Back on the blog...

I've just landed. About 45 minutes ago at the apartment, giving me enough time to unpack my laptop and fire off my first post. Start as you mean to go on I guess, I'm expecting the workload to be much tougher this time round (more on that later...) so I need to find time for this when I can.

Theres a slight sense of deja vu returning to a wet and grimy city. The big difference has to be the temperature though. We're in double figures (granted only the mid-teens) but for me thats going to make the trip a lot easier on the thermal front. I also noticed how much greener the city looks driving past various parks, road side flower beds and trees. I think one of my first visits will have to be the 'Summer Gardens', to see them as, well, summer gardens.

I'm in the same lodgings as before, so as the course co-ordinator Bart pointed out, not much orientation needed. Quick run to the supermarket will follow this to pick up essentials and beyond that I need fight off the sleep deprivation for as long as I can. Apparently my first excursion into the city with a tutor (again I need to explain my course setup this time round...) is tomorrow afternoon so I need to get my head into Russian all over again.

Thus far I've managed to string together a few disjointed sentences for both a Russian on my flight into 'Polkova 2' and the driver, Alexander, who was on hand to pick me up again. To be fair I also managed to convince a native into thinking I was a Russian speaker by responding with a rather well timed "pazhaloosta" in the queue for passport control, but I don't think counts. Apart from emphasising the importance of confidence when speaking. (And having your British passport tucked out of sight in your back pocket)

Anyway, here's to Russia again, to forcing some cultural development into the head of an otherwise woefully ignorant native English speaker. I've already been introduced to a couple of my fellow students, Dutch guys and as expected, in possession of impecable English. Game on!