8 April, Wednesday

I have now some time to write my diary. It’s 18.15 and my boss told me to stay for a meeting about organization - he always makes these meetings after 6 p.m. They are all away at the audit somewhere in the Packing. I’ve just finished my last translation for today (a long list of comments that Detkov has done by hand; it took me a couple of hours to type and translate it). As soon as I finished it I called Ira [my girlfriend]. She wants to go for a walk because the weather is fine. I will call her again when I leave the Plant. We are going to have dinner together and then to go for a stroll.

I have been unwell this week with a light cold. I think I got it after the swimming pool last week. Now I’m much better than at the beginning of this week. Next week I’ll start swimming again, and I’m also going to start jogging.

I also plan to continue to study French. I should complete one lesson every working day and 3 in a day-off. Unfortunately, I’ll have to go to Moscow for this week end. It’s not possible to study there.

It’s 18.49. My boss still has not come. I’m tired of the computer. My right palm is aching and the eyes are sore (when I buy a computer for myself this year, it should have two-part key board and a luminescent monitor as in laptops). I should also study Latin touch typing ASAP. I’ve been typing almost blindly in Cyrillic today.

It’s 18.54. The boss has come. I’ll try to keep up writing in my diary.

9 April, Thursday

Yesterday, the boss came almost at 7 p.m. and said that we would have this meeting tomorrow (i.e. today). I called Ira again and went home.

Ira cooked milk soup, we ate it, had some hugging, and then (at 8.50) we went for a stroll. We went to the church (it was closed) and back. She said that the church is closed at this time, but once we were inside and listened to the sermon. I said it would be nice to listen to some wise good talk before the night in addition to the stroll. But I do not have much fancy for strictly Orthodox sermons, and this church is Orthodox. The weather was very warm and mild, but the road was quite dirty after two days of rain and snow. On the way I was telling her about a recent discovery of life in a meteorite (i.e. in the extraterrestrial world) and the discovery of water on the Moon; we were also talking about the forthcoming staff reduction at NBKh and the prospects for her farther. Although he is not yet old (49) he recently had an infarction (a heart attack) and it would be difficult for him to stay, because work will be more intensive. So we decided it would be better for him to take the package and leave.

By the way, this package is calculated is follows: those who have worked up to 5 years get 2 yearly salaries (10 - 15 thousand x 2), for each additional year one gets 0.1 of the annual salary, but not more than 4.5 in total. It follows that the most benefit will get those who had only worked here 1-2 years or less. It also a good option for those who have worked here long and too old and tired.

When we came back, we drank tea with a cake (I bought a “Bird’s Milk” 950 g for 33 r., but the cake was not very tasty, I won't buy it again). We finished our tea at about 10 p.m., then I went home and in 40 minutes I was in bed.

Today I got up as usual at 6.15, a bit tired, but I slept well. I didn’t have time for French, unfortunately, for this I should go to bed earlier. I am tired after my cold (I have not recovered completely) and, of course, because it’s spring. I’ll have to go to Moscow for this weekend; it means that I won’t have enough rest. Anyway I’ll have a one-week vacation from April 20.

10 April, Friday

I did not have time to write anything more yesterday. At 16.00 we went to the Control Room to make an announcement about VSP (voluntary separation package). Although it is offered to everyone, the management will try not to release the necessary people. Of course they can also go, but then they will not get the package.

There was a big crowd of 2 shifts and daily people (about 50 people in total). Yuri Obozov, NBKh personnel dept. manager also came. Cem spoke for about 20 minutes partially from the paper, his speech was sometimes hard to grasp when he used phrases from the paper and words like ‘downsizing’, etc. I also used the word “добровольно-принудительный” variant when he was talking about dismissing people if they do want to take the package and don’t find another job at NBKh (if they do not find a job in three months they will be sacked, during these three months they will be getting 2/3 of their base salary).

The after 17.00 Cem, Serkov, Detkov, Kosterin (and me) met to discuss the new organisation after restructuring. It went on till after 8 p.m.

