Siberian Adventure - March 2005

Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:58a.m. The chicken was nice while it lasted..back to rice today, with not meatballs, but meat patties that are a little better than meatballs because the patties don’t have kidney in them. The alternative for lunch was liver – AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!
The new group went well today..I have Stass, Katya, Nastya, Oleg & Liza. Nice kids & they had a bit of fun with me explaining Russian Banya (sauna) & what happens in them.

I read through last week’s e-mail. Oh my god, it was sooooooo boring. My profuse apologies to you all! I must have been in a funny head space. I promise I will work VERY hard not to repeat that!

Wednesday, 2 March 2005. A very low-energy day today..the day was grey & I was feeling a bit insecure & homesick. I’ll be better tomorrow.

I was put on the spot this afternoon by the Director (his name is Mr. Mayster..giggles from all when I call him this). I was pulled into a classroom that was bulging at the seams with people. He made yet another prolonged speech, not one word of which I understood, then stepped aside & indicated that I should speak. Eeek, what to say? Mostly they were kids, around intermediate age I think. They were making a hell of a racket so I didn’t say much, but a few asked me questions about where I’m from, do I like Surgut, my family. One boy wanted to know if I would teach him bad words! These kids were from another school & their teacher came to me at the end & said she may like to have private lessons with me, & she may have some other people interested. She will phone at some stage.

I decided to chill out & watch a DVD after work, & promptly fell asleep. Woke in time for the credits, so I bedded down properly for the rest of the night.

Thursday, 3 March 2005 1:56p.m. No news for today & it’s time to send this off. There are a few of you I haven’t heard from, are you receiving my e-mails? E-mail & Messenger are still giving me trouble, so would you all just let me know if you’re receiving my messages direct from me, via Sean, & I guess if you’re not receiving them at all I won’t hear from you. That’s ok, cos then at least I might be able to work out what the problem is.

It’s a beautiful day here, fresh snow overnight, a perfectly clear sky & warm..a 10-minute walk without hat or gloves (heaven).

By the way, sorry if the photos are huge & causing grief. Outlook doesn’t work here with xtra, so I’ve yet to work out how to make the pics smaller. I’ll keep working on it.

Week 4 in Surgut

This week I MISS CADBURY’S BLACK FOREST, & DREAM ALMOND BISCOTTI, & even plain old DAIRY MILK chocolate!

Friday, 4 March 2005 Nyet, Nada, Nothing to report! No, that’s not true. I have a ‘Kiwi accent’! How do I know? Because one of my elementary students exactly followed my pronunciation of a word tonight..NASTY!

Saturday, 5 March 2005 It is a national holiday on Tuesday (Women’s Day) so it’s a work day today..for everyone else, but not for me..I work next Saturday instead. At 2:00pm there was a celebration at the Institute for the staff. As is the custom here, a heap of food (99% of dishes contain fish). 2 fish dishes were yummy though. One has a lower layer of fish, then lots of creamy stuff, with a top layer of something that looks like white couscous, but isn’t. The other one was raw fish..not marinated in lemon juice, just truly raw (probably salted for 24 hours though). The fish wasn’t strong in flavour so was actually very nice! The only other thing I really liked was a filo pastry like arrangement with potato, carrot, & onion. There were little toasts with what I thought was cream & large caviar..WRONG!..piped butter & fish eggs (like cod liver oil capsules; yep, you got it..heave, gag, choke, and gasp on the first mouthful..thanks Frankie, Pauline & Shelly Lemon!). Glasses of cab sauv, straight cognac, & straight vodka accompanied by compote.
Mr Mayster made multiple speeches, interspersed by performances by students for our viewing pleasure, & games for us to participate in, more likely to be played by kiddies in NZ! One of the speeches included a toast & a moments silence for those mothers who are no longer with us (oops, minor disgrace, momentary loss of control over my tear ducts & had to leave the room for a moment in search of tissues).
The doctor arrived late & began circumspectly. Then it was time to hand out gifts and roses to the ladies. The Director gave the gifts, the doctor gave the roses. The Dr kissed each woman on the lips & attempted to pose for every photo kissing the women. He came to me during this performance and wanted us to share a shot (him vodka, me cognac). I obliged (bloody near killed me!) and earned myself a kiss on the lips. My gift was presented last, and sure enough, there he was with rose and lips puckered up for a kiss. At the end of the gift formalities he came back & demanded that I have a shot of vodka with him, & then another (thanks Sean for the training). Kisses were compulsory after each shot.
Next we all had to dance. Let me remind you at this point of school dances at Intermediate..remember standing in a big circle, with no partner, & jiggling? Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s what you do at a Russian celebration at 4:00pm. It’s just way too early & sober for me to have my boogie genes in gear! Again the Dr targeted me, dragged me into the middle of the circle & demanded that I perform (noooooooo!). I made my escape only to be manhandled back into centre stage (Rack off Medicine Man!)
Dr finally got the message & left me off the dance floor, but invited me to have a cigarette with him..I had to say ‘yes’ because it was to be my first Surgut cigarette indoors (sheer luxury & decadence!..small things, small minds…) He spent the whole time rattling on at me in Russian, but I did manage to work out that he’s some sort of chiropractor/osteopath of the Tibetan variety. His business card says “traditional tibetan manual & phytotherapy.”
Finally he grabbed my hand & took me to his rooms upstairs. He prodded my collar bones, my back, my belly. He talked about sleep & drinking. I told him I don’t sleep well. He told me I shouldn’t drink. Then he stood me up, prodded me all over again, found a tender spot in my back, then turned me around, undid my pants, poked at my ovaries then did my pants up again. Next he had a jolly good grope and fondle of my breasts, said they were good and that was that.
Some bloke arrived in his rooms so I made my escape. Dr. arrived at my door about 45 minutes later with a meal for me and buggered off..yay, fish & fish infused roti..M-mmmmmm!

There’s a private do on at the Institute tonight, the Dr.’s nurse’s 50th birthday, so it will be a bit of a late night due to party noise downstairs.

9:51 p.m. DIRTY FREAKING MAN! I can’t make up my mind who I’m more angry with..me or the dirty doctor!

