The world has changed

[CSperrle at CS.COM]

The university where I teach Russian is two-three blocks away from what used
to be the World Trade Towers. Of course, the university is closed until
further notice. We have been shut off from the administration, colleagues,
and students, since our main communication line used to run under Tower 7
which collapsed shortly after. I don't know what I will tell my students when
classes resume maybe next week, maybe later. I have not been able to track
down all of my students and I don't know if all of them will return. I
certainly hope so. I know that some of my students fell and were trampled on
in the stampede towards Brooklyn Bridge that passed right in front of our
main entrance; I know that students were close by when the towers fell and
witnessed people jumping out the windows. Now I am only certain of one thing:
once classes resume I will not just be able to return "to some of that Slavic
stuff," and I will not be able to use the material I had prepared for my 12
o'clock class on Tues Sept 11: the endings of the prepositional case.

I do understand that people are exasperated at the "off-topic" nature of this
discussion. But I must say that in the many years that I have been a member
of SEELANGS there have been much more severe digressions "off the
topic"--even in cases when they seemed to be on the topic, not to speak of
personal wrangles and the too numerous evidences of people's unability to
master the workings of the reply button. Speaking of myself, I have welcomed
the views expressed on this topic and they have helped me prepare my next
Russian 281 class.

Christina Sperrle.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                http://members.home.net/lists/seelangs/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------