tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40562492011-11-28T01:57:39.323+01:00That Was RussiaJD's log of his second and third times teaching English in Russia, from 2002 until 2004.JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comBlogger1251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1102786570301662002004-12-11T18:32:00.001+01:002008-08-02T21:26:42.483+01:00THE END IS THE BEGINNING ETC ETC.'Na konets'You may have noticed that I haven't posted anything on this weblog since September. That's because I've done remotely connected with Russia since September. So, until I get round to writing up my final notes and experiences, you can consider this weblog dead, or ar least in deep hibernation.Thanks for reading.JamesJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1094645359384641602004-09-08T13:06:00.000+01:002004-09-08T13:09:19.383+01:00I DIDN'T THINK MY WEBLOG WAS THAT SHODDY
Hello. I had this site recommended to me. Apparently it's just like mine except professional. So if you want to read some stories about Russia by someone who's actually there, check it out. Plus he's got lots of pictures. Whereas I have two.
http://www.peterabryan.co.uk/
JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1094478307604292682004-09-06T14:40:00.000+01:002004-09-06T14:48:11.030+01:00YES, I AM A COMPUTER GENIUS
You may not believe this, but I actually did a little bit of coding to improve my weblog. If you look at any of the entries on this blog, now you'll see a little envelope symbol by the title, after 'Posted by James'. If you click on this envelope, you can forward the entry to a friend. Cool hey?
You are not, however, according to Blogger, allowed to use this feature JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1094476595993731242004-09-06T14:16:00.000+01:002004-09-06T14:39:50.676+01:00'KHARCHO!' 'BLESS YOU!'
When I was living in Moscow I had great fun rummaging through the cupboards in the flat as they were all full of junk from the 1970s. One of the treasures I uncovered was a postcard series which featured traditional recipes from all the corners of the Soviet Union. Each card had a picture of a dish on the front, and a recipe on the back. I took the card for my JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1094417991480143092004-09-05T21:49:00.000+01:002004-09-05T21:59:51.480+01:00APOLOGY
Yes, there's been quite a while since posts. Um, a couple of months. I even started to get complaints, surprisingly from people who see me on a regular basis. So, sorry about that. But now there will be photos (with enthusiastic captions!) so I hope that it compensates.
RUSSIA SIEGE
The school seige was terrible, that goes without saying. I don't know if you noticed, but the BBCJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1094417023472336852004-09-05T21:43:00.000+01:002004-09-06T14:40:31.573+01:00OH MY GOD IT'S FULL OF PICTURES
No, it's not a mirage brought on by excessive vodka; I have just worked out how I can post pictures to the weblog. So here is one of me in my old flat at Planernaya in Moscow. I think it was taken in late spring.
Isn't it a glorious place to live? Gareth is still there, lucky boy. Have a good look at the tasteful bedding. And the decorative wallpaper. Now JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1089133952273926352004-07-06T18:12:00.000+01:002004-07-07T09:58:16.636+01:00THAT WAS RUSSIA
To clear up a bit of confusion... I am already back in the UK, but I have such a backlog of Russia stories to write about that I'll probably be posting on-and-off for another month or so! The trouble is, you can either live your life or write about it - but not both at once. For the past month or two I've been living my life, and now I'm back in England I have time to write JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1088807149378755002004-07-02T23:07:00.000+01:002004-07-02T23:37:07.790+01:00FIVE GO TO SERGEEV POSAD, OR, YES I AM A BIG GIRL'S BLOUSE
I mentioned in passing that Gareth, Anthony Ian and I went a while ago to visit a friend of Gareth's, Marina, who had invited us to stay and look around her home town of Sergeev Posad for the weekend. SP is one of the towns of the Golden Ring, that historical region to the North East of Moscow. You may remember that I toured round partJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1088805958707792722004-07-02T22:58:00.000+01:002004-07-02T23:05:58.706+01:00THE SEVEN PLAGUES OF IAN - PART TWO
I did not mention it before, but Ian does not have much luck with metro trains. Once, when he was on a train with Gareth and I, he failed to even make it off the carriage at our destination before the doors shut and the train whisked him somewhere else. Gareth and I were left on the platform looking gormless and wondering if Ian had the sense and the abilityJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1087912940403790002004-06-22T14:41:00.000+01:002004-07-02T23:39:46.986+01:00THE SEVEN PLAGUES OF IAN
Let me introduce you to Ian. Ian is an English teacher who has been working down in the sunny Russian resort town of Sochi, on the Black Sea. He is English, like myself, mild mannered and bespectacled, like Clark Kent, and is an old friend of my flatmate's. In fact, Ian is staying with us at the moment. Oh, one other thing - Ian is the unluckiest man in the world.
JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1085599713579764322004-05-26T20:13:00.000+01:002004-05-26T20:28:33.580+01:00MY OLD MATE PETE
I realise that I haven't written anything about my trip to St. Petersburg in the May holidays with Julia and her family. That isn't because it wasn't interesting (and eventful), but because I'm busy (and lazy).
To begin with, we very nearly missed the train after going to the wrong station. It was only after I asked a Georgian fruit-seller that we realised our mistake and JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1084536705200115722004-05-14T13:06:00.000+01:002004-05-14T13:12:39.893+01:00THE BREAST IS YET TO COME
Another anecdote about my flatmate, Gareth. This one's a corker.
Julia's elder sister, Blake, was visiting from the States. It was her second night in Moscow and the three of us, plus Gareth, were sitting in a bar. It was the first time that Gareth and Blake had met and so they were making polite conversation, as you do.
Blake had been telling Gareth about her ten JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1084536233967243092004-05-14T12:53:00.000+01:002004-05-14T13:03:53.966+01:00I hope that you've read my dad's account of our adventures in the Golden Ring. Well, if you thought that we had some problems, you should hear what happened to my flatmate. This is his story (in my words, because he is Welsh).
Gareth had decided to spend the holiday week way down in the south of Russia, in Sochi, on the Black Sea. That's a day away, at least, on the train.
So Gareth headed JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1084459001186708912004-05-13T14:35:00.000+01:002004-05-14T12:52:58.043+01:00A guest blog from James's Dad:
It only Hertz when you laugh.....
I've just returned home after a few days in Russia visiting James and doing a bit of tourism. We decided to hire a car and James came out to meet me at the airport where I had arranged to pick the car up from Hertz who, amazingly for the world's largest car hire company, only had a single desk on the end of a row of desks run by JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1083320286242241392004-04-30T11:18:00.000+01:002004-04-30T11:22:17.606+01:00A much shorter anecdote here.
I was walking around the (admittedly rather dull and residential) part of Moscow that I call home one night with my flatmate. It was pretty late, about midnight.
Now, you might not know but Russia is full of little roadside kiosks that sell all sorts of stuff pretty cheaply, from fried chicken to knick-knacks, but more often than not the kiosks just sell alcohol.
JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1083319513315591822004-04-30T11:05:00.000+01:002004-04-30T11:09:24.856+01:00Wow - I haven't written anything here for a while. A few people have even started to complain! My brother suggested that it's because I'm finally 'going native' and just don't notice all the strange things happening around me. Trust me - I still do! But sometimes I'm too busy having things happen to me, to write.
So here's something from a little while ago.
UNORTHODOX EASTER
Julia wantedJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1081233651627552882004-04-06T07:28:00.000+01:002004-04-06T07:44:30.903+01:00PARK KULTURI
On Saturday Julia and I went to 'Park Kulturi', Moscow's very own 'Park of Culture'. Opposite the Central House of Artists and in the historic heart of the city, I was expecting somewhere refined, beautiful and, well, cultured.
I wasn't really expecting a fun park. Which is what it was.
Also, it being the start of April and a little nippy over here, it was also almost deserted.JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1081232843929804392004-04-06T07:18:00.000+01:002004-04-06T07:31:37.153+01:00This isn't really Russia-related, but I wanted to tell you anyway.
My hair had been looking rather shaggy, and when my boss started making Austin Powers jokes every time I walked into the room I knew that it was time to get it cut. Not being a big fan of barbers, I was pleased when Julia told me that she had worked in a salon in Portland for a while and would happily cut my hair for me.
So it JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1080070232346674472004-03-23T20:30:00.000+01:002004-03-23T20:33:53.793+01:00GHOST STATION
At the moment I am quite excited about the discovery of a 'ghost station' on my metro line. You've probably heard of similar phenomena (if I can call it that) on other metro systems. I know that my brother and sister-in-law know of a few on the Tube in London.
My own ghost station, here in Moscow, is an unfinished station that the Soviets started to build back when the line was JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1080069635829049102004-03-23T20:20:00.000+01:002004-03-23T20:34:20.373+01:00MANEZHNAYA WHERE?
I hope I didn't confuse anyone with my last post. The fire at the Manezh made it onto international news, though only briefly I hear.
The Manezh is (or was) quite a famous early-19th century building just off the Kremlin, which rather symbolically and spectacularly burnt to the ground on election night. Perhaps it was an accident (it's not the only important building in JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1079431880089063102004-03-16T11:09:00.000+01:002004-03-16T11:23:37.043+01:00WHEN PUTIN WON HIS SECOND TERM
When Putin won his second term
his men had guns and moved us on
and glass gave up and stone gave in
and metal was all molten
The sky was red it fell like rain
we saw them let the Manezh burn
the world was full of fire and flame
when Putin won his second termJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1078815924669264772004-03-09T08:05:00.000+01:002004-03-09T08:11:17.263+01:00OUR MAN IN VOLOGDA
I am back from Vologda.
It was a city of a third of a million but felt like Wokingham. Though obviously not in every respect.
I will now list everything of interest in Vologda, in roughly decending order:
1) the world's oldest statue of Lenin, from 1924. The statue is also lifesize, which doesn't make it a very impressive monument (Lenin was, I now know, rather short). JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1078487041540547962004-03-05T12:44:00.000+01:002004-03-05T12:47:34.246+01:00VOLOG-WHERE?
This weekend is yet another three-day holiday weekend (International Women's Day has rolled round again), so I am off on a jaunt. This time the destination is Vologda, a mid-sized and more than slightly obscure city about 9 hours north-east of Moscow (yes, I'm sick of this southerly, mild weather). It's on the river, er, Vologda. Which is easy to remember.