He was back a couple of hours after delivering the food to invite me to have a ciggie again. We went to his rooms again, smoked, had a couple of drinks, played computer cards, then he asked me to join him downstairs at the party to dance. I agreed. Then he got a call about a sick child. I went back to my room while he was supposed to attend to the child. He arrived back in my room 10 minutes later, took his shoes off, sat on my bed and yabbered. I suggested we go downstairs to the party several times, & he agreed but didn’t move. He kept grabbing me and hugging and kissing me. I suggested we go downstairs again but I think he was telling me he was flying overseas tomorrow & didn’t want to party anymore. A lot of the hugs had us tipping over onto the bed. Next he suggested we go to a movie tomorrow, have a meal, have some drinks (hang on..isn’t he going overseas in the morning?) In the end I grabbed my book, told him “friends” was good, “lover” was not going to happen. He rabbited on, I think telling me he didn’t want me to love him, but a shag was a good idea. While this was going on he kept snatching at my bits, & I kept swatting his hand away & saying no. With that he stomped off, telling me to lock my doors on his way out! As if I needed to be told that!

The dirty creep has been a doctor for nearly 50 years, so he must be over 70!

Sexual harassment is alive and kicking in Siberia! And I’m a stupid cow!!! Why do I continue to give people a second chance when my initial gut-feel is bad?

Sunday, 6 March 2005 My student, Kate, collected me at 2:30pm to take me shopping. There were 4 others with her. Before shopping though we went to an art exhibition (art created by students through-out Surgut). Some of it was really awesome; we had to vote for our favourite piece (I voted for 7 pieces). One of the mayoral candidates made a speech (elections in May), & then a local rock band played. Ben, I wish I’d taken my camera to record some of it..Jayden may have been interested. Their music had some similarities to Jayden’s bands, though not as hard/heavy. They were ok, not very polished, but it was cool to see live local music. We had a yummy dinner at a café & then home.

When I arrived home there was a note for me from another student inviting me to go tomorrow to a market at a village about 120 km away. Unfortunately I’ve already accepted another invitation for tomorrow. Next time though!

Monday, 7 March 2005 10:30a.m. pick up, & we’re off to ‘Winter Sports’ at a park. Details were pretty sketchy, my understanding was that I was to go & watch some students run around in the snow, maybe throw some around. As it turns out it was a competition between rival educational institutions, & I was on the team! BLOODY HELL! Each team needed a chant, which my team had, however I was asked at the last minute to make a speech in English (“doesn’t matter what you say, they won’t understand you anyway, but we’ll look cool!”..they were rapt with my performance; I have a strong voice, sounded serious & everyone stopped to listen to the strange woman!) The games were a real hoot..a shoving competition, several competitions involving fitting the entire team of 6 adults onto a tiny sleigh (these are used by parents to transport their one pre-schooler) & dragging it as far as possible, & a sack race, all in soft, deep snow. Planeta Institute of World Economy & Business (my team) were 100% victorious! YEAH BABY!!! It didn’t hurt that we had the largest man (Sasha, 6’4” at least, probably 120kg’s & strongly built!) for shoving, & the smallest woman (me!) for (light) weight advantage on sleighs. In general, the men here are very small (lack of sunshine I reckon). By the way, if any of you meet a very handsome Russian man-mountain, circa 25 years old, who says “Excellent!” frequently, it’s Sasha! I must drop that word from my vocab!
We had a BBQ (in the FREEZING COLD) afterwards. This constituted bread, mayonnaise, luncheon sausage, gherkins & white ‘little boys’, all cold, while standing around a Bar-B thawing our hands..no cooking! My jacket STINKS of smoke now. A young woman from one of the other teams came over to us & started to speak to me. She speaks English & works for the largest & newest university here. We’re going to arrange a time & date for me to speak there. Super Cool!!
Back to Planeta for more food & vodka (not much for me because I had a class later).
Ben & Dave: expect an army of young Siberian blokes to stay..they want to visit NZ, meet you & have ‘good times’! If any Siberian girls turn up, DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE, DON’T OPEN THE DOOR! You’ll be fathers before you know it! Double layered, super-strength condoms are in order if you leave your brains in your pants! The alternative is life in Surgut, massive sub-zero temperatures for 9 months of the year, 2 months of sludge, & one month of real summer as we know it!

Tuesday, 8 March 2005 Women’s Day! I’ve been invited to spend the day with Nelly (my favourite colleague) & her family. I’ve been humbled by their generosity & hospitality today. First I was met & given flowers by Nelly’s granddaughter, Helena. Next I was taken on a tour of some of Surgut & outlying areas. The tour ended when the batteries in my camera died an untimely death! I’d tried to be prepared in advance, but was unable to buy backup batteries this weekend! Grrrrrr! Next I was taken to Nelly’s home & loaded with food & vodka. Nelly’s husband, Victor, presented me with a framed handcrafted ‘symbol’ of Khanty-Mansi (two of the indigenous races here–they have their own district). Natalya (daughter of Victor & Nelly) arrived & presented me with the ‘heart’ gift (see photo) & expressed her desire that I meet a wealthy, handsome, good man very soon in my future. Bless her! More food, more vodka, many cigarettes, heaps of talking! I must mention at this point that Nelly is the only one that speaks English, so alternated between interpreting for her family & me, & telling me her own ‘stuff’. Many phone calls wishing Nelly wonderful things (Women’s Day is MASSIVE here, & I think a status symbol..”I got this many calls/gifts/visitors”); Men are duty-bound to serve & perform..FAB! I’m bringing this tradition home with me..beats the B-Jingo’s out of Mother’s Day!!!!! Nelly gifted me a Russian china rooster..it’s her favourite porcelain & is a collectable item.
Hello, there’s a new arrival; Vladimir (yet another one, Vladimir that is). He is one of Surgut’s mayoral candidates. He has a gift for Nelly (flowers), her daughter (flowers)..& me (Moldova bubbles)! He’s a very charming man (politician) who speaks extremely good English (fast, fast, maybe faster than me even!). We had a great talk (he loves The Stones & Deep Purple..Led Zep’s ok), then he was gone!
More food (I may explode), more vodka, more talk, more cigarettes (heading towards NZ smoking levels today..h-hmmm, h-hmmmm, cough!).
Another friend arrives, bearing gifts (flowers for Nelly, chocolates for me) so more food (noooooooo!), more vodka, more talk. The friend leaves, & so there’s cake & chocolates (OH MY GOD!), more vodka, more talk, & hey, let’s smoke another carton of cigarettes (cough, cough, h-hmmm, h-h-hmmm, cough, cough) - (is it nearly time to go home? No! There’s another 2 hours of vodka, talking & smoking!) Victor loves me & I’m to be invited to their home many more times – thank goodness they showed me today where the hospital is that specialises in lung diseases!; Nelly loves me & she trusts me & told me many ‘secrets’ (my suspicions re: Vasily, Mr Mayster, & the Dr. have all been confirmed; apparently I’m a very wise woman for seeing & understanding so quickly..pffffff, I’ve seen it all before in NZ banking!..but I must be ‘careful’ because "they are powerful & connected" & thick as thieves..Nelly can protect me as she has "connections" also [ex-paid-up-communist-official] & I MUST keep my doors double-locked!) No fear folks..I’m much more cagey here than in NZ!
FINALLY, a taxi was called to take me home, but it will take 20 minutes..”hoorah!” says Victor, time for more vodka (someone save me!) The phone rang, Victor talked for a moment then handed me the phone. I thought it was the taxi driver; I was surprised the cabby spoke English & felt the need to apologise & tell me he was very tired & needed to go to bed. I said I understood & wished him a good night. Confusion! How am I to get home? Aah, it was Vladimir, wanna-be-Mayor, apologising for not returning to drink vodka (praise be to some Saint!) Never let a chance go by though thinks Victor..yeah!, more vodka (I’m over it now, Victor is loud & swinging between gregarious & grumpy, & Nelly is flagging) TAXI! And there he was! XXXX
I arrived safely back at the Institute to be presented with a very large bunch of flowers (no vase, so they’re in my bathroom sink for tonight!) & a HUGE box of chocolates..delivered by 2 different men today. No notes, no cards; how am I to say ‘thank you’?

