Journal 97
Wednesday - 12-1-10
Class
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Tonight, I had my first practice with Roma since he left (after last Friday), and it went pretty well.
Lots of our amazing couples were at the studio tonight, and that is always a treat to me! I really do love getting to watch everyone, when I am not working!!
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Tonight was actually kinda special, because I spent some time chatting with Nikita (one of the little boys from the kids in the studio who think I'm awesome) about language.
We were sitting next to each other on the stage, and Michael Bublé's, "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" was playing. I was singing along, as I always do, and I noticed that Nikita was singing, too. Now, I know that Nikita does not speak English (maybe just a little, but not really), and so I asked him, out of curiosity, "Do you know what it is that you are singing, or do you just know the sounds?" I smiled, and he confided that it was mostly that he just knew the sounds. I told him, "That's like what I do with lots of the Russian songs!" He laughed, enjoying as I did, I think, how people can have the same habits in similar situations.
I wound up explaining that the song was a beautiful, very romantic song, and translated some of the lyrics for him. Shortly after doing so, he asked me, "Say something in English!" I obliged him, running off on something basic, but in English. Of course, I realized that while what I was saying was perfectly clear, and basic to me, to him, he must have had NO idea what I was saying! So, every few sentences, I stopped, and re-stated in Russian what I had just said in English.
Imagine my surprise, upon finishing, when Nikita exclaimed, "How pretty!!!" [He was referring to the language.]
I've never heard English spoken of as sounding beautiful!! I was so touched! [And of course, it inadvertently made me feel pretty, too. Ha ha ha. It's always welcome to hear your native tongue praised!]
We kept talking, and actually got onto the subject of accents (the ones found around the US), and the perceptions people can have of those who have them. So now, Nikita knows what a Southern US accent sounds like (and how it can be softer or stronger, depending on where you are in the US South), and that sometimes people with Southern accents will hide them, in order to not be considered "stupid" or "slow."
[My heart melted a second time when Nikita asked me, with that earnestness of youth, "But *why???*"
-- That's because I lived in Tennessee for some time when I was young -- so I am Southern at heart, and the Southern accent has always, and will always remain near and dear to my heart.
In order to give him a fair explanation of why Southern accents may be looked down upon, I told Nikita that it was more due to the usages (or not) of grammar and clear (or unclear) diction that leads to the aforementioned discrimination.]
*****
Non-related, but still welcome, events of the night included:
Artëm asking me if I had the cookies again -- ha ha! He's totally addicted. [The fact that he's asked for them again, and eats them in public, I take as a major compliment, because he once told me he only eats sweets at home!!]
Masha bringing me some "mushroom cookies" -- the ones we had at the dacha!!
(Am I sensing a "cookie" theme here??)
And non-cookie related, I was Vova's partner Masha and I chatted on the way out of practice tonight. She checked up on how my classes were coming, and how I felt my progress with Russian was moving along, what difficulties I was having with it, etc. It was nice!
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In other news, I finally get to hang out with Mulzoff again tomorrow!! I am so looking forward to that! I haven't seen him since the Ball...
Unfortunately, I'm going to be very tired when I do see him, I think, because my sleep schedule is all messed up, and it appears that I won't be getting to bed until after 5 AM... And I planned to get up at 8:30 AM....
Oh boy.
Love,
Moscow Kitty
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