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Vacation Season Posted by yelena on Jul 12, 2012
Ah, summer, prime vacation season not just in Russia, but in many other countries as well. Я жду не дождусь (I can’t wait) for my vacation that’s just a few days away. I can’t even remember the last time я была в отпуске (I was on vacation). How about you? If you are an американец…
Decorate Like a Russian Posted by yelena on Jul 5, 2012
From my philosophy course I remember that бытие определяет сознание (being determines consciousness). Understanding Russian/Soviet/post-Soviet/New Russian consciousness just from reading about the environment or even travelling to Russia for a few weeks is just like trying to understand what маракуйя (passion fruit) tastes like from reading about it or looking at pictures. That’s what in-country…
Body Language Posted by yelena on Jul 3, 2012
Thanks to Rob’s most excellent anatomy posts from last week (Part 1 and Part 2), you are now familiar with the Russian names for body parts and internal organs. So let’s review the vocabulary and place it in a different context. Today we are going to travel through some popular sayings and idioms with body…
Travel Plans and Verbs of Motion Posted by yelena on Jun 28, 2012
Remember this post about useful Russian driving and road rage words? Can you believe it, уже конец июня (it’s the end of June already)! Как быстро время летит! (How time flies!) For many of our US readers, next week will be spent travelling and celebrating and then travelling some more. Which means getting delayed or…
Around the World in 8 Phrases Posted by yelena on Jun 26, 2012
Have you seen the movie this short clip of these two Russian (ok, Soviet) tourists walking through the streets of some unnamed foreign city? Summer is, traditionally, the season for travelling. Куда вы едете этим летом? (Where are you going this summer?) It’s always been my dream to go around the world even if in just…
Welcome, or No Trespassing Posted by yelena on Jun 21, 2012
The weekend не за горами (is not far away). Лето, жара, выходной (Summer, heat, weekend)… What to do at the end of a long day spent на пляже (at the beach) or в бассейне (at a pool)? Why not watch a movie about summer! Today’s movie is an old Soviet comedy called Добро пожаловать, или…
Instrumental Case Revisited Posted by yelena on Jun 19, 2012
A couple of days ago, вечером (in the evening), I sat down с фотоальбомом (with a photo album) in my hands. I love looking through old pictures, especially those снятые моими родителями (taken by my parents). For some reason I have lots of photos from when I was младенцем (a baby) and then again, в…