4 February 2009

4 February 2009
Today was my first day of class- lexical studies. It could have gone better. I had first day jitters, and made a lot of mistakes. Also, because the consulate in New York spelled my name on my visa Дэвид instead of Давид like I’m used to, it ended up like that in my registration and on my student id and everywhere I sign anything I have to put that. As a result, in class today whenever the professor called my name I didn’t notice. I told her after class though, and she said she would be sure to use the form I prefer. The group I’m in is an interesting one. There is one other American, one person from Finland, three people from Taiwan, and six or seven people from China. It reminds me of the ELI at UD, but instead of huge masses of people from Korea and Turkey, the majority here is China and Taiwan. Just like at UD, they tend to stick together and whenever they aren’t answering someone directly always speak in their native language (Chinese). I understand wanting to speak in your own tongue, but I feel that that isn’t really helpful. I know I saw friends in the ELI who were on both sides, and the ones who were disciplined enough (Julien) to speak in the language they were studying as much as possible were the ones who were most successful. Following his example, I’ve more or less refused to speak English outside of talking to people from home and this log. I met people from England today and responded to all their questions in Russian, refusing to switch my thinking. I’ve noticed that my Russian verbal abilities are very unbalanced. From my studies combined with the short time I’ve been here, I’ve gotten to the point where I can more or less say anything that’s on my mind…but I have trouble understanding everything I hear. I think the reason is that while I have had a lot of practice speaking, it is usually with other students of Russian, so we are both speaking slowly. I need more interaction with native speakers, so I have started watching TV (we have one in our room, and there is one in the café downstairs) and I am going to meet up with Вова this weekend, as well as go to my first meeting at the StPb Hillel tomorrow night. I told Valentin about it, and invited him to go along with me for their “English Table” (I know I don’t want to speak English, but if I am going to make Russian friends I suppose an hour a week is a sacrifice I’ll have to make). I know Valentin isn’t Jewish, but he speaks English fairly well, and he’s as bored out of his mind sitting around the dorm room as I am. Today after I got back from class An took a nap, and I was so bored I went to the store in the next building and walked around for a while, bought a can-opener and some tomato sauce (which was terrible, by the way- I don’t care if they are closer to Italy, Russians do not understand Italian food) and had a conversation with two shop-keeps at a video store, eventually buying a cheap Russian DVD to watch later. I then came back and walked up and down the stairs of the building three times (I live on the 17th floor) and then sat in the café and watched the news for a while. When I left I bought an iced cream. For some reason I don’t get sick from Russian iced cream. Plus, I figure if you have to walk 34 flights of stairs to get it, you’re no longer a fatty (or perhaps it’s the other way around?).
I signed up and paid for internet today. Unfortunately because of volume, I won’t have access until at least Friday, probably Monday. I’m looking forward to finally being able to have access to my email without having to borrow An’s computer every night while he cooks dinner. I don’t like sitting at his desk, because with the way our room is set up, we each have a desk, a bed, and a bookshelf, while the kitchen is just a sink, electric stove, and small dorm refrigerator. There is nowhere to eat, so when he finishes cooking he needs to sit at his desk to have dinner. No matter where I am in an email, every time I hear the door between the kitchen and bedroom open I end it quickly so that I won’t hold him up. Every time I apologize and tell him I’m finishing up. It isn’t all bad though. Since I’ve been sitting at my computer bored without internet, I’ve become a master at 3D pinball.
Anyway…that’s pretty much it. I finally have all my documents in order, other than picking up my copy of my registration on Friday and making the last two payments on my tuition, so after my first (and hopefully only) freak-out the other day, I am feeling much better.