Saturday, 01 October 2005 There’s a stonking great wedding on the go tonight, some of the guests are boozed to bits & waaaay loud outside my room. It’s still early yet, so hopefully they’ll hit the wall ahead of time.
It’s been a beautiful day, clear sky, no wind, & deliciously warm (back into little tank tops & a light skirt).
I’ve had an amazing evening! Collected by Nelly, Victor, & Valla at 4pm, we went to a combined concert by the Surgut Symphony Orchestra, & Surgut Express Band. The symphony orchestra were up first, & they were fantastic! Beautiful classical pieces performed to perfection; I was appalled when I found myself drifting to sleep at one point! The man sitting next to me was obviously an alcy..straight vodka exhaled with every breath & oozing from every pore of his body. Pfew, I think I must’ve been drunk on his fumes!
After a perfect performance by the symphony orchestra, I wasn’t looking forward to Surgut Express Band with the same enthusiasm. Oh me of little faith! The Express Band were just as good; possibly better if the goosebumps on my arms, tears on my cheeks, & ear to ear grin are anything to go by. The tears caused by a spectacular rendition of “Love Story”, complete with sax solo. Freaking WOW! The following 4 numbers just got incrementally better. My 2 favourites being a blood rousing, foot tapping, jiggling in my seat, percussion dominated one (can’t beat tribal drums as far as I’m concerned); & the last one that had sections focussed on particular instruments; trumpets (complete with showy left then right blasts), groovy sax, French horns had a cute show, more drums. I’m sure this last one comes from Oliver Twist. Standing ovations (I was the 2nd person in the hall to stand), & the Russian demand for an encore (a synchronised, insistent hand-clap), the band repeated the Oliver Twist number.
Concert over all too soon for me; Nelly, Valla, & I went outside in search of Victor, to let him know we’d catch a taxi home. We found Max as well, so he gave us a ride. Russian language limitations, I was at a loss to express how much I enjoyed this concert. I told Nelly if I was in NZ I’d use bad language to describe how I felt. She wanted to know exactly what I’d say. I thought about it for a while & decided to tell her because she’s used the word herself; I leaned over & whispered in her ear “F*CKING AWESOME!” She loved that, but was considerate enough not to translate for the benefit of Max & Valla.
I’m telling you, you’d have to be a total nonce not to enjoy this show!
Back at Nelly’s, Victor finally arrived & greeted us with “Preevyet dyushky!”, Valla responded with “Preevyet Mushny!” (Hi girly’s!..Hi boy!). Hawk-eye-Nelly spotted me scratching my bites, & brought me a bottle of potion..”it doesn’t smell very nice but it’s very good!” she said. I did summersaults; oil of carnations, & the aroma was DEVINE! Obviously ‘my fragrance’, I could only smell it for a short time. I NEED TO BUY SOME OF THIS BEFORE I LEAVE!
A nice, sedate meal with a couple of drinks afterwards, the evening came to a cheerful, early end. I didn’t bother trying to argue about who would pay for my taxi; I let Victor pay, but slipped the fare into his jacket pocket.
Sunday, 02 October 2005 A bleak, dark, raining, & WINDY day today, the temperature wasn’t too bad in the afternoon, but the evening’s very cold. Even chilly in my room, I checked the heater; it doesn’t feel as warm as it should. No probs, I have the backup.
FINALLY, Alex & I finished his CV tonight, WHAT A MISSION!
Alex & Olya have offered for me to freight some of my stuff to Moscow with their gear. It’s a fantastic offer cos it’ll save me a fortune in excess baggage charges from here to Moscow. Hopefully too, it’ll be cheaper to post from Moscow to NZ the stuff I can’t take with me to my new country.
Reality will bite again when I pack up all ‘my treasures’ to freight with Alex & Olya’s gear. My room will lose it’s home feel & there won’t be anything to gaze at with fond memories.
Monday, 03 October 2005 Nelly badgered me about what I did with myself yesterday; she’d obviously checked the log book & found I didn’t start lessons until 4pm. In the end I gave up & told her I’d spent a lot of time clearing rubbish out of my room in preparation for leaving. It upset her, as I knew it would.
I’ve had a big fright today. Vasily had asked me to check my documentation to see when my visa expires so he can work out when I will work till. As far as I can tell right now I don’t actually HAVE a visa. The one issued in NZ expired back in April, so it looks like I might be an illegal alien. No weekend jaunts to Tyumen until this is sorted out.
Sergei & Irina asked Vasily if they could become private students on mine, rather than attending Planeta lessons. He gave them his blessing then told me their lessons start tomorrow at 4pm. I’VE ALREADY TOLD HIM A HUNDRED TIMES I HAVE NO TIME LEFT! God he winds me up!
Tuesday, 04 October 2005 My 14-year old students asked me to write my ‘biography’ for them a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been putting it off ‘cos I always think my life’s not that interesting. Anyway, they put the hard word on me on Friday, so I gave it a shot today & it turns out there’re lots of things I can tell them about that they’ll relate to, & lots of things that’ll thrill them. Cool! The difficult part is keeping the language simple enough for them to understand without losing the ‘feel’. I should’ve started when they 1st asked ‘cos I’m short on time for the editing process.
Wednesday, 05 October 2005 Nelly’s driving me INSANE at the moment, even more than usual. Monday’s revelation that I spent time Sunday clearing out in preparation for departure, has her redoubling her efforts to run interference with my job research & applications. Now, instead of leaving when I tell her I’m busy & can’t give her my full attention, she bangs my arm constantly & even leans across my lappy screen so I can’t see it anymore! And talks inane crap. Her screwy rationale is that if I don’t find a job elsewhere I’ll stay here. What she won’t understand is that I must leave Russia for now, & if I don’t find another job in time, I’ll be heading back to NZ & will probably never make it back to Russia!
Today’s the official ‘International Teacher’s Day’ here. Marina gave me the best present; a CD of photo’s taken by herself & a friend, of Surgut, spring, summer, autumn, winter, celebrations & festivals, & a few of a Russian village. All I can say is ‘fantastic memories’! The CD & files are entitled “To Prue from Siberia with love”. I’m blown away! I’m invited to join her & some friends on Saturday at a café. Stand by, I’m sending some pics with this message, & more will follow with later messages. Be warned, there are some ‘gruesome’ shots of Surgut, & you’ll be bound to empathise with David-from-Yorkshire’s despair, but I reiterate ‘beauty can be found, if only you open your eyes & heart!’
Alex was a jibbering wreck when he arrived 30-minutes late. He sent his new ‘English’ CV to a few places in Moscow on Monday, & now has an interview with BP in Moscow on Friday. He went to book his flights & was told there were no available seats; after a ton of begging & singing his hard-luck story, they found an expensive seat to Moscow, returning after 3am Saturday morning. He ran an ad for his apartment on Saturday, had 12 Real Estate Agencies respond, & sold it on Monday. In the meantime he & Olya are frantically selling off personal effects & car, whilst also going through a difficult legal process regarding her apartment & ex-husband. Poor boy, I’ve never seen him sweat before, but tonight he was dripping! A relatively minor concern, but still one that’s troubling them is Olya’s cat. She can’t take it to Moscow, & they haven’t found a home for it here. I suggested the cat be delivered to me; a Planeta student is bound to steal it & take it home, as they’ve done with The Mog & AngElla.
multi-boards…exposed wires…M-rag SSA
Tired, listless, lacking energy, I think I need Pluravit! Or something like that! It's been a mad week & I'm pleased to see the end of it, though I'm told next week will be much the same.
Thursday, 06 October 2005
Bedlam!
Planeta’s being inspected by the Russian Federation’s Education Department & the bodies of staff & students were everywhere today, from 9am – 10pm! Towards the end of the afternoon the ‘big guns’ or ‘cheap shots’ were brought out, namely me! My ‘dulcet tones’ & English language reached the ears of one of the inspectors & he requested a personal interview.
“Cancel your lesson!” “I can’t, they’re waiting for me now!” “Tell them it’s cancelled anyway!” “No! If it’s important, the inspector will test another 15 of the 40-odd students waiting, & I’ll see him in an hour!”
Unhappy Planeta faculty, happy ‘Prue’ students, & once the lesson was over, Ilyiat, the Inspector was over the moon after an hour of talking to me!
Ostensibly it was an interview to check the validity & worth of my presence, but in reality he wanted to test his English skills. He claimed his English isn’t any good, I told him he’s doing ok, gave him some pointers, & agreed to e-mail English practice.
And I thought I couldn’t play ‘the political game’! Another ‘notch’!
In the meantime, I’ve had an unexpected approach from a school in Mexico, & I’m trying to e-mail docs via spasmodic internet availability. “I’m a dick, I’m a dick, I’m a dick! I’m supposed to be trying to make money, but the ‘cultural’ lure is too much!” No worries, hopefully all I’ll have to buy is a ‘Snowy-River’ oilskin, & a pair of joddy’s. Errr, & some rattlesnake, scorpion, & tequila anti-venom! Oh yeah, don’t forget the container-load of ear-plugs so I don’t hear the mountain lions, wolves, coyotes, jaguars, bears, ocelots, wild pigs, & pumas chowing down on my pet calf!
It’s pie-in-the-sky, I doubt they can take me on as I haven’t completed my degree.
At some point in the panic Mayster’s son, Dmitri, managed to lose my key to the classroom. Mad scattering by Dmitri & Vladimir, stroppy dismissal by Mayster “PRUE, GO AWAY, WE’RE DOING IMPORTANT THINGS, COME BACK TOMORROW!” until he realised his pocket would be affected ‘BARK, SHOUT, HARRANGE, “FIND THE KEY NOW YOU IDIOTS!”’
The key’s a gonna ($$ to donuts it’s locked inside the room!); Nelly-to-the-rescue, she moved so I could use her classroom.