The chocolates got the better of me..I opened them..poohs, no ‘map’ to tell what each shape’s flavour is, so it’s a lucky dip! I’ve tried them all now (except those with coffee beans stamped into the chocolate)..not bad, but not Cadbury’s..I know, I’m a philistine; I can’t help it, I know what I love!

So far, my observation is that Kiwi’s drink more alcohol than Russians! Perhaps it’s because I’m a woman & am exposed to different circles..but my capacity is far greater than even ‘man-mountain’ Sasha’s..& he’s a student (has he no pride?)! In the space of 3 hours, 4 shots of vodka, with a large glass of juice with each, sees them ready for bed!

Spagoinya Noicha (goodnight)

Прю

Week 5 in Surgut

Before I go any further, I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR FROM ONE MORE OF YOU THAT YOUR LIVES ARE TOO MUNDANE TO WRITE ABOUT! The reason each one of you is receiving messages from me is because I’ve been a part of that ‘mundane’ life of yours & I enjoyed it & you! Your news is important & interesting to me, so get over your insecurities..I have mundane days as well, probably more than you because I’m in a truly foreign country where I can’t communicate with the majority!

Cripes, I’ve been a walking disaster area for 5 days of this week; they’ll probably revoke my visa! Read on my friends; cringe & laugh with me!

Thursday, 10 March 2005 The day started normally enough, until I fished into the top of my wardrobe to get my plastic shopping bag (a non-negotiable accessory here! – recycled bag from boot purchases is my look; others have supermarket bags or bags from clothing shops. Mine’s bigger so there!). The shelf is a little high for me & so my scrabbling caused the wardrobe to wobble around a bit, which in turned caused my mirror to come crashing down..smashed to smitherines..oooh, bugger! I should gather all the pieces together & present them to the dirty Dr so he can have a new suit and hat made! The mirror has since been replaced, with a much smaller one (boohoo). There is now a screw in the wall to mount my new mirror on, & for good measure the mirror has been TIED to the screw. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAHA! Mum would get a kick out of this one (the letter she wrote for me just before she died told me to put a particular item she’d left me in a safe until I stopped being clumsy. I still have the letter & the ‘treasure’, perhaps I should bring a dated piece of the mirror home with me to keep with the other 2! It’s coming up for 24 years since Mum died & I’m still a klutz!) Finally I got to do my shopping; nothing exciting, just some hairclips & fruit & veges & a drop-dead gorgeous salami type sausage thingy, only nicer! YUM!!!!

I have 3 lessons to take today (normal for Tuesdays & Thursdays, but I had 3 yesterday as well to make up for Women’s Day holiday).

Friday, 11 March 2005 I scored a MASSIVE public hug, big smiles & sincere thanks from Mr Mayster today for my involvement in the Student’s Winter Sports. He’d even gone to the trouble of learning “Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart” in English. I was floored!

2 lessons tonight & Vasily has decided he will come & observe. Ha, he doesn’t understand the concept! In the first lesson he was seriously disruptive & I had to “shhh” him several times. He’s lucky time was up when it was because I was on the verge of asking him to leave!
The second lesson was with my Intermediate girls. Russians have difficulty with he/him/his & she/her/hers, & constantly apply these words to the wrong gender. I decided to get the girls to design a couple of posters for the training room, a man & a woman respectively, paint them, & then add the appropriate words to each. Vasily couldn’t come to terms with the purpose of the exercise, or the value in it. I tried explaining to him the girls were getting speech practice by planning their posters in English, learning teamwork & negotiation at the same time (a management tool – after all this is the Institute of Business & World Economy, with Management a major subject), as well as having personal input & activity with the target words at the forefront of their minds, not to mention some fun! At the end of it all they’ll have a visual reminder on the wall, which may be of value to other students as well. Being a text-book man, Vasily doesn’t get it, & said he has NEVER seen such a thing in a class. Poor blinkered freak! I’ve since chatted to Nelly, & she gets her students to draw sometimes as well.

Even if the posters don’t achieve the desired result, they have worked magic with Irina! My sulky maggot has been transformed into an animated butterfly! Rosy cheeks, smiles, talking!!! She’s now sending me regular e-mails, & has explained she doesn’t have sufficient vocab to take part in the classes. I suspect she knows more than she thinks but is terrified of being made a fool of (past experience I suspect). Hopefully the e-mails will continue to improve communication between me & her, & serve to raise her confidence enough to get her contributing in class. I’ll have her talking by the time I leave, even if it kills me!!!

