Lock-In

Lock-In

Not so many years ago I'd have been overjoyed at the mention of a lock-in. Perhaps I should explain to non-native English speakers.

In the UK bars used to have strict closing times by law, putting a stop to our drinking fun at far too early an hour. From what I remember anyway, the fun had only just begun!!! So at closing time everyone was told to go home....enough alcohol, it's bed time and you have to work tomorrow said the law. Except.....the lucky few of us who knew the landlord. We were allowed to stay in the bar, and the doors would be locked, but the bar would remain open serving us a few more bevvies, hence the phrase 'lock-in'. So the party continued!!

I had my own private lock-in last night. It was a quiet affair with far too few people involved to make it a party, and a distinct lack of alcohol. In fact I'd even run out of milk. I worked late at the office, like you do when you need a bit of peace and quiet. But not too late, as I had an appointment with my friend who runs a business making and delivering healthy food to busy people who want to look after their bodies. Each Monday her team of chefs prepare food for the local homeless people and she personally delivers it to them in a shelter on the streets in conjunction with the local church. I love helping her out, I'd never make a silver service waitress, but I do my best!

Computer off.....running....down the four flights of stairs, switching the lights off as I go, knowing I am last out of our beautiful Victorian building. While I was in Russia I had a new front door at home installed. When I got home, I took my old keys off the and slipped the shiny new ones onto my key-ring. Oops!! Sadly for me, I had also removed one of the office keys - The Most Important One. The front door of the building, twice my height, stood locked between me and freedom.

I was suddenly very aware of the deep, dark, empty silence. What's a girl to do? Panic!!!
Trapped, alone in a huge building in the dark at night. Well, it would have been dark if I'd switched the lights off.

Forcing myself to stay calm, I went back upstairs checking every door on the way for an escape route - but they were all locked. Retreating to my own office I looked bleakly out of the window.....four floors up.

Only one option.

Ring my neighbour who has spare keys and ask her to drive down with them and unlock the door from the outside. Of course it was exactly like that, completely as calm and controlled as I write ;)

If only I hadn't gone to Russia, if only I hadn't had a new front door.....if only....

Did I work late tonight? Yes, of course I did, if only to see if I could top last night's thrills.....I just have a temporary key paranoia.

Kazan we can

Kazan east of Moscow

Why wouldn't we take advantage of taking a weekend trip to Kazan? No reason except it's a 12 hour train journey.  So I threw money at the problem, and we took a flight instead; a much more reasonable hour and a half travelling time. 

What a contrast to Moscow is this capital city of Tartarstan.  Situated on the wide and winding Volga River, open spaces, wide roads, good transport links at the airport.  This is mainly due to the 2013 Summer Universiade, the 2nd largest sporting events after Olympiads, attended by 162 nations. New arenas litter the skyline, modern and colourful, contrasting with the beautiful bright turquoise painted historical buildings. The leaning Soyemika Tower measuring an approximate 1.9m horizontal displacement as opposed to the more famous tower in Pisa at 3.9m is steeped in history as far back as the 16^th century.  Allegedly the Kazan Queen asked Ivan the Terrible to build it for her, a tier a day within seven days, before becoming his wife. Instead of which she chose to throw herself from the top; true or not it adds to the romance of the area and era.

Come evening time we couldn't believe our luck when an hour before the sold out show we scooped some front row tickets to Tchaikovsky's 2nd and 3rd symphonies in one of the town’s beautiful concert halls. 

Surrounded by the famous forests of birch the traditional colourful dachas and banyas creating flumes of smoke, and very little English, we really felt like we were in a different country.  Unlike international Moscow, the few schools here are dedicated to teaching English.  If anyone is looking for a summer break teaching English there, drop us a line because we've been asked to supply a native English teacher for summer holidays 2014.

We flew back to the bright lights of the capital city for our last couple of days exploits, navigating our way precariously via the stunning Moscow metro.  Like a child in its formative years, we are learning to recognise the shape of the letters of the alphabet, having no idea what word they spell nor how they are pronounced, but we still manage to get around.

Imagine our surprise to find Red Square closed, cordoned off by the police and gates closed all round.  Luckily being in the wonderful company of a native Russian speaker we approached who we deemed to be the most handsome guard to ask when it will re-open for us. 

He said solemnly, 'It's a secret.'

‘Will it be open tomorrow?’ we responded

‘It's a secret'

'It's never too late,' is a phrase I've frequently used and heartily agree with, but in this instance I can't help thinking the more appropriate one should be, 'never put off till tomorrow what you can do today'.

How long is my list of 'things to do today'?  Shhh....I can't tell you….because….. it's a secret.

 

Must-Go Moscow

My trip to Russia, for both business and pleasure, has been on the cards for a while.   I originally meant to go in the summer, but we’ve been so busy welcoming new students to the UK to study English, not to mention enjoying the beaches and Bournemouth nightlife myself.

So off I go, just before the winter snow and below freezing temperatures kicked in. 

Russia!  For a country that seems so exotic and so different to the UK, it’s fabulous that the flight time is only three and a half hours – it takes me longer than that to drive to Norfolk sometimes.  A quick hop in a taxi and in under an hour I’m in Moscow.

We might have been enjoying a bit of late sunshine in England, but I didn’t want to take any chances, so I’d armed myself with a new pair of fur-lined water-resistant, super heat-supplying Uggs and enough cashmere to make Dr Zhivago blush.

But Moscow has thrown me a curveball – we're enjoying 12 degrees and some sunshine to boot!  Perfect sight-seeing weather.  I dash straight down to Red Square.  I’m a day late to see the ceremonial Olympic flame being delivered into the hands of President Putin, but the evidence of the stadium reception covered the entire area for several days.  The Russians don’t do anything by halves!