We’re ‘friends’ again after she had a ‘melt-down’ today & I assured her she was better to let me find a job in this hemisphere rather than forcing me to return to NZ “more chance of me returning, Nelly, even if only for a visit!” Confidence restored, as ‘Head of the Cathedral for English Language’ (legit title, sounds fancy, it merely means she has most of Planeta’s pitiful English language books, dated circa 1958, in her classroom) she’s written a fabulous reference for me. Two down, one to go! I want one from a student; Vadim would be a given & perfect, but he’s gone now; Alex would be great, but he’s too insecure, so I’ll cadge one off Irene, who’s been a strong defender of my worth. I don’t hold much hope for one from Vasily, we’re scrapping again, but if I can catch him in a reasonable frame of mind I’ll grab the opportunity.
Nelly’s classroom is lovely, & my students responded well in it. In spite of the ‘skin-of-my-butt’ lessons, due to prepared material being locked away in my usual room, we did well. The only thing that really stumped them was “10’ tall & bullet proof!” I was trying to describe my youthful false bravado when it came to riding horses (yes Jane, you & your sisters have a lot to answer for! If not for the Sirett’s, I’d probably be quietly rocking in my chair, knitting booties & beanies in preparation for Ben’s prolific frogspawn!)
The raft of day-time students awaiting inspection testing & peering through the windows watching us have a good time, was a little distracting for me initially; I called their bluff & invited them to join us. Visibly paling, they backed away!
Mayster made frequent ‘reccy’ passes with Ilyiat-The-Inspector, observing me working with groups throughout the evening until late. Warm, approving looks from both; Planeta’s bound to get ‘straight ‘A’s’ for English between Nelly & me.
“Sh*t” seems to be the ‘word for today’. One Planeta student (not mine, but a rough ‘sweety’ currently sporting a super black eye) told me “not listen that girl, she stupid, she speak you sh*t!”
“Come with me Honey…I don’t want to know about your problems, but if you’re going to speak English, what you should say is ‘she TALKS sh*t’” .. “Hahahahahaha! OK!” … “Hey everyone, Prue said…!” I scampered down the hall with the sound of student hilarity & approbation in my wake.
Explaining the trauma’s of my childhood with a name like ‘Prue’; “… Prune, Prude, & Poo!” “What does ‘Poo’ mean?”
“Sh*t!”
“Ooooh, we’re sorreeeyahahahahaha!”…”she said ‘sh*t’ hahahaha”…”sh*t-ahahahaha” Children!
Irene’s had a lousy week, no matter what she’s done it’s turned to custard..”Irene, sometimes we say ‘life’s a sh*t sandwich & it’s always lunchtime’” That one went down like a lead balloon; they can’t fathom a lunch short of soup, rice/gretchka/mashed spud, meat, salad, & bread, with cakes & buns on the side. “She said ‘sh*t’ again, hahahahahahaha!”
Text messages from Jenny tonight..she’s going out with students tomorrow night; should she tell Mark I’m on for beers after work? Nup, I told her I’d been surprised she didn’t show last week until I got the message that Mark mistakenly thought it was a date. She’d got the same impression from him, didn’t realise I was in the dark then, & is all for a girls night next Friday.
Friday, 07 October 2005 A day that could do with erasing from the calendar.
Vasily tossed his toys when Dmitri Mayster asked him to get duplicates of his classroom key cut..”WHY DON’T YOU TELL PRUE TO DO IT?!”
Yeah right, like … “Izvenyetya pazhalsta, ya-nye gavaryue pa-Russky, but” & brandishing an empty hand will really do the trick!
Now if I was Dmitri Mayster, I’d’ve taken Vasily’s key from him, so at least there’s a key here for now, & organised copies next week. Too logical, so there’s no key to the classroom, I still can’t get to my books & lessons, & I’ll be flying but the seat of my pants again tonight, Sunday, & probably Monday. And I’ve just realised my hat is locked in there too! Damnation!
I arrived at my office to find it’d been taken over as an examination room. The students taking the exam in my office, & Dmitri’s, were unsupervised, are ‘tame’ students, & were not alone. The collective 5 or 6 at a time in my office would’ve been coaching each other through the answers..a couple of them have been my students, so key participants. I was asked to remain with them but declined suspecting I’d be roped into providing winning answers.
So no clearing of e-mail, no idea about what’s happening in the world, can’t check on next year’s work prospects, & no chance of creating lessons from on-line sources. Scratchy, I went back to my room to sulk in private, & pull myself back into a better frame of mind (it worked with Ben when he was little, so it should work for me).
Once I’d sorted myself out enough to face the halls of Planeta, Mayster had calmed down significantly too. He must be an even bigger ogre at home than he has been at work this week because his wife looks as though she spent all last night howling. When I bumped into him he was with the Head Inspector (top dog from Moscow); last chance to charm a good result, he put his arm around me, explained to ‘Top Dog’ I’m from NZ, & introduced us. ‘Top Dog’ was suitably impressed that Planeta had someone from so far away, & wanted to know what my job was. A little smattering of Russian from me, he finished with ‘beautiful girl’. My ‘good inspection’ deed’s done for the day.
Into Nelly’s room to set up for lessons way too early, I left the lights off, kidded myself that I was reading Peter Pan in the name of lesson research, & snatched 40 winks on the couch. Phew, I felt so much better afterwards!
30-minutes before my 1st lesson, zippidy do-dah, my office had been vacated. Without bothering to turn lights on, I whipped in to check e-mail. Mayster poked his head in to see why the door was open just as I connected. Finding it was me he came all the way in, closed the door, plonked himself down in a chair … & I disconnected from the internet. He’s tired, aching for a good result from the inspection, & stressed to the max. I told him “It’s almost over, Planeta will do well, I’m sure of it!” And I am, in light of today’s ‘fixing’.
Saturday, 08 October 2005 I awoke to the sound of a demented chainsaw buzzing outside my window. Mayster’s a flaming vandal! He doesn’t own the land..yet..but has taken it upon himself to commence clear-felling the trees. I think it’s a crying shame, but then I don’t know what plans he has for the property. Something nice I hope! I hopped out of bed to observe his technique through the window, with the critical eye of an ex-wife of a forrester. Yep, he lacked finesse! No such thing as ‘scarfing’, his poor wee chainsaw (about the size of my comb) was being thrust & buzzed straight though trunks until it jammed, then he & Misha’s replacement took to shoving the tree in the direction they wanted it to fall, releasing the saw at the same time (timmmm-clonk-berrrr!) I sooooo wanted to sprint down the stairs & outside to offer the benefit of my ‘superior’ knowledge, albeit 2nd hand & merely observed. In order to conceal his mischief, Mayster then proceeded to thrust his long-suffering saw below ground-level to remove the remaining evidence of any trunk. Heaps of bribe-money at his disposal, he’s a law unto himself! The crows are angry though, & I doubt they’ll be mollified by fluttering roubles; let’s hope they reserve their revenge specifically for him!
I ventured out to buy bathroom supplies, & shatter me, it was cold! Blazing cheeks, runny nose, stingy ears, & cold-as hands. This’ll probably be the last weekend that I’ll get away with going out sans gloves, proper hats & coats..or at least without polyprops. The locals are getting cranky again too; my 1000 rouble note was met with scorn when my purchases only came to 700-odd roubles.
Sergei’s doctor friend who has the ‘odd’ diagnostic equipment at Planeta has taken to greeting me heartily, as does his wife. Just a little language lesson for me this afternoon; I asked him “rabota..harasho?” He replied “Orchen harasho! … Atlitchna!” The lesson being you don’t say ‘very good’ with regard to work, you say ‘excellent’. Gratefully noted; baby steps, every day!
I was supposed to go out with Marina, her husband, & friends tonight but I’ve begged off. White lie, I said I had a massive headache & sick belly; I have little head, ear, & tummy aches, but mostly I just need a peaceful evening & to make the most of no wedding. Not to mention it’s a really yukky, windy, rainy, COLD day outside & I can’t be a*sed rugging up! I’d kill for a bath & Lush bathbomb tonight. Humpf, so much for ‘never say no to an invite cos you’ll miss out on an amazing experience!’ I think I’m in withdrawal mode due to my imminent departure. I’m suffering guilt pangs cos Marina’s a honey, but better I hermit than make a poor showing.
You know your hair’s getting long when … I showered & washed my hair 12-hours ago, whacked it into a pony-tail & slapped on my cap, & it’s still wet. Mental note; can’t do this anymore now the weather’s turning mean!
Sunday, 09 October 2005 Ha! No wonder it was cold yesterday, it’s snowed overnight, the first for the season. Bring on the snowman!
By the time I got outside to take a photo the stuff had melted, it snowed on & off for the rest of the day, it was too grey to make a decent photo, & the snow melted as fast as it fell.
Mayster came back with his chainsaw. I watched him struggle & cloud himself in smoke for ages with the first tree. Once felled, & it was safe to approach, I grabbed his hand, picked up a stick, took him over to some dirt & drew a picture of how to scarf & cut, then took him to a tree to demonstrate. The rest of the trees came down with a hiss & a roar, I got big thumbs up & beams; he was a happy logger, & I was surprised he took any notice of what I’d said. Dirty Dr arrived on the scene in the midst of it all, & tried to pull me to a safe place away from where he thought a tree was going to fall; the tree was being cut according to my specifications, he chose the path of death & I ended up saving him! What was I thinking?
The trees are being cleared to make a parking area, so much for hoping something nice was going to be done with the area! "They took all the trees and put 'em in a tree museum, charged the people a dollar & a half just to see 'em..don't it always seem to go, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot..dooo wap wap wap..."
Trees finished with for the day, Mayster pulled out an electric grinder & set to removing 2 segments of steel fence for access to his new carpark. An absolute death trap: the ground’s wet & his grinder’s attached to a chain of multi-boards & an extension cord, plugged into some socket inside Planeta. A couple of the multi-boards had exposed wires artfully wrapped in newspaper to M-rag SSA (Mayster-rough as guts Safety Standard Approved)! No way I was going anywhere near THIS project to offer advice & support! Towards the end he decided to climb the fence & work on the other side. I looked up in time to see him tumble from the top, land on his butt, & roll like a telly-tubby; discretion called for, I ducked inside so the sound of my laughter didn’t reach his ears.
