Moscow week 7

By:

Alejandro Romero

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  Another great week in Moscow has gone by. I am starting to become accustomed to daily life here in the motherland. Recently I have started volunteering as an English tutor, and because of that I am starting to feel like a contributing member of Russian society. I still have my touristy moments however, like when I try to order a meal at McDonalds by pointing and using very simple Russian. “Sami malinki kartoshki fri pazhalusta” (The smallest french fries please)” I say humbly.  This Sunday I had gone to the well known Ismailova souvenir market. They had tons of odd souvenirs there,(From Matryoshka dolls, to gas mask) and for real cheap too. I found a lot of  really old cool stuff from the soviet Era as well, like letters that people have sent to each other, and some propaganda posters. On Wednesday I had an excursion to Novodevichy Convent, which is not only famous for its churches and cemetery, but grim history as well. It is the place where Tsars would constantly send their sisters and or ex-wives when they feared they were becoming too influential. I also attended a classical music concert were I met some Japanese tourist. It was quite nostalgic being able to talk with people in Japanese again. I’m sure they probably found me to be a little odd by the way I expressed my fascination, but once they found out I had been to Japan, they understood and were interested in knowing about my studies in Moscow. As the week came to an end, I went to the nearby Reinak (Open-air Market) and bought some snow boots for when it starts snowing soon. It is always an exciting experience trying to haggle with the vendors in Russian. I’m not sure if  I’m actually getting a great deal or not, but I am usually able to get things about 10% cheaper then the ser price. At Ashan (the Russian Wall-mart) found some Russian version of American movies real cheap. I got “The last samurai” which plays in English and Russian perfectly for 3 bucks! I intend to watch the movies in Russian to improve my listening skills. I am very content with the amount of Russian I am learning everyday. I have started a verb frequency journal in which I started listing the most used verbs in order, in the 5 different languages I know and or have studied. I am hoping I can start developing some great study habits that will allow me to become and stay a true polyglot. Overall I had a great week. Can’t wait for the next!

Alejandro Romero

My name is Alejandro Romero, but my friends call me Alex. I was born in Hialeah Miami, to a Costa Rican father and Puerto Rican mother. When I was young my parents divorced. I was raised primarily by my mother and my Irish-American step-father in Hollywood, FL. I have two younger siblings, a brother on my mother's side, and sister on my father's side. Growing up, English was my first language and Spanish was my secondary. In middle school, I had the wonderful opportunity of going to Costa Rica with my father. While I always had an interest in foreign languages and cultures ever since I was young, I was amazed with how different daily life was in another country. In high school, I became fascinated with the Japanese language and culture and started teaching myself before having the opportunity to take it as a class. I studied Japanese for 4 years before finally getting the opportunity to participate in a student exchange program in the summer of 2009. To this day, I say that was the greatest experience in my life, and it has allowed me to see the world in a different way. Recently I have fallen in love with the Russian language and culture and wish to pursue the same great experiences I had during my Japanese Studies. My goals in life are to use my skills of languages and cultures to help improve international relations, and change some of the misconceptions people have towards other cultures.