Pigeon Russian 101

Our good friends M and C left Moscow in July and we 'inherited' their very experienced Russian nanny/housekeeper, R. Makes things easy when you have a personal recommendation from people you trust!

The only issue is: R NO SPEAKA DA ENGLISH.

Really none. Even though she's worked for at least two other expat American families. I think she's just decided she's not going to spend time learning much more beyond a few basic words for housekeeping and nannying purposes (e.g. "washing machine"). Suffice it to say most of the day, she and I look like Marcel Marceau. I'm sure Siena gets a big kick out of it all. 

On the plus side, it's really upped MY game on learning some new Russian [baby-related] vocabulary. 

So here's a chronological breakdown of how our "lessons" have been so far. I feel like I'm two years old with this stuff. So frustrating. 

November 29 (this was a big day)

pacifier: соска -- "SAUS-kah." Also can mean nipple I just learned. 

pacifier (slang): пустышка -- "poo-STEESH-kah."

hands: рукы -- "rooh-key"

I go: я уеду -- "ya oo-YEH-due."

December 4

I'm finished: я закончил -- "ya za-KAN-cheel"

December 5

asleep: уснул -- "oosnohl"

awake: проснуться -- "prahs-NOOT-seeyah"

December 6 (another big day)

to warm/heat up: греть -- "grayht"

to smile: улыбаться -- "oo-leh-BY-yetza"

to laugh: смеяться -- "smay-YAH-tzeh"

December 11

burn (n): спирт -- "speert"

first aid: первая помощь -- "pyair-vie-yeh pamohsh"

[I burned my hand the other day with hot water, so nothing to do with the baby!]

December 12

to like: нравиться -- "nrah-VEET-see-yah"

It's just SO hard. Often we end up at the computer together with Google Translate as our interpreter. Thank goodness for the Internet!! 

And thank goodness R is pretty much THE most patient woman in the world. She just keeps saying what she needs or means a bunch of times and then waits as the wheels in my brain start slowly revving up into gear. Eventually we work it out...