rescue mission

On Friday, another friend of mine, M, arrived from America. If it seems strange that I’m teaching English in the middle of Siberia with two friends from college, well, it is strange (and it gets stranger: a third friend is coming in October). It was a mixture of fate and common sense (we all wanted to go to Russia after graduation, so why shouldn’t we have planned to go together?) that led us to Krasnoyarsk, and I’ll probably write about it in another post.

Anyway, M is working at a different school than J and I (and B, who is coming in October). His school offered to find an apartment for him, just like mine did for J, B, and me. However, while the apartment my employer found was spacious, comfortably furnished, equipped with new appliances, and situated on the top floor of an apartment building in a safe area, M’s apartment was the complete opposite — there were just two battered, grimy old couches in the living room/bedroom combination, and only a sink, a fridge, and a stove (each standing alone; there was no counter) placed haphazardly about the tiny kitchen, and everything reeked of old cigarette smoke (after only ten minutes inside my throat felt like it was closing up (and there were old cigarette butts littering the floor)).

J and I decided we couldn’t let M continue to live in a dingy, under-furnished apartment, when we had an extra mattress and a living room available in our apartment. So he moved in with us while his employer searches for a better place for him.

Due to M’s intense desire to learn Russian, he strikes up conversations with people everywhere; in only four days I have heard tiny bits and pieces of the life stories of a cab driver, a waiter, and a woman selling ice cream in a stand on the sidewalk on Svobodniy Prospekt. I met M four years ago in Russian 101 — a class he signed up for as a joke. Funny how things turn out.

Today in school the students had a moving-up ceremony. The Foxes (five-year-old students) became Jaguars, and the Jaguars (six-year-old students) became Lions (and the younger students have their celebration later this week). In order to “become” their new animals, the students had to complete tasks and do dances and sing songs. I got to wear a lion mask (as I’m the new Lions’ teacher) and set small tasks for the Jaguars to complete in order to “cross the jungle” and become Lions.

I didn’t have to teach any lessons today because of the celebration, which was a relief. I’ve still been having trouble getting the kids to listen to me in class, which disrupts the flow of my lesson plans. I watch other teachers in class every day, though, so it’s just a matter of applying teaching skills better and, more importantly (I think), giving the students a little more time to become comfortable with me as their teacher.

Troya Park, where I sat on a bench for a while in the middle of my walk

Finally, last Saturday I went for a long walk. The weather was beautiful; it was a perfect autumn morning (although maybe the chill was a bit premature, since it’s warmed up again since then).