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Saying Goodbye (Part II – but sequels are never as good as the original) Posted by ryan on Aug 3, 2022
Following up on the lovely and teary goodbye offered by Bota, I would like to offer my own. But first, like always, a lesson in lexicon: The act of saying goodbye is прощание while an actual goodbye is проводы. This is from the word проводи́ть/провожать, which actually means to accompany someone in order to say…
Шестеро на диване, or What would you do to win a brand new couch? Posted by ryan on Jun 30, 2022
I recently stumbled across an article on Афиша.ру, a popular Russian website, with the following headline: В Бе́лгороде провели́ соревнова́ние по са́мому до́лгому сиде́нию на дива́не The headline was intriguing because, well, it makes you ask, заче́м? The tough конкурс contest began on June 24 and lasted 4 days, finishing on June 28. From this…
Stars of the stage: Russian opera through several interpretations Posted by ryan on May 11, 2022
Russian opera is and has been legendary for well over a century. In invite you to get acquainted with some legendary известные ру́сские о́перные исполни́тели through some of the roles they are most known for: А́нна Нетре́бко – «Русла́н и Людми́ла» Михаи́ла Гли́нки Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857) was the first Russian composer to gain notoriety at…
Some Russian riddles to celebrate spring Posted by ryan on Apr 15, 2022
Spring is finally here. After a long and snowy winter, seeing some цветы́ is a great relief, even if it is still a bit too cold and wet to actually enjoy being outside for a long period of time. However, the sad, gray landscape during this time starts to be dotted by tiny hints of…
A bridge between cultures in a time of war? Posted by ryan on Mar 25, 2022
The life of Серге́й Параджа́нов Sergei Parajanov, an infamous director who lived and worked in the Soviet Union, would have made a plot worthy of a movie in itself: ethnically Armenian, he was born in Tbilisi, now Georgia, in 1924, quit engineering school to study voice in the conservatory, then later, enchanted by the world…
Some Ukrainian shows on YouTube you should check out Posted by ryan on Mar 16, 2022
As a part of a continued celebration of Ukrainian culture, especially as it applies to the Russian-speaking world in general, I would like to explore another aspect: the entertainment. Ukraine remains one of the largest exporters of great content in the Russian language, and the TV shows produced in the country are incredibly popular throughout…
All the пост in one post! Posted by ryan on Mar 1, 2022
For a while now, and especially in the past few days, Ukraine has been in the headlines. How much do we know about this incredibly diverse country, the largest located entirely in Europe? Today I would like to explore the country going into the season of Lent, as this largely Christian country, mostly Orthodox in…