And I’m going to return. Now time has come for me to rearrange this blog. I’m working on it now, which keeps me far too busy to publish any new posts, though I have lots of new ideas which I’m eager to share with you. The blog is going to have a new face and a new domain name. I’ll keep you posted.

See you soon.

Love, Olga

Now to the award. The Liebster is said to have originated in Germany. It means “beloved.” And it’s designed to bring attention to blogs with fewer than 200 followers.

Here are the rules:

• Thank the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
• Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
• Post the award on your blog.
• Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the Internet

According to the rules, I am to pass the Liebster Award along to five other bloggers. Although there are more than five blogs I love, I have to stay within the limits and I present the Liebster Award to these five bloggers:

1. Emily Cannell at Hey from Japan – Notes on Moving. Although it is evident that Emily has more than 200 followers, I just can’t bypass her blog for I love it dearly and enjoy her posts about Japan.
2. Kitchenmunge. I enjoy language posts on this blog.
3. Lena at Coffee Cat – a blog by a Russian girl living and working in America.
4. Michi at I Heart Mondegreens. I like the welcoming atmosphere created by a sunny girl called Michi.
5. Ashley Pichea at Teaching Jenny – a blog about homeschooling an academically advanced preschooler with lots of useful materials and links.

I link to you just to say I love your blogs and enjoy reading them whenever I have time to. Thank you for your  posts and keep on going.

Due to different circumstances our first trip as a family of three didn’t take place until last year when our daughter turned two. We started at about 5 a.m., as we usually do on such long trips. Dasha seemed to understand the necessity and didn’t mind though normally she doesn’t wake up before 10 a.m.

The first day passed all right and she didn’t even need the toys and books we had packed, except for an electric piano. Notwithstanding cold and rainy weather, there was a lot to do in the car: look out of the window, toy with sticks and pine cones she collected during our short stops, study the map and listen to my stories about the hugeness of the sea.

Our plan was to spend nights in the car (we have a 7 seater minibus with a table, three of the seats have been habitually replaced with a large self-made bed) but as the weather wasn’t warm enough we began to think of renting a motel room. Luckily as we approached Samara in the evening, the rain had stopped. Getting out of the car, we realized it wasn’t cold any more. So we were able to have a great night’s sleep almost in the open air.

By the second day Dasha had already got used to her sedentary lifestyle and demanded even less attention. As our food supplies were over, she found pleasure in spotting shops and cafes. She had no time to be bored as now the landscape was completely different from the Urals and it was fun studying it and comparing. We had dinner in Saratov. The city is affected by such strong winds that after a few steps from the car to a cafe our eyes were full of dust. 

The last day was the most pleasant despite the bareness of the landscape: we changed into light clothes for the weather was turning from warm to hot. Every sight we passed was suggestive of the sea we were approaching. Even the fact that we had to spend an additional night in the car next to Krasnodar didn’t spoil the impression. 

I can’t say that everything had gone smoothly. Once we lost our way and had to drive several dozen kilometers back to return on the right track. We had a long delay at a car service station. Sometimes we drove till late at night and our daughter fell asleep in her chair and only hours later was carried to the bed for the night. She wasn’t allowed to sit on my lap as she sometimes wished to. None of the hardships made her cry or complain.

We arrived at the Azov Sea early in the morning. The sight of the sea made us forget at once how tired we were:

After spending several more hours driving along the seashore in search of a place to stay,

we finally rented a room at a hotel:

The holiday passed very fast.

We were suntanned and ready to go home after a good rest. And, what’s more important, I wasn’t afraid to travel with my kid any more for now I knew that everything would be all right. 

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Having been in the role of both a student and a teacher, I can confess without false modesty that I know the topic of acquiring a foreign language inside out. I share my story and the tips I hope you will find helpful. 

I can still clearly remember my first acquaintance with English at school. I hated the language because at the age of seven I couldn’t understand my teacher’s explanations about the third person singular where I was supposed to add the -s verb ending or about a mysterious place called Great Britain. I disliked the idea of mechanical repeating sentences in class so I just refused to speak. The only aspect that helped me get good and excellent marks was that I was a well-behaved girl. My teacher was able to see potential in me through my “modesty” as she called it and invited me to attend additional classes she organized paid-free. But even that did me no good.

