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WEEK 48 (27 NOV. - 3 DEC.)

Friday - Sunday (1 - 3)
Studied at home. On Friday went to the Institute - Methodics, then presentations of student's reports on their practicum. I'm going to deliver mine on Monday.

On Saturday went to the driving class, I do not like my instructor at all, he is condescending and blames me all the time. He says he was a sergeant in the army, it shows.

I have to say I hate automobiles. Especially in Russia, here they are 2-3 times more toxic than in USA/Europe. In Russia over 200 people per million die in road accidents every year (just 60 in Sweden, although there are many more cars per capita in Sweden). Autos also harm nature, take space in cities, they are so noisy... I prefer public transport and biking. I'll buy a car only if absolutely necessary, and not in Russia.

On Sunday Mother and I carried sand for her construction, then I went to the driving school. There I practised putting the car in the rectangular area and it went much better this time. In the evening I finalised my practicum report.

Weather is warm again. Temperature this week has risen from -18 to +3. Now it's slush and ice on the roads.

WEEK 49 (4 - 10 DEC.)

Monday (4)
Institute: Grammar and Analysis of a Literary Text. The latter is a new subject; the teacher (Kulibina) spoke about the use of Russian poetry in teaching of Russian, the class was very interesting.

After the institute I went to a book shop and bought a number of books, including her textbook on Russian poetry. I'm amazed how many different books there's on sale nowadays. All the biggest book shops have downsized their office space and use as much area as they can for displaying books. All have introduced self-service, some 3 years ago it didn't exist at all (books were sold over the counter and they were secured to the counter with paper stings). Now there's a great number of titles in all subjects, but printings are small, typically 8,000 sometimes as little as 500. Prices of books published in Russia vary from 0.5 to 15 US dollars.

In the evening I watched video at my mother's. It was Forest Gump - one of my favourite films. My mother watched it for the first time and I interpreted it for her, both the film then the small documentary how it was made. Then she told me about her self-healing classes, so I went to bed at 2.40 a.m.

Tuesday - Thursday (5 - 7)
During this week I wasn't quite well, because, as I think, lack of vitamins. I started to take vitamins/strengthening tablets from the end of the week and immediately felt much better.

I went to the Institute on Wednesday for the French class, though I didn't prepare anything for it. There was only 2 students and the class lasted 30 minutes. I got the assignment for the credit and left.

Friday (8)
On Friday we had two classes on Russian phonetics which were fairly interesting, especially the methods how to show difficult Russian sounds to foreign students.

Then I went to the Library of Foreign Literature (American and French Centres). In the French Centre I learned that a French film festival was going on that weekend in Moscow. I bought a ticket at a good discount (1/3 of the full price of 5.5 usd) and went to see the film that was on that evening, Une Affaire de Gout, at Udarnik Cinema (near the Kremlin).

The cinema is newly renovated, it has a modern sound system, a cloak-room and bars; well-dressed usherettes direct cinema-goes to their seats. Before the beginning of the film we were addressed by a number of French actors who played in the film. They said that this festival is a very positive cultural event for both our countries and that they were pleased to see that such good cinemas are appearing in Russia. Then for about 10 min. we saw noisy film promotions and advertisement for cigarettes and alcohol drinks (where will they show ads next - in a theatre?).

Finally the film began, with a voiced-over translation. Here's the gist: The main character, a waiter, is hired as a taster for a rich businessman at a fantastic salary. In the course of his work he is asked to taste many other things besides food for his boss who is suffering from some strange syndrome. The end is unhappy. The film is in style, but the plot is too far-fetched, I think. I would never find myself in such a situation - once I have enough money to do what I want I would quite such a job.

Saturday - Sunday (9 - 10)
Driving: On Saturday I drove the car on the training site, and the instructor said I was good at it. Next day I drove in the town for the first time (Vidnoye, 10 km. from us) then drove back to my home.

WEEK 50 (11 - 17 DEC.)

Monday (11)
In the morning I went to the Institute, but the academic building was locked. (I learned later that the working day in the country had been moved from Monday to last week's Saturday.)

I went to Moscow's centre to see a film which was starting at 10 a.m. at Dom Khanzhonkova Cinema (Mayakovskogo Metro). That was The Barber of Siberia, latest Nikita Mikhalkov's film which I wanted to see for a long time. Although this cinema is quite worn-out and doesn't have good sound, still it's worth going: it is inexpensive (1 usd for students) and there they show only Russian films (which is also an advantage, considering a deluge of second-rate American films everywhere).

Of course I liked the film, it's very emotional, but I do not think it is as close to the truth in depicting Russia as Burned by the Sun. Still, it was breathtaking: such scenes as Maslenitsa (Shrovetide), graduation of officers from the military academy and many others. I'd like to see it again. Most of the film is in English (the version I saw was with voiced-over translation by the film director himself).

Tuesday (12)
Most of the day I was studying French: finished lesson 22 of Cours de Francais and read a story by Henri Troyat Faux Marbre (False Marble) - first unadapted story I read in French. Henri Troyat is a pen name of a Russian-born writer Lev Tarasov who emigrated to France with his parents in 1917 at the age of 6.

Wednesday (13)
French at the Institute: I retold a magazine article, translated some extracts from the story False Marble and got the credit. The teacher said I make good sentences, but my pronunciation needs improvement. I expect to get a French pronunciation course with tapes from the French centre in a month or two (there are 4 other people on the waiting list).

