Birthday present

Words:  508; pictures

November 7

Ran in full on rain today.  Harder rain than ever.  Shoes wet, socks wet, pants wet and splotted with mud (I hand washed them in the shower—points up one of the prime comforts of living in the developed world—running hot water.  Although I was running through the rain and my hands were freezing, I could always think of the shower ahead.  And the shower in my present apartment is probably the best shower I’ve ever had.) The lenses of my glasses often were covered in drops, although I could always see something.

             I’ve been struggling with a decision about the amount I am working.  I started a bank account yesterday with some cash in rubles.  If I keep making money, maybe I will have enough to rent an apartment so the boys can be here in the summer. Should I continue to work like a hamster on a wheel, or should I pull back and try to have more fun?  But, as my friend in Albania said, “No mon, no fun.”

            At any rate, a couple weeks ago, I told my Saturday, and Sunday afternoon, student that I could no longer teach him because I have too much other work.  My decision coincided with a week-long school vacation for the school kids.  Since they were going to be out of school, they also didn’t want any English classes.  When they don’t want classes, I don’t have any work, and there is no income (I still have my adult classes, but there is less income).  In addition, one of my new terrific clients called off her classes for the week.  Since I made this decision, I went from one where I am swimming in cash and NOT looking for work (finally) to one where I am not getting great income and trying to arrange more work.  It’s one of those feast and famine type of situations.  Luckily for me, when I told the people who arranged the client that I COULD work instead of NOT work, I was greeted with, “Thank you a lot”.  So, I hope it will come through. 

            Yesterday, my biggest class gave me a birthday present.  This is a group of adults that comes to me after their working day on the premises of a bank.  Though I am most anxious about teaching groups, the groups seem to be my biggest successes.  Possibly because I take more care with such classes.  Also because the group dynamics comes into play. I love it when I am explaining something and they are all looking at me attentively.  Even more, I like it when I am giving some additional comment about the real usage of English.  Yesterday, the lesson involved adding question tags to sentences. 

            “The meal was terrific, wasn’t it?”  --the question tag is “wasn’t it”

            A rhyme from my childhood came into my head:  Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.  Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, was he?”  They loved it.

            The present was a beautiful book about Russian masterpieces of architecture.  Normally, I don’t much care about man-made structures, but there are quite a few bits of treasure in here.

100 Architectural Masterpieces

With best wishes, from the group of PSB.  We wanted to with you so good students as we are. =)  (I see it is interesting that in the modern age, for this young lady, even hand-written smiley faces are written sideways.)
You are the best teacher of the world.

 I've seen these:

Moscow

St. Basil's Cathedral
The Russian name for this great church right on Red Square is:  Cathedral of Vasily Vlazhennovo.  We decided that it became St. Basil's because of some kind of English butchering of the name

Bolshoy Theater

Arch of Triumph

Andreevski Bridge

Moscow Metro stations

Fountain at BDNX

Krimski Bridge

Moscow State University--I drive by this one two days a week on the way to a company class.

Lushniki Stadium where the marathon finished

Ostankino television/radio tower...I can see it from my apartment

St. Petersburg

Winter Palace

I have a picture of my cousin sitting on my creating a duplicate of this pose

Сheif of Staff Building (a terribly unattractive name for a wonderful place)

Temple of Christ's Blood

The draw bridge over the river Niva between St. P and Vasily Island.  I was stuck on the island all night once because I didn't get to the other side before the bridge went up at 1 am.  It was no big deal, though, because there were lots of people sleeping/partying.  It was the longest night of White Nights.

Kunzkamera--"a collection of interesting things" Peter the Great gathered stuff here. http://www.kunstkamera.ru/en/museum_exhibitions/2floor/1st_collections/
It's worth a look.  Skeleton of Siamese twins.

Peterdvaretz

Other places

I'm not sure if I saw this, but I saw something like it in Samarkand, Yzbekistan.  I guess, since this is a book about Russian architecture, I DIDN'T see it, but I still think it's cool.

Chesmenskaya Church.  I suppose this is in Chesmen, but I don't know.  I haven't seen this.

I don't remember seeing this guy, either, but I did see the woman in the back ground.  Or at least something that looks like the woman--in Odessa in 1988.