3-15-2010; 11:30 PM
Whew -- I've managed to get three more journals ready for putting online…. Unfortunately, I still have 13 or so journals to go (which cover almost 20 days….!!!!) Luckily for me, one or two of them are fully fleshed out -- so they will just have to be copied and pasted -- I won't actually have to flesh them out!
[3-20-10 Note: Hah, I still wasn't that lucky -- I still had to edit both of those today! Luckily, right now, I'm in the home stretch for the journals now!!!)
Right now, I have tons of homework I'm not doing, and I want to go to bed before 1 AM, so, I need to get cracking on today's journal!!
**********
This week marks the first, full week of class we've had in quite some time -- so it's going to be interesting to have -- dare I say it -- four days of school!! Ha ha ha ha!
Classes went well today -- I got more praise from Galina Mikhailovna (Phonetics) about my progress; and we learned about the verb "to torment/to torture" in Razvitie Rechi today! This happened because we found out that our professor was Belorussian, and my classmates got to asking her many [personal] questions -- so she finally wound up asking, "Why are you tormenting me?!" She had us look the verb up, and when I found it first, I said, "Oh my goodness!!" and showed it to my classmates saying, "She says we're tormenting her!" My classmates asked, "Why?!" And she said it was because of all the questions. Someone said, "We just want to know about you!" Coming in on our teacher's side (as I could tell she was ready to move on), I said, "Why does it matter?!" -- to which our teacher said, "Exactly!!"
While it was all in good spirits (her saying we were "tormenting" her), I could tell she was happy when we finally moved on. She of course, got the last laugh, saying that there would be a test of the words we'd been studying the next time we had class -- saying that it would be her turn to torment us!!!!! Oh, that was priceless!
In Dance, we got into International Rumba again -- and we were doing spirals today! Whew -- talk about throwing people into the fire! (For those who don't know, there are essentially 3 types of turns/spins in ballroom, and the Spiral is the most difficult one of all! Especially when you're trying to have people do them in footwear that is not at all suited towards dance! [E.g. - boots, and non-slide-y shoes.])
After school, I called Vitalii (the trainer I'm supposed to start working with), to try to set up a lesson time -- so it looks like my first lesson will be on Saturday, at 6 PM, and we'll set up my subsequent lessons then! Whew…! It's good to finally have a date set to get started! -- I certainly was nervous when I called! Phone conversations are always a little tough -- and I typically hang up from them feeling like I must have given the impression I'm rather stupid… = O///o= '' I'm sure it's really not so bad -- but that's just how I feel.
**********
It was my first quiet day for a long time! (Well, since the 10th… Ha ha ha, not so long after all, I suppose..)
I came home from school, had a little snack, and then napped for an hour! How nice that was!
I helped Polina with her English homework; and then I started working on my journal edits!
Dinner consisted of the AMAZING chicken that my host mum makes -- it's Heaven on Earth! (I think it's also lightly curry something or other… But who cares what it's made of, when it's as good as it is?!?!) -- And I had fresh veggies again!!! Cucumbers (delicious!) and tomatoes. (I still don't like them fresh so much, but it's better than it used to be, I suppose. … I still hate the pulpy part, though. XD )
I came back to the journals after dinner, and a few hours later, here I am!
Now it's time for homework… I have a sinking feeling I have a test tomorrow…. Ha ha ha!
Love,
Moscow Kitty; 11:40 PM
=^__^=
**************************************
3-16-2010; 11:57 PM
Just in the nick of time!!! It's still Tuesday! (At least, as I start this journal entry.)
I can't believe I forgot to say this, but, "Happy [Belated] Ides of March, everyone!!!" Especially to you, Caesar! (You know who you are, if you're reading this. =^_~=)
I'll blame not saying "Happy Ides of March!" on the fact that I was distracted by trying to work on my journal yesterday!
**********
It was another normal day of classes -- save that Lilia Leonidovna (our Grammar teacher) is still sick!! That makes it 3 classes that we've missed her in now -- we are all so sad!!! We miss her!!!
It was pretty funny though -- there was a Russian girl who was sitting in on the first half of our Grammar block -- and when she came in to ask for Lilia Leonidovna, she started speaking to Juan, first, who immediately said, "Oh, don't ask me, talk to her!!" At that point, he pointed to me.
Ha ha ha!
Later, during our break, Anya asked her what foreign languages she knew -- and when she said that she spoke English, everyone in my group was just like, "Why didn't you say that earlier?!?!?!?!" -- Oh my goodness, it was *priceless!!* Ha ha ha!
Video was really good today, too! We finished "Rusalka" ("Русалка" - "Mermaid") last week, and today we were having our re-cap/final discussion about it. It was at this point that our professor started taking us through the little cultural tidbits that could be found throughout the entire movie, which made it a little clearer, why the film was entitled, "Mermaid." I have to say, I wish I had known them earlier -- as it would have made the whole film just a little bit easier to understand -- but better late than never, I suppose!
We also learned about the magical powers of Goldfish! (I'm not joking.)
Fast Facts From Video Class, About Mermaids and Goldfish In Russia:
Concerning Mermaids
* Mermaids, in Russia, always have Green hair.