Why Vologda? Well, a JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1077773757350835482004-02-26T06:35:00.000+01:002004-02-26T06:38:43.763+01:00This morning I caught a central line busker playing the DangerMouse theme tune on his accordion.JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1077279132810903292004-02-20T13:12:00.000+01:002004-02-20T13:14:51.840+01:00THE STRANGEST SIGHT I HAVE SEEN TO DATE IN MOSCOW
It was 9.30 on a bright Tuesday morning. It was a novelty for me to be awake at this time, let alone in the centre of the city, but I was planning to visit the foreign-language bookstore to pick up some graded readers for one of my groups.
So I was walking along one of those mostly pedestrianised old cobbly streets in the Theatre District. Up JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1077277053900598012004-02-20T12:37:00.000+01:002004-02-20T12:43:46.170+01:00SPECIAL GUEST BLOG POST ABOUT HATS
by Julia Davis, who I should say is American
So, this analysis is about hats. You know the big furry things you see on top of the heads of Russians in movies, thinking to yourself 'no one would actually wear something that ridiculous in real life,' here's the news: they really wear them. And not just one or two people, they're everywhere. Honestly I JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1075356866702515702004-01-29T07:14:00.000+01:002004-01-29T07:16:36.560+01:00HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES AND WHAT?
Okay. Pop quiz.
What's the name of the walky bit on the end of your leg?
And the name of the joint connecting the leg to that bit?
Your arm bends in the middle. What do you call that?
And where your fingers bend. What do we call those knobbly things?
I hope that you answered, in this order: foot, ankle, elbow, and knuckle.
I have been trying to teach my JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1075356263653452212004-01-29T07:04:00.000+01:002004-01-29T07:06:33.280+01:00NEW COAT
I have bought a new coat. I actually look like a Russian now, rather than a downhill skiier who got a bit lost trying to find the Alps.
I knew the type of coat I wanted to buy. I asked a couple of acquaintances who had recently bought coats how much they had spent, giving me an idea of a reasonable price. I went to a clothes market that was recommended to me. I found a coat I likedJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1074440124179287252004-01-18T16:35:00.000+01:002004-01-18T16:37:19.530+01:00EAT YOUR HEART OUT JAMES EARL JONES
I have discovered a new and lucrative sideline to my teaching career, courtesy of the translation department of Language Link. One of the girls there, Jo, got me a contract recording the English language voice-over for a short film. So I spent one afternoon last week in a recording studio in North-East Moscow laying down my part.
I am sure you are dying to JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1074259688465046582004-01-16T14:28:00.000+01:002004-01-18T16:24:10.810+01:00IDENTITY CRISIS
Hello. I'm still alive.
So, I went back to England for Christmas and New Year. I realised then that I am slowly turning into a Russian, doing things like: shaking the hands of everyone I meet, even friends old and new; taking my passport with me to change money.
Either that or I am turning into an American. People are 'guys', holidays are 'vacations', everything is 'sweet'.JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1071416564795041462003-12-14T16:42:00.000+01:002003-12-14T16:43:53.763+01:00NIZHNIY NOVGOROD
This weekend was, you may be surprised to learn, yet another holiday weekend. 'Consitution Day' no less, which is quite funny considering the recent elections.
Julia and I took a trip to Nizhniy Novgorod (literally, 'lower new town' and not to be confused with Novgorod in the North of Russia), about 8 hours east of Moscow - a third of the way to the Urals. It's Russia's third JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1071414755278089422003-12-14T16:12:00.000+01:002003-12-14T16:13:44.653+01:00CHOICES
So we had the elections. The Pro-Putin United Russia party trounced everybody, as predicted. Putin's puppet national socialist 'Homeland' party stole enough votes away from the communists to give him the two-thirds support he needs to change the consititution. There's no longer any liberal representation in the Duma as both the liberal parties fell just under the required 5% thresholdJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1070453055013428252003-12-03T12:56:00.000+01:002003-12-03T13:05:09.903+01:00Well, I haven't written for a long time. That's because nothing much has happened.
We are becoming slightly more international at our company, having acquired people from Sweden, Lexumbourg and France recently. The average scarf-wearing ability has increased noticeably, mainly due to all the French girls.
The weather is strange. We haven't had a big snow fall so far this year, and all the JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1068539834462329802003-11-11T09:32:00.000+01:002003-11-11T09:37:38.793+01:00ROBBIE
Also, I went to the big Moscow Robbie Williams gig on Sunday evening. The perfect way to round off a holiday weekend.
Well, I was treated to the sight of Robbie a) speaking quite a lot of Russian, b) Cossack dancing, c) parading around with a big Russian flag, and d), saying "Fu*ing hell, I'm in Russia" about ten times. Plus he had his dad with him.
I went with Julia, and being JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1068539503481180682003-11-11T09:15:00.000+01:002003-11-11T09:32:07.890+01:00KALUGA HO
We've just had a three day holiday weekend. I'd like to tell you which holiday we were celebrating, but even the Russians here didn't exactly seem sure. Perhaps something to do with the constitution? Or the revolution? Or both?
Anyway, we decided to get out of Moscow for a day or two so four of us took the train down to Kaluga, about 200km south of Moscow. In my first year in JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1067935926433123862003-11-04T09:36:00.000+01:002003-11-04T09:52:21.420+01:00A SERIOUS POST?
Never! Actually, I was just wondering how much you were getting in the western media about the whole Yukos / Yabloko scandal that kicked off here recently. It's pretty big news over here, and what with the Duma elections in December it doesn't look like it's going to sort itself out any time soon.