Later in the day, Misha’s replacement called me over to help him drag the largest of the trees to the pile he’d made with the others. HEAVY! I helped him chop the branches off & stack those in another pile..not so valuable, my back was killing me; I’m getting soft! He wanted to know when I’m returning to NZ, & if I have any kids. He’s from Kazakhstan & has NINE kids! No wonder he’s here alone; his wife’s probably sent him away so she can take a break from child-bearing!
I did enjoy all this activity today, shades of working on my own place. Part entertainment, part being useful, & I’ve given them something else to remember me for.
Vitaly & Elena are back from their holiday in Moscow. They caught the train there & flew back. I picked their brains about the train trip. 3 days & 2 nights in a 4-bed berth they shared with another man. I want to go back to Moscow on the train, but Elena thought it was a bad idea because you don’t know who you’ll be sharing with, & I could end up in a room with 3 men, though I’m sure that wouldn’t happen. She thinks I should pay double & opt for a 2-bed berth, but I can’t imagine that’s any safer cos you still don’t know who your room-mate will be (“You might get lucky Prue!”), the only advantage is that you can be sure you won’t be landed with kids. Hmmmm, actually that’s worth consideration.
I talked to Alex about it tonight, & he had reservations as well; it takes time (I’ll make it), it may be very cold on the train (I have a blanket & sleeping bag), but mostly because I don’t speak Russian. I don’t see that’s an issue; I’ve stumbled my way through months here with the aid of my phrasebook & careful listening, & if the worst comes to the worst I’ll make sure I have a good book to read between gazing at the scenery, & writing the 3rd to last chapter of this tale. Alex suggested that he could travel with me when the time comes. A very sweet offer, but I actually want to make this trip by myself, have it as another challenge & adventure successfully completed, take some time to relax, & come to terms with my leaving. The good things about taking the train are that I’ll get to see more of the country, including the Urals, it’s cheaper than flying (Surgut airfares are daylight robbery), & I won’t be charged for excess baggage.
Alex noticed that my jacket was a bit grubby, & tried to dust it off.
They do that here without a second's thought; I’ve had security guys & relatively unknown students ‘rescue me’ by coming up & picking a leaf or seed from my hair that the wind deposited. Never happened in NZ, I found it ‘space-invading & uncomfortably intimate’ initially, in spite of appreciating the fact that I wouldn’t suffer the humiliation of spending the day looking like a tramp from a haystack!
I explained I’d been playing ‘logging expert & unpaid muscle’ today. Being a ‘Russian gentleman’, Alex couldn’t see the voluntary & humorous side of my involvement, was unimpressed that Mayster accepted my help, & disapproved of Misha’s replacement asking for assistance. “Alex, I didn’t give Mayster a choice, & I was happy to help the little worker man!”
He’d’ve had a nervous breakdown if he’d been there when I was helping Vadim & the boys dig the car out of the sand! Their worry was bad enough, I think it would’ve come to wrestling if Alex was there … “Sit over there & wait!” “No, I won’t, I want to help!” “Sit!” “No!” “Yes!” …
Back to the ‘space-invading’ comment…I know I’ve said how much Nelly drives me up the wall with her constant body-contact, but I don’t think I’ve mentioned that the women here hold hands & link arms like the Chinese & Japanese in NZ. I thought it was a peculiarly ‘oriental’ thing. Russian’s take it further; incredibly affectionate & unreserved, the women lip-kiss when they meet (even if they only saw each other a couple of hours ago..you know, before this last lesson), the guys greet the girls the same way, even when they’re just friends, & guys who are good mates are entirely relaxed about draping their arms around each other whilst shooting the breeze! They’re a very touchy-feely ethnic group; I find it odd but endearing, think Kiwi’s & Aussies could do with relaxing a bit (but not to the same extent), just so long as nobody encroaches on my personal arms-length space. Sad but true, I wish I could reduce the acreage I zealously guard!
I met a young guy yesterday at Planeta who speaks a little English, & has been learning Russian. Zarif’s a friendly little man, asked for my phone number, which I gave him, never expecting to hear from him. Tonight he sent a text asking how I was & what was I doing. I told him I was fine & was looking for a job. A new text asked if I like cocktails, & I replied yes, sometimes. Next thing my phone was ringing & he was asking if I’d like to join him for a drink. I’m tired, still a bit seedy from yesterday, not up to an evening of challenging communication, & don’t know this boy from Adam; “I’m sorry, I work nights, but thanks for the invite!” He wanted to know what time I finish work, hoping we could meet then. Not a chance!
Monday, 10 October 2005 Alexei came & told me the students need me to help with a presentation & wanted to know when I’m free. I wrote my lesson schedule out for him, he staggered a bit, & said they’d try & co-ordinate a time. Given up on Dmitri II, Stass found me & gave a different story about their presentation requirements. Next came Kate, & I have a 3rd version! Finally sure of what they want (I must create a new presentation & speech, they need it tomorrow), & lessons over I hit my room geared up for creativity. (yawn) 4am, the back broken, but by no means finished, I face-planted into my bed.
Tuesday, 11 October 2005 Up after snatching a bit of sleep, & feeling ok, I was frantically trying to finish the presentation; incessant interruptions by Stass & Nelly, given yet another ‘brief’ with demands that it be ready in 30-minutes, I got a bit stroppy & said it couldn’t be done. “Don’t worry” they said, “none of this is necessary, we thought we’d try you out, your old speech is perfect!” The last straw, after a trying couple of weeks & a sleepless night, I lost the plot! No screaming or hair pulling, my thunderous face & rapid speech were enough; they’re suitably afraid of me … & I’m repentant (I don’t want fear, but some consideration would be nice)!
Text message from Alex; unlikely he’ll see me tonight, he has a phone interview about the job with BP.
Ages later, another text “90% I have the job!”
OUTSTANDING!
Text conversation with Vadim followed; “Shell is great! Too much work, & it’s difficult; lots of mistakes with English!” Of course there are! I couldn’t teach him enough in the way of ‘Oil & Gas Engineering’ English; he’s a quick learner & a charismatic guy, so he’ll be fine. He just needed a confidence boost.
Wednesday, 12 October 2005 In the wee small hours of this morning, sometime around 3am, I almost wet myself; translating my presentation into Russian (yes, I calmed down & decided to keep working on the new presentation), Te Puke became “The Vomit Te”!
I’m a shattered shell! I dredged myself out of bed at some ungodly daylight hour & stumbled up the stairs. I needed to have my speech printed so Nelly could proof-read the Russian translation. No Vladimir in sight, so no printing from CD. No probs, I’ll copy to floppy so Lena can print it. Duh, no! Lena’s computer has poohed itself & can’t connect to the printer. Stalemate!
20-minutes before ‘show-time’ Vladimir appeared, & reluctantly printed the speech.
HIDEOUS! An unruly roomful of brats, ineffective teachers with no control, there were only 2 moments of attentive silence during the hour-long Planeta presentation, & they were when I let out a couple of ‘farm-whistles’. The 1st brought about a stunned silence, followed by uproarious applause (not what I was looking for), the 2nd gave momentary silence until I shouted at them to be quiet for a moment & then asked them to show their appreciation for the 2 students that had valiantly attempted to translate.
The Planeta staff & students present were appalled by this group; they had Kate in tears because they wouldn’t shut-up & listen!
Thinking about the awful behaviour this afternoon, I’ve decided on a couple of strategies to combat future similar episodes. The near future probably; we’re making presentations every day for the next week!
I’ve heard from another school in Mexico. They’re interested in having me take some conversational English classes & also conduct science lessons in English with young kids. I’m interested, but am suffering insecurities about my science expertise. The school has BOOKS! It bases it’s curriculum on an American format, but the Director has little faith in teachers from the U.S., preferring people from the UK, Aussie, & NZ.
Bloweded if I can see what’s in store for me next year! All I can say is nothing in China ‘feels right’, but Mexico does. Just like last year when Surgut ‘felt right’, & I haven’t regretted going with my gut in coming here!
The unconfirmed 10% for Alex getting his job with BP are merely 8 signatures to authorise his appointment. He’ll be in Moscow by October-end at the latest.
Talking with Maks & Natasha tonight, I was reminded of the international publication Maks gave me a couple of weeks ago that consisted of interviews with some key people in the Russian ‘Arts & Entertainment’ industry, as well as transcripts from a workshop that Maks was involved in. Each article was accompanied by a poor English translation. I commented that the publication was interesting, there was a lot to be desired when it came to the English translation, & if the editor was interested I’m happy to proof read. Well, Maks was on the phone, & out of his seat in the wink of an eye! The upshot being that the editor is keen & wants to meet me. If anything comes of it, & she has regular work for me, I’ll wind down what’s left of my evening & Sunday sessions .. FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!
Thursday, October 13, 2005 Despondent text messages from Jenny today; she hates it here, she hates Lingva Centre, she hates her flat, she hates her flatmates, she wants to go home, but can’t organize flights without Russian assistance. She plans to do a bunk so can’t ask her colleagues to help. I’ve asked one of my students to call the travel agency tomorrow & get flight details.
I don’t get doing a secret runner! Surely, it’s better to concede defeat, apologise, & go.
Friday, October 14, 2005 Well, I did all I could for Jenny, & came up trumps. I let her know I have alternative accommodation for her, flights are sorted, all she needs to do is give the nod. Uh-uh, she’s changed her mind! I think she may be a bit of a menace.
Maks & I went to the Surgut Cultural University today to meet with the Chief Editor of that publication I mentioned. We were early so he introduced me to a posh photographer, who in turn showed me his latest pics with some new effects technology, pretty smart! Next I was introduced to the art director. A fascinating little man from Kamchatka (Far East Siberia), who took me for a tour of students art; wow, it was amazing!
Finally on to Yulia, & I have a new part-time job proof-reading & correcting their translations. I’m bursting over it!
On-going conversation between Maks & Yulia, they then told me they want to offer me a long-term contract working on the publication. Also work assisting Maks with English presentations and & programmes for the Oil & Gas companies at the new museum he’s been appointed director of, as well as securing teaching work at Surgut University & Big Ben, plus Yulia wants me to teach her English during the day. Not sure about this larger development; the variety & excitement appeal of course, but I don’t know whether I should stay another year. I need to think about all of this over the weekend.