I began to understand the grammar, learned tons of new words and expressions and made huge progress in pronunciation and speaking fluency during my last half-year of schooling when I met a tutor twice a week in order to enter the institute.

When I did enter the institute, I lost interest in studies again for now I was under the impression that I already knew everything worth knowing (which was not true as I discovered years later). So, instead of doing my homework I began teaching children. I missed classes and often came unprepared. No wonder that teachers didn’t like me and I graduated with “good” for my English and “satisfactory” for my French.

By that time I had realized that I am not interested in French and that my true love is English. I continued teaching. Now that I worked not only with kids but also with adults I had to study really hard to prepare for my lessons. For several years my Bible was “A Practical English Grammar” and I didn’t go to bed without going through my list of words. Working at the University brought my English to its best. I could afford to relax a little but I still remember that once I quit practicing, my English will begin to deteriorate slowly without my even noticing it.

My own experience and that of my most successful students allowed me to formulate 5 simple tips. Here they are:

1. Keep motivated. It is very hard to master a language without being motivated and my story illustrates it very well. As for me, in the past I was motivated by entering the institute, then teaching. Now my motivation is communicating, blogging and travelling.
2. Work regularly and responsibly. It is better to take a little step every day to improve your language than to devote several hours to it at the weekends. Moreover, the work mustn’t be mechanical. It means that even if you are studying with a teacher, it is you who are responsible for the process, its pace and its result. Protest against taking more homework than you can cope with and always do something over your home assignment. That tiny manoeuvre will help you guide the lesson and be in charge of it instead of shifting responsibility to the teacher.
3. Read a page or two every day. It is absolutely necessary to read something besides your textbooks. Your chances to succeed grow if you choose a fiction book you really enjoy. If your knowledge of language is still poor, you can choose something you have read in your native tongue. Contrary to popular belief, such reading must be performed without using a dictionary. Don’t try to understand the words you read – just enjoy the process. It will be even better if you read aloud and then retell the page or two you have just read. In a few months you won’t recognize yourself, I promise!
4. Listen to native speakers every day. But remember that their pronunciation must be ideal. If it is not so, find the right native speakers and listen to the recording of their voice 5 to 15 minutes a day. And again don’t try to understand – just enjoy the sound of the language and don’t wait for any results. Your pronunciation will improve gradually.
5. Choose the right teacher. One of the most important things about your ideal teacher – I don’t mention that he/she should know the language really well and be able to explain it – is that you should feel no negative emotions about him/her. Also, most of the speaking must be done by you and not by the teacher – it is not your goal to listen to your teacher, is it? I suppose it is to learn to speak in the first place. The teacher’s role as I see it is to keep you on the right track.

Good luck!

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I love water. Which is no wonder for I was born under the Cancer zodiac sign. It makes me feel calm, relaxed and in peace with myself. The proximity of a river, lake and especially sea brings comfort to my life. As to an ocean, I have never seen one.

My first acquaintance with sea took place when I was five years old. I was an sickly child and my mother took me to the Black Sea following my therapist’s recommendations. Although our stay there lasted no more than 24 hours – for the climate disagreed with me, I felt bad and we had to fly away as soon as possible – I fell in love with the sea forever.

My second trip didn’t take place until years later. I was a student at the time and spent the summer after my first year of studies travelling. First I went to St. Petersburg and then to the sea. Getting off the train I couldn’t help feeling nervous because I wasn’t sure how the sea was going to accept me this time. But when I saw it, so huge and tender, I knew immediately everything would go well. And it did.

Soon I learned that the sea can be different. On a sunny day it is blue and still:

and sparkling:

Further away from the shore it is nearly green:

On a gloomy day it can be grey:

and stormy:

But most often it is caressing:

and inviting:

Then other trips followed. I have stayed by the sea with my mother and sister, with my friends, with my husband and with my two-year old daughter. I have travelled there by plane, by train and by car. I have seen all the seashore from Novorossiysk to Sochi.

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My favourite town on the whole seashore is Gelendzhik. I love it for its flower abundance, dry climate, sand beaches and mountains, waterfalls and dolmens.