It also means that Putin will have almost no opposition on any level. As much JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1067934920401872942003-11-04T09:22:00.000+01:002003-11-04T09:36:01.623+01:00WAR - WHAT'S IT GOOD FOR?
Okay, so one more Jason-related incident.
On the Sunday, Jason's last full day in Moscow, I took him to that most typical and representative of Russian cultural events - the Napoleonic battle re-enactment.
This basically involved shivering in the snow on a hillside about 100km south of Moscow, while lots of very drunk Russian men pretended to be very drunk Russian or JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1067336311749878912003-10-28T11:00:00.000+01:002003-10-28T11:18:38.076+01:00Well, my friend Jason has flown home now but I thought I'd write about a couple of the things we did when he was here. Sadly, he'll probably be reading this web log too so I'm unable to embellish the truth / slag him off / bluntly lie. Never mind.
FIRE
On Wednesday we went to a gig advertised in the paper. A local post-rock band (yes, there are such things in Russia), that I knew through oneJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1067335195848220242003-10-28T10:56:00.000+01:002003-10-28T11:00:01.576+01:00GOLOD
The new Russian reality show: 'Golod', or 'Hunger'. It's basically Big Brother without any food. Who will be the first to starve?
Talking of starving, can anybody tell me what happened to David Blaine?
Anyway, Hunger starts in the first week of November so I'll let you know more when I've seen it. Not too tempted to apply myself though.JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1067067275138805142003-10-25T08:34:00.000+01:002003-10-25T08:34:37.200+01:00THOM AND ME
I've got a poster on my wall I want to tell you about. It's of Thom Yorke, the squinty-eyed, ugly lead singer from Radiohead. But in this particular picture he's been (deliberately and obviously) airbrushed to remove all his deformities. It's a sort of comment on image and media. Fair enough.
But the thing is this. Several people have said, in all seriousness, that the JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1066811397805935912003-10-22T09:16:00.000+01:002003-10-22T09:29:57.690+01:00Well, I haven't written for a while. That's because I've been having such an exciting time recently.
First, not only was our flat burgled (wow!), by someone with a key (ooh!), but then I had food poisoning (gasp!) and couldn't eat solids for a week (wow!). I have spent my free time either on the toilet (flush!), or in a police station giving statements, in Russian, in triplicate (blyn!). Now JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1066211145967382662003-10-15T10:20:00.000+01:002003-10-15T10:45:45.530+01:00THE MUSIC SCENE IN PORTLAND, OREGON
...is not as good as Moscow's, apparently. That's what I've learnt this week.
I met a girl from Portland, an intern at my company, who has a very similar taste in music to me. Willfully obscure, in other words. She'd been asking me to take her to 'a show', as she called it, for a while. Obviously I don't like socialising with young, attractive, JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1065513678893504952003-10-07T09:01:00.000+01:002003-10-07T09:01:19.060+01:00In other news.
The weather is very Autumnal at the moment - lots of wind and rain. I quite like it. It's not cold at least. But the central heating in the flats came on on the 1st of October, so it is quite tropical indoors at the moment. The mosquitoes seem to like it.
We also have no electricity at the moment. It went off last night. I did look in the fuse box in the hall this morning JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1065513236561477592003-10-07T08:53:00.000+01:002003-10-07T08:53:56.003+01:00I have a new student, a 14-year old boy called Alexey. He's studying at Advanced level, for the CAE exam. That's pretty impressive for a 14-year old, and more so as English is his third language after Russian and French (he's Russian but goes to a specialist French school).
So I have Alexey twice a week for individual lessons, an hour at a time. That's okay and makes a change from teaching JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1065084198008488092003-10-02T09:43:00.000+01:002003-10-02T09:43:17.613+01:00THE THIRD WAY - POSTSCRIPT
I forgot to tell you anything about the club I went to for my birthday, being too busy relating the story of my friends' incarceration. In fact it was much like the places I used to frequent in Nottingham - small, dirty, seedy, unpopular. And that was just the clientele.
The DJ in this place, for the whole evening, played only David Bowie and obscure French pop, in JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1065083784910173382003-10-02T09:36:00.000+01:002003-10-02T09:36:24.620+01:00A brilliant recent example of Russian efficiency by my company.
Last year we had a slight problem with security: several teachers had personal possessions stolen from the staffroom at central school, a room used only by teachers. In short, there was a tea-leaf amongst us! So over the summer Language Link installed a bank of brand-new lockers along one wall, one for each teacher. Problem JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1065083444993545772003-10-02T09:30:00.000+01:002003-10-02T09:30:44.780+01:00I have one great student this year, Sergei. He's only about 13, and studies at Intermediate level as the only boy in a group of girls. He has such an evil sense of humour. For example: we were revising transport vocabulary, and the question came up, 'What do you keep in the boot of a car?' My other students said the usual - 'a spare tyre, luggage...'. When they were finished, Sergei paused JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1064830390311820962003-09-29T11:13:00.000+01:002003-09-29T11:13:10.376+01:00THE THIRD WAY
I was my birthday last week. When we've gone out recently it has been as a massive group of teachers and interns, most of whom are Americans and (perhaps unsurprisingly) very loud, so for my birthday I decided I wanted to do something a little less... conspicous.
