Friday, September 15, 2017
The drinking water automat.
The first thing I did this morning was fill my drinking water bottle up at the dring water automat. I just had an excellent grapefruit for breakfast and after I post this picture, I'm going to be on my way. It's a beautiful day.
I am pooped!
Aliya and I busted our butts to get the room ready for Monday. There are still a few things to do, but in general, it looks really cool. I will make pictures on Monday and attach them.
Seems that things are often done half-ass backwards. They painted my room at the end of last week and just left it standing in the middle of the room. Tuesday I had to get them to move all the furniture out of the middle of the room so we could set it up. But they didn't paint the hallway to the classroom. So today as I'm hanging decorations in the hallway, the lady comes along and tells me to take them down and they will paint the hallway this weekend. Huh? Why didn't they do it all at one time?
And with my visa extension, if there is a typo on the form, the guy has to type it all over again and resubmit it. The system is a hoot. I see a lot of vestiges of the old Soviet system. It's a lot of hurry up and wait as well as whose palm needs greasing. Bureaucracy seems to be the same the world over.
So the landlady came to read my meters today. She was so nice, she didn't charge me for the first two weeks. I guess I cleaned well enough. She kept asking the school administrator who came with her where my bicycle was. In the beginning, when he told her I was going to have a bicycle, she made a point of saying it couldn't be inside the apartment. But she apparently didn't get the point that I would be riding it to work every day.
The concierges at the main desk of the apartment building are really nice about listening to my mangled Russian and answering my questions. And the staff at the school is very friendly. My Russian is improving. I listen to a Russian radio station every evening. But today at school I streamed NPR on the computer while I was working. OMG, what a joy to hear familiar voices. I've got to remember to listen to "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" this weekend. I've got to have my Paula Poundstone fix.
I forgot to mention that the school is really big on kids' artwork. I've already been told to make sure I get some up as soon as possible.
And I also forgot to mention that the butter here is wonderful! It has the absolute best test. It's not salted, of course. I love smearing it on the dark bread here.
So enough for tonight. I'll have more adventures tomorrow.
Seems that things are often done half-ass backwards. They painted my room at the end of last week and just left it standing in the middle of the room. Tuesday I had to get them to move all the furniture out of the middle of the room so we could set it up. But they didn't paint the hallway to the classroom. So today as I'm hanging decorations in the hallway, the lady comes along and tells me to take them down and they will paint the hallway this weekend. Huh? Why didn't they do it all at one time?
And with my visa extension, if there is a typo on the form, the guy has to type it all over again and resubmit it. The system is a hoot. I see a lot of vestiges of the old Soviet system. It's a lot of hurry up and wait as well as whose palm needs greasing. Bureaucracy seems to be the same the world over.
So the landlady came to read my meters today. She was so nice, she didn't charge me for the first two weeks. I guess I cleaned well enough. She kept asking the school administrator who came with her where my bicycle was. In the beginning, when he told her I was going to have a bicycle, she made a point of saying it couldn't be inside the apartment. But she apparently didn't get the point that I would be riding it to work every day.
The concierges at the main desk of the apartment building are really nice about listening to my mangled Russian and answering my questions. And the staff at the school is very friendly. My Russian is improving. I listen to a Russian radio station every evening. But today at school I streamed NPR on the computer while I was working. OMG, what a joy to hear familiar voices. I've got to remember to listen to "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" this weekend. I've got to have my Paula Poundstone fix.
I forgot to mention that the school is really big on kids' artwork. I've already been told to make sure I get some up as soon as possible.
And I also forgot to mention that the butter here is wonderful! It has the absolute best test. It's not salted, of course. I love smearing it on the dark bread here.
So enough for tonight. I'll have more adventures tomorrow.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Taking the taxi!
My colleague Emma brought me a map of the city today. Now I see where I am living in relationship to everything else and it will make it easier for me to get around. In addition, there is only one subway line and the end station is near my house. So I can't do too much wrong there.
Aliya and I worked more on setting up the room. It really looks nice. The school really wants their international curriculum to work so they are investing a lot of money in it. We'll have only 4 kids on Monday. That will be a great way to start.
After work, I went with Valeria and Matthew to the bank. But of course I couldn't open an account because I didn't have my passport with me. The school still has it because they're trying to extend my visa. There are many bureaucratic hurdles and roadblocks here.
