Time to take the stabilisers off.

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No lessons this morning. The RLUS course organiser, Dr. Roy Bivon, had come to Yartek as part of a tour of all the Russian centres where British students are studying. Today was our turn for a meeting to discuss what we thought of our classes, teachers and landladies. I was expecting not to like him. It's felt like such a 'free' experience that I didn't want to think about someone in England organising it for me, but he seems to be ok. He is much more jolly than I thought he would be, and he took the students' point of view rather than that of our universities.

We told him that we're all happy, but we don't have many opportunities to communicate with RLUS so if there was even a small problem we brought it up. The groups have very different timetables and work, which doesn't make sense because the difference in our standard of Russian is in fact small. I gave my opinion as much as I could. I don't like the texts we translate; why can't we be given something better to read than the Daily Mail?

I spoke to him after the meeting. I changed my course in Tver next year from 13 weeks to 18, and decided to move into the university's new student hostel rather than stay with another babushka. To be honest - as friendly as Tamara Aleksandrovna is - I need more freedom than she is giving me. Next semester I will be one of only three British students in a city of half a million people, which is exactly what I want. Yaroslavl is about learning about Russia with a close group of friends - Tver will be an adventure of my own!

In Olga's class we kept on translating from our textbook. She is a very intelligent woman who has taught us Pushkin, but I think her sentences have been taken from paperback novels that she secretly reads!

1) The only thing I'm afraid of tonight is everybody being too sure of themselves.

5) It being found impossible to awake Mr. Pickwick from his sleep, some discussion took place.

8) At eight-thirty he entered his office to find a tired looking kid sat waiting.

17) Mr Williams wrote a postcard asking for the picture to be sent for him to see it.

20) After having shaken hands neither he nor I had apparently anything more to say.

27) "I used to steal out of the house at night", he said, "when I was supposed to be studying and go to the church to play the organ."

I had a lesson with Anya at three. I haven't had any time to prepare anything so I just asked her to read from her textbook. We were both exteremely bored but every time I ask her what she wants to study she says she doesn't know. Even so I enjoy teaching; it makes me think about how I use my own language, and I can choose paragraphs from the book so as to learn about Russian life. Today's text was about St Petersburg.

When the lesson finished I went to see Nina, to explain that I hadn't forgotten about her painting class but just don't have any free afternoons at the moment. I hope I'll be able to finish my pot soon, even though my Russian dolls might take me too long. I have to go back to Yartek soon to do Viktor's homework and make a start on Lena's, then a three hour dancing class tonight. I have to find time to sit with my lines and make Sidorka's character make sense, I've learnt some of my text but I don't know how to say it.

Then a much-needed bath and a shave.

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Photos

Bells.
Studying with such a good group of people has made the trip a good one, but in Tver I don't want to rely on other people to make days memorable.

Comments

[Poodle]

Wow hun!
Sweetheart, you have impressed me beyond anything with your travel blog. You are having an amazing time, and I can tell you're loving it so so much! I just wanted to say that I am missing you and that Im now beginning to think that I was stupid to quit Russian, as my time in France isn't nearly as fun! I will try and mother you in our fourth year to make u feel more at home if you wish! I will try and write to you tomorrow as I only have two classes and would love for you to see where I am - will enclose a postcard! All the best huni! Love Lauren xxx