So, it's been a month, and I can tell that I'm starting to get settled in because time has been flying this week. Before too much more flies by, I figured that I ought to take a break and post about what a typical day in Ulan-Ude is like.
My day usually starts around 7 AM when the sun comes up and the dogs start barking. The absolute worst part about my apartment is the unbelievable number of dogs that live in and about the police holding station next door. The noise at dawn is unbelievable. Fortunately, I usually have a class at 8 or 9:30, so I rarely attempt to sleep through the ruckus. I climb out of bed, turn on my hot water heater, take a quick shower, get dressed, drink a cup of tea and eat some buderbrody (bread, cheese, and sausage), put on my coat and grab my hat and scarf, and head out the door. I live on the fourth floor of my building and my door has some awesome old-school locks; my keys look like they're from The Legend of Zelda. Another apartment building is located between my building and one of the main streets in town, so I walk around it to begin my walk to the University. It takes me about 15 minutes to get to class, including two nerve-wracking street crossings.
When I open the door to the classroom that I expect to have class in, I've found that I have about a 50 percent chance of actually having that class. You see, Buryat State University works on a biweekly system (or fortnight, as the professors like to explain in their lovely Queen's English). This means that every class occurs every other week, so I have a different schedule every week. For some reason, I've been having trouble getting used to this. I've also shown up to the correct classroom at the correct time, but the professor either forgot or decided not to attend class that day. This has happened several times. I've never attended a class to which the professor has actually shown up on time. Of course, when students show up after the professor, they are not allowed to enter the classroom.
Now, I attend two different types of classes at BSU. In an attempt to make friends, I volunteered to help out in the English department, so I have 3 classes every fortnight. One class is an American news media class, one is a literature class, and the other is a translation class. So far, my news class has been my favorite. Basically, I pick an article and then discuss it with the students. I also give them time to ask me questions, and it's been interesting to have debates about American and Russian foreign policy. I brought in an segment from the Daily Show the other day and the students had a blast. I also have a movie club that happens once every two weeks, so it'll be nice to have an excuse to pick and watch one of my favorite movies every fortnight. Of course, the best part is that while I have to speak English for 4.5 hours every two weeks with my students, outside of class we converse solely in Russian.
My real classes at BSU are a slightly different story. As I mentioned before, a good chunk of the time the professor doesn't attend and is always late. In addition, the classes are 100% lecture. No reaction, just note taking in fairly fast, scholarly Russian. I usually have a headache at the end of class. But, my notes have gotten better with each class and I have a book that I read to get an idea of the main themes before going in. I have a class on the history of ancient Buryatia, one on modern Buryatia, and one on the relations between subjects of the Russian federation. My peers are all extremely friendly and seem to find my notes fascinating. Frankly, I'm usually embarrassed to show them my notes because I pretty much write down everything that I understand, but they're usually impressed with how much I get.
I grab a bite to eat at either the cafeteria, Subway, or Apetite. Everything is located on or near Soviet Square (with Lenin's head). I never spend more than 5 dollars. After lunch, I either have one last class or work. My main research contact in Ulan-Ude is Rada Dambaevna, who is the director of a tour agency and generally knows everyone in Ulan-Ude. I've worked as a translator and advertisement narrator for her over the past several weeks. I will begin working as a translator at the Buryat History Museum soon, as well.
I usually go home for dinner and have pasta and some sort of meat dish or pelmeni. After dinner, I meet up with a group of friends on Soviet Square and we go to the Irish Pub or some other cafe. My friends are mostly 4th year students in the foreign language department, meaning that they're generally my age. Several of my friends are working on their second specialty, meaning that they've already gotten one degree and are essentially starting over. Some are aspiring hip-hop artists, some play guitar, some dance. The students that I have in class have taken it upon themselves to teach me to properly curse in Russian. They already know how to curse in English quite well. We either play foosball or just talk. Sometimes we walk around town.
I usually head home around 10. I check my internet, switch on the news. Occasionally I blog. And then I go to bed.
