My schedule in Russia has been considerably more volatile than in Vietnam, but I still managed to establish something of a routine. I work Monday through Friday and sometimes on Saturday. Typically I get up between 9:30 and 10, less than an hour after the sun has risen. I plan my day and make any preparations necessary for work, do laundry, and maybe some cleaning. My typical menus only require about fifteen minutes to cook, so I usually begin lunch at 11:45 and I've finished eating by 12:20.
On Monday and Friday I have to go to Butovo, so I leave my flat at 12:35, walk to the train station, and catch the 1:08 train. I arrive in Butovo about 1:22 and run from the train station to the bus station, barely in time to buy tickets before the 1:28 bus drives up (it's almost always early). The bus ride to the school takes 20 minutes, which gives me an hour and forty-five minutes to plan for my classes. I don't typically need that much time, so I spend at least fifteen minutes chatting with the administrator there. Typically I learn some Russian and she learns some English. I then teach from 3:30 until 6:15. Both my classes in Butovo have three students, and they're all nice and easy to teach. On Monday I have to hurry back to Podolsk to teach an adult beginner class starting at 8. On Friday I stay in Butovo a little longer and teach a teenage student one-to-one for 45 minutes.
The other weekdays I stay in Podolsk. On Tuesday and Thursday I start teaching at four, so I typically leave my flat at 1:30 and arrive at the school at 1:50, then plan for two hours. I teach a nice small class of intermediate teenagers, and then a crazy class of younger students. On Tuesdays I also teach an adult pre-intermediate class, so I get home just after 10 PM. On Thursdays I get home early--around 8 PM unless I do shopping first, which is what normally happens. As for Wednesdays, I don't think I've had more than two with the same schedule.
After work I might go shopping if the shops are still open. My free time has been a strange thing here in Russia. I do a little bit of Russian studying, but not a significant amount. On the bus and train I do a lot of flashcards, and I talk to the administrator at Butovo, but I'd say that outside of those things I spend less than two hours on Russian every week. Grocery shopping happens at least three times a week, so some time does go into that, but only one of those trips takes more than twenty minutes. I waste some time on the internet and on video games, but I can't recall obsessing over any game. I know that I've spent many hours programming a game for my students, but I still don't feel that it accounts for all the time I'm missing.
On the third Saturday of the month all the teachers have to go to Moscow for professional development seminars. This has ended up being a full day trip every time so far. Two Saturdays I've had other working responsibilities, and on one Sunday as well. I've visited Moscow on a few of these weekends for sight-seeing or excursions. Most weekends I go on a big shopping trip.
Life feels a lot busier than it ever has before, but I can't completely account for this feeling. Apparently a lot of things will change with the new year, so maybe this will be one of them. My goals for the new year are to work harder on Russian, meaning getting a teacher if necessary, and to spend a fair amount of time on the piano every day (this was my Christmas present to myself, with the help of some folks back home). I also hope that I'll write more and do better with correspondence, but I think this has been my goal every year, so I'm not expecting a whole lot.
On Monday and Friday I have to go to Butovo, so I leave my flat at 12:35, walk to the train station, and catch the 1:08 train. I arrive in Butovo about 1:22 and run from the train station to the bus station, barely in time to buy tickets before the 1:28 bus drives up (it's almost always early). The bus ride to the school takes 20 minutes, which gives me an hour and forty-five minutes to plan for my classes. I don't typically need that much time, so I spend at least fifteen minutes chatting with the administrator there. Typically I learn some Russian and she learns some English. I then teach from 3:30 until 6:15. Both my classes in Butovo have three students, and they're all nice and easy to teach. On Monday I have to hurry back to Podolsk to teach an adult beginner class starting at 8. On Friday I stay in Butovo a little longer and teach a teenage student one-to-one for 45 minutes.
The other weekdays I stay in Podolsk. On Tuesday and Thursday I start teaching at four, so I typically leave my flat at 1:30 and arrive at the school at 1:50, then plan for two hours. I teach a nice small class of intermediate teenagers, and then a crazy class of younger students. On Tuesdays I also teach an adult pre-intermediate class, so I get home just after 10 PM. On Thursdays I get home early--around 8 PM unless I do shopping first, which is what normally happens. As for Wednesdays, I don't think I've had more than two with the same schedule.
After work I might go shopping if the shops are still open. My free time has been a strange thing here in Russia. I do a little bit of Russian studying, but not a significant amount. On the bus and train I do a lot of flashcards, and I talk to the administrator at Butovo, but I'd say that outside of those things I spend less than two hours on Russian every week. Grocery shopping happens at least three times a week, so some time does go into that, but only one of those trips takes more than twenty minutes. I waste some time on the internet and on video games, but I can't recall obsessing over any game. I know that I've spent many hours programming a game for my students, but I still don't feel that it accounts for all the time I'm missing.
On the third Saturday of the month all the teachers have to go to Moscow for professional development seminars. This has ended up being a full day trip every time so far. Two Saturdays I've had other working responsibilities, and on one Sunday as well. I've visited Moscow on a few of these weekends for sight-seeing or excursions. Most weekends I go on a big shopping trip.
Life feels a lot busier than it ever has before, but I can't completely account for this feeling. Apparently a lot of things will change with the new year, so maybe this will be one of them. My goals for the new year are to work harder on Russian, meaning getting a teacher if necessary, and to spend a fair amount of time on the piano every day (this was my Christmas present to myself, with the help of some folks back home). I also hope that I'll write more and do better with correspondence, but I think this has been my goal every year, so I'm not expecting a whole lot.
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