On Sunday we had a cheeky little excursion to a place called
Ruskeala. It’s basically a marble
canon and it’s filled with water. The marble is supposed to make the water look
really pretty. Unless it’s torrential for the whole 4 hour ride there and back
plus our 2 hour stay there, then it’s just very puddly. It’s the sort of sight
that’s very pretty for all of 5 minutes and then it’s just more of the same.
Rocks and rain. We did have a lovely little walk through it, under caves and
over bridges. It cost us £30 for the transport and then tickets there, but on
the way back we stopped off at a restauranty –type place to all use the
bathroom. So we’re sitting nonchalantly in the dining room all crowded around a
table and sharing chairs, waiting; when suddenly the waitress comes and starts
putting tables together to make us all comfortable. Then food is brought out.
Not just food, courses are brought out. No-one’s really complaining, everyone’s
eating, thinking that the price is included in the extortionate price of the
trip because we got little apple dumplings on the way in for free. So once
everyone is fed and full we head onto the coaches to start the rest of the long
journey back. We sit down, put our seat
belts on, seats are reclined when suddenly the lady sitting with the driver
demands 250rubles (£5). We were like wtf, but money was handed over because
food was indeed consumed whether it had been voluntary or not. But outrage and
venom filled the air until we all fell asleep. Then it came back when our
teacher brought up the excursion on Monday morning and sudddenly we’re all fluently
protesting why anyone would order food without even asking and then having the
cheek to ask that they pay. In the end we’re getting 400rubles back so life is
good.
One of the ladies in charge also gave us rocks as souvenirs.
I felt rude so I put it in my pocket and it scratched my phone. It’s now on my
desk taunting me.
Today I had my first 2 tutorings. I tell you what, these
Russians are keen beans. I was discussing with one that I could teach her and
she was so excited she arranged it for the following day. I was so excited at
the thought of someone actually wanting to pay me for speaking English that I
jumped straight on board. Had a mare trying to find something to teach her
without any form of lesson plan. Luckily there’s a news by level website where
the same article comes in varying levels of English. My first girl is called
Katya and she’s far prettier than her Vkontakte photo makes her out to be. Is
it acceptable to stop teaching someone because they make you feel inadequate?
Anyway she picks me up in some flashy car and we head off to her house, not
much further than the University. She’s speaking a mile a minute and I have no
clue what’s going on; just praying the words I heard weren’t actually human
trafficking. Turns out she lives with a friend and the friend has a cat.
Absolutely adorable, tiny little grey kitten. Adorable that is until it poos on
the bed. The friend comes into the room, goes skitz, she’s shaking the cat’s
head in its own poo and I’m taking personal bets on whether its gonna have to
eat it. Turns out it just gets a good shaking and thrown out the room. Literally
thrown, this cat is airborne for a solid 3 seconds longer than natural. Katya
doesn’t speak any English really apart from what she learnt at school so some
things are vaguelly familiar. It’s kinda cool starting from scratch except
teaching her even the most simple of sentences involves me having to take a
massive diversion on something else. She’s pretty keen though so I end up
teaching her how to tell the weather, say some adjectives about her familiy,
definite and indefinite articles and to be. She’s going to Finland tomorrow
though and apparently we need to have a lesson by skype. She did pay me for 3
straight up so I’m not complaining.
My second lady was Anna and we had to take the bus to get to
hers, but again not crazy far away. She lives in what used to be a hostel with
her husband so it’s not all that nice (her words), but she speaks great
English. She’s actually an English teacher and she’s studying for the Cambridge
English test so I think she wants me to basically do her homework. I tried to
be all profesh and give her some of my own assessment tests but she was too
clever for them so I did the homework she couldn’t do for her. She also has a
cat, legit the softest thing I’ve ever felt in my life. She was bemused by me
not starting the lesson for at least 2 minutes to stroke and meow and also
kinda talk to her cat. But when something’s that soft how can you say no?!
Anyways that’s 5 hours a week of lessons, hope they have
some friends who also want to learn because I might have to start some sort of
business. I already told Katya she can have a discount if she wants 5 hours a
week. Had a mare pretending not to know my numbers while I figured out what to
charge her.
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