Now that I’ve scared up everyone with my previous post about stray dogs in Russia, it’s time to set the record straight and raise awareness on another large problem in Russian society today – slippery sidewalks. The problem with stray dogs in Russia is, just as the problem with slippery sidewalks, nothing that someone should be consumed with fear of, especially if you’re planning to come here but haven’t been here before. Russia is a lovely country, and after all, the city centers are mostly free from dogs, even in smaller towns. One should be aware, however, that there may be stray dogs somewhere, but not freak out, unless someone tells you that there has been news of rabies infections in some area of the town you’re visiting. Even then it’s not worth it to obsess about, and my intentions for the last post were purely to inform. The same goes for slippery sidewalks. It is mainly a problem in Russia from the middle of February until the snow has entirely melted away, which usually happens here in the Urals sometime in late March. Right now many of the streets are covered with «лёд», as the snow melts during the day, when it is around zero, and then freeze again during the night, making it far too easy «скользить» [to slide; to glide]. Keep your eyes open, and if you see a sign on some street saying: «Осторожноскользко!» [Be careful it’s slippery!], it might be better to try and find another way. Usually you’ll also see signs with the same words and the additional information «полмокрый» [the floor is wet] in stores or restaurants when they’re cleaning the floors. Never underestimate learning those little words of warning that tell you what not to do, for example if there’s a door that says «Нетвхода» [No Entrance] it is probably no good idea to keep trying to open it. In Russia there has been some discussion to change the signs saying «Нетвыхода» [No Exit] as it can be interpreted in a very unenthusiastic way as ‘there’s no way out’.

Here are a couple words useful for talking about slipping, either because of icy streets or because of wet floors: (Do not that the stress changes from on the ‘o’ in the adverb and the adjective, to the second vowel in the verbs derived from them!)

«скользко» – (used predicatively) slippery

«Наулицахскользко» – The streets are slippery.

«скользить» – (impfv.) to slide, to glide

«Явсегдаскольжуименнонаэтомместе!» – I always slide right on this very spot!

«скользнуть» – (pvf.) to slide, to glide

«Онскользнулисломалсебеногу» – He slipped and broke his leg.

«скользкий» – 1. slippery, 2. (fig.) slippery; treacherous, 3. (fig.) ticklish, delicate

«Дорогаотавтобуснойостановкидомоегодомаоченьскользкая» – The road from the bus stop to my house is very slippery.

«Этомупрофессорунравитсязадаватьстудентамвсякиескользкиевопросынаэкзаменах» – This professor likes to ask the students all kinds of slippery (maybe treacherous or ticklish, perhaps) questions on the exams.

Yesterday was «Масленица» [Shrovetide; Mardi gras], one of those great early occasions to celebrate a true ‘Russian’ holiday, and I had in mind to post yet another cooking post, this time about making «блины» [pl. pancakes], traditionally made on this day to symbolize the sun (as they’re round and yellow) and a farewell to meat, dairy products and eggs as «Великийпост» [Lent] begins afterwards. But as I was busy celebrating another occasion that’s celebrated equally «бурно» [stormily; turbulently; tumultuously] in Russia the day before, on Saturday – yes, I was at a birthday party – I ended up spending Sunday tending to my «похмелье» [hangover] and was thus busy with other similarly true Russian traditions…