What season is NZ in now? What’s the time there RIGHT now?
Friday, October 14, 2005 Ok, so I closed in a rush last week & forgot a few things.
Pics to start with, the 2 of Mayster are self-explanatory. I love the ‘yard broom’; combination of “Oh my God, it’s a primitive country!” vs. resounding applause for ‘recycling’, the broom was made over-night from twigs off the trees felled the day before.
The publication is called “60 Parallel” & has contributions from international Arts, Entertainment, & Cultural experts, some from private enterprises, some from SOE’s, & is distributed to 60 countries. At least, that’s what I understand.
My accommodation will be provided.
At this stage, I have no idea what my salary is likely to be; I suggested I work for a month now & see how much effort & time is involved, then we’ll talk money for next year.
I also offered to continue to be their proofreader even if I leave the country; they were concerned about that offer because they don’t know how they could pay me. Giving it some thought, I’ve decided that if the money is puny, I’m happy for them to donate my fee to either some financial support for the homeless oldies, or to one of the orphanages here. The experience is the most important thing for me right now, but if the money’s great, well I’ll be here to collect it every month!
I bumped into Nelly & Ludmila the Accountant in the hall; Ludmila told Nelly to tell me that she’s very upset with me because I’ve made everyone love me & I’m going to break their hearts when I leave. All I could say in return was that I love them all too, but when I go they’ll still have each other, I’ll be sad & on my own. For once, I was sure Nelly translated honestly; Ludmila choked, nodded, squeezed my arm, & left.
I really like Ludmila, she’s the one that seems most like me; “think you’re great, luvya to bits, not gunna touch ya, & back off with YOUR grabby tentacles!” She has a wicked sense of humour & naughty sparkly eyes.
Lessons over, I geared up against the cold to meet Jenny & Mark. On my way down the hall, one of Planeta’s students waylaid me, all studly-like in his ‘Saturday Night Fever’ white suit!; there’s a wedding on & he & his family are guests. He introduced me to his mama & papa; also his brother. Lovely people, we talked unintelligible foreign languages to each other & played charades a little. I excused myself, dropped the classroom keys with ‘security’, & headed out the door. Fortified with a little vodka, the student followed me & wanted to talk (I’m ashamed to admit I have no idea what his name is, he’s only ever been one of my hallway ‘Hi!’s I must get Nelly to discretely give me his name on Monday). Broken English & shabby Russian, we chatted for a time, he asked me if I’m anybodies girlfriend, assured me I should be, asked how old I am, then told me he’s 19, but if he was 40 – 45 I would be HIS girlfriend! We agreed that I should learn Russian, he asked me to stay another year, & then finally told me I need to accept that I must never leave. All done, he gave me a big hug & kiss, & let me go on my way.
Even Stass said today that his wish is I won’t leave … in spite of putting the fear of ‘Prue’ into him on Wednesday.
Who knows, they may get a 12-month reprieve if I decide to throw caution even further to the wind & run with today’s proposal, though I’ll only be a visitor at Planeta.
Jenny bailed out on drinks at the last minute, & left me in the lurch with Mark. He accepted my rebuffs with good humour.
The bar staff were fab (as usual in this place), & for once I was the ‘expert’ in Russian, so I got to ask for menu’s, food, & a doggy bag. I’m such a clever little pixie! And the staff changed from fab to awesome!
Rebuffs? An entirely misleading label for what I did. Having already told him I’m not interested, I chose selective deafness, aka ‘I’m ignoring that faux-pas.
‘Did she hear what I said? She must have! Maybe she didn’t, should I say it again? I will! Maybe she’s deaf. She can’t be she responds to everything else I say. Ooooh I get it, I need new pick-up lines!’
Nup, you just need to use them on someone else.
Saturday, 15 October 2005 Was bitten by Jenny today; I responded an hour after her text to me, “sorry, queue for bathroom, queue for loo”, she came back with “Don’t want to know about your toilet habits, too much information!” I didn’t think there was any gory detail there, merely the fact that my bathroom is shared, & I don’t take my phone to the shower or toilet! Odd & unpredictable creatures, humans!
Went out with Marina today to a museum/art exhibition; it took 3-hours. The 2nd floor was 50/50. Oil & gas history (I’ve seen it all before & better with Alex & Vadim). A model of Surgut (I should get excited but models of towns & cities bore me rigid). WWII pilots garb, & a divers copper bell-helmet; interesting & brought a few laughs, Marina’s dad was a diver & she described how, when she was little, she used to drag & lever his helmet onto a rock so she could pop into it; I particularly wanted to steal the anti-mozzie suit). Some super photos of Surgut locals at work & play; one of surgery in progress, with more blood than I cared to see.
1st & 3rd floors scored 1st=.
The 3rd floor was the art exhibition. Really clever stuff, most of it was a ‘p*ss-take’ in one form or another. Excellent caricatures of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rowan Atkinson, Tom Hanks, Liza Minnelli, & Sophia Loren; jibes at the Poles & Ukrainians; satirical bits on the former Communist leaders. A superb display of photos of Siberian ‘aborigines’, as they’re called here, from 100 years ago. Poor blighters, most of them looked petrified, no doubt believing their souls would be stolen by this ‘witchcraft’.
The 1st floor was dedicated to taxidermy & my fingers twitched the whole time, I just ached to touch everything. Sable & mink, & other critters that didn’t appear in Marina’s or my phrasebooks. A massive bear (wanted a photo, but I’d been instructed to keep my camera zipped; sooo wanted a cuddle!) Huge unidentifiable birds, eagles, & owls. Of course, best for last, I SAW REAL LIVE…umm REAL DEAD … ummm REAL LIVE DEAD … oh whatever, MAMMOTH bones & tusks! REAL ONES!! Now some of you may be thinking “(yawn) a bone’s a bone, they're only good for dogs to chew on, what’s (yawn, yawn) all the excitement about?”, & maybe you’re right, but I was enthralled, & kept going back to them. Mammoths! Wow!!
On each floor I was asked to write in the visitor’s register; once I had, the attendants stepped in to read what I’d written & discovered hieroglyphics. “Is she German then?” “No,” said Marina “she’s from New Zealand.” “Yeor-my-yeor!” (kind of like 'Oh My God!') they said.
As promised, I met Mark when he finished work to show him the shops where he can find safe meat, good fruit & veg. Unfortunately by the time he finished work the cheese shop was closed, which is what he really wants. A cheap but nice meal in one place, a beer in a previously undiscovered bar, he finally understood my knickers are inviolable, & we went our separate ways. Home alone by 10pm.
I have a new cure for sleepless nights; it’s called ‘Pride & Prejudice’. Blimey it’s a naff book, either I’m a pleb, or the magic’s just a couple of pages away. That’s if I ever get there; my eyes start rolling in my head after a couple of sentences!
Sunday, 16 October 2005 45-minute phone call with my adorable Ben today. I decided to tell him about my belly button piercing; he was just as disapproving of this as my lizard tattoo, though maturity mellowed his response. Poor boy, he’s lumbered with an embarrassingly non-conformist mother, whose foibles only become acceptable once his mates assure him “yeah, that’s your Mum! It’s ok, she’s pretty cool!”
By the time we get to see each other he’ll’ve accepted the piercing, but no doubt I’ll’ve done something else to challenge his perception of a ‘mother’. Nose piercing perhaps? Not out of the question! Better these issues than horrifying him by being a ‘slapper’ as he & his mates view some of the other mothers running the gamut of ‘dating for the mature’. I suspect though, he’d find some comfort in me having a man, simply in the hope that I’ll settle down & stop defacing my body, as well as being assured that I’m not a ‘freak’. “It’s all good that you didn’t go man-crazy after you & AJJ split, but it’s time to move on now Mum, I’m ready for you to meet someone!” Likewise Son, but there’s precious little to choose from & nothing right has passed my way!
He’s not going to make it to see me this year after all, which I’d expected, but it’s because his annual leave’s been cancelled; that sucks! I was as good as gold until he followed up with a soppy “I love you Mum” text. Waaaaah, blubber…you know how it goes.
An unexpected & gratefully accepted afternoon of rest today.
Vitaly & Elena arrived for their lessons, but I sent Elena packing, & Vitaly followed her somewhat bewildered.
Last Sunday she sent an e-mail accusing me of trying to steal her husband (yeah maybe, if I was into necrophilia!), I wrote back assuring I have no interest in him, & she seemed to accept that. I was prepared to leave it there, but Thursday she did all she could to sabotage the lesson. I didn’t bite, but was slacked off all the same. Today she told a succession of lies, & made a pitiful attempt to blackmail, simple to swat aside given Vitaly was blissfully unaware of this wee drama (I thought he knew on Monday). I said if she wanted to take a crack at causing a scandal she could, but I’d contact Vitaly & her Manager to let them know what she’d been up to. I told her I don’t have time to see her on Sunday’s anymore, & asked her to leave. She poohed herself, & pleaded with me to forgive her. I told her she’s a dangerous woman so she came over all affectionate & said how much she loves me. No success; she became really panicky & begged me not to say anything to Vitaly. Silly little girl, I don’t need to say anything; with her rapid expulsion today he’ll be asking her all sorts of questions. I know, this reads like a penny-dreadful, but it’s all true, I swear!
I am getting smarter; once-upon-a-year-&-more-ago I’d’ve turned myself inside out attempting to resolve this sweetly, ultimately finding myself chewed up & spat out. Now, I’ve worked out that my energies are better spent on rational people.
Yeah ok, not such a calm start to the afternoon, but it only took 30-odd minutes for the calm to kick in after this.
Maks & Natasha couldn’t come cos they’re swamped with work; Alex couldn’t come cos he’s flat out at work, as well as packing up & loading a container. He wanted to collect my gear tonight, but I sent him a text saying I need to keep my stuff here for now in case I end up staying. He came for a visit to find out what the gossip is & was very excited. He wants me to stop in Moscow for a week in December on my compulsory way out of the country (I have to leave, even if only for 48-hours).
