Foreign Imports

My class yesterday at VEMZ went a lot better than Monday's class, as I stuck to the normal amount of grammar and did not try to overload them. I gave them their first grammar quiz, over the stuff we've covered so far, and the lowest grade was an 86, and the highest was a 99. I am quite proud of them all for doing so well. I am giving tests to my three other classes today; I hope they all do as well. The VEMZ class also requested to have our classes start at 5:00 from now on, instead of at 5:30. That is fine by me, as VEMZ is the only class I have on Mondays and Thursdays, and the earlier we start, the earlier we finish.

The last time I was in Russia (2000), there were virtually no foreign cars. True, the wealthy (a teeny tiny percent of the population) tended to prefer Mercedes and BMWs (nearly always black, with tinted windows), which they imported from somewhere, and every now and then you would run across a rare Volvo or Volkswagon or something (and remember, I was in St. Petersburg, a big and modern city), but for the most part, Russia was the land of the Lada and the Volga, the two most common Russian brands of car. Russia is definitely beginning to import more vehicles. Here I am five years later in provincial Vladimir, and there has definitely been an influx of foreign cars. Not a substantial amount mind you (it isn't like the US or anything), but the Lada and the Volga have some competition. The two most noticeable imports are the Ford Focus and one of my favorites, the Daewoo Matiz. I have no idea how well these cars run, or whether or not they are reliable, but it seems that (in both Vladimir and South Korea), they most commonly come in Lime Green. That is enough to endear me to any car (except the impractical and overpriced new beetle). Lexus and Audi have also made good headway in competing with the other luxury car companies over here. Granted, most Russians still do not own cars (with reliable public transport, there is really no need), but I find this interesting. Go Daewoo!