Saturday, 12 March 2005 I had a class this morning, again making up for Women’s Day. This afternoon I surfed English teaching websites & collected some good teaching games & activities. Sitting in my office for such a long period got to me & I HAD to make some changes! It’s been a dumping ground for tatty desks & a spare computer (probably broken). A mini-version of my days at IBM, Wyndham Street, I started dragging furniture & bits around, trying to find the perfect arrangement. I achieved it in the end, but only after one of the tatty desks changed its original shape, losing the drawers in the process. Noooooooo! I raced off to my room & grabbed both my trusty Swiss Army Knives. I managed to get the desk screwed together enough for the drawers to stay in place. The next person who tries to move that sucker is in for a shock!!! My desk too altered its’ form, but unfortunately it isn’t held together with screws so all I could do was kick it gently back into a shape faintly resembling its’ former self. The drawers are propped prettily for now..again the next person to attempt a move will get more than they bargained for! Not content with these achievements, I then attacked the cupboards. Hmmmm, plenty of rubbish to be found in there, “no wonder the doors don’t close!” Cupboards tidied & emptied, I pushed closed the first door..ha ha hahaHAHAHEHEHE (nervous, then slightly hysterical giggles), the door has come off the cupboard in my hands! This is NOT fixable..the thing is made of that ‘weetbix board’ stuff, it’s all crumbly, & the screws have seen better days..way back in about 1923! This is the real reason the doors don’t shut. Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, no disguising this one! Ok! I’ve got the message; no more ‘improvements’, the remaining doors can stay open-ish. I’ll settle for gradual ‘Prue-ing’ of the place with pictures, photos etc. Back to my ‘apartment’ to faff with my Siberian Adventure Album, & listen to the revellers downstairs..another wedding tonight, only this one is a ripper! More modern music & less traditional cheering. These people are having an excellent time & it’s great to hear! They packed it in around 2am, & I loved every minute of it!

I also loved every mouthful of that new salami..I polished most of it off over the course of the day. What a piglet! It was sooooo good though..oink, oink.

Sunday, 13 March 2005 The plan was to go in search of flipchart paper, crayons, marker pens, play dough & other stuff to use in class but the day is a bit bleak. My room is cosy & starting feel like home; I’m feeling super-relaxed & fancy a calm day. I pottered about for a while, listened to music, wrote some lists in an effort to establish some focus & routine for the coming week. Finally I spoke sternly to myself & went to the supermarket to buy cheese, crackers (cumin & caraway flavoured rye crisp bread – I’m bringing these home with me too!), more fruit juice, nuts, olives stuffed with lemon (if you can find some grab them, they’re the best olives I’ve EVER tasted), blah blah blah. It’s time to cut out the chocolate, potato chips & dip.
Back ‘home’ & I decided to throw a colour through my hair. I used to have a green towel; it’s now green & red! Doh, THAT didn’t happen in NZ. Finally I put on some classical music & settled down to make a start on “Crime & Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky. One of my students has given me 3 e-books, the others being "The Possessed (The Devils)" by Fyodor Dostoevsky as well, & “War & Peace” by Tolstoy. Whew, heavy stuff! These should keep me reading until the end of the year at least..War & Peace is HUGE! It’s good though..I’m constantly asked if I’ve read these books; they’re very proud of them here & I should score some brownie points now I can say I have them & am reading them currently.

It felt really nice & normal to curl up in a chair & read. I even went to bed & read some more before sleeping..all that was missing was my 2 pieces of liquorice & Chevy..sigh.

Monday, 14 March 2005 I DON’T BELIEVE IT! I’ve just made my bed & found that I now have a red pillow! Damned hair dye! & I brought it all the way from NZ so I can’t even blame unfamiliar Russian formula. What am I going to do? I’ll think about it later. Probably wash the cursed thing every day for the next 2 weeks (clean sheets & towels are issued on a 3-weekly basis; I wash mine in the hand basin or shower in between issues). I do wonder now if the water has something to do with my hair colour woes..my skin doesn’t like the water either, even my palms & finger tips are peeling (they’re a bit tender too).

After coffee with Nelly, & grabbing a pizza for dinner, & having my lunch, I trotted upstairs to my office. THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING TO ME! My key is jammed in the lock; it won’t turn left or right, nor will it come out! Just as well Dmitri arrived at that moment otherwise I would have told it its pedigree! He couldn’t budge the thing either & phoned for help. 45 minutes later Misha (I’m scared of him..he stares at me & doesn’t smile & won’t talk) arrived & saved the day by removing a panel in the door & climbing through to the office, & opening the door from the inside. The lock has since been removed, oiled & reinstalled..upside down! Par for the course..Misha isn’t big on pride & accuracy in his workmanship..as long as it works ok right now that’s all that matters. No need to waste time on petty details. Probably this ensures an on-going supply of work & some variation for him in between shovelling snow & applying coats of candyfloss pink or hospital yellow paint.
Nelly collected me at 2:30pm for coffee & gossip in my ‘home’. She decided she wanted to try my liquorice tea. Poor woman, she struggled to describe its flavour politely, settling in the end for “medicine”. Looking at the list of ingredients, she doesn’t know of cayenne, cinnamon, ginger or liquorice. She bravely drank the entire cup & took her leave..probably to throw up!

Apparently there are notices up around the Institute explaining my role in the Student’s Winter Sports & thanking me for my involvement. This is really sweet, & as I’m discovering, so typical of these people! I’m going to ask Kate if I can have a copy to add to my ‘Adventure’ album. There's also a big poster with photos attached outside the student’s common room. The amazing thing is that I was thrilled to be invited in the first place!

I was outside this afternoon & a lady & her toddler (about 3years old) came out of the building. The bubby said “Zdrasvuitye” to me & so I replied with a grin. His mum told him to say “zdrasvuitye pa-engleski” so the wee mite said “hello”. WOW! I laughed & said “hello” back. His mum doesn’t even speak English! How cool is that?!
There was also a gorgeous spaniel outside. He was dead keen to come & say hello to me but he’d obviously been told to “stay” & so did. Sadly he was told to “stay” in the middle of the driveway so he was creating a spot of havoc. No matter how much I whistled & called & talked & patted my leg, he just wouldn’t come..he wanted to though, his ears were forward & he had eyes only for me. The attraction was mutual! I’m pretty sure he didn’t understand English either. I could have just picked him up & taken him to my room, he was so cute! I reckon he’d have liked living with me too!

Irina breezed into the training room this evening all aglow and initiating conversation. I’m on top of the world tonight!

Tuesday, 15 March 2005 The weather’s turned really cold & nasty.
The air is thinner here, & it took a bit of getting used to. Every now & then it seems even thinner than usual, today being one of those days. The lack of oxygen makes me light headed & a bit unsteady on my feet which I HATE! Getting up & down stairs becomes a challenge in case I fall, & as for negotiating doorways..forget it! It doesn’t matter how carefully I line myself up I still manage to bang into the frame or the door itself. Even getting a key into a lock becomes difficult. When I first got here I was a bit worried about all this wobbliness until it was explained to me. Days like today, I confine myself to the Institute because walking outside is too difficult. This condition is like experiencing the indignities of being drunk without the fun of the journey!

