things you just don't see in England.....

Learning Russian has probably been the most challenging (not to mention frustrating) thing I have ever done in my life.

However, it all seems worthwhile when it brings to life the already utterly bizarre situations that I often observe here.

Yesterday, we were on a bus on the way home from one of the beautiful palaces outside the city. The bus driver pulled in at a stop, and a less than sober man with a large dog attempted to board the bus. The drive refused him entry, on the grounds that "it might **** all over my bus, and then what will I do" (I assumed that he was referring to the dog rather than to the man, although of this I cannot be totally sure).

The man then offered the driver a bribe to let his canine chum board the vehicle, so the driver told him that he didn't need his money, and to get off the bus. Unfortunately, the man didn't take too kindly to this, and started kicking and punching the driver. Due to his fair-to-middling level of inebriation, his punches were as inaccurate as his balance was unsteady, so all it took was a gentle push from the driver (actually quite a pleasant and mild-mannered chap by Russian working class standards) to send him tumbling down the stairs, off the bus and into the slush by the side of the road. A quality incident!

Btw - just as a note of possible interest - "Scotland" in Russian is "Shatland", which I think is pretty apt!

 

Interesting stuff.

On a side note, where are you getting your information from now that the 'rock' has been found? I'm guessing it's back to swapping brief cases on the park bench.

 

hahaha! That's about it at the minute - is too cold to do any of those mason-esque coded messages ;-)

 

what's the vibe over there regarding that story? From here, it looks like they're just laughing at us for being so crap.

 

haven't really heard much as it's a Moscow thing. My mate who works for the Foreign Office was usually my source for such things, but he's been posted to Ecuador, so is a bit out of the loop as far as Russian goings on are concerned.