“I visit Russia regularly – I conduct trainings in Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Saratov. But the north of Siberia was for the first time. Thanks to Oksana Sintsova and her English school for inviting me.
It was cold, because I thought that jeans are universal clothes for any weather, and they would definitely do anywhere. But I was mistaken, I had to warm myself on the spot. And bask in the Russian bath, where the organizers invited me. It was definitely hot there!
Since the visit was related to my teaching activities, I spent a lot of time with local teachers and students, sharing my experience. I can’t but note that both the guys and the teachers have excellent knowledge of English. I was amazed by one Norilsk teacher who has 40 years of work experience: half of the teachers attending the seminar were her pupils, and at the same time she does not stop mastering promising practices.
In Russia in general, and in Norilsk in particular, the level of English among those who is constantly studying is very high.
Unfortunately, I was not able to visit the neighboring Dudinka: because of the weather, the road was closed for transport. In general, due to snowstorms, it is often difficult to get anywhere there.
However, I managed to attend a sightseeing tour of Norilsk: I visited the Norilsk Golgotha memorial complex, where the prisoners of Norillag were buried, the First House of Norilsk, the museum. All this, of course, made a strong impression.
By the way, I learned a few Russian words, and when I heard Russian speech around, I could understand something. Norilsk children studying English suggested making friends with my students and practicing English through video communication. Why not – after all, young Spaniards will also be able to improve their knowledge.”
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Text: Natalia Popova, Photo: Oksana Sintsova's archive