So we quickly went shopping at a bigger grocery store and then came home. We took a taxi - 3 people, 3 miles, $1. Can't beat that. A ride on public transportation costs less than $0.01. Try that in the States! And I thought RTS and Zagster were good with $1. (They actually are.)
So, the apartment is clean for the landlady to read the meters tomorrow. The only thing wrong with the apartment is that there is no oven. I can't warm up a frozen pizza.
It's still warm but we had a heavy rainstorm this afternoon.
So that's the news for tonight. Stay tuned for weekend adventures.
Aliya and I worked more on setting up the room. It really looks nice. The school really wants their international curriculum to work so they are investing a lot of money in it. We'll have only 4 kids on Monday. That will be a great way to start.
After work, I went with Valeria and Matthew to the bank. But of course I couldn't open an account because I didn't have my passport with me. The school still has it because they're trying to extend my visa. There are many bureaucratic hurdles and roadblocks here.
So we quickly went shopping at a bigger grocery store and then came home. We took a taxi - 3 people, 3 miles, $1. Can't beat that. A ride on public transportation costs less than $0.01. Try that in the States! And I thought RTS and Zagster were good with $1. (They actually are.)
So, the apartment is clean for the landlady to read the meters tomorrow. The only thing wrong with the apartment is that there is no oven. I can't warm up a frozen pizza.
It's still warm but we had a heavy rainstorm this afternoon.
So that's the news for tonight. Stay tuned for weekend adventures.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
That was a long day!
DId I already mention that I shouldn't drink the water out of the faucet? So I have a five liter jug which I can refill at a little automat right near the apt building. You hang the bottle on the spot, put in your money, and let 'er rip.
I was also warned that the landlady would be in Friday to read my meters. I was told to make sure that the apt is clean. Nobody, but nobody, wears shoes inside a house. I think I mentioned that everyone who wears street shoes has to put plastic booties on when they go into the school building. I always carry an "inside" pair of shoes in my backpack.
Man, Aliya, Guzel and I scrambled today to get the room ready for the parent presentation tonight. The maintenance crew was really great. They busted their butts hanging things from the ceiling and putting up the projector for the white board. I'll have to have Aliya give me whiteboard instruction. I'm not good with that type of thing.
The room looks great, with lots of neat centers and lots of new toys. They are really sparing no expense to make this project work. They want the school to be truly international and give the littlest ones a head start with English.
The parents were very receptive and seem to be excited that their kids will be getting a jumpstart with languages. I spoke to the parents only in English and many did very well. I want to encourage them to speak English with their kids.
It's been decided that the parents will get daily reports from me over what's app. That should be interesting. I only gets what's app on my American phone but I need to buy a Russian phone and SIM card to communicate with colleagues. Hope I can get that done this weekend. And it would be great if I could get some sightseeing in Sunday. We'll see how things fly.
I rode home after the meeting in the dark. Since we don't do daylight savings time, it's dark at 7 p.m. I haven't been out in the evening yet, so it hasn't been a big deal. It will be interesting to see what time it gets dark in winter!
That's all I can think of for today. Tomorrow it will be more lesson plans and art project planning.
I was also warned that the landlady would be in Friday to read my meters. I was told to make sure that the apt is clean. Nobody, but nobody, wears shoes inside a house. I think I mentioned that everyone who wears street shoes has to put plastic booties on when they go into the school building. I always carry an "inside" pair of shoes in my backpack.
Man, Aliya, Guzel and I scrambled today to get the room ready for the parent presentation tonight. The maintenance crew was really great. They busted their butts hanging things from the ceiling and putting up the projector for the white board. I'll have to have Aliya give me whiteboard instruction. I'm not good with that type of thing.
The room looks great, with lots of neat centers and lots of new toys. They are really sparing no expense to make this project work. They want the school to be truly international and give the littlest ones a head start with English.
The parents were very receptive and seem to be excited that their kids will be getting a jumpstart with languages. I spoke to the parents only in English and many did very well. I want to encourage them to speak English with their kids.
It's been decided that the parents will get daily reports from me over what's app. That should be interesting. I only gets what's app on my American phone but I need to buy a Russian phone and SIM card to communicate with colleagues. Hope I can get that done this weekend. And it would be great if I could get some sightseeing in Sunday. We'll see how things fly.
I rode home after the meeting in the dark. Since we don't do daylight savings time, it's dark at 7 p.m. I haven't been out in the evening yet, so it hasn't been a big deal. It will be interesting to see what time it gets dark in winter!