So only seven of us went out; first for some food - to the now famous pie place - and then to a club. The seven of JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1064223837780156702003-09-22T10:43:00.000+01:002003-09-22T10:43:57.380+01:00Perhaps I should tell you a little about my new flatmate. As I've already said, he is a Welshman called Gareth. He also went to Nottingham Uni, the same as me. So far so good (apart from the Welsh bit).
Less promising, perhaps, are his Craig David-style beard and his musical sheep thong that he not only wears around the flat (!) but also takes to parties. In fact, he has a variety of thongs JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1063621901580305832003-09-15T11:31:00.000+01:002003-09-15T11:31:41.530+01:00VICTORY PARK
I went on a nice outing on Saturday, to Victory Park in the far west of Moscow. It's the place where a lot of the city's parades, celebrations and demonstrations are held. There's a parade ground, the obligatory military museum or two, and some park (unsurprisingly).
The metro station to Victory Park is brand new - it only opened this year - and it's good to see that the city is JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1063621124997478562003-09-15T11:18:00.000+01:002003-09-15T11:20:15.116+01:00OBO MNYE
In case you are interested, I passed the teaching course I took over the summer. I tried quite hard to recruit some of my fellow trainees for Language Link in Russia, but strangely enough, they didn't really seem that keen. I can't understand it, but they preferred to go and teach in sunny, safe places like Spain. Strange people.
I also have a new mobile phone, Russian stylee. WellJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1063620676932750652003-09-15T11:11:00.000+01:002003-09-15T11:11:16.960+01:00THE SON OF BLOG
Yes, I'm back in Russia again. I probably should have told you a week ago, but you know how it is. We've got no internet at the school at the moment - it was taken away when our director realised that 90% of our traffic was to either mingers.com or hotornot.com. I almost wish I hadn't introduced the other teachers to these sites now. But hopefully this situation is only JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1059654623580096862003-07-31T13:30:00.000+01:002003-07-31T13:30:23.493+01:00I really should have said this three weeks ago. Sorry.
Yes, I'm back in England at the moment, after a safe and uneventful blah blah blah. I'll be returning to Russia some time in the second week of September, all being well with visas and flights and so on.
I probably won't write much on here during the summer, unless something really interesting happens. But then, this is England.
Old JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1057152652734129632003-07-02T14:30:00.000+01:002003-07-02T14:30:52.660+01:00OH NO! I'VE LOST MY VISA!!!
Only kidding...JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1057152298023728242003-07-02T14:24:00.001+01:002003-07-02T14:24:57.970+01:00Today I accompanied a sick friend of mine, another teacher, to the doctor here. Luckily we have private medical insurance as part of our contract but she's a bit doctor-phobic and has spent the past month denying she is ill, despite a hacking cough, feeling faint, temperatures, all that sort of stuff. Anyway, I finally got her to see the doctor only for us to be told that she has bronchitis!
JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-1057152283114044952003-07-02T14:24:00.000+01:002003-07-02T14:24:43.060+01:00Only six more days to go before I'm back in England...
Just spent most of the past week in Obninsk, not doing much really, getting bitten by mosquitos and blood-sucking flies, drinking vodka, sleeping. So that was all very pleasant. Kostya is still working on his album in the recording studio - four songs nearly completed now.
Actually outside Kiev Station in Moscow, just before I left for JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-959855882003-06-24T17:35:00.000+01:002003-06-24T17:35:02.010+01:00CAMP
Still slacking off, not doing much, not earning much.
I was offered so work, though - at the dreaded GULAG, I mean summer camp. Worse still, it was a 'Lord of the Rings' themed summer camp - lots of poncing about in tights waving swords while trying to teach the third conditional. Not even Solzhenitsyn had to go through that. So I turned it down. I only have two weeks left here anyway.JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-957497952003-06-17T12:45:00.000+01:002003-06-17T12:45:17.146+01:00IT'S A HARD LIFE
I'm not really working at the moment, as all my regular classes have finished and Language Link haven't found anything else to give me yet. I'm sure they will. But then, I only have three more weeks until I fly back to England.
I do have a few private lessons which are tiding me over, keeping me busy. Thirty dollars an hour, that's not too shoddy. Sorry, I'm not boasting, IJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-957496322003-06-17T12:35:00.000+01:002003-06-17T12:45:56.000+01:00THERE IS NO ESCAPE
I'm coming back to Russia next year, by the way. I have signed a new contract for the next academic year starting in September. I'll be based solely in Schodnenskaya, so no more trips up to the wind tunnel that is Mitino.
Getting a contract involved me meeting the head honcho, our number one, the great leader, for the very first time... he's a hyperactive, sarcastic Jewish JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-957495322003-06-17T12:29:00.000+01:002003-06-17T12:36:06.000+01:00SUITS YOU
The latest development in Russian sartorial style: handbags for men.
Seriously. Every metro carriage seems to be filled with little leather-bag wielding mincers, straps strung jauntily over one shoulder. They go well with the pointy shoes though. And the denim waistcoats.JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-952297342003-06-03T10:25:00.000+01:002003-06-03T10:25:34.626+01:00NIKITA ANECDOTE
I remembered an old anecdote about my 8-year-old student, Nikita, that is worth recording. If you recall, this is the student who brought a knife to class, as well as a scooter, lazer pens, and so on...
We had been studying 'The Village' - I had a big picture of a village and we were trying to name the buildings:
Nikita: (Pointing) What's this?
