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Starting to lose track of days...
May. 6th, 2010 05:40 pmWork during the campaign doesn't typically follow a humdrum 9-to-5, Monday-through-Friday rhythm, so after a while, it's easy to lose track of what day of the week it is. This is particularly true as the campaign progresses and the phases of propellant loading and joint operations are undertaken.
Today was my first turn as the "morning interpreter," and consequently, as the interpreter at the morning status meeting involving all participating parties. I've done enough such meetings - both here and during other assignments - to know that I can do the work, but I still feel a flutter of something in my stomach as I sit down at the table. The meeting went well, and the only "glitches" occurred when I had to ask people to repeat what they said because I simply hadn't heard them the first time.
A trip has been planned for a small group this Saturday to visit the Gagarin Museum, and I've been tagged to provide interpretation. I must remember to record the tour guide's spiel, so as to have a ready reference should I be called upon to do this gig again. The last time I interpreted at the museum, the guide started out the tour with a quote by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky - a 19th century Russian who is considered the father of space science - that frankly, I did not completely understand, even after I asked the guide to repeat it for me.
Yesterday was the first day where it got hot enough in my room for me to turn on the air conditioner, and the unit continued to operate (albeit not at full blast) all night long. The unit was off during the day, while I was at the office, but I had to turn it on while I was in the room during my lunch break.
In the "any excuse will do" department, the folks running the show arranged for a "Cinco de Mayo" barbeque last night out in front of the hotel. The kitchen came through with some excellent chicken and beef fajitas, refried beans, and Mexican rice, along with more traditional appetiers.
Perhaps the greatest challenge of the evening was to provide a batch of margaritas that didn't rely on margarita mix (or the glorious sacrifice of mythical numbers of limes). Believe me when I tell you that commercial margarita mix is just not something you'll find in stores in Baikonur city.
What you can find are various drinks containing alcohol (e.g., gin and tonic) packaged for individual sale. Among candidates that were found during Sunday's town trip was something that said "Margarita" on the label (маргарита), which was deemed promising, but ultimately lacking, by the judging panel (which included yours truly), and something else called "ДРАЙВ" (a transliteration of "DRIVE"), a lemon and vodka concoction that, properly adulterated with measured amounts of Cointreau and tequila, passed the taste test. If I can work up the nerve, I plan to take a close look at the list of ingredients, whose fine print occupies a goodly chunk of label real estate.
My other contribution to the evening's festivities included melting cheese and salsa in a rice cooker (which doesn't work all that well) and heating a few dozen quesadillas of both the seafood and cheese variety on the gas grill. These disappeared quickly among the multinational crowd.
This coming weekend is slated to be a huge holiday celebration for our hosts as they commemorate the 65th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, so the possibility of another trip to town is not inconceivable. We'll see what develops.
Cheers...
Today was my first turn as the "morning interpreter," and consequently, as the interpreter at the morning status meeting involving all participating parties. I've done enough such meetings - both here and during other assignments - to know that I can do the work, but I still feel a flutter of something in my stomach as I sit down at the table. The meeting went well, and the only "glitches" occurred when I had to ask people to repeat what they said because I simply hadn't heard them the first time.
A trip has been planned for a small group this Saturday to visit the Gagarin Museum, and I've been tagged to provide interpretation. I must remember to record the tour guide's spiel, so as to have a ready reference should I be called upon to do this gig again. The last time I interpreted at the museum, the guide started out the tour with a quote by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky - a 19th century Russian who is considered the father of space science - that frankly, I did not completely understand, even after I asked the guide to repeat it for me.
Yesterday was the first day where it got hot enough in my room for me to turn on the air conditioner, and the unit continued to operate (albeit not at full blast) all night long. The unit was off during the day, while I was at the office, but I had to turn it on while I was in the room during my lunch break.
In the "any excuse will do" department, the folks running the show arranged for a "Cinco de Mayo" barbeque last night out in front of the hotel. The kitchen came through with some excellent chicken and beef fajitas, refried beans, and Mexican rice, along with more traditional appetiers.
Perhaps the greatest challenge of the evening was to provide a batch of margaritas that didn't rely on margarita mix (or the glorious sacrifice of mythical numbers of limes). Believe me when I tell you that commercial margarita mix is just not something you'll find in stores in Baikonur city.
What you can find are various drinks containing alcohol (e.g., gin and tonic) packaged for individual sale. Among candidates that were found during Sunday's town trip was something that said "Margarita" on the label (маргарита), which was deemed promising, but ultimately lacking, by the judging panel (which included yours truly), and something else called "ДРАЙВ" (a transliteration of "DRIVE"), a lemon and vodka concoction that, properly adulterated with measured amounts of Cointreau and tequila, passed the taste test. If I can work up the nerve, I plan to take a close look at the list of ingredients, whose fine print occupies a goodly chunk of label real estate.
My other contribution to the evening's festivities included melting cheese and salsa in a rice cooker (which doesn't work all that well) and heating a few dozen quesadillas of both the seafood and cheese variety on the gas grill. These disappeared quickly among the multinational crowd.
This coming weekend is slated to be a huge holiday celebration for our hosts as they commemorate the 65th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, so the possibility of another trip to town is not inconceivable. We'll see what develops.
Cheers...
