There is a 13-year old kid here named Misha, who is a 4-week credit student, and whose first language, purportedly, is Russian. I suspect his first language is chess (or "shakhmaty")...
Below is a picture of me playing him (he's dressed for a part in a camp activity) for the first time during "cultural hour" (he nuked me in just a few moves!). Actually, he was playing me and another villager simultaneously. I've played him maybe a dozen times and beaten him only twice...
He's a nice young man-- very bright, very personable, and very mature for his age. He and I have a tradition now during the 9-10 p.m. study hour. If he's done with his homework and I'm not helping students, he thrashes me in a game of chess (most of the time). I don't mind, really. It's entertaining to play him and I get some native Russian out of it!
Tomorrow starts our last week here at Lesnoe Ozero!
Пока!
