5 Homes of Famous Russians Around The World Posted by Maria on Dec 14, 2017
If you have been to Russia, you might have visited the homes of famous Russian writers, composers, artists, and politicians. But did you know there are places outside Russia where famous Russians stayed or lived permanently? Inclusion of a person in this post is not meant to endorse their views, policies, or work. Dostoevsky Museum…
5 Russian Words That Come From Yiddish Posted by Maria on Dec 7, 2017
We may be familiar with Yiddish words in English, such as chutzpah or bagel, but Russian has its share of Yiddish-origin words. Yiddish (идиш) is a Germanic language traditionally used by Jews (евреи) in Eastern and Central Europe. Many of them are thought to have entered Russian via the secret language of the criminal underworld…
3 Quirks of Russian Food Culture Posted by Maria on Nov 30, 2017
We have often talked about Russian cuisine on this blog, from popular dishes to unique foods. Now let us look at 3 food-related conventions that may catch a visitor by surprise. Value of Liquid Food A typical larger Russian meal (so, обед — 2nd meal of the day; and ужин — last meal of the…
“What Would You Do In 1917?” Russian Writers On The Anniversary of the Revolution Posted by Maria on Nov 14, 2017
November 7 marked the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution in Russia. The Russian magazine Дружба народов (Friendship of the People) asked several writers about their outlook on that event. Each person was asked the following questions, abridged here: С кем вы? Кого́ защища́ете и про́тив кого́ выступа́ете? Каки́м хоти́те ви́деть бу́дущее Росси́и? Как вы объясня́ете свой…
7 Russian MOOCs You Can Take Right Now Posted by Maria on Nov 8, 2017
You have probably heard about massive open online courses, also known as MOOCs, that let you study a subject online from the comfort of your own home, at your own pace, and often for free. But did you know there are MOOCs offered in Russian, both for learning Russian and on a variety of other subjects?…
What Subjects Should I Avoid In A Russian Conversation? Posted by Maria on Nov 2, 2017
Once you’ve learned enough Russian to have a conversation with a native speaker, you need to think beyond what you can say about what you should say. Let us look at several common “taboo” subjects and see how they are treated by Russian speakers. I will mostly base my observations on what I saw in…
3 Russian Drinking Traditions You May Not Know About Posted by Maria on Oct 26, 2017
Drinking alcohol is one of the first associations many people have with Russia (whether rightly or not). However, the drinking culture may be different from other countries. In today’s post, we will look at three alcohol-related behavio(u)rs specific to Russia. Drinking Gesture Covered in our overview of popular Russian gestures, a flick or tap on…