James: It's a church.
Nikita: JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-952296312003-06-03T10:19:00.000+01:002003-06-03T10:19:22.590+01:00Everyone here is talking about the stupid American who was due to start working here at Language Link last week. He flew out to Moscow from the States only to be sent straight back home again at the airport - because he hadn't bothered getting a visa!
All he had was a plane ticket, as, and I quote, 'it's still Europe isn't it.' Now he is demanding that Language Link reimburse him for the moneyJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-952295092003-06-03T10:12:00.000+01:002003-06-03T10:12:19.043+01:00Well, we have hot water in the flat again.
Sadly the weather has gone manky - the temperature for Moscow today is 5 - 8C. Of course, the heating is off for the summer in our block so it's freezing at night. Wish I hadn't taken all the insulation of the windows now.
I'm on probably my last week of teaching in Mitino now. I still don't know what I'll be doing after that. Probably not summer JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-949865532003-05-28T14:00:00.000+01:002003-05-28T14:02:49.000+01:00Forgot to say. Terrible news.
The kebab shop near my house has shut down.
Also, we are now on our 15th day without hot water in the flat.
So I haven't eaten or washed for over two weeks.
JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-949864942003-05-28T13:58:00.000+01:002003-05-28T13:58:52.730+01:00Found a great, if very strange, restaurant on Sunday night. Went there with three other teachers.
It's called the Simple Cafe (Or 'Simply a Cafe' it can also be translated as), in the China Town part of the city. It's under the ground, like everywhere decent in Moscow, through a seedy little doorway. From the outside it looks shut, or possibly shut down.
It's not simply a cafe, though. It's JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-949859472003-05-28T13:41:00.000+01:002003-05-28T13:41:49.983+01:00BLEURGH
A horrible little anecdote for you.
I stepped onto a metro train last Thursday evening, heading into the centre to meet some friends for a drink. The middle third of the otherwise-busy carriage was empty, and for good reason - there was a big pool of greeny-yellow vomit spreading across the floor. Luckily, I managed to grab almost the last remaining seat in the 'clean' part of the JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-949856172003-05-28T13:31:00.000+01:002003-05-28T13:31:15.673+01:00The term is drawing to an end and many of my classes have finished, or about to finish. Still don't know what I'll be doing after the end of next week.
I had my final lesson with my group of little kids last week. Nikita, the eight-year-old who has been tormenting me with kitchen implements and laser-pens all year, brought me a present - a hardback book of Winnie the Pooh stories in Russian! JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-945010172003-05-17T16:38:00.000+01:002003-05-17T16:41:51.000+01:00So, my amusing anecdotes are out the way. Time for some general news.
Had a crazy week this week. I was phoned at midnight on Sunday by my administrator who was panicking because a teacher who had left on a short trip to the States before the holidays hadn't come back when she was supposed to. So I have been covering some of her classes this week. My timetable has been a mess, but this JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-945005122003-05-17T16:24:00.000+01:002003-05-17T16:24:46.736+01:00Remember my eight-year old student, Nikita, who likes to bring things - toys, weapons - to the classroom?
My administrator told me of the following short conversation that occurred between Nikita and his mum (his mum must have told my administrator).
Mum: So, Nikita. You've had four English teachers now. Wendy, Katie, David and James. Do you remember them all?
Nikita: Yes.
Mum: Which ones JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-945003472003-05-17T16:19:00.000+01:002003-05-17T16:19:23.860+01:00REMONT
Remont. What is remont? Remont is the bane of my life here in Russia.
Let me explain. 'Remont' is a Russian word with no exact English equivalent - a dictionary will tell you that it translates as 'repairs' or 'reconstruction' or 'refurbishment' or something along these lines, but that's not quite accurate.
Remont can apply to shops, flats, amenities, services - anything really. JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-941047992003-05-10T15:33:00.000+01:002003-05-10T15:33:54.853+01:00WEATHER
It's now +24 in Moscow! Yes, really scorching. All the trees are in full bloom as well. I'm not looking forward to going back to work next week if the heat keeps up. In some ways I prefer the cold. But it means I'll probably come back to England in the summer with a tan and confuse everyone who thinks that Russia is always cold and snowy.
St. Petersburg wasn't quite so warm but we JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-941045902003-05-10T15:27:00.000+01:002003-05-10T15:27:32.126+01:00PIE SHOPS
Last night I discovered a great place in Moscow. It is called Proekt O.G.I. - 'The OGI Project', though in Russian it is a sort of pun on the word for 'pie'. It's a small basement bar-stroke-venue-stroke-bookshop-stroke-restaurant-stroke-gallery. It didn't really have much to do with pies. Even the restuarant bit didn't sell them.
