Okay, I admit that perhaps I have been a little self-involved lately, and other than documenting my awesome trip to St. Petersburg, I haven't been too on-task with the blogging about Russian life and the AH and all that. I apologize. It's been a rather crummy few weeks, but I'm going to try and pull myself at least halfway out of the pit of self-absorption.
My more advanced A1 (third level) class is made up of students who are all in their 20s and 30s, and all of them are very motivated to learn English for various personal reasons. I really enjoy that class because not only are they motivated to learn, but they are also willing to participate and practice their English. (My "slow" A1 class is made up mostly of teens who only in class because their parents have sent them, and most seem to have little to no interest in learning English. My Z2 (second level) class is about 50/50 when it comes to who is motivated and who isn't, and they're all painfully shy. Getting them to speak in English is definitely a challenge.) But back to my advanced A1 class. One of my students is in her 20s, going to college and working, in addition to studying at the AH. She has been one of my best students this semester, always working hard and excelling. At the beginning of our last A1 class she announced that it would be her last class at the AH. I asked her why. Her answer: Money. She stayed through the remainder of class, taking notes, asking questions, doing assignments, participating in discussions. This young woman is obviously very interested in learning how to speak/write/read English. But she won't get to finish out the semester. I know that the AH does its best to keep the cost of tuition down so that as many people who can afford to attend can, but the AH is a business, and as such it must bring in enough money to pay the bills and the salaries of its employees. Nonetheless, it sucks that a hard-working, dedicated and motivated student must leave, while my class full of disinterested yet well-off teens continues to attend. I love the AH and the services it provides, I only wish that it were more accessible to the average Russian.
Lastly, I have received the coolest Thanksgiving present ever (actually, this may be the first Thanksgiving present I've ever received, but it is still pretty damn cool). Take a look at what M sent me. In addition to a big ass box full of chocolate, Thanksgiving stickers, and hand-warmers, I got Turkey SPAM, dried cranberries and a pumpkin scented candle (which for some reason M labeled "not edible" - as if I would think to eat it...). Of course, I'm kind of wondering if the SPAM should have been labeled "not edible" as well, and I haven't really decided if I'm brave enough to munch on it... We shall see! Thank you M!! :-)
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