14 April, Tuesday

I had to interpret all day long yesterday. There were a lot of meetings; also people were coming to find out about their package terms, so I had no time to write. I stayed at work till 19.00, then went to see Ira and was there till 22.00. I gave her the book she asked me to buy for her in Moscow (FoxPro 2.5/2.6), so that she would be able to write store-keeping and accounting programs for her work. She said she still did not know exactly what salary she was going to get there, but it‘s only around 500 r. ($81). She poured me a bean soup, and we also had tea with sweet condensed milk (I didn’t buy any sweets because there were not any good ones in the shop near her house).

At 22.00 the film Stalker started on ORT. She was quite sleepy, I was sleepy also, so after a few minutes I went home and watched the film there. When the film started we had a little discussion about it, she said she didn’t like films like Tarkovski’s because they are too gloomy. Why cannot he show a normal flat with well painted walls, nice-looking people, etc. I tried to convince her that this is a piece of art, the artist is conveying his feelings, emotions, dreams, his unconscious self by means of cinema, and the film must be seen in its entirety, because all its separate images add up to one unique experience that we call art. If I were to choose amount the scenes of the films what had a biggest impression on me, I think it when a big black dog is coming to the Stalker who is lying in the mud surrounded by a big puddle; the man is prostrate and motionless, he looks like dead or a person who has gone completely beyond this reality, dog is coming to the man through the puddle, wagging its tail, and sit by his knees. The scene is shot in black and white (rather in brown and white). For me this dog is very symbolic, but I do not know what it means.

At midnight I switched the TV off, because I had to get up at 6 next morning. If it were not for commercial breaks the film could have ended by then. For me it’s hard to imagine a bigger contrast, between this film and these stupid commercials. They were more than out of place, they were desecrating the film.

The past weekend was good. At first I didn’t want to go to Moscow, but when I was going back to Novo [Novomoskosk] I felt quite rested and that I’ve had some change in Moscow which I need from time to time. I put money in the bank again (10.5 thousand, 25 annual % for 6 months), and gave money to Dad and Sister. Work is moving in the house, but slowly; on my floor, it still needs floor, water, sockets and switches. I also bought a book about classical music with a CD and I listened to it on the Saturday evening; both the book and the music are excellent.

17 April, Thursday

It’s 16.00. My boss has finally left for his holiday in Thailand; he won’t be here next week and comes on 28 April, Tuesday. So I can have this hour for myself and go earlier today, at 17.00.

I could not write anything yesterday, because people were coming all the time to find out about their packages.

Yesterday my boss told me that it had been decided to replace me by a local translator in two month’s time. I asked about other Moscow translators, and he said they would replace them too. Surely, it’s not a disaster, because I was going to quit this job before the summer and then go to a university. Frankly I’ve had enough of this job, but it’s good money and I have a flat and a girlfriend here. So I’ll have to make a transition. I was told that they‘ll find a translator for my place soon and I’ll need to train him/her (it’s not a problem, I’ve prepared my vocabularies). The boss kept me after 19.00 to break this news, and he told me some good kind words to sweeten the pill, or maybe he was sincere. Anyway, on the way home with him I grabbed the opportunity and asked him for a reference. He agreed, but said that I need to write myself on the basis of our conversation.

He said that I’m hardworking, that unlike other translators I stay overtime, I’m always busy doing things (reading or using the computer), and I have a strong desire to change. I agreed with me that I must change the profession and get to know other things in the wide world.

Today was calling a Moscow agency camp America to send me their application form for family/camp work for summer. But tomorrow is their last day and I need to deliver two smiling photos and two recommendations in the original. It was not completely impossible, but I decided to give up this program, because I was not prepared to go to Moscow today (I’ll go on Monday), and it’s difficult to make references at such a short notice, especially now that they are all crazy with this downsizing and arranging new shifts. Also I would rather go to France if possible, because minimum stay in the USA is 2 months, and I don’t think I’ll be able to learn French there to go to the French College in September. Anyway this agency told me they’ll also have another program for volunteers without any age limit, so I’ll probably apply then, if I don’t arrange a trip to France.