It’s freezing cold outside, & tonight I resorted to the jacket I brought from NZ; there’ll be snow on the ground when I wake up tomorrow, I betcha! And so do the birds; they’re ‘outta here’ en-masse & in formation!
Obviously, there’s no chance of me developing a Russian accent, but I’ve become aware of a Russianism that I’ve heartily, though unconsciously adopted.. “Oi!” Not used to attract someone’s attention as it is in NZ, it’s inoffensive & has replaced “Sh*t!” in my vocab when I get a little fright; you know, like when you flick on a light switch & the bulb goes ‘crack’, or you drop your cell phone, or someone bangs into you & knocks you flying.
I mention this only because tonight, I flicked the light switch so I could see my way up the stairs to my office, something went ‘crack’, I loudly went “Oi!”, & clattered on my way, but it was then that I realised how naturally this little word slips from my lips.
On the way back down, I tried to turn the light off, but no go; it must’ve been the switch that popped (that’s when I should say ‘yeor-my-yeor’ but I haven’t adopted this one). I showed new Night-Security-Darling, & she flew into a “Russians! Bad work! Drink too much, & not coffee or tea!” diatribe. Maybe she’s right about whoever used to be responsible for the wiring at Planeta, but I’m sure the lovely Ramaan will progressively fix all that’s shonky here.
Like the other security ladies, she wants to be my friend, & it’d be neat if only she can bring herself to be patient & talk slowly. Certainly, her tongue fits the Planeta mould; within 10-minutes of hanging up from Ben, all Planeta staff on site had approached me to ask how he is!
10:59 PM Deedle-lee-dee-de-deee! I have a truly clean bathroom! At some point in the last couple of hours, it’s received its 1st proper swabbing since the beginning of June, actually probably earlier than that even! I’ve done my best with cloths, Ajax, & janola, but drew the line at getting on my hands & knees to scrub the toilet floor clear from the daily aftermath of poorly aimed pee-ers of unknown origin! Safer to wear shoes & avert my eyes! GROSS!!!!!!
Monday, 17 October 2005 Had my 1st ice skate for the season, & no I wasn’t wearing skates. It was so cold overnight a patch of water on the driveway froze, & I wasn’t looking where I was walking..too busy back chatting some cheeky students!
Grrrr Nelly; I think her age is catching up with her! She told me at lunch that it’s Tatiana Petrovna’s birthday today. Lunch over; I nipped out to buy Tatiana some flowers. When I gave them to her, she was completely bemused; it turns out her birthday’s Thursday!
Nelly accosted me on the stairs a couple of hours later & gave me a burst for not listening properly..”Tatiana Petrovna’s birthday is tomorrow!”
“Yes I did listen to you, Nelly! You said it's today, but actually it’s Thursday, not tomorrow, so you’re still mistaken.” I should’ve saved my breath. She knew full well she was confused so shouted over me the entire time. These ‘episodes’ of hers are becoming more & more frequent.
Ludmila the Accountant was with us, & tuned Nelly up for 2 reasons 1) “Don’t ‘touch her’ (a figurative term, it means ‘leave her alone’’), she meant well!” 2) “She buys everyone gifts for their birthdays, & we only gave her a ‘collective’ one, why is that? We’ve been very rude!”
No rudeness on their part, my paltry gifts on their birthdays are how I get to say ‘thank you’ without them feeling obliged to give me something else in return. Besides, I dread to think what my excess baggage or shipping costs would be if I received more than I already have!
Rocked up for today’s presentation as per the time on the schedule I managed to badger out of the students … “err, no, the presentation was 3-hours ago! Sorry we forgot to tell you; we wondered why you didn’t show up!” Not sure these kids could organise a party in a brewery. Actually, that’s not true, they could. There’d be no glasses or straws, & the barrel taps wouldn’t be working, but they’d lever the lid off with the dangerously pointy toes of their shoes (male & female)! The plethora of leather hats & caps could serve as drinking vessels.
Dmitri II finally returned today. He brasses me off with his unreliability & incurable lateness, but he manages to charm me when he bothers to turn up! Little twerp!
I stunned him twice today; once when I said an English word neither of us could translate to Russian. I went to the ENGLISH/Russian part of a dictionary, looked it up, & said the Russian word. Next, when he said a Russian word, same situation, but I went to the RUSSIAN/English half of the dictionary.
(frown & little smile) “You can read Russian, Prue?”
“Just a little, I’ve been teaching myself.”
(beam) “Wo, that’s very good! You’ve made more progress than me; I must start working as hard!”
Yes, I’ve made more progress on a pro-rata basis over the last 6-weeks, but I’m still way behind overall. If I decide to stay, my mission is to knock everyone here over as quickly as possible.
Dmitri II's wife’s a travel agent & so he’s given me her work numbers so I can arrange my travel through her. I mentioned I want to go to Moscow by train & he just about had kittens. “NO! It’s too dangerous!”
If it’s as bad as everyone says, how come the ‘Trans-Siberian’ is such a promoted trip?
Tatiana Petrovna grabbed me in the hall as she was leaving for the day “I’m taking my beautiful flowers home, big thank you, I love you!” A sketchy translation, it’s all I could glean from her effusive speech whilst scrunched up in her chunky-woman hug.
I updated my calendar tonight. No Vadim, Alex about to disappear, Elena sacked & Vitaly gone in support, there’s an awful lot of free time suddenly. I can easily fill all the gaps with people who’ve been sitting on the wait list, but I’m not sure I want to. I think I’ll cool my heels & see what happens with ’60 Parallel’.
Tuesday, 18 October 2005 Coldy-oldy today, -3C & windy. Nelly’s daughter just about knocked me off my feet; she launched herself at me from a distance & I didn’t see her coming. Hugs, kisses, & demands that I come to visit urgently. Generally, I see her as having a similar temperament to Victor, but today she was her mother’s daughter!
My first payday since July, NZ$376 today for the month of September; for some perspective, a packet of ciggies costs NZ2.50. I’m flush!
2 presentations; with the 1st, a boy in the audience disputed Kate’s translation & so was brought on stage to take over. That was the last time he showed any real proficiency (stage fright I think), however he was a little darling.
Before the 2nd started, Stass had a go at a young boy sitting behind me for being noisy, & Nelly chipped in for good measure. I was a bit confused by it all because I hadn’t noticed him being any worse than the rest of the room; he had that ‘naughty boy’ look though. When I got back to my seat after my piece, the little man tapped me on the shoulder & said “How do you do? My name is Dima!” His mates thought it was hilarious cos he doesn’t speak English, & had asked a girl behind him to teach him the greeting. Even more touching, I was his for the asking (he’s going to be a smooth talking lady-killer when he grows up). Stass came to sit next to me so I said “Stass, I’d like you to meet my friend Dima.” They shook hands, & Stass asked me how long I’ve known Dima. “Just now Stass, we’ve been talking, & he’s very polite.”
When the ‘show’ was over, very few of the kids went to the desk where they’re supposed to register their interest in studying at Planeta; they all came to me instead. I had 3 Planeta students interpreting & controlling the flow of questions. "When did you come here? When will you leave? Would you like to stay? How old are you? Tell us about NZ animals! Tell us about your son! Does NZ really look like Lord of the Rings? Do your houses look like ours? What season is NZ in now? What’s the time there RIGHT now?"
It was awesome!
About 20 of them arrived at the classroom while I was with Sergei & Irina; they wanted to come in & watch the lesson, but I told them they couldn’t with this one.
These kids want lessons with me, & I’d love to have them, but once they learn how much it costs I doubt I’ll see them. Bummer! I’ll have a word with Vasily & see if he’s willing to offer a group discount for a set number of students. If that works then I might shift Dmitri II, Sergei & Irina to new times so the kids can come at 4ish.
During the hour with Sergei & Irina, talking about likes & dislikes, the subject of dancing came up. I said I’d love to see some traditional Russian dancing before I leave, so Sergei treated me to 5-seconds of that ‘drop to a squat & kick a leg out’ dance. It just about ruptured him cos he’s not as fit as he used to be, but I was ecstatic & he was proud!
I sent you all a message early this evening “It’s snowing … brrrr!” Yes, & underfoot it’s skiddy icy too! Not quite ‘windmill’ material yet, but getting to the supermarket tonight involved a ridiculous ‘twinkle-toes’, mincy gait, with the odd slide to remind me of my peril.
Snow & rain expected for the rest of this week, with warm weather forecast for next. Great! Warmer temps means snow melting to water, then re-freezing to ice, so it’s time to break out ice-pick stilettos! The Intermediate group were tickled last night by my tale of initial confusion then ensuing enlightenment about ‘stiletto’s & ice’ at the end of February.
HEY! THAT’S THE TITLE OF MY BOOK! “Stiletto’s & Ice”; sorry Boot, “Mayonnaise & Marmite” just got pipped; may I reserve the rights in case there’s a sequel though?
I have no idea what was originally said, but when I told a couple of passing guys I don’t speak Russian & kept walking, they called me back. They both spoke a little English, & the main guy, Ilyiat, told me his mum’s English. FANTASTIC! He wanted my phone number, but I’ve decided to stop giving it to total strangers no matter how nice I think they are at 1st sight, so I told him to call Planeta.
Funny, I finally hear a different name (Ilyiat, the Inspector), & low & behold, it’s not so different after all!
Being a hat girl, I do revel in their being the necessary norm here; they’re a pain when you’re trying to talk to anyone taller though if you’re trying to see who you’re talking to! Having a peanut head, even if hats don’t have peaks or brims, collars of coats or jackets push them over my eyes, so I’m forced to raise my head higher than is natural, & all I want to do is pull the stupid thing of! Can’t do that though, snow settling on your head gives a burning sensation similar to dry ice on warts..YOUCH, bat, bat! I found this out earlier today.
Speaking of cold weather & hats; that furry tea cosy I bought in Moscow isn’t Russian road-kill possum, it’s Mink! So it damned well should be for the price, & I’m somewhat mollified, but now I’m fretting cos I want to send it home & am justifiably scared it’ll be confiscated by NZ Customs; apparently they’re not trustful of Russian practices when it comes to fur. It’s doubtful I’ll wear it again, even here, cos I dislike it so much, but it’ll be an important part of my ‘Russian corner’ when I return south.
