if it's a seven-hour flight or a 45-minute drive

It seems I'm finally going to Brussels again! I'm going back! YES!!! I bought a ticket to Germany yesterday, so I'm going to spend a weekend in Trier... then I'd love to see Muse in Cologne and then... Brussels!!! Bruxelles!!! Irina!!! ISTI! av. Louise! Tram n. 94 (nonant-quatre, not quatre-vingt quatorze), les gauffres! le chocolat!!! Victor Horta! Mr. Louis? Monsieur Louis, est-ce que vous travaillez encore a l'ISTI? Tant de choses a voir!!!!!

Off we go

We have been rewarded for the effort - today at 3 p.m. I opened my passport and saw the thing I've been longing for for this whole year... Tomorrow at 9 a.m. we are leaving for Finland and then at 23.05 (local time) flying from Tampere to London.

We're now thinking about a name for our common blog. I'll post the link here.

Какая-то печально-радостная эйфория... Вот оно, приключение!!! Надо просто пережить чемоданное настроение. Леон, мое лимонное дерево, смотрит на меня с подоконника. Пусть не боится, мама поливает лучше и регулярнее, чем я. Со мной поедет мишка и Monsieur Louis le Renard.

Will write soon,

Sasha

another attempt

I've applied online for the UK visa and on Thursday I'll have to rush to the visa centre right after I am given my diploma.

Do I hope? I do. I still hope that they will take into account all the papers that we've attached, the touching cover letter that I'm going to write and be merciful...

I'm on the brink of a very big disappointment. I've been studying the English language for 15 years now, I've been dreaming about Britain since I was 15 and now I can't make my dreams come true because of some bastards in the consulate. If they don't grant us a visa again, Britain will get the Disappointment of the Year award.

dreaming

this would be perfect http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Dover,+UK&daddr=Gloucester&hl=ru&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=51.866742,-2.24867&sspn=0.217935,0.616608&ie=UTF8&z=8

beware of offices

Office life and office people (as my, well, ok, meagre experience shows) eat out your brain. those who I'm working with at the moment are mostly 1) ambitious, 2) not too amicable, 3) too self-confident. which is not exactly the type of people I like... Unfortunately, this generally refers to the younger employees... And I really can't imagine (due to my egocentrism or I don't know what) how anyone at the age of 30 could possibly like this rather dull office job so much that they could work over time and not rush out of the office towards freedom, summer, fresh air and so on and so on, as soon as the working days is over.

plunged into accounting

I'm here earlier than I planned. I was offered a job for two weeks, I refused at first, but then.. tempted by the money I was promised and by the chance itself to get some experience in interpreting right at the beginning of my "career", I agreed, talked to my grandma, got her consent and exchanged the ticket. So, today was my first day at this company. Next time I will not focus on particular terms but will ask for a general explanation of what is going on. Because the first, say, three hours today was, as D. says, "pain and humiliation". My interpreting skills and knowledge seemed like a very subtle advantage. Everyone (but me, of course) had an idea of what was being discussed, while I was groping for the right words. I felt like a blind person who's been asked to lead a group of more or less healthy people. They didn't mock at me or something... but there were these condescending smiles and looks on their faces when I said something in a hesitating voice - like, "oh, look at her, poor girl, she doesn't know a thing in our field". Anyway, after a few hours of trying and listening, I finally got some image and timorrow, I'll show them who is who.

news from the front line

Today we applied for a Finnish visa. We haven't given up our plans and dreams and are going to fight for them. Switched to Plan B.

refusal

We have been refused an entry clearance in the UK for a bloody stupid reason - an account reference is not enough. The bastards need a HISTORY of our bank accounts. I hate the consulate.

dancing queen

I've been to a concert where my 9-year-old student took part, she danced flamenco. there were lots of younger children, and loads of dances with them. It was funny and cute at first, but I got a bit bored with their clumsy movements and silly music) not a parent of any of them, maybe, that's why) there was one very little girl who danced belly dance and that was a lot of fun. The famous song "Habibi" and a girl who hasn't even got a proper belly))

and it was a bit unfair for other children, because my student had only one dance... and she was beautiful!!! Wearing this Spanish dress and moving her hands she looked very serious, like a real woman)

digest

I haven't written much here lately... I can't say that nothing has happened, though. Actually, quite a lot. I'm finally through with the studies and with the thesis and with the exams. It will be completely over next Friday... that's the formal part.

I'm missing you, Grusha! (the thing I've been eager to say) I'm so glad you came here this year and I had a chance to get to know you better) I knew that you are fantastic and I was right))

We have finally applied for the UK visa. Well, I don't know if we have any chances... At least they accepted the applications and all the documents. The only thing we can do now is to keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Last Wednesday I went to the dacha and apart from helping my mum with the garden and falling from the bike I had an opportunity to watch one of our cats playing with a rat. We were thinking about letting it go, but decided that rats are rats. They eat the hens' eggs, so why should we meddle with the nature's laws? I managed to take some photos, but I'm feeling kind of guilty now... I definitely wasn't born to be a wildlife photographer.

my trip to Chile

the sky as seen from my balcony

memories from the oceanarium

These are some photos I took in the oceanarium. I especially liked the transparent fish and am very glad that they are not blurry.