27 April, Monday

I haven’t written anything for almost 10 days. Last week I was in Moscow (from Monday till Thursday). Main things that I’ve done:

• Visited the student exchange company (IAESTE), filled in the form there and took one to copy for Ira and for myself. I was very tired on this day (on Monday), I did not want to go anywhere (I didn’t say so, of course) and clearly I do not have much chance to go for an internship - internship for what? I was told though that they are arranging trip to Marseilles for August for a 4-week course of French. Everything costs $1300 (including the trip). I may call them about it.

• Visited the School of Social and Political Sciences. General impressions: it seems that they give solid education.
- Very good library with computers connected to the Internet.
- No subjects in English. English is taught per se (although through very interesting activities, like debating).
- Entrance exam in sociology is quite tough. I need to study the subject for about a year first.
- Grants are possible (about 1/3 of the students study free, and can live in the hostel I suppose). Anyway, I can afford $2000 for one year, if I really want to study there.
- I got a lot of printed matters about programs, including samples of exams.
- Good canteen, medium amount of food for lunch for 24 R., lots of salads.
- Students look quite decent, no smoking loafers at the entrance.
- 10 minutes’ walk from Metro “Yugo-Zapadnaya”.

• Visited the French University College. I got their booklet on procedures (entrance, term essays, etc.). I also visited one lecture. The lecture was quite boring, for me it was too theoretical, the lecturer was just sitting and talking without stopping, he asked no questions, gave no examples - so the lecture was not interesting. May be it is this lecturer or, rather, this is the way of teaching at French universities. Anyway after every three lectures there is a seminar, there are also practical classes, and lessons of French. What is certain is that I must be able to understand lectures without translation, because the equipment for simultaneous translation is quite outdated - you can hear cracking and other strange noises, once in the middle of the lecture the translation stopped (then I went out of the hall). It is also very difficult to concentrate when you hear both the lecturer and the translation, and since the lecturer does not mark his speech at all (no gestures, no examples, rhetorical questions or exclamations, very long sentences) it is difficult also to understand. I’m sure when I am able to fully understand French, it will be much easier for me to study there. So main thing now is to learn French before October (the French exam). I will go to study in this College, and also work on the other items of my list of goals.

In the evening I went to the swimming pool (after a fortnight’s break) and swam 4 “long” and 3 “shorts” ones (long = 3 pool lengths, short = 2). I covered one lesson of French. From 21.40 to 22.15 we promenaded with Ira around the housing estate.

28 April, Tuesday

Today I’ve spent full day on a very boring design review meeting. Again I was talking like an automaton understanding very little. My boss has not arrived yet.

On the bus home I had a nice chat with Irina Volkova, the Plant Doctor. I told her that I will and want to leave in June and about my future studies. I asked her about her job; she said she was satisfied with the trainings and the prospects for her as a pathologist (probably the best in Tula region), but not with the salary, of course (it must be around $120, I think).

In the evening I studied one lesson of French. Ira came to bring me the diskette with a part of her work, then we had you-know-what and afterwards we lay naked and talked about plans. Now she only concerned with her diploma work, which must be ready by 15 May. She took 4 days off and there will be also holidays soon, but she has to write 100 pages and write the computer program.

29 April, Wednesday

My boss told me and Serkov that he would come only on Tuesday (4 May), because his Moscow flat was robbed. It means that I can go home at 5 today and at 4 tomorrow and I can work at my ease. Of course I have to translate these idiotic Manufacturing Standards, but I can finish them tomorrow. I wrote and translated some CC:Mail’s. Although the design review continued today, I didn’t have to interpret much, because some Russians had left and some were in a separate E&I group.

I felt quite tired and sleepy when I got up today, so I’ll go to the pool tomorrow and today I’ll go to bed earlier.

Next: May 1998