Life: When nothing works...
They say life's a bitch. Yet when you're in a foreign country and nothing that you need or want works, life's a royal pain in the ass. I've tried desperately to fit in over here and to get comfortable, but every time I try to do something that I would at home it fails. Take for example, the situation with my cell phone. I've been waiting for over a week for it and when I finally get it, it doesn't work. Does that surprise me? No. Why? Well because for the last week, everything I touch doesn't work. Last night, I tried to watch a DVD on the laptop and event though it said that it was in English, it wasn't. Okay so maybe I made a mistake. I checked the box and the store but maybe I misread it, so I look again when the only audio I was getting was Russian but the box clearly states, in both English and Russian, that it has English audio. Now I might not be able to understand Russian all that well, but when something says that it is in English, and its even written in English, what the HELL am I doing wrong? It just seems to me that everything over here is screwing up because it knows that I'm foreign. I can't take the damn DVD back because over here they are all pirated and the store isn't going to care that it doesn't work, so I'm out five dollars (okay, okay, I know that isn't a lot of money but when you want to watch STAR WARS EP. III, you should be able to. Right?). Oh and something that I've forgotten to mention up till now is that I almost was killed in my room the other night. I'm sitting on my bed after getting back from walking around with Kristin and what happens? -The cover to the light in my room comes CRASHING down! For no reason! I wasn't by it, I didn't touch it but it feel. Not only did it fall but it shattered into a hundred different pieces... Again, no big deal. Yes its a big deal! I can't even say hello to the receptionist right, so how the hell am I going to explain what happened to get a vacuum? I decided, in a very cool manner (a lot cooler than this post might lead you to believe), to pick up the broken glass myself. So with my two hands I pick up every piece of glass that I can. Then I use a plastic bag, because I don't have a broom, to sweep up the smaller pieces of glass. Luckily, I didn't cut myself at all but seriously... Oh what's the use, I feel this is how its going to be until April. All of you reading this right now are probably laughing your asses off and maybe one day I will too, but for the time being SCREW YOU, SCREW EQUIPMENT, AND SCREW NOT BEING ABLE TO SPEAK RUSSIAN!!!!On a lighter note, I met a young man that I'm going to be torturing while I'm here. His name is Yura and he is the son of the vice-rector, who is responsible for me being here. His father helped in getting me money, my room, and the three delicious meals I have a day. Yura is sixteen years old and in the last year of schooling here (they only go till 11th grade). He is pretty fluent in English but wants to be able to speak more like native English speakers. I think that he wants to actually go to the States for college, which I think is a great idea. I've only spent an hour with him but he seems really intelligent and really devoted. I think we'll get along fine, except I don't like teenagers...I didn't even like them when I was one...and when I was sixteen I wasn't thinking about learning another language or college, I was thinking how the hell am I going to get out of going to school today. Wow! these Russians are crazy people. No in all honesty, I think it will be a good experience for him and for me as well. It will give me the opportunity to learn some new teaching styles, because I'll try them out on him, and it will also teach me a new type of patients. I' m excited about working with him and I'm sure that all will be fine.
So I have real work to do now and better stop the bitching, but it was fun and very relaxing. Wish me luck, I have my first lesson tomorrow with a class!
posted by James @ 12:53 PM
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