So this seems to be like a good time to update you all on how well I'm communicating (or miscommunicating) in Russian these days. It's come up a few times recently.
First, there are a few phrases I somehow manage to say with a perfect accent, like "Nice to meet you" and "Very tasty, thank you." I'm not sure how it happens, but every once in a while out comes one of these phrases, and it confuses everyone who doesn't know me well. Actually, I think maybe it confuses some of those who know me well, too. It makes people think I'm a local, and that I understand way more than I do! Then they start talking really fast, and I don't understand a word.
But I've definitely learned a lot since I got to Chernomorskoe. (I now deserve that "Intermediate High" score I got at the end of my Peace Corps training.) Several people have commented on how much I've learned, including a few of the teachers at my school. My host sister said "You know a lot of words," which is a huge complement coming from her. And people I just me are always impressed.
"You speak with an accent," says the shopkeeper. "Where are you from?"
"I am from America."
"Oh! That's you! You work at the school?"
"Yes."
"How are our pupils?"
"Very good!"
"You speak very well."
"Thank you. Sometimes well, sometimes poorly."
Also, I can more or less understand what's happening on one of the two soaps we watch on weeknights (the one in Russian, not Clone). The love triangle is a breeze, and I know that the parents of the guy in the wheelchair are worried that their older son is responsible for their younger son's paralysis. Dad also discovered the drug problem, which is why they shipped him off to sea for a few months. (Not that that's going to last beyond one episode.) Then there's the rather dopey guy in love with the girl in love with the guy in the wheelchair, who's still in love with the girl who left him at the alter, who's in love with the drug-addict brother. But you get the picture. It's a soap, and I've got the relationships down.
That said, there's still a lot I don't understand. I mean, there's all this plotting going on. What's with the lighthouse guys and the explosives? The uncle is definitely up to no good, though I'm not sure what. Why do they periodically show a scene with the old doctor and his young wife--what do they have to do with anything? It's all beyond me.
The problem is, whenever anyone starts talking about non-tangibles, about things I can't confirm visually, I'm on shaky ground. In other words, whenever I have to rely on my own understanding, there's that nagging voice in the back of my head that says, "Yeah, well, you think they just told you school is canceled tomorrow, but are you sure?" And the answer is, inevitably, No. So, when I can't get hold of my coordinator, who I can ask in English, I spend a sleepless night trying to decide whether I should trust my understanding, or go in to school anyway. (Outcome: I actually had understood. School was canceled, and I got confirmation about 5 minutes before I would have needed to leave to arrive for the 8:00 starting bell.)
Still, this is a vast improvement from a few weeks ago, when I mistook the word "insult" for the word "lunch," and so misunderstood the question "Are you insulted?" as "Have you had lunch?" Much confusion ensued. Sure, maybe I'm not 100% confident that I understood all of that history lesson I gave you last week, but at least I understood some of it! And maybe I couldn't find any news articles to back up the rocket launcher bit, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen! After all, my news sources are limited.
It's nice to feel like I'm making some progress! (Now someone come visit me so I can show off.)
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