I’m struggling with this a bit. Sometimes I think that I’m definitely improving, and then I’ll feel as if I’m back in year eight again when I first started learning Russian. (Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration, but you know what I mean!)
So far, I’ve been told by two Russians that I actually look Russian, not English, so as long as I put on my grumpiest face (and boy is that depressing to do everyday), and try not to smile at people who happen to catch my eye, as I would normally do at home, I can get by as a native.
However, little things when I speak mark me out as being English, or at least foreign at any rate, such as the amount of times I say thank you – once, if at all, is enough here! I thought I was doing okay today in Teremok (blini restaurant), until right at the end when he said “enjoy your meals” (either his English was slightly wrong, or he was implying that I was eating too much… I’m going with the first one!).
On the other hand, I did have a very long (very annoying) conversation with an incredibly persistent man named Slava (seriously, he forced me to take his number, kept stroking my face, and tried to kiss me… and this was in the middle of the afternoon in the Summer Gardens!), and I was able to speak naturally without thinking about what I was trying to say first, so that was quite good. Although I would have happily not had that conversation, but never mind!
Last August I met this man when I was with my family in Middlesbrough (in the north of England), and we just had a conversation about different things. It wasn’t until the conversation was nearly over that he mentioned that he was Belgian. We were completely shocked; firstly because his English was so good, with the right accent, and even our particular ways of speaking and expressing things, secondly, his in depth knowledge of northern England architecture, and thirdly that he was even in Middlesbrough at all, since it’s not exactly a tourist hotspot!
So that would be a goal to set myself; to become as completely native as to fool actual natives, the way this guy managed to! Although that does feel a long way off at the moment.
Today I bought three films in Russian, and I am hoping to buy a good grammar exercise book in Дом Книги (House of Books – love that name!).
Tomorrow is my last day of school – I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone, on Sunday I will have been here for a month already! I am moving to my new apartment near the Marinsky Theatre on Sunday, which I am very happy about. I’ve tried really hard not to complain about my host family, but little things that they constantly do begin to grate! A few examples…
- Constantly coming into my room when I’m not here (I know they do this because they move my things around!)
- The whole see-through glass bathroom door issue (and further to that, the toilet door handle is also now broken!)
- The fact that they always watch me when I eat. And also their strange idea of portion sizes; they give me a normal sized dinner plate with a whole load of food (too much in fact), while they eat like sparrows from tiny side plates – and the daughter is pregnant so I really don’t understand! Especially as they always give me a drink, but never seem to drink anything themselves, and it’s been 30 degrees here these past few days.
- Not making me feel particularly welcome. I feel like I’m not allowed to be here, since when I had a bit of a relaxing day in doors on Saturday, she kept coming into my room and asking if everything was okay. So today, I deliberately stayed out until just before dinner time, and even that was wrong! She has a habit of seeming to disapprove of everything I do.
- The fact that I am not allowed to touch the curtains. It’s nearing the White Nights here (a couple of weeks of constant twilight), so the sun isn’t properly setting at the moment. It’s very light at night, and not being allowed to close my curtains means that I am not getting much sleep.
- The whole see-through glass bathroom door issue (and further to that, the toilet door handle is also now broken!)
- The fact that they always watch me when I eat. And also their strange idea of portion sizes; they give me a normal sized dinner plate with a whole load of food (too much in fact), while they eat like sparrows from tiny side plates – and the daughter is pregnant so I really don’t understand! Especially as they always give me a drink, but never seem to drink anything themselves, and it’s been 30 degrees here these past few days.
- Not making me feel particularly welcome. I feel like I’m not allowed to be here, since when I had a bit of a relaxing day in doors on Saturday, she kept coming into my room and asking if everything was okay. So today, I deliberately stayed out until just before dinner time, and even that was wrong! She has a habit of seeming to disapprove of everything I do.
- The fact that I am not allowed to touch the curtains. It’s nearing the White Nights here (a couple of weeks of constant twilight), so the sun isn’t properly setting at the moment. It’s very light at night, and not being allowed to close my curtains means that I am not getting much sleep.
I also live on the 8th floor, and there is no lift, but it’s like a free workout every day (at least, that’s what I tell myself anyway…) And there is one benefit to living so high up – the mosquitoes which plague the city don’t seem to fly this high. I don’t understand why, but whatever the reason, I’m grateful!
Oh well, just three days until moving day!
Thanks for reading!
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