That's all I can think of for today. Tomorrow it will be more lesson plans and art project planning.
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Wow! They really do stop!
Do you want to know what the great thing is? When you step into a crosswalk, EVERY car stops! No joke. The pedestrian really has the right of way. The side streets have to be shared with the cars and there are often terrible potholes, but traffic really stops for pedestrians. I've only seen a few bike riders so far. They ride without helmets and stay on the sidewalks. Speaking of bikes, I now own a little folding bike from Stark. I found a really great little bike/camping store. A young guy waited on me. And we muddled along, half English, half Russian, but we understood each other. The older store manager kept listening in. Both were very surprised to see an American woman in a Kazan bike store. Of course, they had a lot of questions about where i came from and where I worked? It was a really pleasant experience.
I bought a radio on Saturday. Not only did they turn it on in the store to make sure it worked, the cashier checked with me to make sure they had turned it on for me. And for this transaction they spoke no English, so I really had to muddle through with Russian. I haven't been paid yet, but I did get reimbursed for my travel expenses, so I've been able to get to the store and do some more things now.
The excitement today is that I got wifi hooked up in my apartment. All for $6 a month. I'm so glad, because I just wasn't finding time a school to blog and send all the messages I wanted, so I
Now I can do it at my leisure in the evenings.
I haven't gone out in the evenings at all. I was sick the whole first week I was here, plus it gets dark about 7 already. Saturday was the first day I ventured out. I still don't have a map of Kazan so I didn't venture too far. I managed to find the shopping center with the store to buy the radio and looked around for a few other things. Hen I managed to get lost walking home. i went into a post office figuring they had to know my street. A customer and the clerk put their heads together and finally figured out where I was trying to go. With a few words of engl, they could point me in the right direction.
I have to describe the apartment. I will take picture of it during the day and attach later because I still screw up with the iPad. But in any case, the light switches are all placed over my head. No joke. It's also that way in many rooms in school. The reasoning is (according to a colleague) is that it prevents kids from playing with light switches. I have a nice convention stove but no oven and a nice refrigerator. I have a small wash machine in the bathroom which I have managed to figure out and have used twice. I still need to get a drying rack or a wash line somewhere.as of now, I drape everything off the towel hanger and the edge of the bathtub.
I'm finding my stride at school. I'm figuring out Russian commands on the computer. I lasted through a two-hour conference and I can find my way around the building now. I thought I was supposed to be teaching English to 3-4 year-olds. It turns out there will be a bunch of 2year-olds in there to. That will certainly change how I do things. They paint d my room last week and left everything standing n the middle of the room. Since we're having a parent conference with the families tomorrow, I had wanted to show them the room, but not in that condition! My teaching assistant Aliya and another lady helped me move furniture, we got the cleaning ladies in in there and then started setting up things the way i imagined they should be. Aliya and Guzel started collecting supply's and toys. Things are starting to shape up.
I'm hitting my stride in school now. I'm feeling comfortable in school and with the colleagues. I'm enjoying the Russian foods. (Lots of cabbage, beets, and potatoes.) there's always porridge from different grains for breakfast and we often drink jello which is not solidified. Tea is always a choice. Sweets and desserts are never served at school. The choices are really healthy.
I'll let you know how the parent conference goes tomorrow. Depending on how it is presented, the parents will decide whether they want their kids in an only English-speaking class or not.
So now that I have wifi in the apartment, it makes things so much easier.
I bought a radio on Saturday. Not only did they turn it on in the store to make sure it worked, the cashier checked with me to make sure they had turned it on for me. And for this transaction they spoke no English, so I really had to muddle through with Russian. I haven't been paid yet, but I did get reimbursed for my travel expenses, so I've been able to get to the store and do some more things now.
The excitement today is that I got wifi hooked up in my apartment. All for $6 a month. I'm so glad, because I just wasn't finding time a school to blog and send all the messages I wanted, so I
Now I can do it at my leisure in the evenings.
I haven't gone out in the evenings at all. I was sick the whole first week I was here, plus it gets dark about 7 already. Saturday was the first day I ventured out. I still don't have a map of Kazan so I didn't venture too far. I managed to find the shopping center with the store to buy the radio and looked around for a few other things. Hen I managed to get lost walking home. i went into a post office figuring they had to know my street. A customer and the clerk put their heads together and finally figured out where I was trying to go. With a few words of engl, they could point me in the right direction.
