We received a call from our facilitator today saying that the Landlord would be here to switch out the mattress, and that the washing machine was fixed and she would show us how to use it. Well, the landlord is my new favorite person here in Ukraine!
She started speaking in Russian when we opened the door, and she didn't stop until she left! I even told her "No Ruski" which I think means I am not Russian, or something like that, but that definitely didn't stop her. Cutest thing ever.
She is running around the apartment talking quickly in Russian with lots of hand gestures. Bill and I are nodding and trying to follow along as best we can. We glean that she is telling us we can open the windows when we're home, but we need to close them when we leave. She also takes our bath mat and our towels from our showers today and hangs them on a line outside the kitchen window. She sees our laptop on the table and makes room for it on a different table, then brings out tablecloths for us. Apparently the table we had our computer on was actually meant for eating! She was very concerned about making sure everything was nice for us.
She pulled out two pairs of slippers from the cabinet, and put one in her bag. The other she holds out toward me and puts on the floor. I think she is saying I can use them (since I am walking around barefoot)....so I smile and say "спасибо" (spa-see-ba) which means thank you. I don't put them on though because I am a little funny about wearing other people's shoes, and also because I like being barefoot. (Either they weren't really meant for me, or she figured I was turning down her offer, because she took them with her when she left!)
She "fixes" our washing machine, which means that she shows us how to prop a stool and a full bottle of water in front of it to keep the door closed. Awesome! My kind of repair!
Her son (I think?) carries in the mattress, and she then proceeds to ask us if we want new sheets, and then goes on to make the whole bed, showing us where extra blankets are and gesturing by hugging herself that they are in case we get cold.
She said "Меня зовут Maria" (men-ya-za-voot Maria) which means "My name is Maria"....so I told her our names. Then she asked "America?" so we nodded yes. She got so happy, talking on and on again in Russian....Bill and I doing lots of smiling and nodding. She says something about Canada, Germany, America, and I think Poland....and then gives me a great big hug. I am hugging back and smiling and nodding.
And then she is chattering Russian all the way out the door, and we are saying our "до свидания" (dahs vi-don-ya), which means goodbye. And then the door closes. And Bill and I have no idea what just happened. And she was the cutest little Russian woman ever!
She started speaking in Russian when we opened the door, and she didn't stop until she left! I even told her "No Ruski" which I think means I am not Russian, or something like that, but that definitely didn't stop her. Cutest thing ever.
She is running around the apartment talking quickly in Russian with lots of hand gestures. Bill and I are nodding and trying to follow along as best we can. We glean that she is telling us we can open the windows when we're home, but we need to close them when we leave. She also takes our bath mat and our towels from our showers today and hangs them on a line outside the kitchen window. She sees our laptop on the table and makes room for it on a different table, then brings out tablecloths for us. Apparently the table we had our computer on was actually meant for eating! She was very concerned about making sure everything was nice for us.
She pulled out two pairs of slippers from the cabinet, and put one in her bag. The other she holds out toward me and puts on the floor. I think she is saying I can use them (since I am walking around barefoot)....so I smile and say "спасибо" (spa-see-ba) which means thank you. I don't put them on though because I am a little funny about wearing other people's shoes, and also because I like being barefoot. (Either they weren't really meant for me, or she figured I was turning down her offer, because she took them with her when she left!)
She "fixes" our washing machine, which means that she shows us how to prop a stool and a full bottle of water in front of it to keep the door closed. Awesome! My kind of repair!
Her son (I think?) carries in the mattress, and she then proceeds to ask us if we want new sheets, and then goes on to make the whole bed, showing us where extra blankets are and gesturing by hugging herself that they are in case we get cold.
She said "Меня зовут Maria" (men-ya-za-voot Maria) which means "My name is Maria"....so I told her our names. Then she asked "America?" so we nodded yes. She got so happy, talking on and on again in Russian....Bill and I doing lots of smiling and nodding. She says something about Canada, Germany, America, and I think Poland....and then gives me a great big hug. I am hugging back and smiling and nodding.
And then she is chattering Russian all the way out the door, and we are saying our "до свидания" (dahs vi-don-ya), which means goodbye. And then the door closes. And Bill and I have no idea what just happened. And she was the cutest little Russian woman ever!
and since Russian is my native language, when she discovers that, she will never ever ever leave and talk me to death :-) and the only thing I will be able to do will be to talk back to her endlessly too. And then Chess will have REAL fun hahaha
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