I only had Vladimir Loboyko & Alexander Volovodov for the Beginners Class tonight. We talked about Russia during & post communism. They were wonderfully open about the subject & assured me they were comfortable talking & answering my questions. Vladimir’s grandfather was shot (dead) for saying he didn’t want to work in the ‘community’ – he was a businessman & wanted to work for himself. They talked about living with fear during the communist years, particularly fear of talking freely. In turn they asked me if we could speak freely in NZ & if I’m afraid there. It was a really interesting 90 minutes..my only regret is their English is limited & there’s so much more I want to ask & know. They believe their lives are much better now, in spite of now having to pay for education & quality medical care. I’m so very lucky they put up with my questions & trust me enough to talk so openly!

My private student, Alex, is always a sigh of relief on Tuesdays & Thursdays. His English is great; he’s an extremely intelligent & knowledgeable man. I use him frequently to check my understanding of what my other students tell me. We discussed medical care in Russia tonight. Doctors in the public health sector earn US$300 per month.. I’m earning WAY more than that! So much of what I’ve heard makes me shudder! I promise you right now, if I get sick I’ll be getting out of Russia as fast as I can! I’m considering giving blood here, but I want to visit the clinic first just to check hygiene & needle practices. Apparently you need an HIV test prior to giving..I’m hoping my visa will be sufficient (HIV clearance required for that). Alex confirmed for me that the atmosphere today is bad (him headachy, me staggery)

I decided my students will perform something, particularly for Mr Mayster, Nelly, Vasily, & the other teachers, & if possible for the other students here at Planeta. I was trying to think of a way to broach the subject with them when one of them suggested it herself..fab! No problems with agreement now. I asked them all to think of what they may like to do, & they in turn asked if I had any ideas. I have a couple. The first is to pull together a few short skits about learning English at Planeta in 2005 (funny, different, frustrating, good, bad moments with the teacher from NZ); the second is to perform a poi dance & play stick games. We could probably do both the skits & the poi & stick games. They’re quite interested in the poi..there are 2 problems with this..it’s not English so I don’t want to invest a lot of time in it, and I CAN’T REMEMBER ANY POI DANCES! I’ll try & find something on the internet. Ideas, suggestions, information, hints & tips are all welcome from any of you! I’ve realised I need to start moving on this because it won’t be a fast process.

It’s tragic. You’ve seen the photos of my brown, brown, brown cupboard of a room. Visitors tell me they like my room, that it has a nice feel to it. I thought they were blowing sunshine up my trouser legs. Having been to Nelly’s home now, I understand the truth of what people are saying about my room. My place is an oasis in comparison! An old fashioned, rickety, original 1950’s beach batch in NZ is better built & appointed. Unbelievable! And yet they are happy & proud of what they have..a lesson to be learned in this!

If I came back to NZ right now (but I won’t) this trip has been a success! I’m more confident, more calm, more settled, & more accepting of myself. I’ve dealt with most of my demons now & shouldn’t see them return (thank goodness); I’ve got things to do just for me right now that can’t be put off any longer, & I’m enjoying the freedom of making my own way & my own friends because of who I am (& I’m DOING IT!); I’ve rediscovered the joy of having girlfriends & being feminine, (it’s been a long time); I’m physically strong enough to carry my own weight (luggage from NZ-Surgut), I’m practical enough to repair some of the things I break (chuckle); I can build a better fire than Russian men (puny muscle flexing & chest beating here).
I read somewhere “if you believe bad things will happen to you, they will..if you believe good things will happen, they will”. I came away hoping for the latter, & have been fully rewarded for my optimism, beyond my dreams!
I wouldn’t give this experience up for anything, & I’m glad I’ve done it at this age rather than when I was younger..the lessons carry more weight & will be lasting at this age I think, well for me anyway!
All that’s left is to be able to contribute to a discussion about sport! That’s next year’s project..or whatever year I land a job in France or Italy (rugby, football, no cricket though, I’ll have to go to England, India, or the West Indies for that, which is unlikely)!

AND, although I’ve always been a bit of a sucker for new NZers, my attitude is now forever changed. Rather than just feeling pity & wanting to help them, or frustration & contempt for some, I now understand how even the smallest thing from a local/native can make a big difference to the way they’ll feel. I also now know how to make a HUGE difference to someone at little to no financial expense. If only I’d known these things before, but again that’s part of what this adventure has been about.

Sorry, I’ve turned a bit deep..I’ve had a week of introversion & self analysis!

By the way, a couple of you have asked me if I'm happy here & truly like it. YES, YES, YES! At this stage I can easily see myself being here until the end of December. I have a few lonely moments, but I had those in Auckland too..that's just a headspace issue. I'm hoping things will get progressively better here as I meet more people & get my Russian to a level where I can communicate. Even if nothing changes I'm very happy here!

Time to go now..I have to prepare a speech for a visiting school on Friday..Gawd!

Week 6 in Surgut

Just a brief message this week!

Friday, 18 March 2005 A couple of days ago I was asked to prepare a presentation for some school students today. I've spent the last 2 nights working on it (finishing both nights at 4am). It was worth it in the end. Mine was the only presentation they sat up for and listened to. I'd done a PowerPoint presentation to go with my talk..lots of animation & sounds, & a couple of dorky photos of me pulling faces. Lots of laughs & chatter, they loved it! In the end mine was voted the most interesting talk. Cool!

2 classes tonight & I can't be bothered. I have a very rare headache and I'm tired. Straight to bed after work tonight!

Saturday, 19 March 2005 I'm supposed to go to Khanty-Mansisk District today to see the final of the World Biathlon (Kiwi's & Aussies have been competing during the week!) but I've just phoned to say I can't make it - GUTTED!

My head is pounding; I think it may come off my shoulders any minute! Every time I move I think I'm going to be sick. My glands are so swollen I look like..a mess! They're really sore too! Back to bed.

Sunday, 20 March 2005 I slept all day yesterday, and then through a wedding last night! I'm not feeling much better today but have had to get out of bed because I'm out of food & juice.

The fresh air did a little good, but I'm still shabby so back to bed.

Monday, 21 March 2005 The headache's gone, my glands are back to their normal size, but I'm still really tired. 1 class tonight then off to bed!

Tuesday, 22 March 2005 Getting better slowly.

Vasily's in a tizz. Our classroom was emptied last night & we've been relocated. Something's up I think because Vasily wasn't told about this & yet he's the Head of the English Dept.

Nelly is finishing here later this year, Vasily hates teaching at the Institute & has set himself up a cushy little number at home with private students - he'll be earning more from them than from the Institute. I think the English language dept. will be closed! There are just not enough students, & there's fierce competition from specialist language schools here.

