We had our first 'repetitsiya' of the play today, which meant that I was at Yartek from 9.45 in the morning until 9.45 at night. Natasha Safronova gave us our roles and scripts, and explained to us a bit about our characters. The play is called "Daughter's Lesson" and my character is Sidorka, a servant to a wealthy man Vel'karya (Chris J) and his two daughters Lukerya and Fekla (Sarah and Louise). I aspire to become more like an English gentleman - and all the ladies are very fond of me. The two main parts are a couple, Semyon (Jamie) and [View Full Entry]

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Viktor for conversation this morning, then Olga this afternoon. In her first lesson we did translations using the infinitive, and in the second we translated a passage from a novel by Tolstoi. I feel less tired in classes now - as my Russian is improving it's becoming less of a strain to make sense of what is being said. I'm beginning to think in Russian so I don't have to concentrate so hard on interpreting every word. There was a half an hour break before art class, so we sat reading the same gossip magazines. Then I started painting my wooden [View Full Entry]

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Yartek was good today. With Yulia we continued translating a short story that I'm really enjoying, and the way we learn vocab at the beginning of each class is simple but useful. Russian literature doesn't seem too inaccessible as we are studying simple, modern prose. Larissa's lessons in the afternoon were harder, not because of the language but because my knowledge of politics isn't as good as it could be. At 2.30 we had a fire safety talk, given in true Russian style: "When there's 9 feet of snow outside it's safe to jump out of the window." Then Anya came [View Full Entry]

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I was allowed to stay in bed until 2 in the afternoon, and Tamara Aleksandrovna didn't seem too annoyed by how late I had got in. I met Clare, Chiara, Precious and Ellie at 4.30 to go horse riding. I really enjoyed it, for the chance to relax in the fresh air for an hour and get some exercise. The arena was a little way out of town and underneath a cathedral, so it was a really attractive place to ride. I explained to the girls at the stables that my mum works with horses and I used to ride when [View Full Entry]

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We went out for a Georgian meal tonight. The restaurant is called Dukhan and is a big underground room with stone walls. I decided I needed a haircut this morning, but I don't trust Russian barbers (judging by Russian hairstyles!) and Matthew from my course offered to do it for me. It seemed the lesser of two evils, so I bought some clippers and scissors from the market and went to his hozyaika's flat. I sat in the kitchen and very carefully told him what I wanted. There was no mirror, so half way through I asked him how it looked [View Full Entry]

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My diet starts today. I've been feeling very unfit lately - to the point of even feeling twinges in my chest - so I told Tamara Aleksandrovna that I want more healthy food and smaller portions. I did fifty sit-ups in my room before getting dressed and left the flat feeling a lot better. We talked more about education with Viktor. He still gets Chiara, Bhavina and Clare mixed up. The topic for next week is the army. After classes Jeremy, our Russian Language Undergraduate Studies rep, came to talk to us. He studyied here two years ago so he could [View Full Entry]

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There was a little bit of smetana left after Tamara Aleksandrovna had put some over my blini this morning. She said "open wide" and spoon fed it to me! Yartek was as normal. Viktor for conversation and Lena for grammar. I'm about to finish my first month of classes. I'm starting to feel at home, Yaroslavl doesn't seem so big any more and I'm used to the living arrangement. I walked home via the football stadium, and bought my ticket for saturday's game against Torpedo Moskva. I'll have to sit on my own for the first half because Chris J will [View Full Entry]

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At breakfast Tamara Aleksandrovna asked me what I would like for dinner. I said she didn't need to cook anything, as I was going somewhere with Natasha and wouldn't be in until late: "What will your father think when you come home to England with a wife?" was her reply. School was good. In Lena's class we translated 60 sentences, some of which were quite random. Most were about animals. My grammar is improving a lot which means my writing is getting better, but it's hard to remember all the rules while I'm speaking. In the break Sara received a parcel [View Full Entry]

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I still have a cough, but my sore head is a lot better. As I was eating my kasha this morning I noticed an insect bite on my wrist. Tamara Aleksandrovna saw me scratching, and decided that the best thing for a wound like that was to rub salt into it. It's hard to get mad at her when she interferes, because she always means well. I was a bit more awake in class, and tried to speak as much as I can to make up for yesterday. Viktor taught us about the Russian education system in the first hour, then [View Full Entry]

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I woke up feeling worse. Because this is "my year abroad' that I have been planning for so long it feels as if I need to be doing something remarkable all the time, but between being ill and exhausted I wish I could become invisible for a few days. Four hours of classes went by like background noise. I usually concentrate well but I spent most of today staring into space. I walked home after classes and fell asleep on my bed. Tamara Aleksandrovna woke me up at 5 - possibly from dreams of bangers and mash and clean bathwater - [View Full Entry]

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