On from that, it’s amazing how much time gets wasted primping in front of the mirror trying to find ‘just the right angle’ for a hat to look good, & when you’re forced to have a ‘wardrobe’ of them, that’s a lot of evenings accounted for! Styley hats don’t take much time cos..well, they’re styley! Beanies, pompom hats, & the like take a lot of work when intended for other than the ski-field; preen, preen, preen, practice, practice, practice, & I still manage to look like a scruffy pog.
Wednesday, 19 October 2005 A new presentation hit today; after my usual 3 Russian greetings, I followed with “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Russian”, & “my name is Prue” in Russian. Resounding applause from everyone, surprise & approving nods from Planeta attendees because I hadn’t warned them I’d do it. I was just as surprised, I hadn’t expected such appreciation.
An interesting hour with Dmitri II; he used to make billiard tables, so we talked about their construction, the materials used, & accessories. Instead of fabric net pockets, they make full leather pockets here, much better for the balls. I was particularly interested in the ‘practice’ cue balls, 2 types, one to teach angles, one to teach jump shots.
Ben, from what I’ve seen, I doubt you need the ‘angle’ ball, but would you like a ‘jump’ one?
Thursday, 20 October 2005 Just a small group for the presentation today, more performers than audience. They were young kids again, & cute as buttons. Part way through my talk, I noticed one of the boys had a black eye; I kept talking, but gave him a wink & smile while running my finger under my own eye. He got the giggles, came to talk to me after, & took great pains to assure me that he’d received it from another boy, not a girl as I’d cheekily suggested.
Nelly came to extend Tatiana Petrovna’s invitation to join her birthday celebration at 4pm. I asked Nelly to make my apologies as I had a lesson at that time. Dmitri Mayster came to the classroom at 4:30pm to say Tatiana was waiting for me. Lesson over just after 5pm, I whipped down the stairs intending to join the ‘party’. Tatiana met me in the hall, enveloped me in another of her hugs, & woman-handled me into the room.
Interesting welcome from Mayster; a business-like handshake!
I was ticked off with everyone; they sat, ate, drank, & talked while Tatiana ran around serving food & drinks, & clearing tables..just as she does for every function. I couldn’t stand it, took a load of plates off her, & demanded that she sit & enjoy! She tried to argue, but met with the ‘immovably determined Prue’ for the first time, & sat. With that, all were treated to the ‘Eden Park hospo-chick whirl-wind’. Tables cleared of debris, dishes scraped & stacked, I was seated again before they realised what had happened.
Mayster brought up the subject of me teaching him English again; he expected immediate acceptance, but I asked him how much he’s prepared to pay, adding I don’t come cheap. Light-hearted banter ensued. He said he’d pay retrospectively, depending on how good I am. I told him his success depended on his own commitment, to which he replied he expects to use the time to relax & it’s entirely my responsibility to feed him the skill. I responded with “Then definitely cash up front, it’s your incentive to work!” Approval: “Oh-ho, she’s a business woman!”
Evening lesson times discussed (post 9:30pm), Mrs Mayster put her ‘territorial’ pants on & said she’d be there to ‘turn the pages’ … “I’ll be grateful to have you with us!” Greater approval because I didn’t become flustered or take offence, & all the women pretended to feel secure in leaving the room to Mayster & I alone while they ostensibly went to collect coats & hats. Either they disappeared for girly ‘vodka shots’ or it was a test; irrespective, they made individual unexpected appearances, still uncoated, over the next 30-minutes.
Mayster asked me to say something in Russian..old faithful; with suitably expressive face “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Russian”, he was thrilled to bits by my proficiency & lack of accent.
I was saved from having to demonstrate further by Ramaan, the sparky, being delivered to the room, & prevailed upon to eat & knock back massive vodka shots. He asked Mayster how he’d found & convinced me to come to Russia. What should’ve been a 1-minute explanation became an excuse for a 10-minute waffle, & more vodka shots. Ramaan caught me watching & felt the need to explain he drinks rarely. Far from my concern, he hasn’t struck me as a drinker, I was intrigued to watch a ‘clean’ man fit that much vodka into his mouth, & then swallow without gagging or shuddering!
I made a final attempt to clear up, but ran out of time to finish the job. LESSONS!
In my office collecting lesson material, Mayster arrived with a ‘gift’. Back to familiar hugs & kisses. Hmmmm, now I’m certain they’re not typical polite ‘Russian affection’.
Knock me down & tap-dance all over me, Elena arrived for the Planeta lesson. She wanted to bare her soul & apologise in front of everyone, but I cut her short by saying I didn’t want it discussed. It’s not a subject for open forum, & she’s welcome to continue with Planeta lessons. Part of me admires her guts, & if I was mercenary I’d let her back into my Sundays, but I’m not tough enough/too tough for that! We’ll both have to accept & live with the failings of our respective personalities.
I’m in bed now, lappy-loaded ‘Pride & Prejudice’ sleep medication comfortably settled on my belly, with grapes & apples to wash it down with, a chair acting as bedside table to take the weight of my lappy when P&P works its magic.
…THEIR neighbour has gone barmy tonight…
Friday, 21 October 2005 Oh joy, oh bliss, the final presentation! Stass is a bit of a ‘Rove’ (damn I pine for that Oz show!) I miss some of what he says, but get the gist & like him translating for me; he gets plenty of laughs. Today I was thoroughly bamboozled; I alternated between faking understanding, & mike-in-hand “I don’t trust you Stass, what did you just say?” Enough English speakers in the audience, they lapped it up, & tried to keep me informed!
I was invited to the ‘end-of-presentations’ student party at 5pm; “Of course I’ll be there!”
Mayster changed to time to 4pm, which meant I couldn’t attend due to lessons. Everyone I met after 5pm asked why I hadn’t come.
Grade ‘A’ students today; they all tickled me giggly when I tested them & they came up trumps!
Dmitri II told about a completely new banya/sauna experience, infrared sauna; no hotter than +50C, infrared rays penetrate your body & cure all that ails! “Come with us!” Neither convinced nor dismissive of Russian faith in the healing powers of excessive heat followed by bone-chilling wallows in freezing pools or snow, I’m only prepared to sample the hot half of the cure. At least this invitation came with assurances that everyone keeps their clothes on! “Ok, before I leave!”
His wife was coming to collect him at 5pm & wanted to talk to me about my travel plans. Marginally less scathing about train-travel, in all good conscience she strongly advised I book the most expensive option, a 2-bed berth, with her undertaking to try to negotiate a female roommate. Her major concern is that I’m not ‘Jane-average back-packer’; I have valuable possessions that’ll be prey to theft, & no amount of negotiating will guarantee me an honest travel companion.
Fair comment.
With all everyone’s said about the trials of train travel, I’m starting to think it’ll be better to book an advance seat on a flight to Moscow (yummy big discount) & grab a return bus trip to St Pete’s before heading across the border. Marginally more expensive, it’ll mean leaving Surgut a week earlier than I’d planned (suddenly more expensive due to loss of guaranteed income); I’ll be sure of keeping my possessions whilst also seeing some good sights. Maybe the lost income will be counter-balanced by hospitality in lieu of payment for ad-hoc lessons in-transit.
‘Beginner woman’ Lena was gorgeous! She has the naughtiest giggle now she trusts me not to be mean to her. Last week I heard it for the first time when I farewelled her in Russian. Tonight, instead of breaking a sweat & being on the verge of tears because she can’t remember what ‘ears’ are, she giggled. Going through the alphabet, she was beside herself when I drew ‘H’ on the blackboard with the up-rights being a couple of burning ciggies..she’s a smoker! After that, she never once got the letter or sound wrong, no more Russian back-throat ‘hoiking’, she produced a pretty ‘hhhaaaaaaa’, & voluntarily applied the same theory to ‘f’..“fffaaaaaaaaa”.
Halfway through her lesson a crowd of people from tonight’s wedding stopped outside the classroom to have a loud & animated conversation. They knew we were there, & saw me looking at them, but didn’t think to move along; one of them even came to peer closely through the window. I waved to him; he waved back, then returned to his mates. I expected they’d shove off then, but no such luck. In the end, they became so noisy Lena couldn’t concentrate.
I excused myself, & as I came out of the room half the group shot downstairs, the other half went up. Noodles! I chased after the ‘upstairs’ ones (no escape for them, it’s a dead-end), & with my best authoritarian Russian voice & some stroppy Kiwi for good measure, said “PAZHALSTA!! YOU’RE TOO LOUD! GO!!!” As they scuttled past, saying “Izvenyetye, izvenyetye, sorry, sorry, excuse me, excuse me”, (hahahaha, a couple of them recognized my ‘native’ babble), I found that I’d just bollixed the bride, groom, attendants, & MC. Far from contrite, no longer cross, I saw the funny side. They were like a bunch of young teenagers, though it’s a long time since any of them were that age.
Lena’s respect gained from my demonstration of one appropriate Russian word, & some feistiness followed with good humour, confidence restored by silence, she performed admirably! Even better, she’s paid up! Bless her criminal wee ankle boots!
Saturday, October 22, 2005 An atrocious indulgence of relaxation & hermiting today, I didn’t get out of bed properly until almost 4pm. I spent the day reading, snoozing, drinking coffee, eating fruit, & savouring the time to think about ‘stuff’. Only the desperate need for a pee dislodged me from my room; I decided to go the whole hog, have a shower & get dressed as well.
I continued the momentum, went in search of meat, bread, & salad for dinner, & rewarded for my effort by seeing some young kids ‘skating’ on frozen puddles. No skates, no accident, they were having a ball skidding & spinning in their Nikes. I stopped to watch for a while; they must be awesome to watch in winter with skates & big areas to play in!
Just as I got back to my room, the phone rang & it was Mark asking me to meet him for a drink.
A daggy evening spent regaling each other with tales of odd but endearing Russian experiences.
Half way through he hit me with “I don’t know what you’ve done to me, I never thought I’d feel this excited about a woman again, come back to my place & drink a bottle of wine, or I’ll grab a bottle & go to your place for wine & your Russian cheese…”
“No! I don’t want anything more than friendship, & if you try for more I’ll push you away, so please stop with this kind of talk!”