Wednesday, 23 March 2005 I was independent adjudicator at a competition between Nelly's students & Vasily's students this morning; it was a bun-fight! And a waste of time. Nelly jacked the competition in her groups favour..competition is not text-book learning so Vasily didn't bother to attend!

I asked Vasily how long he thought Planeta would need me for. He now thinks they only have work for me until the end of May! I could have throttled the little weasel, & now he's beetled off home. It gives me 24 hours to think about what I'll be asking for though! I want compensation for loss of earnings & breach of contract..particularly as he'd guaranteed work until the end of December (thank goodness I have that in writing!)

Tonight I'll start looking for a new job starting ASAP, but given it takes so long to arrange things I may end up back in NZ until I have something sorted. I have no idea what I'll do for work if that happens!!

Time to go for now; I have darts to throw at a certain Russian face!

Week 7 in Surgut

Well, I’m a lot more chipper this week (gross understatement!!!!) Sorry I sent you such a ‘spitty’ message last week.

One final thing on the work front...Vasily came to see me again this morning; I let him have the lot..told him he's a liar & gave him examples of his lies which he couldn't deny, told him he's jeopardised my reputation by putting me in a position of appearing to lie to the students, told him I don't trust or respect him. He was almost in tears by the end of it. THEN he had the cheek to tell me it won't cost me much to transfer to Yekaterinburg. I told him it won't cost me anything because he'll be paying my transfer expenses. He poohed himself then agreed, admitting he's at fault.

I was supposed to go to a native festival in another town on Saturday; however the festival date changed to Sunday. I’d made other arrangements for Sunday, so damnit I missed out on getting out of town AGAIN! I indulged in a restful morning then went shopping in the afternoon. Fruit & vege from my new favourite market (the ‘keeper’ calls me “English” & gives me free cucumber, lemons & lime once I’ve made my purchases).

I’ve been invited to go out for dinner on Sunday with my private student, Alex & his friend Lyuba. First though, we’ll go to the Orthodox Church.

I asked Nelly if I needed to dress up for this & she said I need a dress, head scarf, & very little makeup. Stink man! I have no dress or head scarf..hence the shopping trip on Saturday afternoon. I could do without the expenditure & extra luggage at this point, but it’s nice to have something other than trousers in my wardrobe. I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M GOING TO CHURCH!

I bought a skirt, top & black pashmina for church (I’ll send a photo once I’ve caught up on sleep & I’m not looking so haggard). I also bought a lime green pashmina (still having my love-affair with lime green & pink), & a matching hat/scarf/gloves set in blue for spring. My gold lined ‘Russian road-kill’ hat is too hot most of the time now.

Alex phoned on Saturday night to confirm he’d collect me at 2:30pm Sunday. I checked with him that I should be wearing a dress. “No! Sports clothes (meaning jeans), we’ll be walking!” I curse spending money on a new ‘frock’, but rejoice at the thought of jeans & flat boots!

Thank goodness I was almost ready when Alex arrived. Nobody told me daylight saving started on Saturday night & I should move my watch forward an hour!

We went to a smaller orthodox church which was really lovely too (I had to wear my pashmina here). We lit candles in memory of our loved ones, silently reflected for a while, & left.

By the way, the temperature was +1C° & I was hot! It’s amazing how you acclimatise! I’m sorry, but I do roll my eyes at you all complaining about the cold over there at the moment.

Next we went to a new wooden church. Pashmina time again, no candle lighting here, but some quiet time to reflect. This church is part of a complex which covers the history of Surgut & has displays of native flora & fauna. They have ferns so similar to our silver fern I made a bit of noise about it! I couldn’t believe it..they let me touch ‘stuff’. I stroked a stuffed bear, wolf, MINK & SABLE!!!!! Amazing! The local bears are like miniature grizzly bears, about 4’10”/147cm in height; his hair was about as coarse as mine after a day in the surf. All up we visited about 5 buildings here, & we had our own private tour guide. We also went into a traditional ‘skin-igloo’ (tepee); a home for 2 adults & up to 5 kids, it’s waaaaaaaay too small!

At last it was time for food. Alex & Lyuba took me to a German restaurant. Alex & Lyuba are ‘fasting’ which means no meat for 40 days before their Easter (or is it Lent? Dunno, but they can eat meat again in April sometime soon). We started with a yummy fresh salad of lettuce, tomatoes, onion & capsicum & a plate of Russian mushrooms. The shrooms were raw but salted; a bit too salty for me but still really nice. Then a bowl of soup was brought for me only; full of beef & very creamy & spicy, stroganoff-like flavour..GORGEOUS! Next came a platter of potato wedges coated with fresh garlic (or was it garlic stuffed with a small amount of potato?), char-grilled eggplant, char-grilled capsicum (the best ever!), fresh tomatoes AND a dish of ‘venison’ for me..Reindeer! I ATE RUDOLPH ON SUNDAY! He was unbelievably tender & delicately flavoured, nothing like NZ venison. Loads of talk & cigarettes & 2 bottles of wine. We finished with a bodum plunger each of herbal tea (like a ‘raspberry zinger’) with added fruit & herbs.

Lyuba is a woman who works in another area of Surgut Oil & Gas. She & Alex & 8 others met through various projects & their company intranet & all have become firm friends. Lyuba is a great girl, unmarried, loves cooking & vodka..we could be great buddies!!! She’s involved in a theatrical company; there’s a performance on Saturday which I’ll go to.

Alex was telling us they’ve found the remains of several mammoth in a new oil field that he’s involved with. Sometimes the remains are perfectly preserved & the indigenous people eat the meat! Given the opportunity, I wonder if I’d have a go? Probably! Alex also said their scientists have taken remains back to St Petersburg & are endeavouring to genetically engineer a mammoth/elephant cross..Jurassic Park here we come!!! Have you heard about this? Apparently it’s not a secret; the Russian venue at the next Expo will exhibit it.

Total cost to me for the day..0! Total cost for Alex & Lyuba..shiteloads! They wouldn’t let me pay for anything (not even my own cigarettes) & I have no idea how I’ll ever be able to repay them. I AM going to ask if I’m allowed access to the kitchen here so I can cook some meals. I’m aching to cook..I didn’t realise how therapeutic it is even just to throw together a quick meal. If I’m allowed the kitchen, I’ll cook a meal for them at least..Nelly & family too!

