Introducing «Елена» [Yelena]: The New Addition to Our Russian Blog! Posted by josefina on Feb 13, 2010 in News
Today is «начало больших перемен» [the beginning of big changes] here on the Russian Blog – what used to be «мой блог» [my blog] (even though it was never really entirely ‘mine’…) «стал НАШИМ блогом» [has become OUR blog]! «Как?» [how?] you might be wondering. Well, wonder no longer! Because from now the Russian blog – that is, our blog – will feature posts written not only by me, but also by «Елена» [Yelena] – «вот так!» [that’s how!]. Now we’re a team of two, or – for the fun of using a Russian word – a «команда» [team, crew; brigade]. «Елена» [Yelena] will bring this blog exactly the kind of addition it has been yearning for all along: «носитель русского языка» [a native speaker of Russian language]. She told me she’s «из Волгограда» [from Volgograd], and after that kind of information there’s really no need for me to doubt her ‘authenticity’! Other than completely and truly grammatically correct sentences in Russian language, «Елена» [Yelena] will bring a much needed different – fresh, new – perspective on Russia than what I have previously presented to you here on the blog. This means that soon you will be able to read more just than my endless contemplations about «вершины русской литературы» [the heights of Russian literature] or my assorted observations on «выдающиеся русские поэты» [Russian poets of distinction]… In other words, «будем дополнять друг друга» [we’ll compliment each other]!
But why take my word for it? Here’s Yelena’s own introduction: (Feel free to ask her any questions in the form of comments; she’s promised to answer them!)
I’m going to start by making a confession or чистосердечное признание [sincere (lit. clean-hearted) confession]: I am very excited to be afforded an opportunity to do something I like, such as to blog about a subject I love, Russia and Russian language. At the same time – в то же время – I feel a bit scared. I feel very similar to how I felt when my husband introduced me to his family – excited, happy, a bit scared and oh, so eager to понравиться – be liked!
After reading through every single post on this blog, I realized how Josefina and I were so different. Мы с ней совсем разные!
My favorite Russian authors, at least for now, are Аркадий Аверченко, Михаил Булгаков, Фазиль Искандер and братья Стругацкие, although I prefer non-fiction to fiction and typically stay away from poetry altogether.
I can’t stand cold weather and refuse to move anywhere where there is a possibility of настоящей зимы [real winter]. This somehow always surprises my American friends. They think that since I’m from Russia, there’s nothing more I’d love than being snowed in year-round.
I don’t drink. Ok, I almost don’t – a beer once in a while or a glass of white wine, but definitely nothing stronger and ни в коем случае не водку – under no circumstances [would I drink] vodka. Again, this comes as a surprise to many people here in the States.
While in Russia, I didn’t travel much. For the first 18 years of my life I lived in Volgograd and then moved straight to the US of A with a stopover in Moscow. So I spent a total of about a month on the Black Sea, when my family отдыхала дикарями [camped (lit. ‘rested as savages, wild men’)] there back in mid-80s and then 2 weeks in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Pskov almost 20 years later.
I don’t have a стереотипный русский акцент [“stereotypical” Russian accent] and, try as I might, I can’t even fake it. Not to say I don’t have an accent, just not the one I’m supposed to have according to all the Hollywood movies.
My family moved to the US back in 1997, in large part because of some very nasty stuff appearing repeatedly in the newspapers and, most disturbingly, on the walls of our подъезда [apartment entryway], of which Россия для Русских [Russia for Russians] was the least offensive.
Fast-forward to the present. I currently live в Северной Каролине [in North Carolina]. I am married to a wonderful American man and we have a 3-year old son who, at least for now, speaks English and Russian equally well. He also provides hours of linguistic entertainment for me as he comes up with his own ‘Rusglish words’ and patiently explains their meaning to me.
Aside from keeping up with my малявка [the little one], I freelance, mostly writing articles and blog posts (in English). Сбылась мечта о гламурной жизни фрилансера! [The dream of glamorous life as a freelancer came true!]
