Writing about Russia for Dummies – Part I Posted by Maria on Nov 13, 2014
Disclaimer: This post is English-heavy. It is directed at people who do not have a strong background in the Russian language or culture. If you like seeing more Russian in posts, you probably already know most of what I am going to say. Read Part II here. Say you are fascinated with Russia and would like to make…
Russian Skill Check: Can You Translate This? Posted by Jenya on Nov 12, 2014
Recently I found out that Russian President Vladimir Putin was ranked by Forbes Magazine as the most powerful person in the world; this was the second year in a row that he has earned this title. I decided that writing an article on the subject while weaving in some Russian sentences might be a good…
Why You Shouldn’t Rely On Other Slavic Languages to Understand Russian Posted by Maria on Nov 10, 2014
Russian is a Slavic language, so it shares some of its grammar and vocabulary with other languages from that family. Much as we like to rely on similarities among languages to expand our knowledge, I would like to warn you against using your knowledge of Russian to communicate with speakers of other Slavic languages —…
What It Was Like to Be a 90s Kid In Russia – Part II Posted by Maria on Nov 6, 2014
Earlier this week we talked about growing up in Russia in the nineties. Many of you brought up things you remembered from your childhood in Russia or in other countries. It is always fascinating to see what things transcended borders and what things were more regional. Let us continue this week. Chewing Gum with Stickers/Inserts One…
Smiling: It’s a Russian Thing! Posted by Jenya on Nov 5, 2014
For those of you that have traveled to Russia, you may have noticed that Russians don’t seem to smile in public. Upon traveling there for the first time, my husband pointed this out and made some comment about people looking sullen. When you compare Russians to people living elsewhere, especially Americans, you could easily…
World War I and Russia Posted by Jenya on Nov 4, 2014
We are nearing the 96th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles which ended World War One – the Great War. World War I began after Arch Duke, Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was assassinated on 28 June, 1914, in Sarajevo by Yugoslav nationalist, Gavrilo Princip. Prior to the…
What It Was Like to Be a 90s Kid In Russia — Part I Posted by Maria on Nov 3, 2014
Read Part II here. As the so-called millenials are coming of age around the world, there are always posts popping up about what it was like growing up in the 90s. I like to compare what things I recognize from my childhood in Russia and what things must be specific to the country the post describes…