It’s proving impossible to repay people here. Every time I give someone something in return for their generosity they just give me something else! I gave Nadeerzhda an orange & some grapes tonight because she’s full of the flu. She gave me her dinner! No amount of arguing would sway her, & when I tried to enlist Alex’s help with interpreting he just told me it’s the way of Russian women & to accept it! So instead of helping with fresh fruit & extra vitamins, I stole the poor woman’s badly needed meal..I feel like a parasite! Next time I’ll give her a blanket or buy her some Vicks! I was sorely tempted to give her some paracetemol, but they’re more into natural remedies like vodka & ground black pepper that’s sat for a week, or some plant bit that soaks in vodka for a week. Paracetemol is likely to knock Nadeerzhda off her perch for a week!

Nelly & I were talking last week & she called Vasily “Gut”. I’ve called him ‘gut’ in a few conversations with her since & she just rocks with laughter. Today she told me it’s a ‘bad’ word here; she’d told one of the other staff ladies here who growled at her for teaching me bad language. So peeps, when you really hate someone call them “dust’ or ‘gut’! I love it!!! I really love Russians for this; I’m sure they have the same foul language as us as well.

This weeks ‘Russianism’ is ‘a follow-me’ meaning the split in a skirt; so much nicer than ‘Kiwi-ism’s’ like ‘FM boots’.

I promised Alex & Lyuba I would copy some of my music for them; they wanted jazz, Big Band (Glen Miller!) & Kiwi music. I started this on Monday but there was too much for a CD. I showed Alex tonight & he nearly passed out! The result is that I’ve sent him home with my i-Pod so he & Lyuba can copy what they want.

It's raining today, & really windy. I wanted to buy some fresh fruit & vege today, but scuba gear's required to navigate the puddles at the moment & safety ropes needed to hang on to so you don't get blown clear to Moscow! Hopefully tomorrow will be nicer, though the purchases are not urgent. Some fresh air would be nice to clear my head.

Week 8 in Surgut

Ooooh, many of you joked that this would come!

… the pressure has been building here. Russian women are incurable romantics; even the harder nosed ones! They’re insatiably curious about my love-life (pffff)..what, when, who, how long, why (not)? Is Prue married? Does Prue have a husband? Where is your husband? Why don’t you have a husband? Do you want a husband?
Now they’re asking ‘who’ & ‘where’ with increasing intensity. “Are you doing anything this weekend? What are you doing this weekend? Where are you going? What do you mean you’re doing something but don’t know where you’re going? Did this (named) man invite you? Who are you going with? A woman? How did you meet this woman? Which man will be there too? I’m suspicious! Would you like to change the colour of your hair? Russian men love blonde women! Could you stay in Russia after your visa expires (no, I don’t mean legally, I mean for love or life!)? Could/would you marry a Russian man? Would you live here for the rest of your life? That man is a very handsome man! (Prelude to match-making drinks/dinner/outings [irrespective of his marital status!] if you’re not careful! Actually, even if you are careful!) Would you fall in love with a man, marry him & take him back to NZ? Ha ha! Gotcha!!!! There may be a fledgling market for Russian husbands! Any takers? Place your orders: www.russian_husbands@prujarvis.com. Satisfaction NOT guaranteed! I’ve been ‘lucky’ enough to hear 1 Russian shag in action..eeeyew, it’s not for me (shudder)! I’m being mean of course..there are Kiwi shags that are as..well..blah! I married one of them! (Sorry Ben..too much information probably! I answered all your early questions. You’re a man now & may need to study the next chapters of “The Facts of Life”..“Rutting is for sex, Slow is for Love!”) Call me fussy, but I won’t go back!

Some of you have asked about potential ‘romance’ for me here. No sex to date..nor is there likely to be! The men I've met are either Ben's age or younger, just 30, or ancient (or at least they look ancient!) Again the language barrier is an issue..how can I know if I want to jump someone's bones if I can't talk to them? Having a discrete spot of nooky is not an option anyway. Nothing I do is a secret! The door of the institute is guarded 24/7 & my every movement is reported. The teachers & students know that I smashed my mirror (I wonder if the Dr will get a new suit from it?), they know that I worked in my office until 2am one night, they know that I've been out with Alex for the last 2 weekends (now being pumped for information..he’s 30 & a really nice young guy), they know what time I go out & what time I get home, they even know when I empty my own rubbish bin! This is all courtesy of the door guards. They also know what I eat & when, or if I don't eat a meal..courtesy of the kitchen staff. Word has even gone out about the contents of my bathroom! "Ooooh, are the cosmetics in the bathroom all hers?" "Yes! And I've been in her room & you should see what's in there!" I even had a wee weep on Monday evening..Nadeerzhda wanted me to sit with her but I just couldn’t. The word went out so fast I had 2 people come & check on me outside while I was indulging in a ciggie immediately after, & then a third phoned me 10 minutes later! It’s nice to be cared for & I appreciate their concern but as some of you know, I’m best left to get on with things at moments like these. Gentleness just makes the tears last longer & I don’t have the time! All up it’s a little claustrophobic to say the least! And then I feel like an ungrateful cow!

Ooooh, I know what I haven’t told you about; sheets! The bottom one is double layered & doesn’t tuck in on any side! The top is single layered and also isn’t big enough to tuck in..in spite of being 2 strips of polyester sewn together! It doesn’t take much of a restless night to end up with the top sheet bunched up & wrapped around your waist or neck! Grrrrrr!!!!! We must be celebrating your birthdays though Toni & Mark because I was given a brand new set of sheets today (still in the bag), &, shatter me, they almost tuck! I’m not giving these ones back to the laundry until I leave! I’ll wash & recycle them myself!!!

Have I told you I now have access to the laundry & so am no longer washing my clothes when I have a shower? Yeah baby! On washing day my room’s a state! Bra’s hanging from the window (the windows are double glazed & so filthy no-one can see in from outside!), knickers off the lamp & bed-ends.

Every 3rd step on Friday had me skating & flailing my arms like a wanna-be windmill! Very undignified, especially when accompanied by gasps, squeals & plenty of cursing, followed by ‘crazy lady’ muttering about how “I HATE this bloody place today & I’ll be pi**ed off if I end up on my butt!” At 1 point I tried cutting across a patch of snow to avoid the ice & promptly sank to my knees! More gasps & curses because then my jeans & boots were damp & would have me freezing in short order! It was really windy too so my face was frozen, my nose was running & all I could do was sniff, & my eyes were tearing (though I didn’t know this was happening because my face was numb..I only found out once I glimpsed myself in a door & saw mascara frozen on my cheeks..is it any wonder I’m single?) The gods were against my shopping & other commitments & had me chasing normally common items & money machines all over the place for 4 hours! Once safely back home my good humour returned & I had a really good laugh at myself!
Saturday it snowed & blew a gale & was hideous! Sometime Saturday night it started raining so Sunday I went outside to find not ice & snow, nor sludge, but oceans masquerading as puddles! All the snow & ice from the last few days have turned to water. The temperature had to have been at least +3C (though I’ve lost all perspective when trying to compare with Auckland/NZ temperatures now). No need for a hat & I could probably have ditched my big jacket but was too chicken to.