Josefina asked me for a picture to go with this post, preferably the one taken in Russia. Hmm, I do have a few shots from before I moved to the States. But they all happen to be taken on bad hair days (admittedly, I had the most terrible sense of what a good hairstyle meant back in the days and my parents didn’t enlighten me. I guess, they just slept better knowing that their daughter’s devastating ‘do kept many a boy away).
Well, to make the long story short, I ended up digging through the photos from my last trip to Russia, in 2006. Probably not the best shot and the jacket is a bit too tight, but then again, I am a little bit pregnant on this picture. But check out the background – a very famous cruiser, probably the most famous cruiser in the world. Do you know its name?
And for those who grew up in Russia (and thus have an unfair advantage), a different question. This vessel once starred in a movie about another, almost as famous Russian cruiser that refused to сдаваться врагу [surrender to the enemy]. Name this other cruiser!
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Comments:
Barbara:
Здравствуйте Елена!
I am an American, living in Wisconsin, who studied Russian and Russian history 30 years ago and have restarted those studies in past year, now that my children are grown. I have been working with a tutor from Kazakhstan who is studying accounting at our local university, as well as working through the texts I used in college, etc. I discovered this blog a few months ago and have found Josefina’s remarks fascinating.
I am interested in your freelance writing–what subjects do you write on and where are you getting published?
Gordon:
It will be wonderful to hear your posts and writings, Elena, along side of Josephina’s. Is your family originally from Russia, and if so, why the terrible comments on your apartment that forced your family to consider living elsewhere? I have not heard about this kind of Russian behavior before.
John Keithly:
I would say the vessel in the background, behind you (and your fresh, flowing brown hair) is the cruiser Aurora. I don’t know of the other Russian cruiser you mention but I do recall the movie of the battleship Potemkin by Sergei Eisenstein. It remains a powerful classic example of early cinema made to inspire devotion to the cause of the Bolshevik revolution.
Oh yes, I hope you will someday also speak about the days of Stalingrad during your Great Patriotic War with Germany. It remains little appreciated by westerners and particularly Americans who tend to think of WWII and the defeat of Nazism only in terms of the Normandy invasion… oh so sad that we are so unappreciative of the bigger picture.
Mark:
Добро пожаловать, Елена!
Yelena:
Thank you all so much for the warm welcome!
@ John – yes, you’re right – it’s Aurora (Avrora) in the background. However, the second part of the question (and I admit, a much more difficult one) is not about Battleship Potemkin (it is an awesome movie, isn’t it?!). The answer is in a line of the Russian song: “Врагу не сдается наш гордый …” (it’ll come up in Google search, but the real surprise is if you google and compare the images of both cruisers). Absolutely, it would be my pleasure to write about my home town of Volgograd and about its role in WWII, or the Great Patriotic War, as it is known in Russia.
@ Gordon – while my grandparents were originally from Ukraine, I was born and raised in Russia. However, I am neigher a Ukrainian nor ethnic Russian. Unfortunately, it is still a big deal for a few extreme nationalists. So, while I am россиянка (culturally Russian), I’m not русская (ethnic Russian).
@ Mark – thank you for the welcome! Always like meeting Marks – the name is very special in my family.
@ Barbara – your comment gave me an idea for one of the future posts (probably next month). To answer your question about my freelance writing – I mostly write for solo entrepreneurs (coaches, advisors, etc) who want to promote their businesses on Internet – through blogs, articles, ezines, etc.
trudy ringer:
Add my “welcome” along with hundreds of others. I do hope that you will be mindful of those of us who are struggling to learn Russian and need the English translations, also the expressions that are so predominant in Russian language. I loved Josefina’s topics on the blog and hope that continues. Good luck to both of you in your new adventures. Also, I agree with John on the American views of WWII. I’ve been reading mainly about The Siege of Leningrad and have studies only a little about Stalingrad/Volgagrad.
Jonathan:
Welcome Elena! I’m looking forward to this blog growing and getting even better. It’s already the best Russian blog out there!
Richard Mitchell:
Welcome Elena! and, Good Luck Josefina!
Josefina did a fantastic job on this blog; she is truly amazing as her English is excelled only by her Russian. Not bad for someone with another native language (Swedish)!