* They can either hurt people (kidnapping them), or Save People (the latter being the key for this movie)
Concerning Goldfish
* In Russian Fairy Tales, Goldfish have the power to grant 3 wishes.
*But after they grant those three wishes… They die.
(These facts are apparently things that every Russian Person knows. So, when the main character in the movie believes that she has the power to realize wishes (if she says them out loud); or when she dyes her hair green; and when one of the characters in the film owns a Goldfish -- the average Russian person would immediately pick up on those little "shout-outs" to the mythology, and relate them to the title of the film, "Mermaid.")
**********
After school, I had a brief meeting with Nikita (One of the guys who goes to Russian American club, who is a Russian student from the university I'm studying at.). I'd had no idea what it was about going into it, as I'd just gotten a text-message from him yesterday, asking if we could meet.
Now, I hadn't given him my number -- so it was a big surprise for me to receive the text!! (As it turns out, when I asked around, Juan had given him my number, and said, "Yeah, I probably should have asked you first…" ) And of course, when I mentioned that he'd asked to meet with me, the people in our whole group who heard it *all* gave me the, "We bet we know what *he* wants!" look… = @_@ =
Luckily for me, they were all *wrong!* He had been hoping that I might help him with with English, because he's hoping to study abroad, and needs to pass the TOEFL test. (That's the test that says you're proficient enough in English as a foreign language to get into an English-Speaking university, etc.)
In the end, I had to tell him no -- which I felt awful about -- but as soon as he asked me, "Do you have any free time?" -- well, the answer to that is, "No, not really." And I really won't, once ballroom starts up next week! I'll be in school; have enough time to run home and get my dance things; then I'll be at dance; and then I'll have to come home to eat, clean up, and do homework. … I'm getting the feeling I may try to do some of my homework on the Metro! Ha ha ha!! What precious little free time that will be left over in my life once all pistons start running is *mine!*
Things weren't completely hopeless for Nikita though -- our Russian friend Tatiana works as an English tutor, and she had told me just yesterday that she was looking for more students -- so I told Nikita that I would ask her if it was ok for me to give him her number. As soon as I said that, Nikita laughed and told me, "When you told me you never give out anybody's number without asking them first, I didn't understand -- but now that you've just said that, I do!" It was funny.
(3-20-10 Note: I did introduce Nikita and Tatiana on Thursday, at Russian-American Club, so hopefully it will work out for the two of them to work together.)
**********
Speaking of all pistons running, that's certainly how I felt when I left the university after my meeting with Nikita!! I went right home to start doing some homework; got cleaned up for hustle; ate; and then I left for my party!
Unfortunately, Maxim wasn't there -- Yuri, and the other girl he normally dances with even asked me about it! But they were just teasing. (I'd just looked at them and said, "How should *I* know?!?! I don't even have his number!!) Yuri said he was at work, or had work soon -- I wasn't quite sure. (Zhenya wasn't there either, for anyone who is curious.)
I still had some good dances, nevertheless. I even met another older gentleman who knew/had studied the American Rhythm style! I told him, "I thought no one outside of the US studied these!"
Andrei was a sweetheart yet again, and brought me chocolates! I thanked him profusely for his kindness, and asked him why he was so nice to bring me the chocolates every week, and he said something to the effect of he was happy to feed me / to make me so happy.
(3-20-10 Note: I should clarify here that it's some kind of cultural thing, for guys to want to feed their girlfriends/wives/women they are close with. We talked about this later in the week in class, but I figured I'd just put it here, now. It wasn't anything creepy, that Andrei had said, when he said he was happy to feed me -- just something cultural.)
I'm quite the hit, between Andrei, this new older gentleman (who knows the Rhythm style), and of course, my lovely DJs, Sergei and Yuri!!!
It was *so* funny, because at one point, the newer, older gentleman was "fighting" with Yuri, about whom I loved (more), and Yuri had said, "But she's *our* Katya! We love her!!!" and they wound up asking me whom I loved more, and I had to say, "Well, I love Yuri, of course! -- I've known him longer!!!!" Ha ha ha ha ha!!! My goodness, what a thing to get in an "argument" about!
As much fun as all of that was, in the end, I left a little early because my feet were hurting, and I still had homework to do… (They'd also opened a bunch of windows, and I'd gotten a little chilly…)
**********
So, now it's time for homework!
--- And on other random bits -- I have *really* got to get my body's relationship with food back in line! I've been on a crazy "sugar-kick" ever since I got here (and I'm not the only one) -- but the last day or so, it's been *really* bad. Tack onto that the fact that my lunches are basically about the same size (and consist of the same food) as an actual dinner, and I'm stuck with a situation that isn't exactly conducive to the whole, "keeping one's figure" bit!! = O-o = / = @_@ = -- Not that I feel as though I've gained a ton of weight -- but I think I'm on the verge of it, if my equilibrium doesn't get restored soon. … I wasn't ever actually hungry today (I think I was still full from yesterday!) -- and yet, there was still much eating… I must exercise some self-control, and be careful!! It's a good thing the ballroom dancing is starting back up again! I need to get my form of exercise back!! ---
And with that randomness finished, it's homework, and then bedtime for me!
Ciao,
Moscow Kitty; 12:24 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment