Posted in Blogging, Communication, Culture Shock, Language, Russia, Russian on May 30, 2007 | 11 Comments »
The name ‘Solnushka’ isn’t one that any self respecting native Russian speaker would choose.
This is because it’s a term of endearment.
Loosely speaking, it means ’sun’.
But in actual fact, it’s closer to ‘cute little sunny wunny oochie coo’.
It is, essentially, the Russian equivalent of calling yourself ’sweet cheeks’. Or ‘honey bun’. Or ’sungglums’. Or something [...]
Posted in Education, Work on May 26, 2007 | 15 Comments »
You’ve been working in the teaching English as a foreign language business now for over ten years.
A lot of things about it you love. Rootling around in the mechanics of grammar and such is very satisfying. You get to meet a lot of foreigners too, which is always a source of excitement to someone who started [...]
Posted in Aquarium, Boris Grebenshikov, Culture, Culture Shock, Music, Russia, Russian Underground Bands, the Royal Albert Hall on May 24, 2007 | 4 Comments »
So there you are at work, dubiously contemplating some hapless trainee’s latest assignment and grumbling wrathfully about the total inability of modern university trained youth to reference their sources in any manner which makes sense (“…what are they teaching them? Surely they can’t all have done travel and tourism for their degree?”), when a colleague comes in [...]
Posted in Blogging, Memes on May 20, 2007 | 14 Comments »
Doctor Z has tagged me to write about 8 random things about myself.
It is surprisingly hard to think of 8 random things. So here are 8 probably not so random things.
I can’t spell. At all. As a teacher of English, I am obliged to pretend that I care about this, but really I couldn’t give [...]
Posted in Alonso, F1, Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Football, Formula 1, Hamilton, James Allen, Lewis Hamilton, Massa, McLaren, Very Fast Cars, Few Women. Who Drive. on May 15, 2007 | 3 Comments »
About this time last year you had a sudden revelation about why it is that of all the sports in all the world, you are obsessed with Formula One.
It’s always seemed odd as it’s not like you have the slightest interest in, or knowledge about, cars.
You were tempted to flirt with the idea that it might [...]
Posted in Britain, Communication, Culture, Culture Shock, ESC, Eurovision, Eurovision 2007, Eurovision Song Contest, Flags, Language, Lasha Tumbai, Morality, Music, Patriotism, Russia, TV, The Rest of the World, Ukraine on May 13, 2007 | 13 Comments »
You adore the Eurovision Song Contest and you say this totally without the kind of qualifiers that Brits usually add at this point. Such as ‘it’s so tragiclly kitsch’.
In fact, you are rather bemused by the fact that the British persist in regarding the thing as a monumental joke and yet follow programmes like Pop Idol with [...]
Posted in Britain, Communication, Etiquette, Family, Mobile Phone Etiquette, Mobile Phones, Morality, Public Transport on May 10, 2007 | 5 Comments »
By and large you have not embraced the mobile phone.
The last time you had to use one, you spent ten minutes swearing under your breath and had to punch every button on the thing at least three times before you could remember precisely which combination was needed in order to get it to connect with [...]
Posted in Architecture, Britain, Culture, Family, Gardening, Kew Gardens, Nature, Parks, Sightseeing on May 6, 2007 | 10 Comments »
Going for a ramble round Kew Botanical Gardens last weekend brought your maternal Grandma powerfully to mind.
Now everybody in your family likes gardening and gardens and so she was by no means the only family member you have done gardens with. Although your paternal Granny’s agoraphobia tended to make this a trip to [...]
 | Solnushka on On the silent period. |
 | Johnny Pez on On the silent period. |
| Solnushka on On the end of a dream. |
| Solnushka on On this one amusing is. |
| Solnushka on On stuffing chestnuts. |
