Sir Kris, feel free write to she on English - all you want. Almost ALL RUSSIANS LEAN ENGLISH in school. Just use words that you use to talk with а child. She will be use dictionaries, anyway.

I have to travel a lot in biztrips inside Ukraine, Russia and Belorus. And often saw foreigners "in stuck" situation. They do so funny and dummy things. )

Some examples:

One French pair can't pays for tea&snikers in the train. We, half of the people in the wagon, spend 15min trying help them with it.
First 10min they even can't understand, that they must pay for it.


O! Americans!
I'm sitting in the internet cafe (Kiev, Kheshatik, MainPostamp), the bad one cafe, where you must pay for time, not for traffic. Beside of me sitting American guy about 18-20. First time he annoy neighbor pretty girl with his stupid questions, she chatting in the web with her friends. Types of questions. "where I can spend my time in Kiev" was the best of them. Who cares where you spend you time. But she answer him and give two or there names of nightclubs, writes it on the paper on Russian, and she leaves. Then he switch attention to me and begin to annoy, when i thought on next turn in Galaxy+(a play-by-mail game, need your mind as chess).
Dialog:
- Bla-bla-bla....bla-bla-bla...
- What d'u want?
- Bla-bla-bla....bla-bla-bla...information service.
- What type of information service?
- Bla-bla-bla....bla-bla-bla...telephone ones.
- Call 009.
He calling, of course, they speak Russian.
- Bla-bla-bla....bla-bla-bla... need English information service.
- There are no such in Ukraine, or I don’t know.
- Bla-bla-bla....bla-bla-bla...i dont belive you.
- What d'u want from information service?
- Bla-bla-bla....bla-bla-bla...where I can spend my time in Kiev.
- But you already have names of nightclubs in your hand.
- Bla-bla-bla....bla-bla-bla...they on Russian.
- And what?
- Bla-bla-bla....bla-bla-bla...
- Ok, I write them on English for you.
Translite (not translate) record for him. He thanx and leaves me alone.
Half hour all clear, then he back, and annoying me again.
- Bla-bla-bla....bla-bla-bla...Where are it, I can't find it.
- Me too, first time hear it.
- Bla-bla-bla....bla-bla-bla... and why you give me this?
- Me?
- Bla-bla-bla....bla-bla-bla...
- Don't bother me, pal!!! Get taxi and give him first record that girl give yo-ou, written on Russian!!

More of all, Russians don’t like when Americans say too many senseless English words.
Americans very active in talk and can bother anyone! They totally don’t care busy man or not.
Because, they thinks that all people around must help them. But they don’t.
I can help you, with understanding Russians.
Always think – “they are good medieval people”, and play from here, and all be Ok.
You can’t bother medieval knight(ment, clerk) or mistress, better find a girl or а boy, they are not so bigheaded.