Wednesday 9 February 2011

Russian Language Course

My company covers the cost for all us Ex-Pats to take a Russian language course. It’s designed in a way to learn the essentials so you can meet people, eat, get around and get some help in emergency situations. The demands from work limits the amount of time I can study and practice, but the teacher tells me the best way to learn is to get a Russian girlfriend and shoots me a smile.

The class can be useful but sometimes borders on the impractical. We’ve gone through letters, numbers, common sayings and it’s a lot of back and forth to get my pronunciation down. Every once in while though, she will take a question or answer and just run with it, spitting out 4-5 phrases in some sort of unclear russian explanation that she expects me to understand. I nod my head to get through it and i find that she is satisfied if i repeat the last word that she says, and then write it down.

The other day I learned the Russian word for Eggplant. It’s spelled ‘Baklaжan’. This should really come in handy when I decide to buy the first, and only, eggplant that I’ll ever buy in my life. Or, I could possibly end up in an emergency situation where the only way to save a life, or stop the bus, or put out a fire is through the strategic use of an eggplant.

OR, if i find myself on Russian Jeopardy and the answer in the final round is about a magical vegetable that can be described as having a pleasantly bitter taste and spongy texture and comes from the same family as tomatoes, potatoes and sweet peppers. Too easy

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