I have to describe the apartment. I will take picture of it during the day and attach later because I still screw up with the iPad. But in any case, the light switches are all placed over my head. No joke. It's also that way in many rooms in school. The reasoning is (according to a colleague) is that it prevents kids from playing with light switches. I have a nice convention stove but no oven and a nice refrigerator. I have a small wash machine in the bathroom which I have managed to figure out and have used twice. I still need to get a drying rack or a wash line somewhere.as of now, I drape everything off the towel hanger and the edge of the bathtub.
I'm finding my stride at school. I'm figuring out Russian commands on the computer. I lasted through a two-hour conference and I can find my way around the building now. I thought I was supposed to be teaching English to 3-4 year-olds. It turns out there will be a bunch of 2year-olds in there to. That will certainly change how I do things. They paint d my room last week and left everything standing n the middle of the room. Since we're having a parent conference with the families tomorrow, I had wanted to show them the room, but not in that condition! My teaching assistant Aliya and another lady helped me move furniture, we got the cleaning ladies in in there and then started setting up things the way i imagined they should be. Aliya and Guzel started collecting supply's and toys. Things are starting to shape up.
I'm hitting my stride in school now. I'm feeling comfortable in school and with the colleagues. I'm enjoying the Russian foods. (Lots of cabbage, beets, and potatoes.) there's always porridge from different grains for breakfast and we often drink jello which is not solidified. Tea is always a choice. Sweets and desserts are never served at school. The choices are really healthy.
I'll let you know how the parent conference goes tomorrow. Depending on how it is presented, the parents will decide whether they want their kids in an only English-speaking class or not.
So now that I have wifi in the apartment, it makes things so much easier.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Two busy days
Tuesday morning at about 3 a.m, Marat had to pick me up at the airport. I felt as sorry for him as I did for myself. He took me to the apartment and showed me around. Then we agreed he should pick me up at 9 a.m to go to school. My sleep schedule was so screwed up, I knew I couldn't sleep longer.
Marat picked me up again and we walked to school. It's a complicated passage through a bunch of hig rises, and I won't be able to bike the same way I walk because of fences and high curbstones. I'll have to do a lot of exploring this weekend.
The school building is also like a maze. It's very child-friendly and nicely decorated. Both the English-speaking and Russian-speaking colleagues are very pleasant. Tuesday was basically meeting people, getting assignments and taking with the director. I will be teaching the 3-4 year olds ONLY in English. I will have an assistant. I'm going to pick Sobia', Linda's and Anne Marie's brain for ideas.
I ate my meals at the school. There's porridge or cream of wheat for breakfast, a soup and. Something else for lunch and some sort of casserole or Russian dish for dinner. Cabbage and potatoes are served in many forms. And I enjoy the dark bread. At the apartment Marat had brought me a lots of sweets and fruit, so I've been munching there, too.
I got tired about 4:30 and went home. Of course I got lost. I wandered around for an extra 20 minutes until I found my way. I went to bed early and slept well.
Wednesday I got up at 8 and got ready for school. Then, oh, how embarrassing, I couldn't figure out how get out of the building! These outside doors are really heavy security doors. I kept trying to swipe my fob and even tried another door. Finally I just waited until I hear someone come in from outside and ran for it. At school I asked and found out I only had to hit a certain button! And getting out of the school building is almost as bad. I can never find the right exit.
On top of that, I had laryngitis. My cold has not completely cleared up and all I could do all day was squeak. I read with some older kids, and, because I was whispering. They always whispered the answers back.
The photographer came and took my picture with the kids and also a staff photo. I spent time looking up ideas on Pinterest and talking with my colleague Emma, who teaches the older kids English. She's been really great about giving me all sorts of assistance. The day was otherwise filled with conferences and we got out late.
I found my way home by yet another path and sat down with my dictionary to figure out how to use the washing machine. Wonder of wonders, I got it. I had to hang stuff all over the bathroom because I don't have a drying rack yet. But I've got clean clothes! I tried to hang some of the things on the shower curtain rod and that came crashing down. So I had to rehang that. But I didn't break or damage anything, so I will live through that one too.
Cleanliness is rally big here. You don't wear outdoor shoes inside a building unless you put plastic booties over them. I carry a second pair of shoes to school with me and change them at the front door.
I got early and went to the store to buy the basics. I found everything all right, and because I was carrying Wegmanns shopping bags, several people practiced their English with me. I was also able to talk to the concierge in Russian about my mailbox. I'm making progress!
