I’ve been granted an opportunity to help teach English to Russian kids on a trip organised by my university.
Problem is, I know absolutely nothing about Russia. Not a darn thing. I don’t know the language. I don’t know the history. I don’t know the Geography. I don’t know anything.
Good news is, I don’t really need to know anything. I’m just going to be an assistant to the actual teacher, getting the class ready, making sure everyone has a pencil, that type of thing. I’ve been assured that I’ll pick up the very basics of the language soon enough and, really, that’s all I need.
Trouble is, I’m one of those people who hates feeling like a fish out of water and I don’t want to spend 6 weeks in Russia without knowing the language or the history or anything. Besides, I’ve always wanted to learn a second ,anguage but I’ve always been too indisciplined to follow it through. This could give me the incentive I need.
Basically, what I’m asking for is this:
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Can you recommend any EASY Russian History Books? That’s the stipulation, they have to be EASY. I’m not looking for any in depth doctoral dissertations, or even anything particularly well written. Just so long as a 6 year old could understand it, and it happens to be about Russian History, it’s perfect for me. Time is of the essence here.
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Can you recommend any good cultural primers for me?
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In your opinions, is it even possible to get a BASIC grip on the Russian language in the 2 months before I leave?
I’d really, really appreciate any help you can get on this and I will gladly repay you by being a loyal minion when you eventually rule the world. And loyal minions are hard to come by, y’know.