We saw, or rather heard from behind a sea of headsJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-941040972003-05-10T15:14:00.000+01:002003-05-10T15:14:14.930+01:00Having just read my previous post about our trip to St. Petersburg, I have realised that it might seem somewhat critical. So I would like to add that I had a great time, and apart from the first day, when it pissed down, had great weather as well. Incidentally I spent that first rainy day with Kostya waiting for my family to arrive and following two traditionally Russian activities - drinking JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-941035792003-05-10T15:00:00.000+01:002003-05-10T15:00:25.823+01:00A few people have complained that I haven't been updating the log very much recently. That is, of course, because I have been burning the candles at both ends, living the high life - the life of an international playboy - and so on. However, just for my fans, I will take a break from my hedonism to tell you about:
MY FAMILY TRIP TO ST PETERSBURG
So, I have had holidays all last week and JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-934549882003-04-29T10:10:00.000+01:002003-04-29T10:10:01.930+01:00Hmm, my holiday starts on Thursday.JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-929733912003-04-21T09:53:00.000+01:002003-04-21T09:53:13.153+01:00I made it through the stint at work on Saturday. Over the course of six hours, five people came in to be tested, of whom I tested a grand total of one. Which took me five minutes.JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-928785332003-04-19T08:13:00.000+01:002003-04-19T08:13:24.686+01:00Have I mentioned the sudden and dramatic improvement in the weather? All the snow has melted, and it's getting up to about +15 in the day. Even at night it is only hovering around freezing.
This past winter in Russia was the most severe for a decade, according to the papers. As evidence of that, despite the recent sun, the riverboats are not running yet and the lakes are *still* frozen over.JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-928783642003-04-19T08:06:00.000+01:002003-04-19T08:06:35.170+01:00My furby-loving 8 year-old brought a scooter to the lesson on Friday. I was quite tempted to mug him then sell it on at the Mitino dodgy goods market. But then, I thought, maybe he's carrying a blade.
Talking of 8 year-olds, the young learners workshop I mentioned earlier never happened. A good job really, as this week has been a bit mental. The only other full-time teacher at my centre, at JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-928780082003-04-19T07:53:00.000+01:002003-04-19T07:53:39.966+01:00It's Saturday morning... and I'm at work! Yes! Our rota system has decreed that it is my turn to sit here in the central school at the weekend doing nothing. Someone has to be here in case any prospective students want to have their language level assessed.
I am 51 minutes into my six-hour stint so far and no-one has shown up. So this is thrilling. At least the internet is working, and JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-926412212003-04-15T11:14:00.000+01:002003-04-15T11:14:03.810+01:00Briefly, went to a new church last Sunday. It was a New Frontiers International church - so like Bracknell Family Church, if you know it - in the far North East of Moscow, called Rosa. A bit of a trek from the metro but now the weather has suddenly and radically improved, it's not too much of a problem.
Someone from Bracknell Family Church came to preach here recently, which is how I found outJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-926410412003-04-15T11:06:00.000+01:002003-04-15T11:06:52.746+01:00My knife-wielding 8 year-old has not yet brought any more weapons to the classroom, but we have had a singing furby, four laser-pens and something called a Bok-Rok. I'm not sure what it is or what it does, but we never had them when I was a kid.JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-923584032003-04-10T14:37:00.000+01:002003-04-10T14:37:27.546+01:00I have just been co-erced into attending a Language Link 'young learners' workshop next week... should be barrels of fun. Actually, speaking of young learners, one of mine brought a stanley knife to the lesson yesterday. It went something a little like this:
8 year-old Nikita: James! I have knife!
Me: That's nice, Nikita. (he often makes outlandish claims - 'I have elephant! I am pink JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-922112252003-04-08T10:32:00.000+01:002003-04-08T10:32:52.170+01:00As I write this, it's snowing. I'm really fed up with snow now, especially as it's well above freezing and shouldn't be snowing at all, it being April and everything. I even unsealed the balcony yesterday in the hope that it would persuade the weather to buck up, but it doesn't seem to have worked.
Anyway. Went to Obninsk at the weekend, as a friend from last year, Eugene, had his birthday. JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-919111052003-04-03T14:13:00.000+01:002003-04-03T14:13:31.326+01:00An interesting bit of war-related trivia. Chechnyan representatives (they don't have a government as such), have actually come out strongly in favour of the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq. They're probably the only Muslim state to have done so, at least so enthusiastically.
Why, you may ask... simple. The Russian government are 'anti' the war, so the Chechnyans are just being contrary to JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-919109722003-04-03T14:09:00.000+01:002003-04-03T14:18:07.000+01:00Sorry I haven't posted for a long time, but the internet connection at our central school has been down and I couldn't be bothered to go to an internet cafe. Actually, central Moscow has the largest internet cafe in the whole of Europe, it's more like an internet warehouse. But I still couldn't be bothered.
So I only had myself to blame, then, when I was confronted today with the message: 'JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-911145722003-03-21T10:33:00.000+01:002003-03-21T10:33:00.030+01:00Okay, I won't mention the war.
The weather here is surprisingly terrible. We had a full 24 hours of snow and now we have freezing winds and sub-zero temperatures. It's nearly April!
Started a new group of students this week, upper-intermediate level, which I inherited from our departed Canadian. The only phrasal verb they know is 'fuck off'...
My flatmate is convinced his new girlfriend is JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-909820752003-03-19T10:41:00.000+01:002003-03-19T10:41:02.216+01:00The first post for over a week, I'm sorry, our network has been down.
Last Saturday I went with a few other teachers to a club at Ulitsa 1905 Goda called Tochka, to celebrate, yes, St. Patricks Day. This is fast becoming a very important Russian holiday, though I'm not quite sure why.
Tochka is a big club that looks like a converted barn, though I'm sure it's not as you don't find many barns JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-905147992003-03-11T11:49:00.000+01:002003-03-11T11:49:13.360+01:00It's snowing here, for the first time in two weeks. So it doesn't really feel like spring! At least it's not cold, somewhat above freezing.