Back to general chitchat, but throughout the evening he grabbed my hands & told me how much he liked me. A few times he told me not to push so hard, & the last time I told him not to push at all.
Not fully deterred, he insisted on escorting me all the way back to Planeta. We got to the gates & I said, “this is Planeta, thanks, goodnight!”, but he was determined to walk me to the door, so up the driveway we walked.
Inside, I found myself with a hammered young guy, Vovo (brother of the groom), trying to push & pull his way through the doors to the hallway without success. I was equally unsuccessful so I knocked until they were opened. He wanted to talk, so called a mate to help him, a lawyer. Vovo has been teaching himself English from books; I suggested he come to my lessons. Planeta staff were hell bent on preventing the conversation because Vovo was ‘too drunk’, & as we all know, I must be protected from the ‘seedier’ side of Russian culture because I’m a Western gentlewoman & therefore unexposed to intoxication! My staunchest & warmest protector was Grumplestiltskin! Go figure!! I assured him & the others I was ok, but ended up with 4 staff in attendance, none of them English speakers, merely there to monitor the pre-translated questions & information, & 6 partiers trying to talk. It lasted for about 30-minutes, when Planeta staff decided in unison enough-was-enough & hustled me up the stairs. I’d’ve been happy to keep talking in the hall, but the pressure was mounting for me to join the party, & as I was only wearing jeans I accepted the ‘hustling’. Frigging good music happening though!
Sunday, October 23, 2005 A quiet one spent reorganizing my room; I still can’t find my toenail polish. However, I was delighted to find 16,000 roubles I’d forgotten I hid during summer (to hell with the nail polish!!!) This was the caviar on the mucsun; with last week’s weather forcing my re-acquaintance with all winter garb, I found a pocket, hat, or glove of ‘gold’ almost every day. My sorely depleted savings have received a happy boost, as have my spirits; I’ve been worrying about how I’d managed to blow so much money with nothing to account for it!
Hahaha-nooo-hahahaha-oh God, I’m a nutter-hahahahaha!!!!!Pass me a tissue!Hahahaha! If I live long enough, I’m going to be one of those old ladies who has a bucket-load of cash scattered throughout her wardrobe, teapots, & in every nook & cranny of the house & furniture, whilst bemoaning my severely strapped financial position. Ben, when I kark it, don’t you dare dispose of anything until you’ve investigated every lining, hem, hatband, stuffed toy, furniture zip, wallpaper join, & the fridge/freezer! It’ll be a good idea to fan your way through all books too, cos they keep cash nice & smooth so it doesn’t have to be ironed. YES, I DO BOTH, but I think ironing paper money’s less weird than ironing sheets, towels, & underwear...marginally!
Alex was my only visitor today & we went out for coffee & ice cream. I watched a man peeling the ‘paper skin’ off the felled birches today & asked Alex what it was wanted for; some kind of traditional craft to sell to tourists, he said ‘boxes’, but I can’t imagine what they look like so I’ll have to get someone to show me an example.
I discovered the cause of those stinky patches encountered on every walk; they’re the septic pipes, sometimes just manholes, sometimes small structures. After I’d asked Alex, & he’d explained with much embarrassment, he asked how we dealt with this problem in light of my ignorance. I described the Auckland ‘poo-ponds’, & he was initially disgusted until I explained they seldom smell, look pretty, & homes are built overlooking them. We both agreed that in spite of that, neither of us would choose to live there if an alternative was available.
He asked if he could bring Olya’s cat to me on Tuesday. He’s planning to hand in his resignation tomorrow, & hopes to be ‘walked’ & so heading out of Surgut in a week.
New Siberian hazard for me this evening, narrowly avoided luckily; going to the loo still wearing beanie, scarf, & jacket, you’ve got to be careful your scarf doesn’t flop into the bowl when you’re putting the seat down after someone’s left it up! Whew, that was close!
Monday, October 24, 2005 Back indoors from my ‘1st of the day, & temperature reccy’ fag, I was greeted by a bamboozlingly effusive Mrs. Mayster, complete with hug & hand-grabbing “Yeor-my-yeor! You’re cold!” An extra-big hug to warm me up. I thought “Well that’s blimmin weird!” as I tootled up the stairs. Not so weird; apparently an ‘Englishman’ has called looking for me today, & so the word’s out that I’m in the full flush of romance! Blook, I don’t think so!
To my surprise, the description of ‘the man’ matches David-from-Yorkshire. Still, it was Nelly who was filling me in, so he could’ve been a tall, swarthy, debonair Italian, or a grungy Trans-Siberian traveler from Oz or NZ!
The Intermediate group asked on Thursday if they could have tea & food at tonight’s lesson. It was agreed everyone would bring a small plate. Now I have 2/3 of a massive ‘ant hill’ (a cake kind of thing), a bag of chocolate peanut slice, 2/3 of a chicken & potato pie (2/3 the size of a NZ roasting pan), & a mixed hors-d’œuvre platter of pates, salami, & fresh sardines on bread rounds. There’s enough food here to feed me lunch & dinner for a week! I’m embarrassed & moved; it was a group ploy to give me some yummy home made food.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005 Victor drove me to his & Nelly’s granddaughter’s school today to talk to a couple of classes. We arrived at their appointed time of 11am only to be parked in another room because they weren’t ready for us. Finally, at 12pm they were ready & the fun began. Another neat bunch of kids, around 50 of them ranging in age from 12 – 16, they asked non-stop questions until 1pm when they were collected to go to their next class.
I spoke to 2 of their Russian English teachers; one translated for me, the other spoke terrible English, which explains a lot about the students' lack of expertise. Just a thought; if I stay another year I could run lessons for the local teachers!
No Alex tonight, he’s flying to Moscow; the legal document they had drawn up with Alex authorizing Olya’s use of his apartment there is loaded with errors & so she can’t register, which means her son, Sergei, can’t start school, & that means she can’t start work.
No cat delivery.
Nelly & Mayster fell out during the staff meeting late this afternoon unbeknown to me. I got dragged into the fray by Mayster spotting me heading to her classroom to set up for my lessons. Hugs & kisses in the hall, he escorted me there knowing full-well Nelly would show any minute. Scary scene, I bolted back to my office! 20-minutes later Nelly stepped out of her classroom & screeched in her best ‘fish-wife’ fashion “Prudence! Bring me the key!” I skittered down the hall to find her in no need of the key, but tissues instead. Ooooooh, it was a BAD row! An hour later, she was still mopping tears between spewing invective!
In the meantime, I had a lesson with the Elementary group, & I’ve found myself with a cat after all! Valentina, proud mother of 1 dog & 5 cats (*#@$!) foolishly adopted a stray & 6th cat, only to find it was preggers! She’d managed to get rid of all but one of the kittens; this last little bundle is breaking her heart & home because one of her other cats has taken a violent dislike to it.
I said I’d take the kitten once I’d managed to find a home for Olya’s cat, but no, her situation is too serious & urgent for delay. “Ok, bring your kitten to me on Thursday when you come for your next lesson.” No, more serious & urgent for that even, she went home at the end of the lesson to collect dog & kitten & came straight back to Planeta!
Valentina took leave tearfully, came back to hug & thank me for my help, then left a sniveling wreck.
Blimey, I hope a student does steal this little one; to my eyes she’s not as adorable as the previous 2, but she’s definitely a character! All black, with long fur, a VERY long tail, & loud motor; I’ve tentatively named her Possum; I think it suits her. The alternative is Pheobe after Saturn’s 18th furthest satellite, which is very dark, orbits clockwise, unlike most moons & planets in the solar system that orbit clock-wise (the whole solar-system thing will probably have appeal here), & also suits her. It remains to be seen which will catch on!
The 1st thing she did was find her dirt box & make use of it.
Then she wolfed down her Whiskers & a sardine hors-d’œuvre, & I need to teach her some table-manners!
She’s a hooligan! She’s broken her paper toy 5 times already; my other 2 cats never broke it once! “What’s next?..ah, I see a couple of vases out there by my dinner plate that’re aching to be knocked over & the contents spread hither & thither!” She’s mauled one of my trivial opposable thumbs, & a bare heel cos I carelessly left it dangling off the end of my ankle under my desk!
She’s clever! She’s learning English already; understands “No!” now, but still persists in trying to get on the table..albeit from a different angle or side! “Sksssssss!” flattens her ears & has her diving for cover. This last is an ‘oddy’ cos “skss-skss-skss” is how Russians call their cats.
Crazy moggy she found the rat’s ‘saucer of death’ under my cupboard & hooked the contents out! PANIC! Just like the mother of a ‘new-born’, I shoved my fingers into her mouth & down her throat to make sure nothing was in there, then went into a rant as I scraped up all the bits off the carpet, shoved the saucer (hopefully) out of paws reach, then sprinted to the bathroom to wash my hands! BLOODY KIDS!
This week’s neighbours are probably cowering in a corner of their room because THEIR neighbour has gone barmy tonight, “…talking, giggling, & growling in turns, she’s in that room alone!”
Right now, it’s 11:15pm & Possum’s curled up on my lap catching 40 winks , which I’m unhappy about cos that’s likely to mean she’ll be all fired up some time around 3am! I’ve tried tempting her with any number of playthings but she’s just plum tuckered out!
Bad timing cos I’M tuckered out after a crappy sleep feeling cold all last night, an unfeasibly early start to the day, & fighting off ‘Bertie Germs’! With luck, I’ll fall into a ‘mini-coma’ & sleep through her antics!
Wouldn’t you know it, just as she’s become still & photographable, my batteries have run out of juice!
Some good hints, I’m going to hit the sack too; I have another early start tomorrow.
Bummer, damn, damn, damn! I was a little slow; she’s woken up & is tearing about the place like ‘Roadrunner’! (sigh) Ok, well I can read for a while until she settles down again.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005 Wow! Stink man! Thumping headache, lousy sore throat, & I’m supposed to be getting up early to have a productive day, no way today!
