Summary

Selin continues with her classes, including the Russian classes with Ivan. She learns from him that he is studying for a Ph.D. and that he plans to move to Berkeley, California, at the end of the academic year. In the meantime, the two grow increasingly close via email, though they remain relatively distant in person; when Selin sees Ivan in the street, he seems to pretend not to have seen her, and walks past (107).

Selin attends a maths seminar to be closer to Ivan, though she does not enjoy the class and does not return after her first lesson. Soon Ivan emails her to ask why she stopped going, prompting Selin to open up about her dreams to him. In this period Selin also teaches English to a plumber named Joaquín, who learns very little from her; not long after, Joaquín...