It is famous for its cable car lines:

Here is the view over the town that opens from the mountain top:

But my favourite place in Gelendzhik is its embankment that stretches all along the town:

On one side there are cafes and souvenir shops and on the other splashes the sea:

Gelendzhik is always clean, tidy and welcoming:

and full of sunshine and bloom:

I have good news and I’m happy to share it with you: my blog has been awarded by Monica Welch at Word Nymph. I enjoy Monica’s blog and read it whenever I have some time to spare. So it rejoiced me to discover that Monica considers my blog deserving the award. Thank you very much, Monica!

I can’t remember receiving any awards before, though it may be that I’m not thinking hard enough. But it is definitely the first blogging award I have ever received and I’m so full of pride that I’m going to complete all the requirements the award entails though I’m not pressured in any way to that. 

1. Thank the blogger who gave the award and link to his or her blog. I’ve just done that.

2. Share seven things about yourself. Well, let me think…

• The first thing I had to do after receiving the award was to look up the meaning of the word “versatile”. But now I’m going to remember that I am “capable of doing many things competently” and my blog  ”embraces a variety of subjects or fields”.
• When I started this blog, unlike my blog in Russian, I had no idea what I was going to write about.
• When I had just launched this blog, it seemed to me there was not a single English-speaking blogger on whose blog I might leave a comment because all the comments I received were spam and each blog I visited had VERY strange content. By now I have discovered many nice blogs and have come to believe that native English-speakers are just like me.
• Recently I have nearly run out of ideas for blog posts but now I believe that the award will help me to trigger my imagination and productivity as a blogger.
• I’m thinking of reorganizing my blog so I believe in a few months you are going to see it changed.
• I’m studying Drupal and find it very difficult and thrilling at the same time. It is taking a lot of my time and energy but I enjoy it.
• I have recently left my job at the University where I have been working (I can’t even bring myself to say “worked” yet) for ten years and which I loved dearly.

3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers and link to them. I will do that with pleasure as now I know quite a number of bloggers who are really versatile and deserve this award.

• 1000 Petals – an interesting blog devoted to Axinia’s experience in meditation, her understanding of eastern philosophy and many other things
• Actual Amy – Amy’s wonderful blog about “learning to accept, embrace and enjoy the person you actually are”
• Chica Andaluza – a lively blog dealing with cooking, sewing, vegetable growing and other activities that accompany turning from “City Slicka to Spanish Chica”
• Mindful Productivity – Beverley’s inspirational blog focusing on effective living, achievement strategies, awareness, simplicity and much more
• My Busy Children – a family blog where Marina shares her two daughters’ daily activities
• Not Just a Granny – an adventurous blog by Cindy, a passionate traveller, “enthusiastic photographer” and “all round lover of life”
• Pearl’s Twirl – Ariana’s personal blog on quite a variety of topics
• The Art of Living – Cameron Brooks’ blog covering such topics as art, literature, teaching, to name just a few
• The Smart Passive Income Blog – a very friendly blog where Pat shares his experience as a full-time blogger
• Two Hour Blogger – Martyn Chamberlin’s action-provoking blog that has changed my perception of blogging more than once
• Worth Saying – a thrilling blog that has to do with “real-life experiments in productivity & positive thinking”
• Write in Color – Melody Godfred’s colourful blog about writing

You are free to do whatever you want with the award: you can pretend it doesn’t exist or write a post about it. Whichever way you choose, please don’t feel obliged to pass on the award, it is not necessary at all. Only do it if you feel like doing it.

4. Comment on their blogs to tell them of the award. I’m already proceeding to.

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I’ve always found it difficult to concentrate on here and now. Instead I tend to find myself living either in the past or in the future. Although I am well aware that multi-tasking is a myth, it’s hard for me to focus on what I’m doing at the moment without thinking of my future plans or giving inner feedback on the activities I have accomplished (or, more often, haven’t accomplished). One of my favourite quotations is “Take one step at a time” though I have failed to live up to it so far. 

As long as I can remember myself, I’ve never been doing one thing at a time. When I was pretending to do my homework as a schoolgirl, I always had a book undercover so that I would be able to switch to it when my parents weren’t looking. Pretending to listen to the teacher in class, I was always busy thinking about more entertaining or worrying things.

