A letter home from study abroad
So, today in grammar class, the professor asked us why we were so nervous...i
explained that for tomorrow we're to have learned a 2 page story. (as several of my
professors from wes may remember, my memorization skills just aren't very good..)
she asked to see the text....jocelyn showed her a copy of it. The professor looked
at it and explained that it was actually taken from a text she wrote several
years ago. she spent some time going over it with us and asked us where we needed
help. i explained that it wasn't that there was any part of it that was
particularly difficult, but that i was having trouble memorizing it. she couldn't
believe us....she didn't understand why anybody should have to memorize that
text...she didn't see what it would teach us. she was completely blown away by the
sheer stupidity of the idea....and for phonetics no less.
After class, I headed off to intourtrans (InTourist Transport or
something) to attempt to price out my tickets to kiev and from kiev to munich. (I'm
going to try to write this with dialogue...nothing is an exact quote...but it's all
pretty close)
[enters and walks to "international train tickets" booth]
[stands and clears throat while travel agent plays tetris]
[walks to "international plane tickets"]
Jesse:Hi, i'd like prices on tickets to kiev and from kiev to munich
Agent:You need to go to booth 16 [marked information]
[walks to 16...there's nobody there...returns to #12]
J:There's nobody there
A:Go to desk 16
[walks to 16...waits....goes to desk 8...there's someone there]
J:Hi, i'd like prices for tickets to kiev and from kiev to munich
A2:Go to desk 16
j: but there's nobody there
a2: just go there and wait
[just goes there and waits]
a3:can i help you?
j:yes, i'd like to find out the price of a plane ticket from kiev to munich
[agent 3 types]
a3:there are no flights from kiev to munich
j:ok...how about to kiev from moscow
a3:that'll be $140
j: and by train?
a3:you'll have to go to the international train desk over there
[walks to International Train Desk]
j:um...can you help me
[a4 looks up from playing tetris]
a4:what do you need?
j: how much does a train from kiev to munich cost
a4:i don't think we have that information...but i'll check
A4 CHECKS
a4:we don't know...but you can call the international train office and find out
A4 writes the phone # down for me
j: thanks....how about a ticket to kiev from moscow
a4: you'll have to talk to the within-cis-but-outside-russia desk over there
[walks to the aforementioned desk]
j: hi...i'd like to find out how much a train ticket to kiev costs
a5:um...i'm not sure...we don't really have that information but you can call the
within-cis-but-outside-russia train information line...here let me write the number
down for you...or you could walk down the block to Intourist Travel and they can
help you out...they could probably tell you right away.
[exits, stage right]
(now that's the russia I know and love ;)
Well, she was right, intourist travel told me how much a train to kiev
cost...250,000 rubles...with the caveat that the price would be completely
different next month and that there was no way to predict what my ticket would cost
then...they had no idea about kiev-munich.....and i got plane info....to kiev it's
500,000 rubles...and from kiev to munich, the one flight available has tourist
class seats at about $650 US. I was told that it would be "completely another
matter if i tried to buy them in kiev" No shit! they'd be a reasonable price.
This evening, I just hung out at home....tried to study the thing i'm supposed to
know by heart for tomorrow...i spent a long time working at it...but don't know it
much better...i think it's simply time to give up. I helped some german guy
downstairs out with his powerbook...it seems that he didn't know how to use email
on it....luckily, all i had to do was set up his comm program and spend about an
hour getting it to behave...i should charge for things like that. After that, I
hung out with my friend Martina and her roommate...listened to them read some
german feminist propaganda and drank tea.