Out Houses
So we joke around that one of the reasons to E.T. that is perfectly acceptable is if you fall into a pit toilet. No questions asked, just go home and hang your head in shame for the rest of your life. So yesterday, I was going to the outhouse and my kitten followed me, I kept saying "Nieliezya" which means "not allowed" in Russian but it kept coming anyway. So I go in, shut the door and it starts clawing it's way inside and it finally gets its head poked through, but I put my hand down by the door (while I was mid-squat) to keep it from getting through. Side note: our outhouse is particularly big since it's on a small hillside so it's a good 12-13 foot drop. So anyways, I finish up and open the door but keep my foot next to it so the kitten can't get through but before I knew it, it bolted over my foot and was 1 nanocentimeter from falling in the outhouse. In one fell swoop I grabbed it and tossed it 4 feet and right into the snow. I don't think it knew what was going on because when I finally picked it up it's heart was racing, and I think it got mad at me because it didn't come around me for the rest of the night. It should have been thanking me because there's no way we would have been able to get it out, and trust me, death by outhouse would be the worst kind.
My New Family
So I am living with 3 sisters and I feel like I'm in a sorority house or something. Japar, 26, is married but her husband is living and working in Moscow and her daughter is living with her parents in a village outside of Tokmok. She's an accountant, I think. Jildes, 21, is a student although she had exams yesterday and I haven't seen her crack a book. Kundus, 19, works at a Korean firm, and she teaches Kyrgyz, I think. Japar is the serious one, Jildes is the cute, bubbly one and Kundus, the youngest (and true to form) is the wild one. It's nice not having parents to tell me to put on my hat every time I leave the house but it's not without trade offs. I think I have heard 50 cents "The Candyshop" and Christina Aguliera's "Dirty" about 8,000 times since I've been here. I think I will have to educate them about what good American music is.
Japar speaks pretty decent English which is helpful but at the same time it's too easy to rely on so now I am going to have to work extra hard on my Russian. As of right now I am signed up for 9 hours of tutoring per week, so we'll see how that all goes. It's still the most difficult part about being here and adjusting because communication is so key.
My School
So my closest friend her is my 17 year old student, Danier. I call him my groupie because he comes over every day just to ask how I am. I went guesting at his house one of the first nights but it was pretty daunting because his father used to be a Russian teacher so he kept grilling me and quizzing me about everything. Talk about being put on the spot. I am teaching 18 hours a week but it's going to be hard because I'm supposed to be teaching 6,7,8,9,10 and 11 grades, so my lesson planning is going to be somewhat difficult. A few of my classes don't have books so I think I'll try to focus on conversation for those. My task seems pretty daunting at this point because I'm trying to remember what I've learned for the last 3 months in training but I feel like I can resort to a few standard games until I get my bearings.
'Stache Tober
So for the month of October, none of the guys shaved as it was PST tradition for the last few years. So Bohee and I took it upon ourselves to do "leg-hair November" and not shave for the entire month. It's now mid-Dec and I still haven't shaved but I try to rationalize it by telling myself that I'm only doing it to keep warm. When I told this to Bohee, her response was, "Ha, I too have given up being a woman."
My New Family
So I am living with 3 sisters and I feel like I'm in a sorority house or something. Japar, 26, is married but her husband is living and working in Moscow and her daughter is living with her parents in a village outside of Tokmok. She's an accountant, I think. Jildes, 21, is a student although she had exams yesterday and I haven't seen her crack a book. Kundus, 19, works at a Korean firm, and she teaches Kyrgyz, I think. Japar is the serious one, Jildes is the cute, bubbly one and Kundus, the youngest (and true to form) is the wild one. It's nice not having parents to tell me to put on my hat every time I leave the house but it's not without trade offs. I think I have heard 50 cents "The Candyshop" and Christina Aguliera's "Dirty" about 8,000 times since I've been here. I think I will have to educate them about what good American music is.
Japar speaks pretty decent English which is helpful but at the same time it's too easy to rely on so now I am going to have to work extra hard on my Russian. As of right now I am signed up for 9 hours of tutoring per week, so we'll see how that all goes. It's still the most difficult part about being here and adjusting because communication is so key.
My School
So my closest friend her is my 17 year old student, Danier. I call him my groupie because he comes over every day just to ask how I am. I went guesting at his house one of the first nights but it was pretty daunting because his father used to be a Russian teacher so he kept grilling me and quizzing me about everything. Talk about being put on the spot. I am teaching 18 hours a week but it's going to be hard because I'm supposed to be teaching 6,7,8,9,10 and 11 grades, so my lesson planning is going to be somewhat difficult. A few of my classes don't have books so I think I'll try to focus on conversation for those. My task seems pretty daunting at this point because I'm trying to remember what I've learned for the last 3 months in training but I feel like I can resort to a few standard games until I get my bearings.
'Stache Tober
So for the month of October, none of the guys shaved as it was PST tradition for the last few years. So Bohee and I took it upon ourselves to do "leg-hair November" and not shave for the entire month. It's now mid-Dec and I still haven't shaved but I try to rationalize it by telling myself that I'm only doing it to keep warm. When I told this to Bohee, her response was, "Ha, I too have given up being a woman."
posted by Katie P. at 11:55 PM
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