When I began to live independently of my parents, I came to believe I couldn’t afford to take one step at a time because there was so much to be done: attending university classes, earning my living, walking the dog,  meeting friends, dating, looking after the flat…

Having become a mother, I grew even more demanding towards myself. Since my daughter’s birth I’ve been teaching myself to do more than two things at a time. Washing the dishes with one hand and feeding her with the other, I was thinking about where to squeeze my dissertation and weather it was better to wash the floor or to do some scientific research after she has gone to sleep.

Well, I have defended the dissertation and my daughter has learned to eat almost without my help. But my life hasn’t become either quieter or more relaxed. I’ve come to proudly considering myself a great master of setting new goals and always feeling stressed out about achieving them. I’ve tried reading books, meditating, I’ve even practiced some yoga to calm my spirit – nothing helped.

The day before yesterday was the day an unexpected stop was put to all that. Someone inside me shouted, “I don’t want my life to be a racetrack any more. I will begin with going to bed as late as I want to and you won’t blame me for getting up late tomorrow.”

I went to bed at 3 a.m. and didn’t blame myself the next day for sleeping till 11 a.m. Miraculously, that lazy day seemed to have more hours in it than any other. I not only had time to bake a cake, clean the flat, get rid of three bags of unnecessary things and do some ironing, but I also spent some quality time with my daughter. We read, learned some letters, painted, went out for a tricycle ride and just spoke together – all that without a single misunderstanding. While she was watching a cartoon, I spent some quality time working at the computer. My work was very productive as if an invisible hand had been guiding me and I coped with my task for the day several times as fast as usual, which left me some time to chat at blogs without feeling remorse.

As it turned out, it is not difficult at all to concentrate on the present and it is definitely more fun. Now that I have been shown the power of here and now, I dare hope it will remain with me forever.

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The fact that my father dealt with native English speakers in his job as an interpreter didn’t facilitate my learning the language when I went to a Russian school with English bias at the age of seven. I encountered a lot of difficulties and didn’t make good progress in understanding grammar. It resulted in my inability to communicate in English in India where I had to spend seven months of my life being a ten-year-old. I only began to understand English grammar taking lessons from a private teacher before entering the institute. An idea began to form in my mind that it would be great to teach my future child to speak two languages at once. 

After graduating from the institute I began to teach English. Throughout my career  I’ve had a chance to teach all ages. My first and youngest pupil back in 1993 was four years old. Since that time I’ve worked with preschool and school children, University students and adults. And everyone faced the same problems. It took people years to master the language.

My idea to raise a bilingual child grew stronger but it reached its climax when my colleague brought to work her four-year-old son who could speak both Russian and French equally fluently. She said she’d been speaking French to him since he was born. So during the first years of his life the boy didn’t even realize his mother knew any Russian. I liked the result but I I couldn’t imagine myself speaking a foreign language to my child at the playgrounds and shops – it would look so strange!

Soon my daughter was born and immediately two things became clear to me: I couldn’t deny myself the pleasure of speaking my native tongue to her; I disliked the idea of deceiving her in any way. Now my desire to rid her of future difficulties was great but the best way to do it was yet to be found. When she was one day old, I addressed her with a couple of sentences in English. After returning from the maternity hospital, I began to read to her a page or two in English every day. We also listened to English songs and stories read by native speakers for a few minutes every day, the time I exposed her to English growing gradually.

When Dasha was 11 months old, I felt it was time for me to switch to English altogether. She is 34 months old now and I speak English to her whenever we are alone. When we go for a walk or when other people come, I switch back to Russian. My daughter can understand both languages perfectly but her speech is a funny mixture of Russian and English words along with some words she invents herself.

One of the first words Dasha began to utter was “up” and it is still among her favourites. With its help she refers to many concepts: “go up”, “pick up”, “grown up”, “top” etc. She also says a lot of short words such as: “car”, “blue”, “cup”, “cap”, “tights”, “boots” and so on.

Until recently it was I who chose songs and cartoons for her and she listened to a lot of English speech. But now she’s begun to decide for herself and more and more often I notice that she has a clear preference for Russian.

And I ask myself a number of questions: Am I on the right track? Did I choose the right age? When she begins to speak in sentences, will she be able to use both languages? How can I provide enough practice for her in future?

What do you think?

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