went down to my favorite “Home Depot” to buy the sacks I need to pack my suitcases to send them through the post office. Of course they had them. Of course they were all too small. So now I have to rethink my packing. I may just go to the PO and buy it’s largest boxes. Then I know I won’t be overweight.
So, today is Wednesday and everyone is back in the classroom. And they are still all hyper. But I’ll go play table tennis tonight and work off some of the frustration.
Afterwards, we walked down to Balsamico’s and had a salad.
I had gotten my lesson plans done in the morning so it was a nice, relaxing evening.
On Monday, the kids were off the wall. I think they are excited that spring really IS coming. Most of the snow in the school courtyard is gone. They’ve started bring their scooters and bikes and we’ been sharing rides. I’m raising them all to be Uber drivers! In the evening I met Dmitry for coffee. It’s always an hour of good conversation. When I got home, I booked a flight for St. Petersburg. I’ll travel there Ma1-5. Can’t wait. It’s been more then 50 years since I’ve been there.
Tuesday the kids were still hyper. The terrible thing is that, although it is warming up, we still have to put snowsuits on everyone of them before we go out. Please let summer come soon. Please, please.
In the evening, I went down to my favorite “Home Depot” to buy the sacks I need to pack my suitcases to send them through the post office. Of course they had them. Of course they were all too small. So now I have to rethink my packing. I may just go to the PO and buy it’s largest boxes. Then I know I won’t be overweight.
So, today is Wednesday and everyone is back in the classroom. And they are still all hyper. But I’ll go play table tennis tonight and work off some of the frustration.
An unconventional convention
Saturday got off to a meh start. When Ravil showed up to help me with my suitcases, we realized that the big ones were much too heavy. So we just took the little one to th post office put and sent that ones. Four forms! She packed the suitcase in a box. Did I want it to go by land or air? What’s the difference in delivery time? None. What’s the difference in price? Land is cheaper. We’re going with land. And, to u know what? They’ll probably stick it on an airplane anyway. So, now I’ll have to repack the big suitcases and put some of the stuff in a box. The suitcases have to be put in sacks that are used to dispose of construction rubble. Yup!
Ok, we got that taken care of and Paul met us there. Then we walked down to the restaurant where Claudia, Kirsten, Anna and Sonia met us. It was a good meal and lots of fun to have a big group together.
After lunch Sonia headed off to a flamenco performance and I went with Claudia and Kirsten to the anime convention. The daughter of Claudia’s friend Kathrin participated in these conventions. When we got there, the first thing I associated with it was the guys on The Big Bang Theory going to Comicon. Here were a bunch of 20-30 year-olds dressed up as their favorite anime characters. I don’t know much about anime, but I did recognize the name Sailor Moon. It is group structured and everyone in the group has a specific anime role. The groups performed on stage and otherwise just walked around and took pictures with other anime characters. They also had a room where people were playing video games and some people were dressed in those characters.
It’s not something I would attend regularly, but it was really interesting to see how these things work and how people become socialized in the system.
Ok, we got that taken care of and Paul met us there. Then we walked down to the restaurant where Claudia, Kirsten, Anna and Sonia met us. It was a good meal and lots of fun to have a big group together.
After lunch Sonia headed off to a flamenco performance and I went with Claudia and Kirsten to the anime convention. The daughter of Claudia’s friend Kathrin participated in these conventions. When we got there, the first thing I associated with it was the guys on The Big Bang Theory going to Comicon. Here were a bunch of 20-30 year-olds dressed up as their favorite anime characters. I don’t know much about anime, but I did recognize the name Sailor Moon. It is group structured and everyone in the group has a specific anime role. The groups performed on stage and otherwise just walked around and took pictures with other anime characters. They also had a room where people were playing video games and some people were dressed in those characters.
It’s not something I would attend regularly, but it was really interesting to see how these things work and how people become socialized in the system.
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Normal shoes
I have put my boots away. I don’t care if there is still a lot of snow on the ground. You can see the sidewalks in most places and a lot of other people besides me are out on their bikes, including people who ride at night with no lights on, on the sidewalks! An accident waiting to happen. I’ve got three suitcases full of winter things and souvenirs that I want to ship back to the States today. Ravil is going to help me because the paperwork In Russian is in triplicate for each suitcase. This will take some time. The. A bunch of us will head out for a late lunch to a restaurant very near the PO. I’ll let you know how that experience goes for sure. But let’s start at the beginning of the week.
We’ve been talking about bicycle safety in school this week. We lakes all about the parts of the bike and how to change a tire. We’ve also planted seeds and grown beans in plastic bags on taped on the window. As soon as spring really comes, then we can transplant them outside.
Wednesday was table tennis. It was only me, Ravil and Claudia. I made sure I put on my ankle brace when I played. It was cool with only three of us because they taught me how to put some spin on my serve. I’m definitely going to have to find a place to play when I get back to the States. What a great sport and such good exercise.
Thursday was couch surfing again. I met some new people; a new Dmitry (My old friend Dmitry was there too.), Iskandar and Dilyara. Sonia and I stayed until the restaurant closed at 10 then went home. The others moved on To another location. We had some pretty nice conversations.