I passed Possum on to Sveta’s daughter, Anya, this evening. Two cute little girls together, I’m not sure who was the keenest to cuddle! Beauty! Hopefully this clears the way for Olya’s cat when he arrives!
My fairy godmother was watching over me today; only one lesson, the others were cancelled ‘cos everyone’s too busy with work!
I phoned Valentina to let her know the kitten is doing fine & she can rest easy.
… ‘Guns’ (which actually turns out to be ‘Hans’…
It's been a hum drum week really, probably not much different from yours, it's consisted of cats, mates, & work.
Thursday, October 27, 2005 Let me tell you right here & now, pate on french bread, lavishly sprinkled with chopped fennel leaves is the ducks guts! Or is it just that my palate is so starved of anything not loaded with sour cream, cheese & mayo? Hell to pay though, whatever was in that pate gave me the dry-horrors within 5-minutes; fingers crossed it’s not Asian ‘flu virus 2005!
Possum & I were both disappointed when Anya returned her to me at around 10:30pm last night; Anya was none too happy either. By the time I returned to my room, close to midnight, Possum had decided I was pretty ok again..she needed ‘skin therapy’ & company.
All’s not lost, Anya & I have agreed that Possum will return to her after school today.
Doh! Couldn’t give Possum to Anya cos I realised Valentina was coming for a lesson tonight, & I wanted her to see her kitten was happy. It turned out to be a bitter/sweet experience for Valentina..thrilled to bits to find her ‘little girl’ present, Possum was cruelly disinterested in Valentina, & kept escaping from her to climb up my legs as I was writing on the blackboard.
I wanted a photo of this group, but Valentina refused. My wee girls were weren’t so shy, happily posing for my camera, then pulling out their own. Ben, Violetta (2nd from right) is all yours. Since seeing your photo, she’s asked every lesson when you’ll come here, & seems to think by asking 3 times a week you will! As she’s only 15, & you’re not ready to settle down yet, you might be a ‘good match’ in about 8 years; the age gap is about right by Russian standards..& you’ll probably have your 1st baby 9-months later. Meet me in Mexico!
My plan was to have Possum attend most lessons in the hope that a student would ‘fall in love’ & take her, but it’s impossible..she really is a hooligan! She’s destroyed Nelly’s vase of dead ornamental cabbage on her desk, mauled a potplant, incessantly attacked a vase of dried flowers & almost knocked the vase over in the end, stole the chalk from the desk & batted it around the floor. Two positives, from under the desks she found someones lost hairclip, & a chocolate (ooh, yummy!); the balance is bad; she’s too distracting for the students & me!
I received an e-mail last night from a foreign teacher in Moscow asking about jobs in Siberia. I promised to go to ‘Big Ben’ & get contact details for him today.
Odd things, coincidences!
An e-mail from David-from-Yorkshire was waiting for me today..he caught a train out of here this morning, thanked me for my friendship & help (“I wouldn’t have lasted as long as I did without you”), & asked that I keep in touch. It wasn’t him that visited the other day, though his was one of the calls I didn’t bother picking up last week; not bloody-mindedness, I don’t answer calls anymore from numbers I don’t recognize.
It’ll be interesting to see if Jenny’s still in town..one of the things I was supposed to do on Wednesday was accompany her to the train station to book her ‘escape’. Aside from foul weather & feeling like crap, given she has less than 2-weeks ‘til the end of her contract, not to mention the efforts I went to to help her a couple of weeks ago, I’d decided not to involve myself in her erratic behaviour any further.
I girded my loins & rocked up to ‘Big Ben’ this afternoon to get the promised contact details, & to say “hello” to the new teachers. After turning down a job-offer, I was taken to meet the ‘foreign boys’.
Do you know what? Day-by-day I’m more & more sure I’m weird! Admittedly, the foreign boys are Brits & therefore different from me, but one of the boys has come for a 2nd ‘tour’ & is still reticent about the place. Why? Why would you come back then?
They greeted my invitation to occasional expat ‘drinks, meals, & chat’ with more suspicion & indifference than their Russian peers & Management!
Back to not answering calls; I’ve received waaaay too many from men who don’t speak English, but persist in calling anyway, at all times of the day & night. damned if I know how they get my number! I got Maks to answer one of these calls ages ago, & that was the end of that person! Once Maks & Natasha got over their concern for my safety, they fell apart over the new ‘phone-sex’ service in Surgut .. ‘dial-a-Kiwi, say what you like, she doesn’t understand, listen to an English voice.. who cares what she’s saying cos she sounds sweet when she’s saying it! Yeah, thanks guys, (shudder) wait a minute while I go & wash my hands & phone!
Friday, October 28, 2005 Gift from Sergei & Irina; a jar of natural honey brought back by Irina’s mother from their ‘motherland’, somewhere else in Russia. There’s enough honey in this jar to last me my next 3 lifetimes! If I could be sure it’d make it through customs, I’d send it to you, Mark & Toni, but as it’s ‘home jarred’ there’s not a chance.
In the library waiting to have payment receipts photocopied for Vasily, a woman came in, greeted Nelly & I, then looked hard at me. I looked back & smiled, unsure what else to do. She looked harder, & harder, then said..I don’t know what. Apparently I look like someone she worked with some time ago. Nelly launched into a great explanation about why I didn’t respond, I optimistically commented that I must no longer look foreign. “No, you’re foreign all right, but the look is Russian!”
Rehashed recriminations from Nelly, “You don’t love me, why won’t you spend your evenings & weekends with me?” She’d forgotten her own flash of rationality last week “we see each other every day, so of course you want to see other people on Saturdays.” So I had to remind her I spend at least 3-hours every week-day with her, I work evenings, other people want to see me too, I have only 1 day off a week to clean & relax, told her she was trying my patience, & beginning to offend me with her emotional manipulations & demands. Tears & back-tracking, she still demanded I visit on Saturday; I refused to make any promises.
In fact, there’s no way in hell I’ll visit her this weekend; I have too many chores, & want time to bask in my clean room.
Delivered Possum to Anya, “keep her until tomorrow!”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
1st lesson down, stood up for the 2nd, spent an hour cruising ‘Daves ESL Cafe’ looking at jobs & offering insight to life in Surgut to a couple of people looking at jobs here.
Out to meet Mark for drinks & tell him happy stories about Possum. With luck, he’ll adopt her.
Back home, & I found Possum’s been dumped in my foyer.
Saturday, October 29, 2005 (12:24 AM..jiggle, wriggle; I’ve been trying to get into the loo for over an hour, there’s an endless Russian tag-team going on..as soon as I hear the door open & close I leap from my seat, but by the time I get my door open someone’s beaten me to it! God forbid I have to use Possum’s dirtbox! & yes, I know this is too much information..Jenny should be grateful SHE didn’t get THIS message!)
(much earlier) With some trepidation, I invited Mark to have a ‘grazing’ dinner (tapa’s Russian style) at my place tonight, with the object of him meeting Possum & becoming enchanted by her. By 10pm I had him rugging up to face the outdoors & 95% convinced; all that was required was him sweet-talking his landlady. Unfortunately Possum chose that very moment to avail herself of her dirt box..pfffffeeeeewwwww! Talk about bad timing! No chance of her shifting house now!
The difficulties of the evening were softened by an EXTRAORDINARY discovery..FEIJOA’S! Knock me over with a snow-flake! Admittedly, they’re the size of marbles & unfeasibly expensive, but ‘HOLD ME BACK! LOSERS!..YOU’RE NOT STRONG ENOUGH!!!’ I grubbed my way through the pile, gently squeezing all, & found the only 4 ‘bombalows’ that could possibly meet the grade . Even more surprised, they tasted great!
Sunday, October 30, 2005 Misha’s replacement collared me outside..he’s going home to Kazakhstan on Wednesday.
Saw Max & Natasha today, & they talked about their plans for my employment in Surgut next year. Unfortunately for them nothing’s been signed off, & I don’t have the luxury of time. More importantly, I’ve decided today that I really must leave. I’ve worked my way through most of my emotions & fears, & it’s time to move on.
Alex arrived after, & I’m in trouble; he wants to deliver Olya’s cat on Tuesday. What the hell am I going to do with 2 cats? It’s my own stupid soft fault; I’ll work something out, I have to!
Monday, October 31, 2005 Dmitri II arrived apologizing for not taking me to a Halloween party last night. I said not to worry cos I was shattered after a weekend of Planeta weddings & parties. Bless him, he told me if it happens again I’m to call & he’ll arrange a hotel room for me. He was appalled when I told him most weekends are like this.
Next, Nelly shocked him as she crashed our meeting & screeched at me because I didn’t meet her for coffee at 4pm.
“Nelly, I told you 3 times I had a lesson at 4.”
“Yes that’s right Prudence, & I told you to come to me for coffee at 4 o’clock!”
“Nelly, how could you expect me to come to you for coffee at 4 when I said I had a lesson then? I can’t be in 2 places at once!”
“I TOLD you to come to me!” She focused on Dmitri & demanded, “When will you be finished with her?”
Actually, she shocked me!
Dmitri II wanted to know if she was my boss, then was confused when I said no. “Why does she speak to you like this?”
It’s too hard to explain to a young local man about an oldish local woman‘s mental deterioration, & possessiveness of a foreign teacher, so I just told him to forget it, that I’d smooth her feathers later. He wasn’t very pleased with today’s revelations about my life here in spite of my reassurances that on the whole it’s good.
End of last lesson, one of the students spotted a snowman in the trees. It wasn’t ‘til I did some ‘enhancement’ of the photo (yes, it’s still crap, but it’s impossible for my camera to accept ‘snow' AND 'night' scene instructions!) that I discovered it’s a Halloween figure (note the witches stick).
Everyone’s been surprised that Halloween isn’t a big thing in NZ, & very few here have heard of Guy Fawkes.
Back in from photo session, Misha’s Replacement was waiting to say ‘goodbye’ to me. He made a wee speech, grabbed my hand, smiled & squeezed his eyes tight shut. I think he was trying to tell me he was pleased to have met me. I gave him a hug, wished him good luck & farewell. Little man, he was shocked, then got all googy like an adolescent school boy.
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