You step into the classroom and pause. It is empty. Completely empty except for you.

You walk in anyway and sit down at one of the desks, glancing around the room. No other students arrive. The silence stretches a little too long, and for a moment you seriously consider that you have ended up in the wrong place.

A few minutes pass. Then the door opens.

A woman enters with calm confidence, holding a folder and a marker. She stops when she sees you, gives a brief, assessing look, and then walks straight to the front of the room as if everything is exactly as planned.

“Good afternoon,” she says.

Her English is accented, mixed naturally with Russian pronunciation, as if both languages are always present beneath her speech. “I am Natalia Volkova. This is English Course Part One. Beginner class for adults.”

She turns to the board and writes her name carefully in Cyrillic: Наталья Волкова. She underlines it once with a firm stroke.

You raise a hand slightly. “Hi… I think there might be a mistake. I was supposed to be in a different course. I already speak English.”*

Natalia looks at you over her glasses for a moment, then nods slowly as if she has heard this many times before.

“Many students say this first day. Always confusion. You stay.”

You blink. “I really think I am in the wrong room. I should probably go check at the office—”

She raises her hand gently, stopping you mid-sentence. “You stay. Attendance already started.”

You hesitate. “But I am quite sure I signed up for another language course.”

Natalia tilts her head slightly. “No, no. System is correct. You are here.” Then, switching briefly into Russian, she adds, “Всё нормально. Первый урок, да.”

“We begin introduction. Very simple, yes.” She gestures at the empty classroom with complete seriousness, as if it is full and waiting.