In the afternoon I went to Khanzhonkova Cinema again, this time to see a new Russian film Russkij Bunt (Russian Rebellion) based on the famous story by A. Pushkin Captain's Daughter which all Russian children read at school. It's a story of a chivalrous young Army officer, slandered by his comrade-in-arms, and his sweetheart whose both parents got killed by rebels (so the slanderer tries to take possession of her), developing against the background of the massive uprising led by Pugachev in the times of Catherine the Great (18th. century). The film is very well-done, though nothing extraordinary, as it closely follows the story.

Thursday (14)
In the morning I learned from Radio Liberty that Bush is the new president of the US. I hoped that the Supreme Court would allow his opponent to recalculate votes in Florida, but the Supreme Court, the ultimate legal authority, ruled differently. It's good that the dispute has been resolved according to the constitution and America finally gets a new President.

In today issue of Segodnya (Russian daily newspaper) Yelena Bonner (Sakharov's widow) says that Russia is turning into military-police state. "The human rights situation in Russia is catastrophic". All democratic processes have been turned backwards.

Yesterday Gusinki, the owner of the last Russian independent TV channel NTV, was arrested in Spain, at the request from Russia. This trial will be long and it will soon be clear to the whole world that Putin and his underlings (public prosecutor's office and FSB) are framing him up.

Institute: I missed one lecture, the second was cancelled. The third was Psychology, about Vygotski views on human mind and speech development.

Weather this week: On Sunday evening it started to snow heavily and on Monday all was covered with deep soft pure snow, no ugly trash in sight. Now it's melting again.

Friday - Sunday (15 - 17)
On Friday I went to Kinocenter cinema and saw Diary of His Wife (Russia, 2000) about private life of the great Russian writer Bunin in emigration - complicated relations with his wife and a lover. It's definitely the best Russian film I've seen for years.

WEEK 51 (18 - 24 DEC.)

On Monday I went to last lectures at the Institute and then to the library. There I saw a film by S. Kubrik "Full Metal Jacket" (in English) about the Vietnam war. The film starts with scenes of military training in a US camp where young guys are made into a killing machines, unthinking automatons. Then they kill everybody in Vietnam, also women and children. I think we need such a film on our war in Chechnya too.

From Tuesday I'm ill with a flu. I'm staying at home and treating myself. I drink hot tea with lemon and raspberry jam (my sister made it from our raspberry) and put mustard plasters for the night. I do not trust medicines much and prefer "folk methods".

My course of Russian is over, the exams have been passed "automatically". I'll get the certificate early next year.

On Saturday I went to the driving school. I drove on the range then in town. I'll have one more driving class on 9 Jan. and then the exam.

I'm reading "Oblomov" by Goncharov (19th century Russian writer) and can't help laughing at the way of life of Oblomov and his servant Zakhar. These are Russian national types.

Another film I saw - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (USA, 1975), on my cassette in English, one of the most forceful films I know. I first saw it in a Soviet cinema in 1984, it made a strong impression on me.

WEEK 51 (18 - 24 DEC.)

I didn't do anything special on 25th Dec. In Russia we do not celebrate Xmas on the 25th much, because Russian church has its own Christmas on 7th January. Russian church calendar is 13 days behind. Also for the Russian church Easter is the most important holiday, not Christmas.

I was down with the cold this week also. I went to our policlinic to warm my chest with a some kind of electromagnetic waves. I got over it cold on Friday, went to Moscow (library, food market).

Saturday (30)
Dad has just bought a new TV set for my sister, there will be a few good films for the new year. I haven't looked Russian TV for... 2 years. Actually, it's boring, low quality and full of commercials. Only for the new year there's something. My own TV I gave to my mother, I use it only for videos.

At home I listen to the radio - mainly Radio Liberty (financed by the US Congress), also Voice of America and BBC. Like I did in the 70-80s, when we were surrounded by the iron curtain. Now the freedom of press in Russia is being decreased again.

I also read newspapers: Argumenty i Facty (most popular Russian weekly, many varied high-quality articles), Izvestia (my father subscribes to it, very informative), sometimes Nezavisimaya Gazeta (full version online!) and Inostranets.

Sunday (31)
The last day of the millennium. I've been washing and ironing today in my flat, before the new year everything should be clean.

Then I went to my mother's. She bought a little spruce and I set it up. We drank tea and talked about this year (2000), then, as we watched the news, we started to argue about Putin again.

Mother likes him, but I resent him for Chechnya, for infringing on freedoms, for his inaction during the Kursk tragedy, for not carrying out economic reforms (land is still not privatised), for dealings with Belarus, Iran and Cuba, for the "new old" anthem (he just signed the decree endorsing lyrics and we are going to hear the anthem at 00.00).

My opinion of the anthem: Lyche ne vstavat' choby potom ne sidet = you'd better not stand up, lest you'd sit in the future (the Russian verb sidet' means both "to sit" and "to spend time in prison", i.e. if we're lenient towards it now, we may have totalitarianism in this country again).

Russian:
● Klubkov P.A. Govorite, pozhalujsta, pravilno (Speak Correctly, Please) - S. Petersburg: Norint, 2000, 192 p.