Viewing topic: Hello again, from a "Newcomer"

Hello Folks!

I have been on VisaRus before, but have not been here for a while. I will be back in Istra, Russia the end of August. I have a nice school I am working for there. I was there for 6 months before getting tangled up in the whole "new visa" procedure.
I will be back on a work visa, so shouldn't get kicked out.
I am actually looking forward to coming back to Russia, so that should tell you how my summer is going back here in the States.
I look forward to saying hello and checking in more often.


-David

Good to hear from you again!

I'm sure a lot of people (especially the silent masses that read this site without contributing anything) would be very interested in hearing tales from Istra - I've never even heard of the place before now. Sounds fun!

Same goes for anyone who is coming back for more (or not leaving at all) - there are lots of people (believe it or not!) who would be interested in finding out more about life in the Russian outback!

I thought that I'd hang back and lets bobs12 do the "Hello agains".....

Istra - population about 30,000... You said 'a school'... Surely it must almost be 'the school'? - as I shouldn't imagine that with a population that small, many English students abound....

Yeah - go on!! - Tell us all about it please!!

Yes, Istra is a nice little town northwest of Moscow. It is the Sunhill School Istra, working in conjunction with the Sunhill School in Solnechnegorsk. They used to be part of the BKC-IH system but somehow wound up on their own.
Istra isn't big enough for McDonald's yet, but they do have a pizza place that delivers. There is also a Chinese restaurant somewhere in the outskirts. I haven't found it yet.
There are 2, count 'em, 2 supermarkets. That is a big deal for folks with limited Russian.
It takes over an hour to get into Moscow on by train. Mostly because there are 20 stops from Istra to Rizhskaya.
The school is nice. One Russian English teacher and two Native English teachers. I think it is much nicer than some places I have been in Russia.
This September will be my second year in Istra, and my third in teaching in Russia.
Number four may be Saint Petersburg.

Thanks for the interesting 'inside info', davloc...

Below is a line from the Wikipedia entry for Istra (Yep! - that's where I got the population info from - I don't profess to be a clever clogs!)

(As an aside: However good it may be, Wikipedia nonetheless contains no explanation of the phrase I have just used... Without wishing to deflect this thread, has anyone any idea where it might have come from? ...

Aha!! I've just found a possible answer elsewhere... The original version was "clever boots" - with "boots" originally meaning guy/chap/fellow/. It then changed over the years so as to become more aliterative (so some say).

Anyway - Here's the Istra entry from Wiki....

"After a war time Istra has become a center of researches in the area of power engineering."

It would seem that if the author of this Wiki page is, indeed, a resident of Istra, then there is still some 'valuable work' to be done before you come and see us in St-Pee, davloc...

So - any more experience/knowledge about Istra from anyone? Any inside info on KFCs in the offing there? )

Istra doesn't have a KFC/Rostik's. One supermarket has rotisserie chicken for sale. Other than that, it is a do it yourself kind of town. The New Jerusalem monastery is nice. I get to see it every day out of my apartment window.
It is a sleepy place after dark. It doesn't have all the ammenities that you sophisticated St. Petersburg folks have.
At least it does have lots of people who want to learn English and improve their Wikipedia entries...
They do have a large screen television in the town square that often has Tom and Jerry cartoons playing. Not sure why. I believe alcohol is involved somehow....

I think we should organise a VisaRus day out Trip to Istra, anyone? I really need to get out and about and see more of the country.

Yep! As you know, bobs12, I will soon (on Saturday, in fact) be starting 2+ months of glorious holiday!

I'd be up for the trip - Perhaps we could call it "The Jolly Boys Bistra Istra Outing" (Oooo-er ))

If we were to visit just a small number of the myriad of exciting highlights that davloc has mentioned in the same evening, I think that we'd probably almost be out 'till milkman call'...

(Weeeell - possibly tucked up by about 9pm (at the very latest), anyway. )

davlov...

Could you please explain exactly what 'a do-it-yourself' type of town means?...

I am, I have to confess, rather perturbed...

By a do-it -yourself town, I meant cooking. If you want to eat, you need to get it yourself. No McDonald's, no KFC. If you speak Russian well, you can get a pizza delivered.
I think that if you hit all of the highlights of Istra, you could, indeed, make it to 9 PM. Maybe. They do have a sports stadium. There is also an inflatable bubble for indoor sports. Sometimes they go as late as 10PM in there. There was a circus in town and they had lots of fireworks on New Year's.
A wild Russian town that puts Moscow to shame. Or sleep.....
You big city folks don't know what you are missing....