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Learning experience...
Nov. 18th, 2005 09:02 pmThe key Drew sent didn't work. Eventually, I got a wire clothes hanger and, after about 5 minutes of fiddling around, I managed to open the car anyway (there is a design "flaw" in the shape of the lock/unlock switch that provides a shallow depression on the unlocking side, which suited my purposes magnificently).
The meeting is over. As is usually the case with such events, today was dedicated to drawing up the record of the meeting, which the Russians call a "protocol," wherein are summarized the reasons for the meeting and the results of the discussions (which of course include all of the action items for both sides).
After typing the Russian portion (none of the Russians had a computer), I translated the text into Russian while it was edited by the Russian lead, after which I incorporated those changes and translated them into English. Then the U.S. side came by with their changes to the translation, and so on, back and forth for a couple of hours, until the blessed thing was finished and signed.
Lunch was delayed until the protocol was completed, and we finally sat down to eat around 3:30 pm. I was glad to grab a bite, as I had not eaten breakfast in the rush to get all my stuff packed for the move later in the day. It was not all relaxation, of course. The Russians - as is their wont in such situations - broke out a bottle of vodka and commenced toasting. The Russian lead's "few words" seemed to take five minutes, and then the toasts took on the appearance of a tennis match, with toasts going back and forth between the sides until the vodka ran out.
Unlike many meetings where the interpreters are considered to be part of the "facilities" (e.g., like the furniture), the participants of this meeting included Olga and me in the round of gift-giving that follows such affairs. I was given an oversized Russian calendar by the Russians and a variety of knick-knacks by the U.S. side.
I finally took the rental car back to the Enterprise airport office, after trying to drop the vehicle off at an office closer to the hotel. Although the airport office doesn't normally drive people to any local destinations (one of Enterprise's advertising points), the young man who checked in my car was just getting off work and offered to drop me off at the Marriott, which was a nice gesture.
In the rush to vacate my room this morning, I apparently lost my eyeglasses, as I cannot find them anywhere. The folks at the front desk recommend I come by tomorrow, when the housekeeping office is open, to see if my glasses are there.
I took advantage of the hotel's offer to comp me a dinner to make up for having me move, and the prime rib dinner was actually not too bad, although the ambiance in the dining room was... pretty poor.
Time to kick back and relax, and then get some sleep. I still have 2500 words to take care of by Sunday morning (actually less, as I've already started the jobs and they're not all that complicated), so I figure I'll do them tomorrow once I get home. I have to remember to try to buy some firewood along the way (I recall seeing a couple of places that had the stuff for sale).
Cheers...
The meeting is over. As is usually the case with such events, today was dedicated to drawing up the record of the meeting, which the Russians call a "protocol," wherein are summarized the reasons for the meeting and the results of the discussions (which of course include all of the action items for both sides).
After typing the Russian portion (none of the Russians had a computer), I translated the text into Russian while it was edited by the Russian lead, after which I incorporated those changes and translated them into English. Then the U.S. side came by with their changes to the translation, and so on, back and forth for a couple of hours, until the blessed thing was finished and signed.
Lunch was delayed until the protocol was completed, and we finally sat down to eat around 3:30 pm. I was glad to grab a bite, as I had not eaten breakfast in the rush to get all my stuff packed for the move later in the day. It was not all relaxation, of course. The Russians - as is their wont in such situations - broke out a bottle of vodka and commenced toasting. The Russian lead's "few words" seemed to take five minutes, and then the toasts took on the appearance of a tennis match, with toasts going back and forth between the sides until the vodka ran out.
Unlike many meetings where the interpreters are considered to be part of the "facilities" (e.g., like the furniture), the participants of this meeting included Olga and me in the round of gift-giving that follows such affairs. I was given an oversized Russian calendar by the Russians and a variety of knick-knacks by the U.S. side.
I finally took the rental car back to the Enterprise airport office, after trying to drop the vehicle off at an office closer to the hotel. Although the airport office doesn't normally drive people to any local destinations (one of Enterprise's advertising points), the young man who checked in my car was just getting off work and offered to drop me off at the Marriott, which was a nice gesture.
In the rush to vacate my room this morning, I apparently lost my eyeglasses, as I cannot find them anywhere. The folks at the front desk recommend I come by tomorrow, when the housekeeping office is open, to see if my glasses are there.
I took advantage of the hotel's offer to comp me a dinner to make up for having me move, and the prime rib dinner was actually not too bad, although the ambiance in the dining room was... pretty poor.
Time to kick back and relax, and then get some sleep. I still have 2500 words to take care of by Sunday morning (actually less, as I've already started the jobs and they're not all that complicated), so I figure I'll do them tomorrow once I get home. I have to remember to try to buy some firewood along the way (I recall seeing a couple of places that had the stuff for sale).
Cheers...
