That was quick....

What I thought was going to be quite a difficult and action packed day, turned out not to be. In fact, in hindsight, I could have had four more hours sleep and still have had time to burn. The fact that I was wide awake by 5 and unable to return to sleep was testament to my body clock having not yet adjusted to Moscow time yet.

My plans for the day were to obtain some matte finish photos and then take the photos to BKC for visa and registration purposes and to sign the new contract. Obtaining the photos took 10 mins worth of me speaking bad Russian to get what I had come for. But it was relatively painless and we had enough understanding to get it under control. The small studio was located just next to the Metro station nearest my house, Timiryazevskaya.

Next stop was BKC to sort out the business end of things. Three contracts, a metro pass and a spravka* later, I left BKC and walked to Lingua, through Red Square. There seemed to be an ice skating rink set up in there. (Weird, as it’s not really cold enough for it, but yet, it’s too cold to take a leisurely stroll in the park.)

I got to Lingua about 4 ½ hours earlier than required for my first day at work for the second tour. I had three classes to teach today and I had already organized two of them. I’m constantly reminded what a good investment that Nintendo DS was. J J It was also a great opportunity to meet some of our new teachers. I met fellow Australians Sharon and Mitchell who hail from Cairns (although originally Sharon is actually from Mooroolbark too) Small world gets smaller again… I actually feel a bit sorry for them as all they have heard about is the “other” Australian teacher who left earlier this year but was coming back soon. I hope now that I’m back, the students will settle down a bit.

When it finally came time to do my classes, I had an Upper Intermediate/Advanced Club (where we talked about Epitome, colloquialisms such as “on the ball” and “in the know” and even a quick stint on “the business end” of things.), an Elementary Grammar Class which was largely focused on houses and getting singular and plural questions, positive and negative statements under control (undoubtedly one of the most entertaining classes I’ve ever taught due to the fact that I was running on adrenaline alone) My final class was an Intermediate Grammar class which by the end, I was absolutely exhausted. I felt exactly how I did when I stayed up all morning to finish a program.

I made it back home again, had a wonderful dinner and practically fell into bed. I hope my body clock adjusts soon. Especially if they are going to insist on giving me the late shifts…

Tomorrow would be a new day with another 3 classes to teach. It’s what I’m here for. Spreading the love that is the English language…

*Spravka – This is a special document issued by the school to tell authorities that you do not have your passport because it has been taken for registration purposes, therefore hopefully avoiding a fine. The reality is that even with a spravka, you are still in danger of being fined. Contradictions of law seem to be commonplace in Russia.