Lily, Dear! In Lieu of a Letter

I found the translation of my favourite poem by Mayakovsky. And my favourite poem in general, I guess. I didn't think it was possible to translate it.

Lily, Dear! In Lieu of a Letter

The room's a chapter of Kruchonikh's Inferno.
Air
gnawed out by tobacco smoke.
Remember – 
at the window,
for the first time,
burning,
with tender frenzy your arms I'd stroke?
Now you're sitting there,
heart in armour;
a day,
and perhaps,
I'll be driven out.
To the bleary hall:
let's dress: be calmer,
crazy heart, don't hammer so loud!
I'll rush out, raving,
hurl my body into the street,
slashed by despair from foot to brow.
Don't,
don't do it,
darling,
sweet!
Better say good-bye right now.
Anyway,
my love's a crippling weight
to hang on you
wherever you flee.
Let me sob it out
in a last complaint,
the bitterness of my misery.
A bull tired out by a day of sweat
can plunge into water,
get cooled and rested.
For me
there's no sea but your love,
and yet
from that even tears can't wrest me a respite.
If a weary elephant wants some calm,
lordly, he'll lounge on the sun-baked sand.
I've
only your love
for sun and balm,
yet I can't even guess who'll be fondling your hand.
If a poet were so tormented
he might
batter his love for cash and fame.
For me
the world holds on other delight
than the ring and glitter of your dear name.
No rope will be noosed,
no river leapt in,
nor will bullet or poison take my life.
No power over me,
your glance excepting,
has the blade of any knife.
Tomorrow you'll forget
it was I who crowned you,
I
who seared out a flowering soul.
The pages of my books will be vortexed
around you
by a vain existence's carnival whirl.
Could my words,
dry leaves that they are but,
detain you
with throbbing heart?
Ah,
let the last of my tenderness carpet
your footfall as you depart!

1916
Translated by Dorian Rottenberg

The pause hasn't lasted long. My bla-bla-bla blogue is finally turning into something closer to a traveller's blogue. Fingers crossed.

We have received an informal confirmation from Cathedral Camps and asked them to send a more official one. Going to apply for a visa next week.

Last week I saw the latest Wallace and Gromit cartoon. A short one. As good as usual, but Gromit has become somewhat predictable... Wallace keeps falling in love with sinister and rather ugly women.

I'll go for a pause.

So, in the last 50 hours:

- I have been speaking English for about 30 hours

- I have been laughing for about 10 hours altogether

- I have received the excellent mark for my simultaneous interpreting exam

I love English. and I'm a sinister perverted Russian witch))))

week-end

This was what I would call a student week-end. Instead of preparing for the finals we went to the Hermitage with a hilarious boy from the Lake district who says "boot" instead of "but". Later on Max and I went to a book fair. I didn't buy any books actually, but I did buy a plate (!) from Samarkand, two postcards (one of them is in fact a picture for "Cabot-Caboche" by Danniel Pennac) and a CD with cossack music. Haven't listened to it yet, though.

Today I went to the dacha to see my parents (mostly my dad, because my mom comes to see me quite often), it is sunny an warm at last and we had a great meal outside. Then together with my mom we hurried back to town. she went to a concert and I went to the cinema with a girl from the Czech Republic. She came with her friend (who had the same name if I'm not mistaken) and I was stupid enough to tell them that they could speak Czech because "I understand some of it". So they did and I haven't got the slightest idea of what they were talking about. On the other hand it was funny to listen to them, getting only occasional words. We saw a Spanish film called "Azuloscurocasinegro" which was great, by the way. My linguistical disaster didn't last long after the film because the other girl went home and we could get back to Russian. The girl said she loves Russian literature and her favourite writer is... Daniil Kharms!!!! It was quite a surprise!!! I recommended Dovlatov and 'glazirovannye syrki" to her.

digest

1) I've taken my first and the most diffucult exam - simultaneous interpreting. That was rather difficult and brain-killing, but I hope it wasn't too bad for a satisfactory mark. Anyway, I did better than usual.
2) Thanks to Lena (you're a treasure) I've found this couchsurfing thing and we won't have to sleep at trainstations, it seems. Tomorrow, V. and I are showing the Hermitage to a boy from the LAke District. He's been to Mongolia!
3) We have finally transferred the money to Cathedral Camps and have received the confirmation of the payment. Tomorrow I'm hoping to fax our applications.
4) My research doesn't seem to be that useless and hopeless, I had a fruitful talk with my tuitor.
5) It seems that the last week of University studies in my life is over... I haven't fully realized that, but I'm going to be sad about that. I'm pretty sure.

Yesterday was grey and rainy. I was walking along Nevsky, my hair started curling because of the rain and I thought that with all my rotten nature I love this marshy city.