Archive for November, 2008
Introducing: «Советский анекдот» [the Soviet Joke] Posted by josefina on Nov 29, 2008
Russia is not only terribly fascinating just because it is the wildest, most chaotic and most unpredictable place on the face of the Earth, but also because it was once home to another country – yes, you guessed it – the Soviet Union. It is difficult to sum up the Soviet Union in a short…
Seeing Things “Russianly”, or «Языковая картина мира» Posted by josefina on Nov 26, 2008
It doesn’t happen too often, but sometimes it does, and when it does, the joy I feel knows no boundaries – I’m talking about the rare occasions when what I’m studying at the Master’s Program in Russian Literature coincides with a current event in the real world. Or, as was the case this time; with…
While In Russia Beware of… Windows? Posted by josefina on Nov 21, 2008
In the world of silly/strange/solicitous statistics, apparently, Russia is – rather unexpectedly, I must admit – the leader when it comes to the number of people that fall out of windows on a daily basis. In Russia 17 people fall out of windows daily. I had almost forgot how to smile, let alone laugh, at…
Word of the Week: «Герой» [hero] Posted by josefina on Nov 18, 2008
«Жить в России – быть героем» [‘To live in Russia is to be a hero’]. Once upon a time, back in the time of the turbulent 90’s, there was a political party called «Народная партия» [‘The People’s Party’] in Russia. I do not know anything about this party, all I know is that it no…
The «Русский Паспорт» vs. My Swedish Passport Posted by josefina on Nov 14, 2008
Some things happen for a reason. Other things happen for other reasons. Yesterday my wallet, my cell phone and my friend’s memory card (that she naively enough trusted me with) were stolen «среди белого дня» [‘in bright daylight’] from my backpack during lunch break at the university. Yes, I can think of funnier things to…
One Year With Russian Blog! Posted by josefina on Nov 9, 2008
On the 9th of November 2007 I published my first post here on this blog, which is one year ago today, something that calls for a few reflections on the year gone by. This year has been a learning experience for me; I have learned so much, much of things I never thought I’d need…
Word of the Week: Барак Обама [Barack Obama] Posted by josefina on Nov 7, 2008
While the world is still dizzy with joy and full of metaphysical expectations after Barack Obama won the elections in USA this Tuesday, my mind is, though not far from a cry of happiness, also filled with other reflections. One of these is how to deal with the new president’s name in Russian. With George…