Russian

Sam lands at Sheremetyevo and Dima is waiting with his sister Katya: hello, how are you, fine thanks, this is my friend, nice to meet you, welcome to Moscow, let's go.

In the car from the airport, Katya tries Sam's Russian: no, sorry, I don't understand, I don't speak Russian, never mind, slowly, say it again please, and Khimki is not Moscow yet.

Galina Petrovna opens the door of the flat near Sokolniki: hello politely, my name is, what's your name, the first name with the father's name, come in please, thank you, and a little Russian.

Dima shows Sam round the flat near Sokolniki: this is the kitchen, this is your room, where is the toilet, there, here, here's the piano, and good night.

Baba Valya sits Sam down at the kitchen table: sit down, tea, yes please, with sugar, without sugar, with milk, what's this, pancakes, eat, very tasty, more.

At the kitchen table Galina Petrovna asks where Sam is from: from America, from Portland, do you understand Russian, a little, I speak English, and you, mum speaks well, you speak well.

The phone shop with Dima: a SIM card please, your passport, the numbers from zero to ten, what's your number, my number, that's all, goodbye.

Galina Petrovna's photographs: who's this, my father, my mother, your mother, grandmother, do you have a brother, I have a sister, she's in Portland, and you, Uncle Vova at the dacha.

Dima lifts the lid of the family's old upright: our piano, it's very old, may I, of course, a good piano but it's out of tune, can you fix it, tomorrow, great.

A neighbour on the stairs: who are you, I'm American, a tourist, I'm not a tourist, I'm a piano tuner, I'm staying with the family, Katya's a doctor, Dima's a sound engineer, I'm the neighbour.

Sam rides the metro with Dima: a Troika card from the window, which station this is, the red line from Sokolniki, three stops, and the announcement every Muscovite knows.

Sam buys bread and a pie at the bakery near the flat: what would you like, how much is it, forty-five rubles, a hundred-ruble note and the change, with the numbers from eleven to a hundred.

Sam carries the bag while Baba Valya buys tomatoes and cucumbers at the market: how much is a kilo, too dear, two hundred and fifty, two kilos, one kilo, six hundred in all, with the hundreds and the counting forms of ruble.

Sam and Katya sit down in a cafe: what will you have, a cappuccino for me, and tea for me, black or green, anything else, no thank you, the bill please.

Sam has lost his way in the lanes near the Arbat and stops a passer-by: excuse me, tell me please, where's the metro; straight on, then left; is it far; no, close, five minutes; over there; thank you very much; don't mention it.

Dima asks Sam the time in the kitchen and finds he is late for the studio: what time is it, it's two o'clock, I'm late, where to, to the studio, Igor's waiting, at what time, at two.

Dima brings Sam to the recording studio and Igor, his boss, asks if he is a musician: a piano tuner, but I play jazz; you play?

Sam wakes up with a sore throat and Katya, the doctor in the family, looks him over at the kitchen table: what's wrong, my throat hurts, does your head hurt, a temperature, I don't know, pills twice a day, and tea with honey.

Galina Petrovna plans the weekend at the kitchen table: what day is it today, Thursday, on Saturday we go to the dacha, Saturday morning, Sunday evening home, and Katya works on Saturday and comes on Sunday.

Sam and Dima shop for the weekend at the dacha: what do we need to buy, bread, milk, water, and sausage, because Baba Valya loves sausage, potatoes, a bag at the checkout, card or cash, eight hundred and forty rubles, have a good day.

At the ticket window of Yaroslavsky station, Sam buys two return tickets to the dacha and finds the right platform: two tickets please, there and back, how much is it, which platform, the fourth, the train at ten.

At the dacha gate Uncle Vova's old car will not start: this is Sam, sit down, hello, wait, again, push, it's going, off we go, with each command in its friendly and its polite shape.

Baba Valya takes Sam round the dacha garden: come here, these are cucumbers, tomatoes and apples, so many apples, lots, pick them, where to, into the bucket, the cucumbers later.

Uncle Vova's banya at the dacha: come in, hot, very hot, I'm hot, are you hot, that's not hot, more, enough, he's hot, all right, cold, no it's good, and the words you say after the steam.

Uncle Vova wakes Sam at five for the lake: get up, five o'clock, let's go fishing, the fish doesn't wait, how beautiful, quiet, look, a fish, a big one, a small one, never mind.

Sunday lunch at the dacha table: help yourselves, do you love shashlik, I love it, and mushrooms, I don't know, try, tasty, I like it, well done, eat, and the toast to our meeting.

On the suburban train back to Moscow, Katya and Sam talk: do you like Russia, very much, how old are you, I'm thirty, and you, twenty-six, you're a doctor, almost, I'm still studying, well done.

Galina Petrovna brings Sam to the music school where she once taught: this is Sam, a piano tuner from America, nice to meet you, we have ten pianos, all old, can you take a look, of course I can, and the grand, tomorrow.

Sam tunes the grand in the school hall while Sonya, nine, watches: what are you doing, I'm tuning the piano, is it hard, first I listen, then I tune, now, for a long time, two hours, want to hear, listen, how beautiful.

In the school hall the director asks Sam to stay till spring, and the family joins in: till March, I want to, but my visa is for a month, I need a new visa, that's not a problem, stay, all right, I'm staying.