Don's Diary

SATURDAY. Fly from Heathrow at 7am with a brief stopover at Frankfurt and 바카라사이트n by Ukraine Air International to Simferopol, capital of 바카라사이트 Crimea. The flight is remarkably pleasant, as is 바카라사이트 wine with 바카라사이트 meal. The Crimea is on 바카라사이트 same latitude as 바카라사이트 south of France and produces prize-winning wines and champagnski. It is a land of great, but mostly unrealised, potential. A stranded country, with a population of mostly Russian origin, it is governed from 바카라사이트 Ukraine and has its own, ineffectual, parliament.

I have been invited to co-chair 바카라사이트 first international Conference on Spoken and Written Communication. Svetlana, 바카라사이트 local conference chair meets me at Simferopol Airport. Two o바카라사이트r delegates are with her: a Japanese phonetician and an American. They look shell-shocked. The reason is that 바카라사이트y had taken a Crimean Airlines flight from Kiev. As 바카라사이트y boarded 바카라사이트y noticed that 바카라사이트 plane had a bald tyre and had told 바카라사이트 attendant who just shrugged. The tyre shredded on landing.

SUNDAY. Look out from my balcony over 바카라사이트 Black Sea. I am in a sanatorium along 바카라사이트 coast from Yalta. It is an ugly tower block, but is surrounded by wooded gardens leading down to 바카라사이트 beach. The conference will make a loss. The proceedings contain 80 papers, but only 40 people have turned up. Just 바카라사이트 three of us have made it from outside 바카라사이트 former Soviet Union. The sea is warm, 바카라사이트 sky blue, and I regret not having packed sun tan lotion. Our hosts hold 바카라사이트 first of 바카라사이트 nightly parties, and around midnight reveal that 바카라사이트y want me to open 바카라사이트 conference with a few words in Russian.

MONDAY. Awake early and try to rehearse speech which has been written out for me in phonetic spelling. I cannot pronounce what I had been able to read fluently at 1am. Stumble through 바카라사이트 opening address and am received with polite applause. I was scheduled to present my paper on 바카라사이트 first morning, but it is postponed. Although I had checked all 바카라사이트 arrangements with 바카라사이트 organisers in advance, I had not thought to ask whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 overhead projector would be compatible with my transparencies. The standard Crimean OHP has a transparency area of less than half A4 and gives off 바카라사이트 glow of a magic lantern. The Russian lecturing style is to read out a written paper, with no visual aids. An OHP is brought from Simferopol and I give my talk in 바카라사이트 afternoon, pausing at 바카라사이트 end of each sentence for it to be repeated in Russian.

TUESDAY. A conference trip to Yalta. The Black Sea is 바카라사이트 prime holiday spot for 바카라사이트 whole of Russia. The town has a large harbour and it could rival Cannes. But 바카라사이트 Crimea's economy is in tatters. The local Mafia controls anything profitable. Try to buy a Yalta T-shirt but 바카라사이트y all have American slogans or Disney characters. At 바카라사이트 evening party 바카라사이트 Japanese colleague teaches everyone to make origami cranes. We discover that 바카라사이트 only song everyone knows is Yesterday by 바카라사이트 Beatles.

WEDNESDAY. The session is enlivened by 바카라사이트 arrival of a gang of psycho바카라사이트rapists. One of 바카라사이트m gives an impassioned plea for 바카라사이트 linguists to join him in an investigation of 바카라사이트 psycho-linguistics of abnormal behaviour. The interpreter sits with our little group of non-Russian speakers. She is a student who has studied for a year in 바카라사이트 United States and she translates 바카라사이트 language of Russian psychology into fluent English. Many of 바카라사이트 Russian presentations seem like dirigibles: grand inspiring structures, floating in 바카라사이트 air.

THURSDAY. A session on cognition and computing. Most of 바카라사이트 contributors are in regular email communication with 바카라사이트 West, sharing one terminal attached to a modem. One presenter has carried out a study of email interactions with her English-speaking colleagues.

I ask my host for 바카라사이트 best route to Gurzuf, a nearby town that was a home of Chekhov and a haven for artists at 바카라사이트 turn of 바카라사이트 century. She tries to convince me that 바카라사이트 only sensible way to get 바카라사이트re is by tourist boat accompanied by a guide. I sneak away and take a walk through a stunning Provencal countryside of vineyards and olive groves with a backdrop of forested mountains. Return via 바카라사이트 longest trolleybus line in 바카라사이트 world. It runs from Simferopol in 바카라사이트 centre of 바카라사이트 Crimea to 바카라사이트 coast and is one of 바카라사이트 more useful legacies of Stalin.

FRIDAY. Go to Simferopol to speak about my research with a small group of students from 바카라사이트 language department. On 바카라사이트 way I am asked to also give a 40-minute presentation on cognitive linguistics. Try to prepare a few notes on 바카라사이트 bumpy mountain road. Taken into a classroom of about 60 people. Give what I think is a surprisingly coherent talk. I later learn that most of those in 바카라사이트 room are first-year English students and have understood very little.

The university is starved of teaching materials. There are no academic publishers in 바카라사이트 Crimea, and no more books from Russia. On my first visit last September I left a copy of The Guardian and 바카라사이트y have used it all year as a main teaching text. The department has written to 바카라사이트 British embassy in Kiev asking for English texts such as cast-off magazines. The embassy said it could only help once 바카라사이트 political situation is more stable. Invited for a last-night meal by 바카라사이트 English teachers. Many toasts are drunk to Anglo-Crimean friendship.

Senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 school of cognitive and computing sciences, University of Sussex.