Archive for 'Russian life'
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…
Knitting (and other crafts) in Russian Posted by Natalie on Jun 29, 2012
Всем здравствуйте! [Hello all!] Today I am going to talk about crafts in Russian. Я люблю вязать и мама любит шить [I love to knit and my mom loves to sew]. While at my university one day, I was walking with my Russian professor and he said Какой красивый шарф, Наташа [What a beautiful scarf…
It is Time to Celebrate майские праздники Posted by yelena on May 1, 2012
May 1st starts a calendar period commonly referred to as майские праздники (May holidays). Первое мая (May 1st), also known as Первомай, used to be a one of those propaganda-driven Soviet holidays, День международной солидарности трудящихся (International Workers’ Day). Back then the schedule was pretty set – a government-organized демонстрация (political demonstration) or, in larger cities, парад (parade) followed by застолье (a holiday meal) with a centerpiece being миска салата «Оливье» (a bowl of Olivier salad)…
Примета такая есть – There is an Omen Like That Posted by yelena on Apr 16, 2012
I was so busy last week that I completely forgot about April 13. Тринадцатое апреля (April 13) this year fell on пятница (Friday). Since the next one will be в июле (in July), let’s get ready and talk a bit about Russian суеверия (superstitions). You might’ve noticed that the –верие part in the word суеверие…
Sex in ПГТ Posted by yelena on Mar 27, 2012
While it’s too early in the week to have a proper Russian movie night, let’s watch this very short video called Секс в п.г.т. Note: Whenever you see this sign * it means there’s a related question at the bottom of the post. Ok, so the first word секс is pretty easy to understand (sex)…
Cinderellas Among Us – Household Chores in Russian Posted by yelena on Mar 14, 2012
In the US there is a good saying “woman’s work is never done”. Or as Russian women might say делам по дому конца краю не видно (lit. can’t see the end to house work). So what is considered женская работа (woman’s work) in Russian households? Let’s find out and, since house chores have to be…
Women’s Day or Femininity Day Posted by yelena on Mar 8, 2012
March 8 is a holiday in Russia, Международный женский день (International Women’s Day) or праздник Восьмого марта (the Eighth of March) or simply Женский день (Women’s Day). There will be plenty of поздравления (congratulations), цветы (flowers), поздравительные открытки (greeting cards), шоколад (chocolate) and подарки (gifts). Men will also try, if just for one day, to…