I find myself writing my Blog, that I promised to write regularly, almost 6 months after my last post in January.
Shocking!
But then the world has gone mad hasn't it!
Life here in Russia has been nothing if interesting. What do we do in this situation? Well I was always taught to , do as I was told!
Not applicable to everybody and not to everywhere it seems. Lockdown rules are for those who, like me, do as they are told. British politicians are as bloody stupid as they look, yes! that is possible in this case!
It is beyond belief, the stupidity of some people as they flaunt the simple rules of lockdown. I sit in amazement as people in the UK flock to places that are closed, for God's sake! Whitby and the seaside is closed!
And here, well the lockdown started slowly and then, Boom! The Muscovites flocked to their country houses and dachas, therefore spreading the virus everywhere and before long Russia was the second most infected country in the world.
Lovely, I felt stuck, trapped ! I contacted the British Embassy and ,there were no flights, I wasn't trying immediately to return ,but it seemed as though I was marooned among the Russians.What to do? My first children's book 'Kirill the Kostroma crocodile', book was finally ready to publish after some amazing help from two of the most wonderful Russians I have had the pleasure to meet. You know who you are! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
One of the advantages of being at home all of the time is working out what the hell you are going to do all day.
I decided against sleep!
I had much more time to spend on my Creative Writing Master's course . I also was able to chat to Bob Beagrie and Hilary more often than I probably would have.been able to.
An interesting outcome is also that, I have ended up with my next collection of poetry and writing which is called;
'A window on the yard'.
I have been able to write this alongside reading and learning about wonderful writers and poets, introduced to me on the course.A window on the yard is a mixture of poetry and prose. I wanted it to reflect my experiences in Russia and indeed during the pandemic. It is a mixture of feelings , experiences and emotions, whilst living and learning this language and more about this culture and the people of Russia. and for that matter how an Englishman managed in this land.
So now, Online learning has come into its own. Moodle and VLEs seem old fashioned and out of date. Technology has naturally taken a huge step to be a common part of everybody's lives.
We used to laugh at Moodlers and moodling , but now we have Skyping and Zooming introduced to the ever expanding vocabulary of tech. jargon. As if text speech isn't enough! It drives me crazy! LOL!
PMSL!
That's a phrase I like! FFS! Oh and another!
'Que le monde est petit!'
Is a phrase that has never been truer. I have been teaching English to children in China regularly, from here in Russia, also regularly teaching French to my lovely clients in Guisborough in North Yorkshire, U.K., Italian to my student Steve in Ingleby Greenhow, North Yorkshire, U.K.. Who is working with Laura our partner in the city of Milan and yes it's true they are singing from the balconies!
. I have a young student in Germany now learning English with me. Of course I have all ages and levels of students here and especially my classes with OK ENGLISH here in Kostroma. I am starting a new project with students in MOSCOW which is a really exciting new project.This is with a French -partner living in Russia, who was recommended by our friend Conor, an American also living here in Russia, our partner in Italy will soon be working with more of our students . And I regularly hear from my lovely friends in Venezuela. this is alongside the fact that we are always thinking of our friends and partners in Bourges , France and of course La Coruna in Spain.
Keep safe and healthy.
A plus
Peter
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