Archive by Author
Make-up and Drag in Russia Posted by bota on Dec 14, 2021
Whether you are doing some holiday shopping or would like to avoid saying, “you know that thing that does this to your eyelashes”, these make-up related Russian vocabulary and phrases are here to help. Basics Unlike in Soviet Union times, modern Russian markets have широ́кий ассортиме́нт косме́тики (many choices of make-up) from all over the…
Russian Lullabies Posted by bota on Dec 3, 2021
Не зна́ю, как вы, но в декабре́ мне о́чень хо́чется спать! Whether it’s the end-of-the-year blues or the fact that we only get about 8 hours of daylight – either way, I envy my childhood years when sleep was something I was encouraged to do. If only I could have those afternoon naps in kindergarten…
Thanks, mama. Posted by bota on Nov 22, 2021
Understanding humor in another language is a whole new level of engaging with it. Those learning Russian know that Вели́кий и Могу́чий Ру́сский Язы́к , being the rich language that it is, loves to indulge in word play and irony. That can be a bit confusing, but with practice and exposure to more Russian jokes…
Listening to Grechka Posted by bota on Nov 15, 2021
All images are by author (Akbota Yergaliyeva) Yes, you read the title right. This blog is only partially about Russia’s favorite grain гречка (buckwheat). We are going to talk about a wonderful Russian music artist on the rise that goes under the name Гречка (Grechka). It was actually Ryan’s delightful blog on Russian breakfast that…
Russians don’t cry over baked milk Posted by bota on Nov 2, 2021
Have you ever heard of топлёное молоко́? Baked milk is not a dairy product that frequents markets outside of post-Soviet countries but в России топлёное молоко́ лю́бят все, от ма́ла до велика. And as you will see today, it’s a nutritious drink that has a rich taste and even richer cultural significance in Russia. *Some…
Koschei the Deathless, Part II Posted by bota on Oct 26, 2021
Before you continue reading, I highly insist that you catch up on what we covered about Koschei in Part I. Otherwise, you might be a bit lost. We left off discussing Koschei and his appearance in the American TV series Grimm, episode 9 of season 3 (warning: spoilers ahead). When transformed into his Koschei state, he…
Koschei the Deathless, Part I Posted by bota on Oct 19, 2021
In honor of Halloween approaching, I was rewatching the Grimm TV series. It’s spooky, imaginative, and nostalgic for me, since it was one of the first shows I watched in English. Grimm is a police detective story that weaves in a whole universe of fantastical creatures (Wesen) from many different folktales, especially the Grimm brothers…