You bring a great focus to this site and I am sure we will all learn some fascinating things about Russia and the Russian language from you. Are you more interested in modern Russian writers? I am an avid reader of great literature, and I feel Russian literature is one of the greatest in the world… it makes it worthwhile to learn Russian just to enjoy it in the original! Any insights you may have into the famous Russian authors of today would be greatly appreciated.
Again, a hearty welcome and I am sure you will enjoy doing this blog as much as we will enjoy having you do it!
(I majored in Russian language and literature during the “Cold War,” but sadly have lost a lot of my proficiency due to disuse. Russian used to be taught quite widely in our high schools and colleges, but has had a lot of decline with the end of the soviet era.)
Dennis:
Welcome Elena! Счастливого дня всех влюблённых! I am really looking forward to reviving what little knowledge of Russian language and culture I once had. You have gotten on board the blog just in time to help me prepare for a trip on the Trans-Sib next July! Maybe you can offer some suggestions .
Regards-Dennis
P.S. Is thат other ship the крейсер Варяг???
Yelena:
@ Dennis – yay! You got it – the second ship in my question is indeed the cruiser Варяг. Its role in the movie was played by cruiser Aurora. You might’ve noticed that Varyag has 4 funnels while Aurora – only 3. In the movie they attached a 4th fake one to Aurora’s deck. As for suggestions for the Trans-Sib trip – take me with you 🙂 Just kidding, although I am insanely envious of your upcoming trip.
@ Richard – my favorite period, as far as Russian literature, is its so-called Silver Age – the beginning of the XX century. I will make sure to write about a few of my favorite books, including the more contemporary ones.
@ Jonathan – thank you for the warm welcome. And I totally agree – this blog rocks and Josefina’s done an amazing job with it. Truly the labor of love.
@ Trudy – good point about WWII. I’ll make sure to write about that in future posts. Best of luck with learning Russian and if there are any specific topics you want us to go over, please let us know!
Colin Greatorex:
Welcome aboard Elena.
I have always enjoyed this blog and look forward to learning from you as well as Josephina. Unfortunately I have not visited Russia for some time but hope to do so again in the future. I am a student of Russian and will sit my GCSE in May. I am 62 years of age, enjoy learning Russian and this blog really gives a real insight into Russian life.
Sincerely
Colin Greatorex
Jeremy:
What a nice introductory post, Yelena!!! Your comment about your 3-year-old son who comes up with “Rusglish” words is really funny. I wonder if a lot of parents teaching their kids to lead a bilingual life have enjoyed similar experiences? I can’t wait to hear more about it. It’s so wonderful to have you aboard!
Alan Kirkby:
I’m sure you will compliment (i.e. say nice things about) each other but I think you really mean complement i.e. to complete; form a complement to : or make perfect!
I’ll look forward to the Russian blog even more from now on.
Glenn:
Only ship i can think of is battleship, Potempkin.
Colin:
Добро пожаловать, Елена! Although you say you’re completely different from Josefina, it would appear from your first posting that you share her ability to write in an informative yet friendly and informal manner. I’m sure I’m not alone in expressing my admiration for Josefina for all she has given us, an admiration which has even increased on realising how generous and mature she has to be to share ‘her’ blog with you. Sorry, this is sounding a bit purple – I should stop:-)
Charly:
Welcome to the blog, Yelena! Great to have you here and thank you for the nice introduction. 🙂
I’m sure it will be great to get even more aspects and insights into Russian, Russia and all things related.
” we have a 3-year old son who, at least for now, speaks English and Russian equally well. He also provides hours of linguistic entertainment for me as he comes up with his own ‘Rusglish words’ and patiently explains their meaning to me”
and I hope you will share some of those with us, too. It’s such fun what children (or foreigners in some creative cases) do with languages! 🙂
I hope this doesn’t mean there will be less Josefina on the blog, though! I love every one of your posts, Josefina! Your make things so visible and actually “touchable” the way you write about them. I hope we get more of your wonderful posts! 🙂 (My favorites are those about literature, each time you post about a book or author you make me want to read it immediately! Those are such inspiring posts!)
Well, enough of the superlatives now, but your blog really is one of my favorites in all the web. 🙂
Keri T:
Yelana, ochen priyatna! Thanks for sharing your knowledge of Russian!
keri t