Three weeks in

I've been here just over 3 weeks now. Mostly it's gone well. There are timetable challenges (mostly the number of kids' I'm teaching and the fact I don't have any business classes which I expected as a business English specialist), but challenges are there to be overcome, or so I'm told. The school is great, the staff are really helpful, and most of the students are really nice too. 

I've used the language a little but don't have enough knowledge to converse with people. Mind you, strangers would think someone crazy if they started a random conversation with them anyway. 

I've moved into a different flat, which is bigger and very comfortable. It is about 30 mins' walk from the school and on the 5th floor with no lift but I'm getting used to that. The picture above is the road leading to my flat.

Autumn has been lovely, I was surprised how many trees there are here in what is basically a sprawling concrete-covered swamp. 

The past few days has seen a change though. Many of the trees have lost their leaves, the hanging baskets have been removed from the lamp posts and the flower beds have been dug over. Winter is on the way and people are starting to prepare for it.  Snow has been forecast later this week, whether it will be the first snow to settle this year or not remains to be seen. At the moment I can say I'd prefer to see the snow and ice rather than the huge puddles and generally grey sky (the picture above was taken on a rare sunny day) but I'm sure that in a few weeks' time I will be looking forward to the spring.

There are so many challenges here - every brings something new to motivate me. I doubt I'll get bored here, although loneliness is obviously a possibility. It's something I'm aware of so I'm trying to keep busy to stop it happening. 

In the meantime, I'm planning, teaching and doing the same things I do at home - cooking, cleaning, washing, reading, spending time online, shopping... Life's not so different here really. Yet....

In Siberia...

Well I made it! The flights were fairly uneventful although there was a difference between the international and the internal flight. Just before take off on the flight from Heathrow the cabin crew came round with boiled sweets (pear drops, just in case you are interested). On the internal flight from Moscow to Nizhnevartovsk they handed out sick bags just before take off - fortunately not needed!!

We arrived at just after 6am local time (1am UK time) on Tuesday. It's now 4pm local time Thursday and I feel like I've been here for ages. I think I've seen most of the sights already (it's a small place), I've walked lots, been shopping for food a couple of times, eaten out, ordered a few coffees and drunk more beer than I've had in the past 6 months! Jet lag is a bit of a problem, slept for an hour last night before I woke up and was wide awake for two or three hours. Other than that, no problems to report.

Weather - well, it's pretty cold but above freezing. There is a strong and cold wind though. Snow is forecast for Friday night (6-10cm) and hopefully the city's central heating (centrally controlled) will come on before that (needs four days below 5 degrees). Having said that, it is entirely possible that the week after the snow the temperatures could go up to almost 20 degrees again. I've tried to get a hot water bottle but can't find one anywhere, probably because the apartment blocks are so hot once the heating is on.

I don't have internet in my flat yet (I may be moving so it's on hold) but will put some pictures up once that's sorted out. If you can imagine a city with no real centre, based around blocks of apartments you've got it. There are more trees than I imagined, and the river is huge, although strange to see there's absolutely nothing but wilderness on the other side of it. The Ob is the third biggest river in Asia and it freezes over from the middle/end of October - enough to walk on and probably even drive on. Speaking of Asia, yes geographically I am in Asia but there is a much more European feel about the place than an Asian one.

Well, a pretty factual blog there, not too much to report that is particularly interesting at the moment. I still have to keep pinching myself to believe I'm here, it all feels very comfortable at the moment which is good but a little surreal. It could all change once I start teaching next week....