Archive for 'Culture'
«Пилорама 2009» [Pilorama 2009] Posted by josefina on Jul 26, 2009
Only on the way back from «Международный форум Пилорама» [The International Forum Pilorama] held in the village «Кучино» [Kuchino] outside and on the territory of formerly GULAG camp, presently museum of political repressions «Пермь-36» [Perm’-36], did I see a real-life (as apart from online) advertisement for it. Inside a bus stop in «Чусовой» [Chusovoy], which is the…
Another Russian Eternal Question: Soul [«одушевлённый»] or No Soul [«неодушевлённый»]? Posted by josefina on Jul 15, 2009
Pictured above is «Марфа» [Marfa], a handmade «кукла» [doll] given to me by my very talented and close friend in Tomsk in May earlier this year. Even though I would argue – being as it is that I’m an adult nowadays – that Marfa in her capacity as doll is «неодушевлённое существительное» [‘without soul’; an…
A Russian Small Town: «Верхний Тагил» [Verkhny, or ‘Upper’, Tagil] Posted by josefina on Jul 10, 2009
The last post about a trip to a «деревня» [village], or more correctly a «посёлок» [settlement] in the Russian region of «южныйУрал» [Southern Urals] is followed up today as we continue our exploration of a part of Russia that I’ve come to love dearly after three years here: «Урал» [the Ural Mountains]! Today’s journey takes…
«Выходные в деревне» [A Weekend in the Village] Posted by josefina on Jul 6, 2009
This big piece of metal and stone is, «разумеется» [naturally; of course], a «Памятник В. И. Ленину от трудящихся Челябинска» [monument to V. I. Lenin from the workers of Chelyabinsk], standing in the very heart of the city of «Челябинск» [Chelyabinsk]. This city with more than a million inhabitants is located in «Южный Урал» [the…
Russian Food: «Слава гречке!» [Glory to Buckwheat!] Posted by josefina on Jun 26, 2009
Introducing an essential part of Russian cuisine: «гречка»! «Гречка» is actually the ‘nickname’ («уменьшительно-ласкательный вариант» – don’t you just love the Russian language for applying diminutive even to such things as grains?) whereas the real name for buckwheat is «гречиха». In the stores you can also find it in boxes marked «крупа гречневая» [buckwheat] as…
«С днём рождения, Александр Сергеевич!» [Happy Birthday, Alexander Sergeyevich!] Posted by josefina on Jun 6, 2009
Today is the 6th of June 2009 and 210 years ago today Russia’s greatest poet (some say he was the greatest writer PERIOD, too, but I’ll settle with calling him the greatest poet at this given moment in time) was born – Александр Сергеевич Пушкин [Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin]. Being a fan of Russia (or, perhaps…
Деньги, деньги, деньги! [Money, money, money!] Posted by josefina on Jun 3, 2009
There are many words in Russian which are easy to learn and remember because they are very close in both orthography and pronunciation to many words in other Indo-European languages. For example, the word «кризис» means ‘crisis’, and is spelled – even pronounced! – almost the same as the English word: just remember it begins…