Tuesday, May 10, 2011
We’ve had the commandant (lady in charge of our dorm) on our backs about picking up a receipt and taking a tuberculosis test. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s just really persistent or if she thinks we just don’t understand, but anytime she sees us, she chases after us and we get swallowed into a ‘conversation’ where she motions and repeats the same words over and over. It’s gotten to the point where I tiptoe past her office in the hopes of avoiding her. However, it usually doesn’t work because she apparently has no problem opening our door or grabbing us as we escape through the hall gate. Several others are also having the same problem and whenever it comes up, she ropes me in again to remind me and to make sure the others understand what I supposedly understand.
So, we woke up today hoping to cross that and some of our other chores off the big to-do list. Lisa and I went running again in the nearby park, and then Sarah and I were off to register our visas (You have to register within 3 business days after entering the country). We picked up chocolate blinis (pancakes with chocolate folded into them) on the way and rode the metro like old pros. (Random fact: the business where we registered is only a few meters from the Church of the Spilt Blood…Talk about a great view!) Unfortunately, the business has to send our registration information off somewhere to get a registration slip, so we have to come back again in a few days.
Once we started our visa registration, we took a language placement test at the university. Now, I know you technically can’t fail the test, but I definitely did not test into the appropriate level…I thought the lady said, “seichas,” meaning now (which I took to mean begin). However, she actually just said, “chas,” which means hour. Thus, 100 questions into the 160 question test, my time was up and…let’s just say I did not do well…However, the lady said if the classes were too easy, I can come back in a few days and ask to be moved up.
After being given our schedules, Sarah and I went to the library to turn in the slip of paper that we were abandoned with on the first day. With that, we received several slips of paper, which we filled out and signed. We were then told to bring the new slips to another room to get our cards made. We had somehow already gotten our cards made, so we took the slips to a door by the laundry room, where an old Russian lady muttered about our lack of Russian. She took down our information for her records and then told us to go to another room to receive the receipts. We will have to take the receipts to the university tomorrow so they can make more paperwork, but for now, I’m happy that the commandant has one less thing to chase us down for.
Tuberculosis test and first day of classes tomorrow! I think I’m ready for some tea now…
We’ve had the commandant (lady in charge of our dorm) on our backs about picking up a receipt and taking a tuberculosis test. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s just really persistent or if she thinks we just don’t understand, but anytime she sees us, she chases after us and we get swallowed into a ‘conversation’ where she motions and repeats the same words over and over. It’s gotten to the point where I tiptoe past her office in the hopes of avoiding her. However, it usually doesn’t work because she apparently has no problem opening our door or grabbing us as we escape through the hall gate. Several others are also having the same problem and whenever it comes up, she ropes me in again to remind me and to make sure the others understand what I supposedly understand.
So, we woke up today hoping to cross that and some of our other chores off the big to-do list. Lisa and I went running again in the nearby park, and then Sarah and I were off to register our visas (You have to register within 3 business days after entering the country). We picked up chocolate blinis (pancakes with chocolate folded into them) on the way and rode the metro like old pros. (Random fact: the business where we registered is only a few meters from the Church of the Spilt Blood…Talk about a great view!) Unfortunately, the business has to send our registration information off somewhere to get a registration slip, so we have to come back again in a few days.
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| Park Pobedy: Where Lisa and I Run |
Once we started our visa registration, we took a language placement test at the university. Now, I know you technically can’t fail the test, but I definitely did not test into the appropriate level…I thought the lady said, “seichas,” meaning now (which I took to mean begin). However, she actually just said, “chas,” which means hour. Thus, 100 questions into the 160 question test, my time was up and…let’s just say I did not do well…However, the lady said if the classes were too easy, I can come back in a few days and ask to be moved up.
After being given our schedules, Sarah and I went to the library to turn in the slip of paper that we were abandoned with on the first day. With that, we received several slips of paper, which we filled out and signed. We were then told to bring the new slips to another room to get our cards made. We had somehow already gotten our cards made, so we took the slips to a door by the laundry room, where an old Russian lady muttered about our lack of Russian. She took down our information for her records and then told us to go to another room to receive the receipts. We will have to take the receipts to the university tomorrow so they can make more paperwork, but for now, I’m happy that the commandant has one less thing to chase us down for.
Tuberculosis test and first day of classes tomorrow! I think I’m ready for some tea now…
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