An American in Moscow

Learning Russian

This afternoon, I begin my Russian language classes.  I actually had one session a couple of weeks ago, but didn't really click with the instructor -- she spent more time complaining about her life than teaching me any Russian.  I've been trying to find a new Russian teacher, and Ludmilla, my interpreter, suggested one of her friends named Nina.  Apparently, Nina previously worked at the KGB teaching Russian to Soviet allies who came to Moscow to learn the language -- Cubans, etc.  She is now retired, but teaches Russian on the side to supplement her pension.  Things should be interesting, as Nina uses the "direct" or natural method of instruction.  Simply put, she speaks no English.  Not a lick.  So I'll be learning Russian in Russian -- the same way I learned English. This should be an interesting experience, to say the least. 

My Russian is fairly limited -- I can engage in standard greetings, ask basic questions (like "can I have an English menu" and "how much is that" etc.), and make basic requests at the store, restaurant, etc.  I also find myself speaking a mongrelized version of Russian/English -- saying a few words in Russia, a few words in English, then a few more words in Russian.  Even when I am speaking with a fluent English speaker, I find myself anwering in Russian, which is weird. I'm dying to learn more in depth Russian, however, and am looking forward to beginning serious study. I expressed my concerns about this process to Ludmilla, but she assured me that Nina swears by the direct method of language learning.  She said that in the 70's and 80's, non-Russian speakers came to Moscow and left a year or two later speaking fluent Russian after taking classes at the KGB with Nina.  We'll see, I guess.  I'll post again with a follow up to let you know how the first course goes today.

Language

I've been taking Russian language classes in Washington, D.C., trying to prep myself for Moscow.  My teacher is a native Russian speaker, born in Belarus, who taught English in Moscow for several years.  She now is married to a U.S. diplomat and teaches Russian at the Russian school in Washington, D.C. I guess Russian diplomats want to ensure that their kids speak fluent Russian, so they actually go to Russian classes here in D.C.  Makes sense, that's why we have English classes, right?  Anyway, Russian is a fairly difficult langauge to get the hang of.  Proper Russian has male and female versions of verbs and nouns, plus there is the formal and informal way of speaking.  Anna, my teacher, is quite a taskmaster and is insistent that I learn Russian grammar properly.  I thought I'd be learning survival Russian.  That is NOT the case.  We are spending lots of time on grammatical structure and proper verb usage.  She tells me this will help me when I arrive in Moscow, immerse myself in the language, and continue to take classes.  We'll see.  At least I know the Cyrillic alphabet.  I can read Russian, as long as I have lots of times to sound out the words.  I may not know what the words mean, but I can sound them out!