At Boy #1's new school open morning last week I took the chance to try and get the local perspective from a couple of mums on the Parent Teacher Organisation. The conversation moved onto where we were looking to live once we finally (finally...) relocate to Moscow...
Me: "Well, we're looking at X, Y, and Z areas at the moment. Although I think X might be a little far from the school and with the traffic being so bad... Which areas do you both live in?"
Mummy 1: "Oh, we live in Y (5 minutes walk from the school). It's perfect, although houses there are scarce. Of course there's always A. Have you thought of looking there?"
Me: "No, we definitely won't be living there. A is just so far away - I can't believe it can work, it must take hours to get here. And where do you live?" (To Mummy 2)
Mummy 2 (fixed grin on her face): "We live in A."
Perfect.
Getting in there, though. Amazing, if you haven't even moved yet. Go you!
ReplyDeleteand did you then say something like: 'well actually A isn't really that far away, in fact i have heard that it is lovely and definitely worth the distance from the school. it is probably by far the best place to live in fact. we might even move there.....' whilst going redder and redder? That would be me - but i am sure you a far far cooler than i am!
ReplyDeleteOf course, you were grown up and said, "Oh, I would not want to live way out there for all the money in the world! It's too far away from the school!" Because you have a large ego and don't worry about what other people think of you. That's my girl!
ReplyDeleteAt least you didn't say that you thought it was an awful place and really seedy/dangerous.....
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, I always feel like I'm treading on eggshells when I have conversations with people here who could be potential friends. When you are at home, either with people you know, or aren't sizing up as a potential friend, it's so much easier.....
Hmmm making friends and influencing people using the old 'foot securely in mouth' technique. Nice. It must have been a little uncomfortable for you...but I have to admit it made me chortle. Glad it's not just me that these sorts of things happen to. All. The. Time.
ReplyDeleteMwa, if living with a dutchman for 15 years has taught me anything, it's the importance of networking...
ReplyDeleteElsie, actually, surprisingly for me, I didn't. But I was very tired, so perhaps that accounts for my lack of reaction!
Irene, no, didn't manage that one either. Although I hope to grow into that sort of comment at some point!
No NVG, and neither did I say what I really thought of district A, which was not complementary - thank god!
Nicola, it was less uncomfortable and more of a 'blxxdy typical - you've done it again' type of a moment for me...
Looks like you are on a roll!
ReplyDeleteAh, now this is where you need to be moving to America. Mummy 2 wouldn't even have registered this as a potentially embarrassing situation. She'd have already launched into extolling the virtues of A, telling you how convenient it is for the biggest superstore, how nice the other families there are (though she may only have met one or two), how reasonable the property prices are (without realising that she is making assumptions about your income)... It's one thing I do love about being here. The embarrassment threshold isn't a daily worry. Gotta love that.
ReplyDeleteNice work! Sounds like something i would do. My mom once told me a story about a woman in a store when the owner of the store walked by and said hello. The customer said to the other woman next to her: "God that guy is annoying...he drives me crazy." The women next to her said: "Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm married to him."
ReplyDeleteCrikey, PM. I feel as if I am massively out of touch. Good luck with the move. I'm constantly suffering from foot in mouth disease. Tiredness does play its part admittedly.
ReplyDeleteHuge good luck with it all. Change is always a minefield. Thing is - don't be too hard on yourself! Language (even English) is a tough one at times.
Susanna, I do aim to please...
ReplyDeleteIota, she WAS American. So maybe I got away with it...? (No, I don't really believe that either).
Lisa, what a great story - and exactly the type of situation i would find myself in!
HT, great advice and I should probably print it out and stick it on whatever fridge we end up with.