So now I'm at school but want to get some personal messaging done before I get to planning. In general , what I've noticed so far is, although the school systems differ among the US, German and Russian systems, the kids are facing the same problems. More about that later when I observe more.
Marat picked me up again and we walked to school. It's a complicated passage through a bunch of hig rises, and I won't be able to bike the same way I walk because of fences and high curbstones. I'll have to do a lot of exploring this weekend.
The school building is also like a maze. It's very child-friendly and nicely decorated. Both the English-speaking and Russian-speaking colleagues are very pleasant. Tuesday was basically meeting people, getting assignments and taking with the director. I will be teaching the 3-4 year olds ONLY in English. I will have an assistant. I'm going to pick Sobia', Linda's and Anne Marie's brain for ideas.
I ate my meals at the school. There's porridge or cream of wheat for breakfast, a soup and. Something else for lunch and some sort of casserole or Russian dish for dinner. Cabbage and potatoes are served in many forms. And I enjoy the dark bread. At the apartment Marat had brought me a lots of sweets and fruit, so I've been munching there, too.
I got tired about 4:30 and went home. Of course I got lost. I wandered around for an extra 20 minutes until I found my way. I went to bed early and slept well.
Wednesday I got up at 8 and got ready for school. Then, oh, how embarrassing, I couldn't figure out how get out of the building! These outside doors are really heavy security doors. I kept trying to swipe my fob and even tried another door. Finally I just waited until I hear someone come in from outside and ran for it. At school I asked and found out I only had to hit a certain button! And getting out of the school building is almost as bad. I can never find the right exit.
On top of that, I had laryngitis. My cold has not completely cleared up and all I could do all day was squeak. I read with some older kids, and, because I was whispering. They always whispered the answers back.
The photographer came and took my picture with the kids and also a staff photo. I spent time looking up ideas on Pinterest and talking with my colleague Emma, who teaches the older kids English. She's been really great about giving me all sorts of assistance. The day was otherwise filled with conferences and we got out late.
I found my way home by yet another path and sat down with my dictionary to figure out how to use the washing machine. Wonder of wonders, I got it. I had to hang stuff all over the bathroom because I don't have a drying rack yet. But I've got clean clothes! I tried to hang some of the things on the shower curtain rod and that came crashing down. So I had to rehang that. But I didn't break or damage anything, so I will live through that one too.
Cleanliness is rally big here. You don't wear outdoor shoes inside a building unless you put plastic booties over them. I carry a second pair of shoes to school with me and change them at the front door.
I got early and went to the store to buy the basics. I found everything all right, and because I was carrying Wegmanns shopping bags, several people practiced their English with me. I was also able to talk to the concierge in Russian about my mailbox. I'm making progress!
So now I'm at school but want to get some personal messaging done before I get to planning. In general , what I've noticed so far is, although the school systems differ among the US, German and Russian systems, the kids are facing the same problems. More about that later when I observe more.
Monday, September 4, 2017
I'm really on my way!
Saturday morning I sat on Mary Ellen's porch waiting for the visa to come. At 5 of 12 I saw a UPS truck slowly roll past the end of the driveway. I took off down the driveway after him. He pulled in and had my passport with the visa. I was just about to give up hope. So glad I didn't have to postpone the flight again.
Sunday morning I got to go to breakfast with Jim and Dianne again. That's always a good time and lots of laughs. Nathalie and Frank stopped by shortly afterwards to say goodbye. I think I've seen everyone now.
When I went online Sunday to print out my tickets, I had an email from Expedia saying my Rochester to Chicago flight had been cancelled. That would have been all I needed. Got on the phone to Expedia right quick. It turned out they just assigned me a different reference number. This trip prep is taking years of my life.
Mary Ellen drove me to the airport at 12:30. A nice skycap took care of everything for me. Had to pay big bucks for the two extra bags. When they got weighed, one of them was 7 pounds overweight. I had to take 7 pounds of stuff out of that suitcase right then and there and stuff it another one. Holy cow , I was glad I was the only one in line! Actually, my piano lesson books and a few shirts were enough to do it.
The flight to Chicago was uneventful; the wifi at O'Hare is only free for half an hour. Crap! Took off from Chicago at 10. The nice lady next to me only spoke Finnish so there wasn't too much opportunity to communicate but I was more interested in sleeping anyway. Of course I didn't get much. The seats were uncomfortable and there are always too many interruptions. On the other hand, the meals were good. I had cannelloni for dinner and the breakfast was scrambled eggs and sausage. The sausage wasn't my thing and I couldn't finish everything but it wasn't bad.
