Archive by Author
3 Trending Topics on Russian Twitter Now Posted by Maria on Nov 15, 2018
Do any of you follow any accounts posting in Russian on Twitter? I follow a few journalists and organizations. We have posted about ideas on who to follow on social media before. Take a look at what was trending when I was writing this post. Igor Talkov Murder Case Reopened Дело об убийстве Талькова возобновили…
Russian Folk and Medieval Vocabulary in Melnitsa Songs Posted by Maria on Nov 6, 2018
The Russian band Ме́льница (Mel’nitsa, “mill”) performs songs in a genre that could be described as Celtic-inspired fantasy folk. You can not only enjoy their music but also use their lyrics (слова́) to learn more rare vocabulary having to do with nature, old-time weapons and occupations, feudal titles, and magic. While not immediately useful in…
Why Are Russian Place Names So Long? Posted by Maria on Oct 29, 2018
Perhaps one of the things you noticed when visiting Russia is how long the city and street names were. Maybe you never quite learned to sound out the name of the metro station closest to your hotel. “Novo… whatever,” you’d say, before taking off. Why do Russian names have to be so bulky? The answer lies…
Russian News: Suspected Salisbury Spies Uncovered Posted by Maria on Oct 18, 2018
If you follow international news, you might have heard about two Russian men who were accused of poisoning a Russian defector in Salisbury, England. As with any contentious, developing story, there are conflicting accounts of what happened, so I will include quotes from various news outlets covering it. What Happened? In early March 2018, former…
Guest Post: Gary Mei on His First Trip to Russia Posted by Maria on Oct 11, 2018
For this installment in our first time in Russia series, software developer Gary Mei (Rochester, New York) talks about his recent trip. On Safety I visited Russia with my wife for two weeks at the start of September 2018. We flew into St. Petersburg (Санкт-Петербу́рг), explored smaller towns as we traveled south, and flew out…
Life in Russia Through 3 Vlogs Posted by Maria on Oct 4, 2018
If you haven’t had a chance to visit Russia or another country where Russian is spoken, or if it’s been a while since your visit, video blogs, or vlogs, are an excellent way to catch a glimpse of someone daily life. This post will feature three such videos and highlight certain vocabulary and cultural tidbits…
6 Numbers You Need To Know in Russia Posted by Maria on Sep 24, 2018
Perhaps you are planning a short visit or even a longer stay in Russia. If you want to be successful in your new environment, here are certain numbers you should know. Some of these will be familiar to our readers who live in places that use the metric system. 1. Your weight in kilograms You…