I don’t use the word ‘Awesome’ a lot, but I'll treat myself to it now.   It doesn’t matter how many pictures you’ve seen, nothing prepares you for the reality.  The entire area - Red Square itself, the stunning St. Basil's Cathedral, Kazan Cathedral, the Kremlin walls – it’s all astonishing.  In the crisp autumn air, lit up to show off the fairy-tale colours and shapes, the mixture of old and new, and the sheer scale and weight of the history is breathtaking.

As for the GUM shopping mall - I'm going to have to say it most reminds me of Harrods in London. 

I was lucky to be there from daylight to nightfall, and to see the magnificent lights switched on.

There are so many shops and cafes to choose from.  Lucky for me, I’m with a lovely friend whom I met In Madrid whilst we were studying Spanish at International House.  She and her mother knew the place to go, Cafe Bosco, fronting the Square.  We chose various delicate salads, graciously served with all the flair and accoutrements of a front line café restaurant, followed by tea, coffee, and a three tiered plate of various mouth sized cakes – although I have to say, even my mouth was fairly stretched to capacity.  It seems to be famous for more than its fine fare, judging by how many tourists took photos of us while we sat scoffing an array of delicacies on the terrace. 

All the while.....of course I was thinking about work! 

Getting a taxi isn't quite as simple as I'm used to in London but the driver certainly made up for that!  He spoke English, better than I speak Russian anyway.  Having said that, I'm sure my translator only gave me the edited highlights.  Believe me, this taxi driver could have written a book on his exploits!

You know me, I can't let a day go by without doing some work.  Not that I'm going to tell you how much work exactly.  Unfortunately I couldn’t go out alone because….yes you guessed it, I don't speak the language.  I feel like a baby, totally reliant and dependant on my friend whose English is perfect, having spent a year abroad honing it. 

The offices and school of Liden and Denz have a great central location.  The main train station is conveniently nearby.  The departures board reads like a bucket list of popular destinations, both internal and international.   

With the Ministry of Foreign Affairs next door don't be put off by the security gate on entering the complex.  At least you know you are going to be learning amongst some dedicated professionals. 

If you’re considering studying here, the classrooms are modern with all the facilities you’ll need whilst you’re here. There’s the usual array of iPads for student use, wi-fi, library and refreshments.  With opening hours from 8am, through to 11pm it’s easy to find a time slot that suits your schedule.

We met a group of youngsters taking their leaving party photos.  They'd just taken a 4 day closed group course and spent the rest of the week sightseeing, which seems like a great combination.  The centre director Anastasia told us that courses for adults can also be specifically tailored to suit.

It's a shame we didn't have time to try it out......maybe next time!

 

 

StudyWorld  London September 2013

Is hard work supposed to be fun?  I headed for StudyWorld expecting two and a half days of non-stop networking, and I got a lot of laughs thrown in for free.  In case you didn’t know, StudyWorld is all about international student recruitment and brings together 850 industry professionals in a forum that’s perfect for making contacts and seeing what’s new out there in the business.

Anyway, I was up in town the day before the conference, meeting up with a mate, Adam.  We hopped over to the Natural History Museum to get in the educational mood, and followed that up with a few educational pints.

On checking in I straight away bumped into a couple of friends; Jenny (she’s a director of a rival agency in Bournemouth, but I don’t hold grudges) and especially glad to see Bernice, haven’t seen her since Palermo in March. The lovely face of Schools & Agents, knows her ELT, and knows how to party – my kind of lady!

What great rooms we’d be given, super kings all round  – what a waste.  Didn’t waste the open bar though – free all night for the Welcome Party.  I put on my networking hat and got chatting, to a few favourite regulars, Dave from IH Bristol, Gavin IH Cape Town, and met some new faces from Paris, Ben and Antonio.  They provide innovative online  courses, and signed me up for a free taster course.  We all caught up on the latest gossip, industry and other, and had a few laughs.  I heard a fascinating history tale, I thought it was a joke, you know, the language school equivalent of, ‘A  man walks into a bar….’ but sadly I missed the punch-line.  So with just the seven wines under the belt and thinking of the days ahead I thought it best to retire to bed early.  

 Day One - No hangover after the Welcome Party, but suffered a wardrobe malfunction.  Ripped the split in my black skirt trying to take two steps at a time.  I didn’t think the conference was quite ready for my leopard print alternative, so just turned the black one back-to-front on the basis people would definitely notice if my rump was exposed, but I’m usually able to maintain eye contact. 

A day of appointments saw me disappearing under a sheaf of brochures and business cards, but totally worth it to make some promising contacts.   I checked out some of the stands too, and made frequent trips to the coffee bar!  Glad for the water that is out on the tables.  I’m not sure I’ve ever talked so much.  After a busy day on my stilettos, what a relief to join the girls for a quieter kind of evening, bowling and a few drinks, and making arrangements to meet for breakfast at 8.40 in the morning.

Day Two - Alarm malfunction.  Is there a pattern developing?  Jenny knocked before my alarm went off.  I leapt up, threw on a dress, hair up, and headed down in under  two minutes for breakfast, debating, become invisible on a table in corner or brazen it out, in the end the coffee machine’s proximity made my decision for me.  Hopefully no-one  noticed the sheet creases on my cheeks.  Thank goodness for coffee and croissants to set me up for another day of meeting and greeting. 

When it came to the finale, I legged it.  After two days on my best behaviour – and yes, that was my best behaviour – I had a friend to meet, to eat and drink with, enjoy London for an evening before heading home.  All-in-all a fantastic event, made loads of contacts and I’m now well into my Frantastique course – I expect to be fluent in time for StudyWorld 2014!

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