When we finally got in to Helsinki, I immediately found some empty chairs and spread out for a nap. They have some nice lounge chairs here for the travelers. After that I changed my clothes, brushed my teeth and started communicating electronically. I'm having trouble getting What's App to work here. Will have to work on trying to scan the barcode in again. Oh well, why shouldn't something else go wrong.
There are a lot of flights from Helsinki to Asia and the Middle East. It's not a gigantic airport, but very busy. I ate at Burger King and went to pull out my Euros to pay and couldn't find them. Then I realized I put then in a secret hiding place to separate them from my dollars before I left. Of course, it's so secret, I can't remember where it is. I'll have to really go through my backpack later to see if I can remember what I did with them. Otherwise, I'm out some Euros.
I've been listening to lots of Russian speakers around me in the plane and in the airport. I think, with a little effort, I will pick it up again quickly. Just hope my German doesn't suffer too much!
I emailed Dinar to let him know my flight plans and he said Marat would pick me up. It's just too bad that it's going to be at 2:30 in the morning. I wonder if I will have to show up for class at 8?!
When I get settled in, I will start sending pictures of the apartment and the nature preserve. I want to spend the October vacation exploring Kazan. And I want to get a bike. I have my helmet, my lights nad my lock with me. All I need are the wheels.
Glad I got two Rochester Slow Rides in before I left.
OK. My fingers are tired. I'm signing off for now. Hopefully more tomorrow.
Sunday morning I got to go to breakfast with Jim and Dianne again. That's always a good time and lots of laughs. Nathalie and Frank stopped by shortly afterwards to say goodbye. I think I've seen everyone now.
When I went online Sunday to print out my tickets, I had an email from Expedia saying my Rochester to Chicago flight had been cancelled. That would have been all I needed. Got on the phone to Expedia right quick. It turned out they just assigned me a different reference number. This trip prep is taking years of my life.
Mary Ellen drove me to the airport at 12:30. A nice skycap took care of everything for me. Had to pay big bucks for the two extra bags. When they got weighed, one of them was 7 pounds overweight. I had to take 7 pounds of stuff out of that suitcase right then and there and stuff it another one. Holy cow , I was glad I was the only one in line! Actually, my piano lesson books and a few shirts were enough to do it.
The flight to Chicago was uneventful; the wifi at O'Hare is only free for half an hour. Crap! Took off from Chicago at 10. The nice lady next to me only spoke Finnish so there wasn't too much opportunity to communicate but I was more interested in sleeping anyway. Of course I didn't get much. The seats were uncomfortable and there are always too many interruptions. On the other hand, the meals were good. I had cannelloni for dinner and the breakfast was scrambled eggs and sausage. The sausage wasn't my thing and I couldn't finish everything but it wasn't bad.
When we finally got in to Helsinki, I immediately found some empty chairs and spread out for a nap. They have some nice lounge chairs here for the travelers. After that I changed my clothes, brushed my teeth and started communicating electronically. I'm having trouble getting What's App to work here. Will have to work on trying to scan the barcode in again. Oh well, why shouldn't something else go wrong.
There are a lot of flights from Helsinki to Asia and the Middle East. It's not a gigantic airport, but very busy. I ate at Burger King and went to pull out my Euros to pay and couldn't find them. Then I realized I put then in a secret hiding place to separate them from my dollars before I left. Of course, it's so secret, I can't remember where it is. I'll have to really go through my backpack later to see if I can remember what I did with them. Otherwise, I'm out some Euros.
I've been listening to lots of Russian speakers around me in the plane and in the airport. I think, with a little effort, I will pick it up again quickly. Just hope my German doesn't suffer too much!
I emailed Dinar to let him know my flight plans and he said Marat would pick me up. It's just too bad that it's going to be at 2:30 in the morning. I wonder if I will have to show up for class at 8?!
When I get settled in, I will start sending pictures of the apartment and the nature preserve. I want to spend the October vacation exploring Kazan. And I want to get a bike. I have my helmet, my lights nad my lock with me. All I need are the wheels.
Glad I got two Rochester Slow Rides in before I left.
OK. My fingers are tired. I'm signing off for now. Hopefully more tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)