Another four-day week... ho-hum.
Went to a party on Friday, hosted by Kostya and held in his one-bedroom flat. He managed to fit around 25 people in it which is quite impressive, as only eight people live in this flat usually! Yes, eight! Only!
AnywayJD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-902361272003-03-06T14:30:00.000+01:002003-03-06T14:30:04.763+01:00Another three-day weekend this weekend, as it's International Women's Day. All these days off are really disrupting my timetable... life is hard. But... International Women's Day - which other countries celebrate it? I'd love to know. Probably the Ukraine, and Georgia, and that's about it.
Talking of disrupted timetables, my groups are changing around a lot at the moment as Trevor the JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-897039042003-02-25T11:33:00.000+01:002003-03-03T11:36:51.000+01:00Went to Yaroslavl this weekend, as it was Anthony's birthday, the day after pay-day, and we had Monday off (Men's Day).
Actually we had meant to go to Nizhy Novgorod but that didn't happen. Although the city has been called Nizhy Novgorod for a decade, no-one has told the Russian train network which still refers to it as Gorky, its old Soviet name. So what with that and Anthony getting JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-893615302003-02-19T09:48:00.000+01:002003-02-19T09:48:45.190+01:00I forgot to mention that I went to an Anglican church here in Moscow the other Sunday. It might be interesting for some people to hear about that. If it's not for you, then don't read this entry!
I don't know what I was expecting. I had got the details from the internet so come Sunday morning I was walking round Moscow city centre with map in hand. I managed to find the turning I needed, JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-892407952003-02-17T15:45:00.000+01:002003-02-17T15:45:39.283+01:00Oh yes - I also met my boss, sorry, DOS. She's based in Zelenograd which is a couple of hours to the north-west of Moscow on the train, which is why she isn't around very often. I think that's also a good thing. We have a monthly team meeting which alternates between Zelenograd and Moscow. So in about six weeks I'll have to make a trip to Zelengrad... well, that should be interesting.JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-892396432003-02-17T15:18:00.000+01:002003-02-17T15:18:33.516+01:00Met a couple of new teachers - new in that they have been here less time than me. It's nice to know that I'm not the newbie any more. One of the new teachers is on work-study; he's called Hugh which is unfortunate as his name is only one dipthong away from the rudest word in the Russian language.
Also met a teacher who was at Uni with me in Nottingham. He was in the year below me so I didn't JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-892395002003-02-17T15:15:00.000+01:002003-02-17T15:15:37.530+01:00I have been given a new group to teach so I'm up to my contractual maximum now, of something-or-other astronomical hours. They are, incidentally, teenagers at FCE level. So quite capable.
Having a full schedule is a good thing as it means I won't get any of those early morning phone calls asking me to cover for an ill teacher in the other side of the city.
Coincidentally, I taught one of my JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-889641232003-02-12T10:20:00.000+01:002003-02-12T10:20:03.646+01:00One particular teacher, from England, was out on the town early last Saturday evening with a Russian friend. This English teacher could not speak Russian, but the Russian friend could speak English.
A policeman saw the couple walking down the street and promptly arrested the Englishman.
'Why are you arresting him?' the Russian friend asked the policeman with concern.
'He's drunk,' the JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-888493282003-02-10T14:51:00.000+01:002003-02-10T14:51:10.826+01:00SWEEPING GENERALISATION OF THE WEEK
There are two types of people in Moscow really. There are your stereotypical slavic Muscovites - tall, blond and hulking. But there is also a smaller, but growing, ethnic population from the Caucuses (excuse spelling).
I've noticed that the first group can be quite uncommunicative, while the second group are chatty as anything - at least to non-Russians JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-886433982003-02-06T13:00:00.000+01:002003-02-06T13:00:23.266+01:00A new Russian Federation ruling and how it affects me.
If my passport is lost or stolen, I would have to leave Russia for up to four weeks while a new visa is issued... bad, huh?
Not really, as I would get to spend the time working for Language Link in either Talin or Prague. Oops, I think someone's just nicked my passport. Damn.JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-886433092003-02-06T12:56:00.000+01:002003-02-06T12:56:32.153+01:00Or the new teacher who flew over from England to start his teaching position in Moscow, only to be told by Language Link that the position had fallen through and he was being relocated to Irkutsk, in Siberia.
No, it wasn't me either.
In the end LL found him a position in Korosovo, Moscow Region, which is where I heard the story. So it all worked out well... JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-886431592003-02-06T12:50:00.000+01:002003-02-06T12:51:13.000+01:00Just wanted to mention the teacher who, travelling back home from a hard night out, decided to have a sit-down on a bench in the metro. He soon nodded off and awoke to find that some enterprising passer-by had quietly stolen his glasses...
No, it wasn't me by the way.JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056249.post-885808802003-02-05T09:50:00.000+01:002003-02-05T09:50:52.170+01:00Talking of superiors, after nearly a month I still haven't met the (near-mythical) Rob Jensky, who is the great leader - sorry, Great Leader - of this whole Language Link Russia thing.
Everyone I've spoken to says he's quite a character, a real anecdote teller. The most popular anecdote seems to be about the time he was stranded in Israel and had to sell his motorbike to afford a plane ticket JD (The Engine Room)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00836972574430969375noreply@blogger.com