classes

You’re probably wondering, “Hm, what exactly has Katie been doing all these weeks?” –eating. That’s about it.

Just kidding. My schedule went something like this:

Orientation (1.21-1.23)

Morientation (1.24-1.25)

Host family, placement testing (1.26-1.27)

Classes (1.28-now)

So I have, theoretically, had two full weeks of classes. This is not entirely accurate, since I was quarantined for three days, but всё равно. I’ve had at least one of each day of the week, full schedule. So, because they’re super interesting, I will now tell you about my classes.

But first:

I mentioned placement testing, right? I didn’t test very well. The bulk of the test was oral, which is definitely my weak point, and grammatical errors I would never make in writing are par for course when I speak. And it wasn’t just the test: the bulk of the program is oriented towards speaking. Therefore, I ended up in the lowest of the three groups. It’s just me and one other student, named Ben. I haven’t had a class this small since high school, but it’s kind of the same as that… just me and Ben, 6 hours a day, except for one class, when Nicole joins us, and another, when Dan and Melissa join.

After the first few days, during which I groused internally (and probably externally) about

• being at the bottom of the food chain
• seriously-Russian-is-my-major-you’d-think-I-could-at-least-make-second-tier
• how easy the classes are
• just-because-we’re-the-low-group-doesn’t-mean-we’re-the-slow-group-so-please-treat-me-like-the-intelligent-adult-that-I-am
• spending 3 hours discussing the difference between в and на

…I actually really like my classes. Contrary to popular belief (read: instinctive personal belief), I am not in fact here to prove my Russian prowess. Which is good, because I don’t have much.

So. Classes.

Разговорная практика- Conversation Practice

We have this class the most often, total 4.5 hours/week. The teacher is a very nice, young Russian woman, who apparently likes to do things like go ice skating with the students. She speaks very slowly and clearly, and while some students find her vocal rhythm annoying, I like it. We mostly just… practice conversation. And ask her questions about things we want to know about Russian grammar, lexicon, etiquette, whatever. It’s loosely structured around some number of themes, so that we build up a vocabulary useful to getting around, but we can fit really whatever we want in.

Грамматика- Grammar

I guess we also have this class most often. It’s also 4.5 hours/week, but it’s split into two days instead of three (yes, one day we have 3 straight hours of Grammar). This is the teacher I found most infuriating at the beginning, because she pronounces everything. so. slow. ly. as if we have no ability to understand words at a regular pace. But it’s growing on me, and I realize she will have more faith in my ability to comprehend the more (and more intelligently) I actually respond. Is this my favorite sort of motivation to perform well in class? No. Will it work? Thanks to Oldest Sibling Syndrome (i.e. Must Win Favor Of All Adults Syndrome), yes. Also, even if it does feel somewhat monotonous, goodness knows I can use a review of my prepositions.

Фонетика- Phonetics

I love this class. We don’t actually spend that much time talking about phonetics. It just sort of blends in with the other two classes as far as “let’s practice talking!” But when we do talk about phonetics/concentrate on pronunciation, I don’t have too much trouble, thanks to 2.5 years of Russian Ensemble and professors making me learn where the stress goes on words. But the professor is what makes it. She and I talk about Tutchev, sushi, and autumn weather. She calls me a русская девушка, because I like fish, sour cream, and tea.

Словообразование- Word Formation

This class is really fun in a very nerdy sort of way. We get to learn about root words, prefixes, suffixes, etc. I like that because it makes reading a lot easier. Also vocabulary acquisition. I need that too. We have the same teacher as Conversation Practice. Ben and I have this class with Dan and Melissa. It was our “elective.”

Политические процессии в России- Political Processes in Russia

Gulp. I dread Tuesday because of this class. We have two back-to-back 1.5-hour periods of it, and oof. It’s long. Unlike the other classes, the emphasis is not on speaking… it’s on listening. This is a lecture course. And it’s all about stuff I’m not sure I know the vocabulary for in English, let alone Russian. Ben and Nicole (who is with us for this class) are both studying International somethingorother at their respective universities. My knowledge of Soviet politics is limited to Akhmatova and Bulgakov… beyond that, it’s uncharted territory for me. So I guess I’ll learn a lot. At least it’s only one day a week!

So, those are my classes. And since they say we’re pretty much all going to get good grades as long as we finish the assignments and show up for class, this is the semester when I don’t even have to fake Russian prowess. Only acquire it. Look out.