Yesterday we had an international meeting at school with the bosses about the needs of the international program and how it should be structured. A lot of good ideas came out of it and I just hope the bosses are able to put some of the ideas into practice. Or get rid of the people who refuse to change!
In the evening, Ravil, Sonia and I went to see Dumbo. Sonia and I had gotten free passes from the school for International Women’s Day and we wanted to make sure to use them Before they expired. Besides the fact that I didn’t understand all the Russian, I still think I prefer the cartoon version from the 50s.
Ok, I have to get a little more work done. Enough of this for now.
We’ve been talking about bicycle safety in school this week. We lakes all about the parts of the bike and how to change a tire. We’ve also planted seeds and grown beans in plastic bags on taped on the window. As soon as spring really comes, then we can transplant them outside.
Wednesday was table tennis. It was only me, Ravil and Claudia. I made sure I put on my ankle brace when I played. It was cool with only three of us because they taught me how to put some spin on my serve. I’m definitely going to have to find a place to play when I get back to the States. What a great sport and such good exercise.
Thursday was couch surfing again. I met some new people; a new Dmitry (My old friend Dmitry was there too.), Iskandar and Dilyara. Sonia and I stayed until the restaurant closed at 10 then went home. The others moved on To another location. We had some pretty nice conversations.
Yesterday we had an international meeting at school with the bosses about the needs of the international program and how it should be structured. A lot of good ideas came out of it and I just hope the bosses are able to put some of the ideas into practice. Or get rid of the people who refuse to change!
In the evening, Ravil, Sonia and I went to see Dumbo. Sonia and I had gotten free passes from the school for International Women’s Day and we wanted to make sure to use them Before they expired. Besides the fact that I didn’t understand all the Russian, I still think I prefer the cartoon version from the 50s.
Ok, I have to get a little more work done. Enough of this for now.
Monday, April 1, 2019
The lucky plane ride and bicycle underpants
Ok, so after a nice week in Germany visiting family and friends, riding my bike and enjoying weather with NO SNOW, I took off for Kazan at 10:15 p.m. Saturday night. I didn’t sleep during the flight because we had a meal and it just wasn’t very comfortable. Got to the Moscow airport, went through immigration with no problem and changed terminals. Still had lots of time until we were supposed to board at 5:50 a.m. So I did a little emailing and then I just decided to “rest my eyes”. Damned if I didn’t fall asleep and didn’t notice that we had started boarding. I woke up just before the gate was about to close. Yikes, you can’t cut it much closer than that!
As we land in Kazan, I look out the windows and what do I see? Snow! It must have snowed for three days last week. But of course, now it’s melting so rapidly you almost have to swim across the street at crosswalks. The water just cannot run off fast enough.
After I got back to the apartment Sunday morning, I found a notice to pick up a package at the post office in my mailbox. I first slept for about an hour, then I went to the post office to pick up the package (Yes, Post offices are open on Sundays here.), went and got my hair cut and then got a few necessities at the grocery store. I came home and slept again for a few hours, then went downtown to have tea with Ravil at Coffee Bean, then came home and finished up my lesson plans.
School was fine today. We only had nine kids and it was a fun day. I’ve started teaching them Bicycle safety and today we talked about the parts of a bike. I brought my bike inside and we discussed everything. I showed them the seat cover I put on the seat when I leave it standing outside. I asked what they thought it might be called. The answer: “Underpants!” What a classic! The reasoning and thought processes are so sound. The kid just hadn’t learned the right word yet.
Then, when we went outside we walked in the woods. The highlight for the kids? All the piles of dog doo they found along the trail. They were so excited to learn the expression “doggy poop”. One of the kids repeated the phrase and laughed the entire way. So, tonight and tomorrow night are going to be “rest up” evenings before table tennis on Wednesday and couch surfing on Thursday. And I’ll see if I get some more packing done.
As we land in Kazan, I look out the windows and what do I see? Snow! It must have snowed for three days last week. But of course, now it’s melting so rapidly you almost have to swim across the street at crosswalks. The water just cannot run off fast enough.
After I got back to the apartment Sunday morning, I found a notice to pick up a package at the post office in my mailbox. I first slept for about an hour, then I went to the post office to pick up the package (Yes, Post offices are open on Sundays here.), went and got my hair cut and then got a few necessities at the grocery store. I came home and slept again for a few hours, then went downtown to have tea with Ravil at Coffee Bean, then came home and finished up my lesson plans.
School was fine today. We only had nine kids and it was a fun day. I’ve started teaching them Bicycle safety and today we talked about the parts of a bike. I brought my bike inside and we discussed everything. I showed them the seat cover I put on the seat when I leave it standing outside. I asked what they thought it might be called. The answer: “Underpants!” What a classic! The reasoning and thought processes are so sound. The kid just hadn’t learned the right word yet.
Then, when we went outside we walked in the woods. The highlight for the kids? All the piles of dog doo they found along the trail. They were so excited to learn the expression “doggy poop”. One of the kids repeated the phrase and laughed the entire way. So, tonight and tomorrow night are going to be “rest up” evenings before table tennis on Wednesday and couch surfing on Thursday. And I’ll see if I get some more packing done.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)