Some Russian riddles to celebrate spring Posted by ryan on Apr 15, 2022
Spring is finally here. After a long and snowy winter, seeing some цветы́ is a great relief, even if it is still a bit too cold and wet to actually enjoy being outside for a long period of time. However, the sad, gray landscape during this time starts to be dotted by tiny hints of…
Russian malaphors? Posted by bota on Mar 28, 2022
I have recently came across English malaphors – unique and often hilarious mix of idioms, aphorisms, or clichés. The one I saw was “Let’s burn that bridge when we get to it”. It is остроумно, and, as my mom noted, a poster that belongs in a divorce lawyer’s office. Of course, having chuckled at a…
A bridge between cultures in a time of war? Posted by ryan on Mar 25, 2022
The life of Серге́й Параджа́нов Sergei Parajanov, an infamous director who lived and worked in the Soviet Union, would have made a plot worthy of a movie in itself: ethnically Armenian, he was born in Tbilisi, now Georgia, in 1924, quit engineering school to study voice in the conservatory, then later, enchanted by the world…
Cat Stepan is safe Posted by bota on Mar 18, 2022
Even if you did not know who cat Stepan is before this blog, я уверена вы не останетесь равнодушным к этому полюбившемуся по всему миру котику из Украины. Here’s a little fanmade Youtube compilation of some of Stepan’s videos, in case you have missed them: Grammar note: “я уверена вы не останетесь равнодушным к этому…
Some Ukrainian shows on YouTube you should check out Posted by ryan on Mar 16, 2022
As a part of a continued celebration of Ukrainian culture, especially as it applies to the Russian-speaking world in general, I would like to explore another aspect: the entertainment. Ukraine remains one of the largest exporters of great content in the Russian language, and the TV shows produced in the country are incredibly popular throughout…
Celebrating Ukrainian culture with vareniki Posted by bota on Mar 7, 2022
Following the horrific headlines of Russia’s war against Ukraine evokes many difficult emotions in all of us. It is even more heart breaking during the beautiful week of Масленица we just had. In his last blog, Ryan wrote a wonderful overview of this religious holiday before the season of Lent. Today, I continue our celebration…
All the пост in one post! Posted by ryan on Mar 1, 2022
For a while now, and especially in the past few days, Ukraine has been in the headlines. How much do we know about this incredibly diverse country, the largest located entirely in Europe? Today I would like to explore the country going into the season of Lent, as this largely Christian country, mostly Orthodox in…