Summer: Лето

Ah summer! A time of rest, reflection, and gratitude to be in the teaching profession. When I was younger summer meant waking up at 10:00am, packing a backpack and biking over to my friend Kristin's house and from there the local park for a day of swimming, reading and the hope of finding a boyfriend. I am amazed to think of how many books I read that summer!

I live in a family of list makers. My husband is the worst. On Saturdays during the school year it is my intention to have a big cup of coffee while reading the paper, watching birds at the birdfeeder, engaging various family members in conversation about life. My husband on the other hand is up making lists, completing the list and pushing me to add things to the list. At the brink of divorce one morning I calmly said to him "But HONEY, I get up every morning, and rush out of here to get to work. On Saturday I want to ease into my morning." He looked at me with a loving understanding look. And then said "Ok but while you are doing that can you make a shopping list and let me know what else you want me to do?" He then continued to buzz around the house attending to his list. Each time he passed by the table (where I was still sitting, reading the paper, watching birds, and drinking now my second cup of coffee and trying to ignore him) he gave me a look which could only be understood as "Wow you are STILL sitting there!"

To me summer is 6-8 weeks of Saturdays. Thankfully, my husband goes to work during the week so I can do what I want and escape his glares and lists. But secretly I am a list maker also. In fact, I love lists and make them all the time. The difference is my list has to do with me, whereas my husband's list usually concerns the greater good of the family unit. My lists can get pretty complex with multiple categories. In my opinion I am much better at making lists than Chris. I can make lists in my head. But the important ones I need to write down. So here is my "list" of Russian language intentions for the summer. Now if I can find my friends…summer tends to lure them away from their computers and out to their dachas. Not that I can blame them, if I had a dacha I would be there as often as possible. Then again if I had a dacha I would be in Russia, speaking Russian at my Russian dacha. – Мне кажется, если бы у меня была дача, я была бы в России и говорила бы по-русски на моей русской даче.

Need to learn

Cases

    Dative

    Instrumental

    Plurals in all cases

Verbs

    Continue to work on aspect (and aspect pairs)

    Motion verbs (in sets/pairs)

    Reflexive verbs

Adjectives

    Cases

    Demonstrative

Reflexive pronouns

Adverbs (ongoing)

NUMBERS!!!!!

 

Things I should know but don't, or worse, seem to forget- A LOT!

    Declination of names (especially my friends) L

    Adverbs

    Negatives

    Comparative adjectives

    3^rd person pl verb forms (not sure why this does not stick)

    Describing time (long ago, ten years ago….etc)

Word list

Obvious words I continue to forget, essential words I should know by now…

    Possessive pronouns

 

Last but not least- check the market for a prospective dacha.