My day usually starts around 7 AM when the sun comes up and the dogs start barking. The absolute worst part about my apartment is the unbelievable number of dogs that live in and about the police holding station next door. The noise at dawn is unbelievable. Fortunately, I usually have a class at 8 or 9:30, so I rarely attempt to sleep through the ruckus. I climb out of bed, turn on my hot water heater, take a quick shower, get dressed, drink a cup of tea and eat some buderbrody (bread, cheese, and sausage), put on my coat and grab my hat and scarf, and head out the door. I live on the fourth floor of my building and my door has some awesome old-school locks; my keys look like they're from The Legend of Zelda. Another apartment building is located between my building and one of the main streets in town, so I walk around it to begin my walk to the University. It takes me about 15 minutes to get to class, including two nerve-wracking street crossings.
When I open the door to the classroom that I expect to have class in, I've found that I have about a 50 percent chance of actually having that class. You see, Buryat State University works on a biweekly system (or fortnight, as the professors like to explain in their lovely Queen's English). This means that every class occurs every other week, so I have a different schedule every week. For some reason, I've been having trouble getting used to this. I've also shown up to the correct classroom at the correct time, but the professor either forgot or decided not to attend class that day. This has happened several times. I've never attended a class to which the professor has actually shown up on time. Of course, when students show up after the professor, they are not allowed to enter the classroom.
Now, I attend two different types of classes at BSU. In an attempt to make friends, I volunteered to help out in the English department, so I have 3 classes every fortnight. One class is an American news media class, one is a literature class, and the other is a translation class. So far, my news class has been my favorite. Basically, I pick an article and then discuss it with the students. I also give them time to ask me questions, and it's been interesting to have debates about American and Russian foreign policy. I brought in an segment from the Daily Show the other day and the students had a blast. I also have a movie club that happens once every two weeks, so it'll be nice to have an excuse to pick and watch one of my favorite movies every fortnight. Of course, the best part is that while I have to speak English for 4.5 hours every two weeks with my students, outside of class we converse solely in Russian.
My real classes at BSU are a slightly different story. As I mentioned before, a good chunk of the time the professor doesn't attend and is always late. In addition, the classes are 100% lecture. No reaction, just note taking in fairly fast, scholarly Russian. I usually have a headache at the end of class. But, my notes have gotten better with each class and I have a book that I read to get an idea of the main themes before going in. I have a class on the history of ancient Buryatia, one on modern Buryatia, and one on the relations between subjects of the Russian federation. My peers are all extremely friendly and seem to find my notes fascinating. Frankly, I'm usually embarrassed to show them my notes because I pretty much write down everything that I understand, but they're usually impressed with how much I get.
I grab a bite to eat at either the cafeteria, Subway, or Apetite. Everything is located on or near Soviet Square (with Lenin's head). I never spend more than 5 dollars. After lunch, I either have one last class or work. My main research contact in Ulan-Ude is Rada Dambaevna, who is the director of a tour agency and generally knows everyone in Ulan-Ude. I've worked as a translator and advertisement narrator for her over the past several weeks. I will begin working as a translator at the Buryat History Museum soon, as well.
I usually go home for dinner and have pasta and some sort of meat dish or pelmeni. After dinner, I meet up with a group of friends on Soviet Square and we go to the Irish Pub or some other cafe. My friends are mostly 4th year students in the foreign language department, meaning that they're generally my age. Several of my friends are working on their second specialty, meaning that they've already gotten one degree and are essentially starting over. Some are aspiring hip-hop artists, some play guitar, some dance. The students that I have in class have taken it upon themselves to teach me to properly curse in Russian. They already know how to curse in English quite well. We either play foosball or just talk. Sometimes we walk around town.
I usually head home around 10. I check my internet, switch on the news. Occasionally I blog. And then I go to bed.
If you had spent more time at your family home in Wichita, the dogs barking at the crack of dawn would make you feel at home. Thanks for sharing your typical day.
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ReplyDeleteБоря, здравствуй!
ReplyDeleteПиши почаще: очень интересно. ДО