Happy days .I have the internet at home now. Ganna took pity on me and got a TV and Internet package. So, no more trying to find a quiet spot in an internet cafe and furtively go into my bank account. In Russia you have to really worry about doing that publicly but, until last week, i didn't have a choice.
Yesterday, i asked Ganna to go with me to Ismailova. A friend of mine is going to be in England at the end of the month and i want her take a couple of things over for me .... a birthday present and some things things for the kids. Usual stuff .Part of Ismailova is a huge tourist market with seemingly every matroshka ( the famous dolls within dolls) ever made on sale. There's also an interesting antique section there too which is great if military medals are your thing.
I asked Ganna to go with me because the couple of times that i have been on my own have at times been unpleasant.There are men there from the Caucasus and it's the young ones who are the problem. I don't know which country they are from but they aren't the oriental side of the Causasus. The Oriental Caucasians will stare but they are essentially gentle people.This lot in the market are different altogether.The young men are filthy vulgar louts who give muslims a bad name. I took Ganna there are my minder !
It's surprising the effect that she had on stall holders especially the Russian ones. They heard her chatting away to me in Russian and occasionally having our little 'mother -daughter' disputes ..in Russian of course. The effect on them was noticeable .I got what i wanted at 'Russian' and not 'tourist' price.Even got some extras thrown in with the stuff i bought the kids. Ganna's price negotiating skills were quite straight -forward. She'd find out the price and then when they told her she told them not to be ridiculous !I bought a jewellery box ..the tourist price -1700 rubles. Gannas 'negotiated 'deal for me 1000 rubles.. it took her about 30 seconds !! At todays exchange rate that was a saving to me of about £14.
Anyway, shopping done as she usually does if she's out with me , she linked her arm in mine. that's when the comments from the louts started. She was oblivious to it all. I muttered something under my breath and she asked me what was wrong. I told her and i also told her about the first time i went there as i walked out of the market one of the louts thought it would be a good idea to give make pig noises as i walked past. She told me that i mustn't let it bother me, that i had met other people in the market who weren't bothered by what i look like, that there will always be people like those louts but I'm to keep on going and not let them stop me doing anything. Then she said' It's sad .It never used to be like this. We have a saying here... we say that there are many good people but the bad ones are better organised !' I couldn't help but laugh if we look back in history and at the world around us we can see how depressingly true that saying is.
You know if you ever want to ponder the meaning of existence come to Russia.If it does nothing else it makes you think.
On lighter note my russian has improved so much.When i first came over i really didn't think that it ever would but I'm having so many moments of total understanding of what I'm hearing that i surprise myself.I'm not consciously translating every word anymore. It's hard to describe whats happening but now rather than hearing , consciously thinking and consciously translating. now I'm beginning to hear and understand. I know that I'm still doing the thinking and translating but it's happening somewhere in the back of my consciousness. It doesn't sound like much but after a year without ANY language lessons at all and then having to study with people in their early twenties , it took more than a leap of faith to ever believe that i could make up ground and have the understanding that i now have. After all the sacrifice ,all i can say is how sweet it is.
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