So we just had our first full day in Petrozavodsk and I’m
sitting in my room attempting to learn how to tell the time because I’m not
entirely sure my host knows what time I have to be in uni tomorrow morning.
Apparently we also have a French girl coming to stay in the other room to study
at the University with us. Either that or I just got overly excited about
something else and really need to study more, because it was a solid 7 minute
conversation about it. This is very exciting news because I should hopefully
get to practise my abysmal a-level French and also have a friend to play with.
I very much had a when
in Rome moment at breakfast this morning. I was given bread, cheese and
tomato for breakfast and a cup of black tea. Turns out she does drink milky tea
but she thought I was vegan. Our 11:20 start was merely a chance for my host to
chat with someone else’s host (although I do see a blossoming romance there),
and then a 10 minute welcome talk and a trip to the local phone shop to buy SIM
cards; our first chance for real-life public Russki speaking. A few people
bought unlocked Russian phones and it was hilarious watching them attempt to
find the settings to change it to English. Only £12ish, so not crazy; plus
another 200 rubles for the simcard (£4) and it’s 1.5 rubles a text (3p). Apparently
the phone company also needs all the information in your passport to give you
even a pay as you go SIM. I’m kinda just going with the flow about the complete
lack of sense that makes.Then Sasha (our main teacher) left us in the middle of
this shopping centre surrounded by overly dressed kids having their first day
at school, to explore. The first thing we did was go to the lake at the end of
the main road, also the only real road here. It was gorgeous and there’s free
public wifi along the bank so you can skype with a glorious view. I was
expecting to see hundreds of stray dogs roaming the streets looking for those
who hadn’t had their rabies injections yet, but alas none. On the plus side I
did see my first mulleted man and it was as glorious as I expected. We found
the local nightclub, but Golden Palace might be a more appropriate name and it
had the standard Russian youths standing outside donned in Adidas trackies and
the girls scantily clad at 7pm. They get the party started reaaaaly early in
Petrozavodsk.
Classes are everyday 9:45-11:20 and then 11:20-13:00 leaving
us the whole afternoon to chill out. Plus we were given free books to work
from, because after all we are paying for the course. Sheffield, take the hint
with your stupid £90 textbooks. Most people seem really happy with their hosts
and it ranges from families with WIFI access to an elderly couple with a crazy
poodle and a husband who never leaves the bedroom. Luckily I leave right
opposite the uni, but some people have a 20 minute walk or a short trolleybus
ride. The fare is only 17r a journey or 600r a month. (27p and £12).
Somehow I managed to break my only travel adaptor already by
blow drying my hair (and also my blow dryer itself) so I ventured out all alone
for the first time in an attempt to find an electronic store open. My host
didn’t seem to understand my need to charge my phone/laptop/camera/life
immediately. I found a shop right outside our apartment block and somehow
managed to make the sales assistand understand me and what a babe, he pulled
out exactly what I needed and gave it to me “as present for you!” The спасибоs
were dolled out appropriately and I quickly walked away in case his English
wasn’t great and he thought present meant purchase you need to pay for.
Tomorrow begins my quest for a new фен and I pray Valentina doesn’t get sick of
me holding the majority of my possessions in front of her face and going что
это что это. I reckon she gets her revenge by touching everything I own. She
came into my room to speak to me and saw some photos I had stuck up on the
wardrobe and just patted them all nicely out of place and then jumbled up my
pile of books. But she does call me Nadinka so I’ll let her off.
Here are basically the only things I’ve said since I
arrived, should be able to get anyone through:
Что это – what's
this?
Не поняла
– I don’t understand
Опять – again???
Мне нужно – I need
Всё в порядке – its all good
Мой фен сломался – my
hairdryer broke
Вот мой пасспорт –
here's my passport
Anyway it’s potentially off to the station for this French
girl, Sara, now.
Or maybe not, I really have no idea what’s occuring.
Turns out there was a French girl called Clara to pick up.
The train station is something in itself; my host managed to make a new friend
and introduces me as она плохо по-русский and then makes me be quiet because
they’re having a private conversation. However it was a bit chilly and I’ve
never been held so tight so that was appreciated. She is also remarkably good
at making new male friends. Everywhere we’ve been so far she seems to have made
a new one. I must ask for her secret. Russian train stations are curious;
there’s no stairs to go under to go from platform to platform so everyone just
seems to walk over the tracks. I guess it’s far more efficient, except they
probably do get quite a few accidents occuring that way. Then after an
anouncement they play a song. No-one dances, although if I wasn’t being
snuggled I definitely would have. I’m not quite sure if the song was actually
the next train’s arrival time in musical form or not but it was pretty glorious
and I appreciate the sentiment of mood lifting on a chilly night. Anyway yaaay
I have a new friend to play with and Valentina let me show her how the toilet
and shower works so I now feel utilised and important. I did attempt to spea k
French and normally I can juggle languages but what with this new 24/7 Russian,
I’m pretty sure all that came out was some Hebrew. But all in all a good day.
No comments:
Post a Comment