Week 8.5 in Surgut

Late delivery of weekly message caused by too many commitments, too little time, & internet problems!

I had a fab day last Saturday! Slept late then up & dressed in time to be collected by Alex & we were off to have a bit of a look at some shops, have lunch, then to watch his friend Lyuba perform in a company competition. There were 5 teams in the comp, & the show was a series of humorous skits, singing, & a quick thinking Q & A set. It was GREAT! Even though I have no idea what they were saying I was able to get the gist of some of it, & the rest I just laughed at their antics. Lyuba's team won & now go on to the final competition. The winner's prize is a trip to the Black Sea. Very nice! After the show Alex, Olya & I went to a cafe for coffee/tea & talk, then home.

A quiet day Sunday. I was supposed to be working on a presentation again but couldn't be bothered so I just played music & read all day. I also ‘made believe’ I was back in NZ & donned my orange Kiwi cap for the day..raised eyebrows when I emerged from my room for the one ciggie of the day!

I really don't know what's going to happen here. I've been introduced to a young man who has contacts in all of the tertiary education places here & he's going to help me get appointments to speak to students. He’s also going to make posters with my photo to post in the biggest companies here (Surgut Oil & Gas being the largest company here & a prime target). Hopefully this will flush some extra students for me & Planeta. It’s unlikely anyone will take lessons with me prior to the holiday which leaves only an expression of intent to study after summer. The other possible option is to start sessions through the summer, but that means I'll miss out on going to Europe. If I teach through summer it'll be cash work for me though (nice!)

I need to prepare a business case for Mayster, outlining what I have planned for the next few weeks, & naming the people who are helping me, so he knows what I’m doing with my time & so it’s clear that ‘The Gut’ has had no involvement; I also want to hit him up for the data-show equipment to take with me on my visits. All this activity may come to nothing but at least I’ve tried, with the help of some wonderful people who may benefit from some recognition! Play my cards right & I may get a letter of recommendation from Mayster! This will be more valuable than a letter from Gut!

On the other side of the coin …

Once I got over the initial shock of possibly leaving, I started seeing the positives, & now I just don't know what I want to do! I want to see other places, I want to start making some money ( I’ve been paid NZ$560 for the 2 months I’ve been here, wages run 6-weeks late here & my bank account is hurting). This is a hard & fairly lonely way of life. People take turns at looking after me & keeping me entertained through the weekends, but it's exhausting for them & me because of the language difficulties. I don't know that I have the energy for 5 years of this!!! Plus I ache for people my own age, things familiar, not to mention my own friends & family, regular hugs, & a shop that I recognise as a shop! Ooh AND a decent glass of wine (preferably chilled, but at this point I’ll settle for the ‘decent’!) Who would have thought it would be impossible to get a chilled glass of wine just below the Arctic Circle?

I postponed Monday’s lesson due to being committed to a position on “the jury” for the “Miss Planeta” Beauty Pageant. I treated them all to a sneak preview of my legs (well, knees)..I wore my ‘Church’ skirt & top WITH boots! It’s the first time I’ve worn other than trousers or jeans since February 4th. I was rewarded with a couple of double-takes for my effort. I managed to rip 2 pairs of stockings in the space of 2 hours..back to ‘menswear’ for me! Jackets with Velcro SUCK when you’re pretending to be a lady!

It was Nelly’s birthday on Friday. There was a celebration at the Institute starting at 3pm, and then Nelly & I did a runner at 5pm because we were going to a concert performed by her husband’s group. Bugger..blinkin' skirt & stockings again! I bought some hardier Russian stockings which still looked good & lasted the distance. Friday saw a much bigger reaction to the feminine look. The kitchen staff gave me upward thumbs, hugs & much praise. The teaching staff gave their whole-hearted approval too, each felt my gear & asked where it came from. I got a very loud “Wow!” when I donned my new ‘going-out’ hat. Mayster asked me why Vasily wasn't at the party..I told him all I knew was that Vasily had said he would not be at the institute at all on Friday. Mayster was not happy!
The concert had its high & low points for me..the Russians are very patriotic & so much of the music was army band type marches or wailing ballads about the sad history of Russia which had me surrounded by weeping women. Some of it was beaut as well. Back to Nelly’s & it’s party time. Victor hit the vodka like it was going out of fashion. I’m a bit smarter now & never drained a single glass. I asked for a taxi at 11:00pm & finally made my escape at 1:30am. Yawn!!

Saturday: 2 classes today, & another wedding reception at the institute tonight. The wedding was pretty much all over by 12:30am so I got a decent sleep.

Sunday: slept in & spent the rest of the day clearing e-mail. Internet access has been difficult over the last week..connection problems all week. 68 e-mails since Wednesday, but some are oldish. Cyberspace has been scrambled I think!

While I was getting ready to face the day this morning I heard a cat meowing (my first Russian cat!) I hurried through the rest of my preparations & raced downstairs to find it. It wasn’t hard..the poor wee thing had managed to get through the first set of doors. He’s a little ginger with the potential to be gorgeous. Right now though he’s scraggy, dirty & missing a lot of fur from his neck. I went into raptures when I saw him & Nadeerzhda came to investigate. She nearly had a fit! She held the door open & indicated to me to get him out without picking him up. I was manoeuvring him gently with my foot which wasn’t good enough for Nadeerzhda. She came in & gave him a couple of boots. Out he went. Me too! I investigated his neck & it looked to me like someone had tried to hang him. Nadeerzhda assures me he’s diseased. I went back to my room, got some food for him, went out & encouraged him away from the doors. The little man, he sniffed at the dish of food, came & gave me big smooches & then ate. I checked on him later but he’d gone. I hope no-one’s hurt him! I WANT THAT CAT – WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

I’m in love! His name is Muchina Bernardivich Sabaka & I met him on Friday & it was love at first sight. He's moved in with me, but we agreed we would split when I leave Surgut. Now, I don't think I can go without him so am now looking into what has to be done in order for him to come with me. He feels the same! I’ve worried about how to break it to you all weekend & have decided to just come out with it. Ok, photo time.