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New Station on the Moscow Metro Posted by josefina on Sep 10, 2007
The trains in the Moscow Metropolitan runs over 9000 trips on a given day, and now those trains can run to a new station, “Trubnaya.” They quit working on this station about 20 years ago, but now they’ve refurbished it and opened it to the public. It’s stylized after a Moscow street from the 20s…
Weird Russian Fruit Drinks Posted by josefina on Sep 6, 2007
This is compote, or rather, компот. Don’t be afraid of it! Compote is not a thick fruit desert, but a watery fruity drink with fruit on the bottom. It’s like juice, but lighter. You boil fruit in water with sugar to make it. The fruit on the bottom looks suspicious, but it’s good. I’ve seen…
An American Anecdote for Russians Posted by josefina on Aug 10, 2007
There are a lot of corn fields in Wisconsin, some of them striped, dodging hills, others flat and monotonous. In a very few of them an enterprising farmer has mapped out and reaped a large maze. A maize maze. You grab a pennant on a long wobbly pole, and enter the corn. If it’s a…
English-Russian Computing Dictionary Posted by josefina on Aug 10, 2007
Last week I suddenly needed to say, “antialiasing filter” in Russian and I found in this computing dictionary that it is, “фильтр защиты от наложения спектров при наложении аналоговых сигналов.” And then I needed, “ternary logic,” and it was also in there! So is “T-flip flop” and “Markov Chain.” OK, back to reality, I never…
Russian Milk Products Posted by josefina on Aug 8, 2007
Молочные Продукты Have you ever tried Kefir? Говорят, что это более полезно чем йогурт. It’s certainly more Russian than yogurt. И-краткое как первая буква только бывает в инностранных словах. It’s thicker than milk, but thinner than yogurt, and sour. I use it on fruit salads, or plain as a drink. You can also mix in…
The Elusive Russian Smile Posted by josefina on Jul 26, 2007
Have you heard the complaint that Russians don’t smile? Have you traveled to Russia to find the sales people rude or disengaged? Have you ever looked at a Russian photo album and wondered if they’re not all depressed? It’s true, Russians smile less than Americans, and they’re well aware of it. … Continue Reading
Yes or No Questions: Have We Agreed? Posted by josefina on Jul 24, 2007
When I lived in Russia for the first time for a while, people kept asking me, “Договорились?” The first few times I didn’t know what the word meant. So I said, “I don’t know,” or “No?” And then we would go over everything that we has just said. “We’re meeting at the Orbit Movie Theater…