25 February 2011
Dear all,
Things are much less hectic today – such a relief! Apparently Nastya was very worried about me yesterday, because I was so overwhelmed with everything, but she saw me today and was much less worried. When I got home from work yesterday, at about 8pm, I was still really overwhelmed. I made a cup of coffee and was planning to clean up the apartment a bit, but in the end I just got into my pjs and watched a bit of tv. There’s no digital tv here; just analogue tv with bunny ears. I chose the channel with the best reception. It was a silly tv show, but I watched it anyway. The ads are really funny here eg they have a Coca-Cola ad with the same song as we have, but in Russian – it’s kind of strange. I relaxed with some tea and sushki (hard round plain biscuits) and went to sleep. I was lovely and warm: my bed backs onto the central heating unit.
I have a studio apartment with a separate bathroom. Although it’s a studio, it’s quite big and I have a sofa bed, but to be honest, it’s quite long and although it can fold out, I don’t need it to; it’s big enough as it is. My only gripes with the apartment are the lack of toilet seat (it’s cold!), the stove that takes a week to warm up and the cigarette burns everywhere from the previous tennant. He also left a few things behind which he came and collected today, so anything he hasn’t taken I am going to throw out. I’m luckier than the boys who live here: they don’t have a washing machine and have to wash by hand. I have a washing machine in my kitchen, but no dryer. Nastya is going to give me an iron so I can dry my clothes (I hate ironing!).
Sunrise here is at about 7.30-8am and sunset is at about 4.30-5pm. During the day, it’s lovely and bright. Even though there isn’t much warmth in the sun, feeling it on your face and being out in it is still wonderful. Today I got up, had an apple and a coffee and the rest of my sushki, watched Good morning Russia on tv and then went back to bed. I had the stove on for an hour trying to boil some water. Actually, I put water that I had boiled in the kettle in a pot and put that pot on the stove. After an hour it still hadn’t boiled. I woke up, got dressed, then the previous tennant came and collected his things so now when I go home today, I can clean the kitchen (with an old-fashioned powder cleaner) and cook and put things where I want them to be. The cleaning products are really funny. The sponge advertises that it is contoured for your hands so that women with long beautiful nails don’t ruin them while using he sponge. It’s kind of like living in the 70s or 80s again. It’s not so bad really. At least I can remember a little bit about the 1980s.
When we walked to school today, Nastya tried to lend me some boots, but with my socks they wouldn’t fit so I had to wear mine again. There is nothing wrong with my boots, they’re quite comfortable. But the soles are smooth and so they’re very slippery on the ice. They also don’t have a lining, so if you’re out walking, they’re not really warm enough. Nastya brought me some socks for around the house, so I put them on over my normal socks to wear under my boots and I was warm enough. My feet were a little squished, but I was warm. We caught the bus this morning (13 rubles) so I knew how to do it and tried to buy a simcard from MegaFon but I have to wait until I’m registered with the city before I can do that. We got off the bus a couple of stops early and walked past all the shops. We bought some hot ponchiki (doughnuts) on the way and ate them outside near the river. It was a spectacular! There’s a big park near the river. All fountains have been closed off and the city has put light displays in their place. There was an enormous Christmas tree which seemed like it was 50 m tall. It was in the process of being dismantled and there were ice sculptures everywhere. They’re so beautiful, and they haven’t lost any of their shape. You can walk in them! Actually, they have made one on the stairs with a slide down the middle so people can climb on it and slide down. There’s another one with stairs that you can climb up and then slide down the other side. It’s like a kind of playground castle, but made entirely of ice. We had a quick look at the river. It’s still flowing and Nastya told me the city is separated into left and right bank (like in Paris). The left bank is where the main administration and the city is (where the school is and where I live) and the right bank is mostly suburban.
We arrived at school and my nose and face was frozen. I didn’t care, although the wind was starting to pick up. Then Nastya showed me where the cafe was in the building and she helped me order lunch. I ate while she went upstairs and started work. I had vegetables, chicken, a clear soup (chicken maybe?) and grechka (a Russian staple of boile roasted buckwheat). You could choose that or potatoes or salad. I also had a coffee (a choice between cappuccino or americano) made with real coffee beans and a coffee machine and the whole thing cost 172 rubles (about $5.70). Apparently, I should only eat at this cafe sometimes, because it’s not the cheapest place to eat. I like how they have cafes here. It’s not like in Australia. You kind of feel like the cafe is someone’s kitchen and the chairs and tables are in someone’s house. The women wear simple clothes, aprons and often slippers. They use household dishcloths and microwaves and the cutlery and crockery is what you’d find in someone’s house. The coffee was also real! It wasn’t the instant 3 in 1 Mac coffee which is dreadful and they made it with fresh milk. Although the taste wasn’t what I was used to, it was still very drinkable. I have a headache though, despite my caffeine fix. I think I’m still tired and whenever I stick my head out the door, there is so much that is different and new. I walk around with a semi-permanent stunned, fascinated, childlike expresson on my face. At least I’m getting faster at reading Cyrillic. I still read and write like a child, but I’m practising reading names on the news and reading all the signs. Nastya has lent me a dictonary from the school which I can use to help teach myself, too.
After lunch I went upstairs to work. Nastya gave me my timetable for next week. It’s a 6 day week, because it’s International Women’s day the week after, which is a public holiday. Because it’s my first week, it’s quite an easy timetable: only 3 classes. One group of 3 children (about 9 or 10 years old – elementary level); one group of 2 men (elementary level) and one individual student who will send a car to pick me up and drop me off so I can teach at his house. On Monday I’m also going to a high school to talk to a group of 15-year-olds about the school, play a game with them, promote English, and generally encourage them to learn with us. I think it’ll be quite fun. I was so excited when I received my timetable. It helped me to relax and gave me a bit of confidence, because if I can’t do anything else, at least I know what I’m doing when I teach. Nastya is also looking forward to giving me French classes. Even though there being a native French speaker at the school, he doesn’t want to teach French so I will teach French and practise my own French with him. Now, Nastya is working and I’m waiting for another teacher to come in so I can ask her advice about what to do with the young children. I’ve got some ideas, but it would be better to speak with her because children differ from country to country. Nastya also gave me some business cards which I am to keep with me. They’re not made for me especially; they’re for the school. But they have a place to write your name and all the school’s contact details, so if anyone wants to learn here, at least I can promote things a bit and give them a card. I feel special!
I think that’s about all I can write for the moment. The American teacher is going to take me to the markets tomorrow to buy anything I want to. The biggest problem at the moment is my nose constantly being sore and me being constantly thirsty from the dry air, but it’ll settle down soon. Thank you for your news and comments. I love hearing about what’s happening back home. Talk to you soon!
Much love,
Jane.
3 Years in Siberia 