In which my inner five-year-old comes out to play

Day 7. 4:55 pm. First real day of classes. Right now, I’m going to check my email, then walk home and pass out before dinner; more to come this evening.

9:55 pm. I’ve been answering Lyudmila Afanasyevna’s phone for her when she’s out, because she’s waiting on some important calls and doesn’t have an answering machine (or a regular schedule, right now). About half the calls I can answer, and about half of them degenerate into English. I’m really rather embarrassed right now. >.<

So, first day of classes! We were placed into groups based on our language abilities as demonstrated by the placement test. I have to admit, though, I think the placement system was flawed. The Russian grammar/conversation group in which I’m currently placed has two students with one semester of the language, and four students with three semesters. While I’m flattered that I apparently impressed the teachers, I fear that productivity would be severely impacted by the fact that I understood maybe forty percent of what the professors told us today. The rest of the class knows all six cases, future tense, and many more complicated grammar things; Sam and I each have two and a half cases (we were using the same book). I’m going to talk to Jarlath tomorrow and see about switching. I understand the need to challenge oneself, but there’s a difference between ‘challenged’ and ‘over my head.’ Other than that, though, Russian Ethnic Studies seems to be a rather ill-defined class, but definitely an interesting one.

I got home about five o’clock and really did pass out for half an hour before warming up some leftovers for dinner. After Lyudmila Afanasyevna made it home (about seven-thirty) and ate, I had planned to go for a walk in the Tauride Gardens with a couple of girlfriends; neither of the girls could make it, so my host mom and I went together. Some evening, after school, I need to get a bunch of friends to stick around Smolny for a little bit and walk down to the gardens with me after it gets dark. Tavricheskiy Sad, as it’s called (and badly transliterated), is also the City Children’s Park (Dyetsky Sad), so there are several playgrounds, dogs all over the place (nice dogs, not strays), and plenty of kid-friendly places. We saw two parents pulling toddlers on sleds, people throwing Frisbees for dogs, kids on the playgrounds, the hockey goals on the frozen lake...actually, I went down onto the lake (it’s VERY thick ice) and made a snow angel, just for the sheer fun of it. Lyudmila Afanasyevna had never seen a snow angel! Oh, and the best part? Ice slides. I’m not sure whether these are intentional or just worn into the hillside, but there are several paths that are clear of snow and form natural slides, just out of ice. They’re SO MUCH FUN, especially if you go down standing on both feet and fall into a snowbank. :D

So, my inner child (well, okay, not really inner) is indulged for the night. We don’t have any homework just yet, so it’s time to settle in with Anna Karenina for the night. I think we’re going to the Hermitage tomorrow; THAT ought to make for an exciting post. :D