Archive for May, 2011
Fairy Tale Living Posted by yelena on May 26, 2011
Do you love reading about Russia and all things Russian, however quirky they might be? Do you love «русские народные сказки» [Russian fairy tales]? Are you interested in the latest developments in «русско-украинские отношения» [Russian-Ukrainian relations]? Do you enjoy looking at «занимательные картинки» [entertaining pictures]? If you answered «да» (do I really need to…
And the Winner Is… Posted by yelena on May 20, 2011
Warning: This is a very long post and the winner is announced at the very end of it. «Время подводить итоги конкурса» [It’s time to wrap up our contest]. Before I announce «победитель» [the winner], I got to say this – Russian blog readers ROCK! The total of 83 comments is a new record…
Moscow, Again, or What Is It That Flows Together? Posted by yelena on May 18, 2011
Alexandr Pushkin, that most famous of the Russian poets, wrote «Москва… как много в этом звуке Для сердца русского слилось!» [Moscow… how much there is in that sound That flows together for the heart of the Russian!] If we approach the problem from a strictly «количественный подход» [quantitative approach], there are «почти девять миллионов» [almost…
Putin vs. Medvedev Posted by Natalie on May 16, 2011
Well, «дорогие читатели» [dear readers], I owe you an apology for abandoning you for so long. I was delayed in returning to England and «в результате» [as a result], I had to do extra work to catch up. «Весь день» [All day], I would be reading. However, now I seem to have caught up, so…
Russian Gestures – Silence is Golden Posted by yelena on May 13, 2011
And now I’m thinking of a Russian 4-letter word that starts with «ж»… Nope, not that one! The word I’m thinking about is «жест». As so many Russian words it has more than one meaning. «В переносном значении» [Figuratively], it means “an act intended for external effect”: «Его решение жениться на Марии было лишь благородным…
Let’s Celebrate Something or Other Posted by yelena on May 10, 2011
A lot can be said on the subject of Russian immigrant experience. But one thing is for sure – Russians here in the US celebrate a lot more holidays than average Americans. We eagerly adopt many American holidays, especially the ones that guarantee an extra day off. But we never abandon «свои праздники» [our own…
May in Russia – Celebrate, Study, and Plan for Summer Posted by yelena on May 6, 2011
«Май» [May] is my second «самый любимый месяц» [most favorite month] to be in Russia. The first one is «август» [August], «по личным причинам» [for personal reasons]. «Весна в разгаре» [Spring is in full force] or to recall the famous line of a fairly obscure poet: «Это май-баловник, это май-чародей» [It is May the…