Disclaimer: these emails are a true and accurate record of my mothers time in Russian. Mum, you can't sue me for putting these on my site (and anyway, Jess made me!)

Jan is currently in Russia teaching for 3 weeks. Her emails have been increasing odd...

May 28th

"kids cool, I'm staying in a sanitorium - a nurse binds my foot at 9am and 9pm everyday
Now in interent cafe in shopping centre under Kremlin - we just went on Moscow metro getting off to see the gorgeous stations - 4got camera!!!"

June 3rd

"Back in my inter caff - thought to email e to get me a dental appt! On return.

Not much luck on amber so far - no green to be seen all lush trad big lumps of the well...amber stuff.

This holiday job is quite a strain I must say - a very different culture all those years of communism have left their mark, big time For eg we're expected to sit at separate tables with the children at meals - one break they didn't come in so we were sitting together and having a cuppa & chat - the English teachers - and the woman running it (younger than you!) comes over and tells us we must sit with the children - even of they're not there it seems!!!!

Dotty!"

June 7th

"Hi kids hows tricks?

I'm nibbled by mozzies, patrolled by Russian teachers and mobbed by spoilt Russian brats. Still, it's nearly time to come home! And this week is moving faster because my foot is better and I can go out! Bus and a walk down a dirt track and hurrah internet - here I am with all the local yoofs playing games! in a place3 done to look like a submarine!!!

Weird and wonderful - off to a sports bar after to drink and watch tennis - I found non alco Becks in Moscow - don't believe I'll be so lucky here in hicksville."

June 7th

"thought i send you some russian lettering*
??????? ??????? ??????????
????????? ??????????????? ????????????????????? ?
???????890?0??????????????????

?????????????????
????? ????? ????? ???????

Do you agree?
I thought you would.

love
mum
xxx"

Only a week to go and she returns to the UK...she went away crazy, will she return even crazier?!?

*which of course, doesn't show correctly on the old interweb...but I did babelfish it and it isn't in Russian - I should decode it and find out the KGB secrets that she's trying to pass into this country...nah, can't be arsed!