Ani's 2017 Log

[zenmonkey]

The average Russian isn't so exotic create as European used to think. I guess in our daily life we are as boring as every other nations Btw, I see myself as a typical Russian despite the fact that I don't drink vodka and don't cook borscht

It is true that you're all ex-KGB mafia gangsters though, right?

Oh, yeah . Even though I was still in school when the USSR fell apart... but I was old enough to be a pioneer .
Seriously and honestly, I don't know what exactly Europeans and Americans think about Russians or if they think about us at all , but there are so many mythes about my homecountry .

[blaurebell]

Speaking of Russian food . As a kid I hated borscht (борщ) and any other soups. Many kids did.

Oh, me too! I don't like any soups, they all seem to get more on the plate rather than less and when you aren't allowed to get up until you finish your plate, it takes unbearably long to eat! By the way, I don't think there even is a single борщ recipe, every family has their own version of it. I've eaten wildly different things that were called борщ. The only uniting thing seems to be that it contains beetroot and that you eat it with smetana. And you're exactly right, my family is Russian by origin, but lives in Ukraine and some part of the family also has Greek origins, so a part of the dishes that they eat traditionally might be coming from other places. Not sure where Plov comes from, but it is absolutely delicious! I really love all these dishes, and борщ is the only soup I sometimes even liked, but well I'm sadly allergic to all of them now.

Also, the drink thing is also like you say in the country for women, but for some strange reason they really insist on it outside the country. Some Russians I met in Germany insisted terribly much and I had to struggle quite a bit to get out of it, especially when they knew that I have Russian roots. Sometimes I didn't manage though and they didn't stop until the bottle was empty! Nowadays I always have my health as an excuse, but when I was younger I really had to get inventive sometimes

[aaleks]

Also, the drink thing is also like you say in the country for women, but for some strange reason they really insist on it outside the country.

An export version of Russians behavior probably .

[Ani]

2017-08-07 23.05.35.jpg

So I just had to stop by because I opened up a package of school notebooks from Costco today and found this inside their two page "web resource guide" that they are putting into every notebook. If the image is blurry, that's HTLAL, there. Kinda funny, kinda weird. It's would have been life changing for me as a high schooler (I mean it was anyway..) but it is a shame they end up on what is basically a dead site. I probably could have made this a real thread instead of burying it in my log but I am so tired.. I wouldn't follow up.

[Ani]

Brief check in.. Life is still kinda insane.. Now it is of my own doing at least. We are on our pilgrimage to see the eclipse. 18h drive today with an average speed of 44mph when you factor in pitstops and pot holes. The customs officer greeted me with the "hello bonjour" of Canada and you can't believe how tempted I was to try the interaction in French, but I really didn't want her to get annoyed and decide to search the car lol. Also I can't really understand Canadians very well so there's that... Maybe I'll find some low pressure Canadians to talk to in French...

I did pack some study stuff. I may or may not get to more than the audio books. Not sure. I really need to go back to drilling verbs.

[Ani]

We made it as far as Montana and we had a bit of a glitch with the registration of the trailer we bought along the way. We are waylaid a day while I wait for plates to be overnighted to me. Fortunately, I need to wait around Glacier national park which is hardly a sacrifice.


I think I need a pep talk and someone to remind me why I do this No study this week and I feel super guilty. Part of me wants to throw up my hands and pretend I never wanted to speak another language. I think maybe I ended up pressuring myself too much. I'm having a case of the "I'm not good enough"'s and thinking maybe I am only pretending I am capable of learning things. Maybe it is just a bad week, or maybe people just really can't study while dragging 5 kids over 5,000 miles, cooking over a jet boil and hanging laundry to dry on a makeshift line hung between the back of the car ave the trailer.. Or maybe I am just a faker, I never learned anything, and it's all just a lie :-p

[Systematiker]

We made it as far as Montana and we had a bit of a glitch with the registration of the trailer we bought along the way. We are waylaid a day while I wait for plates to be overnighted to me. Fortunately, I need to wait around Glacier national park which is hardly a sacrifice.


I think I need a pep talk and someone to remind me why I do this No study this week and I feel super guilty. Part of me wants to throw up my hands and pretend I never wanted to speak another language. I think maybe I ended up pressuring myself too much. I'm having a case of the "I'm not good enough"'s and thinking maybe I am only pretending I am capable of learning things. Maybe it is just a bad week, or maybe people just really can't study while dragging 5 kids over 5,000 miles, cooking over a jet boil and hanging laundry to dry on a makeshift line hung between the back of the car ave the trailer.. Or maybe I am just a faker, I never learned anything, and it's all just a lie :-p

Or maybe you've achieved amazing things and learned a lot, to say nothing of doing it with 5 kids and homeschooling and lots of extra work on the nutrition front. You've done more than most would even without all that extra, and what you've done with it is nothing short of impressive. Don't be hard on yourself - and you're certainly allowed a week off! You have proven that you're good enough, and that you do well.

[neofight78]

Ani, are you completely nuts!? Kids mean that any kind of studying at all at any point is a miracle, also, you are on the road. Chill out, do what you can when you can, and never feel guilty about having a break or not finding the time.

[Cavesa]

Ani, you're awesome! How can you doubt that even for a second?

Ok, I understand a bit, as I have lots of experience with self-doubt But it should always go away fast in your case. You are awesome at so many things at once, being a mother is the top and extremely demanding, yet you still find time for other stuff. I admire you!

A week or two without languages is nothing. You'll get back to them soon, and your brain will be well rested, craving some new stuff.

[Xenops]

Ani dear, you are very impressive for being a mom, homeschooling them, and somehow making time for learning languages. I think there's a lot of pressure in the U.S. for women to be "super-moms" or "super-women": moms and women that fill their lives to the brim and can juggle many different activities in their lives. This idea is bogus and unhealthy. How can anyone be expected to juggle so many things and do them well?

I think it's admirable that you're taking your kids on a long road trip to see the eclipse: my parents wouldn't do that! You might feel guilty not having time for languages, but rather, you are investing in your kids, and you are investing into and benefiting society by raising well-rounded kids. Your kids will be able to think for themselves, be courageous enough to explore new things, and be productive workers at a job. In my book, you're being a real super-mom because you're thinking of the kids first.