8th of March – International Women’s Day

I am sure a lot of you who are studying Russian and/or have been to Russia know about this wonderful spring holiday. It is somewhat similar to the Mother’s day here in the US, but celebrates all women and girls. It is definitely traditional to congratulate your mom, grandmas, sisters, aunts, cousins, teachers, coworkers but at school you will also see boys congratulating the girls in their class (similar to Valentine’s tradition in the US) with cards, small gifts or flowers.

It is common at schools for the children to prepare special crafts for their moms, sisters, grandmas, and teachers and then present it to them on the day of. Handmade cards are also very popular. Read More

Give Women Flowers!
Russians have a special relation with flowers. If you are going to visit someone who has a woman in their household, it is very customary to bring her flowers. Surely you do not have to do that, but she will be very pleased if you do. But it is important to remember some things when you choose your flowers.

First, it is considered inappropriate to give an even number of flowers to an alive person. If you are giving flowers to someone the number of flowers should be odd: 3, ,5,7,13, etc. An even number of flowers is given in Russia only to the dead people: for the cemetery, the funeral, the wake. It is a very important tradition in Russia. One thing to keep in mind is that is the bouquet is really large and it is not really possible to count how many flowers are in the arrangement, no one will count them or apply this tradition to it.

Second, the color is also important. Red flowers symbolize love and passion. If you want to give flowers to the woman you love, red flowers are very appropriate. White is the color of freshness, so young girls are usually given white flowers, as well as brides. And Yellow flowers symbolize separation, departure. So if you are dating someone, you probably should not bring yellow flowers for your date. Sometimes people say you can never give yellow flowers, that is not correct. There are no strict rules about that. You can give yellow flowers to a friend, for example, just avoid giving them to your date or your girlfriend.

Give flowers to women,
Even if it can seem prosaic!
Because beauty is for the beauties –
Give flowers to women,
And you will not be forgotten!

Read More

2010 год- год А.П.Чехова
Чеховский “Медведь”, написанный больше 100 лет назад, в 1988, году всегда имел успех у публики. Характеры героев прописаны с любовью и с мягким юмором.
Хорош “нестарый помещик” Григорий Смирнов, простодушный и мужественный. Великолепна “вдовушка с ямочками на щеках” Елена Ивановна Попова. С каким блеском проводит она она свою партию извечного поединка между мужчиной и женщиной. Конечно, она побеждает. Побеждает благодаря своим чарам-обаянию, интуиции и кокетству. И Смирнов счастлив быть побежденным такой женщиной.
Так, может быть, никакой борьбы и не было, а просто встретились двое уставших от одиночества людей? Как поется в песне: “просто встретились два одиночества?”
Интересно, что в Луке, лакее Поповой ничего лакейского нет, скорее Лука- член семьи, обожающий свою барыню. Здесь Чехов следует традиции Н.В.Гоголя в описании “простых” людей.
ЮНЕСКО объявило 2010 год – годом Антона Павловича Чехова. Для нас было большим наслаждением и честью сыграть сегодня спектакль по пьесе нашего великого писателя-классика. А классик-это, по определению одной нашей студентки,- писатель, книги которого всегда современны.
Олег Загорский
Some useful learning techniques

Learning a language is a long journey.

The students always ask me how to make the process of learning Russian quicker, what are the special techniques? There are different techniques that you can apply when studying, but the most important thing is to be involved in the learning process as much as possible.
There is a great Chinese proverb: Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand. When you are involved into something all your human senses are working: hearing, vision, feeling, touch, smell, tasting, etc.

Read More

Why English is so Hard to Learn?

Why the English Language is Hard to Learn

(How did we ever learn it?)

  •  The farm was used to produce produce.
  • The bandage was wound around the wound.
  • The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
  • He could lead if he would get the lead out.
  • The soldier decided to desert in the desert.
  • Since there is no time like present, he thought it was time to present the present.
  •  A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
  • We must polish the Polish furniture.
  • When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
  • I did not objet to the object.
  • The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
  • I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
  • There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
  • The buck dose strange things the does are present.
  • A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
  • To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
  •  They were too close to the door to close it.
  • The wind was too strong for us to wind the sail.
  • After a number of injections my jaw got number.
  • Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
  • How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
Saint Petersburg

Saint PetersburgI think that Saint Petersburg is one of the most interesting and inviting cities in the world. At 300 years old, it may not be as old as Paris or Rome, but it has a rich history as the capital of Tsarist Russia, City of the October Revolution and survived 900 days of Nazi attacks as the Blockade City.

This city’s foundation is built on the bones of thousands of workers transforming swamp land into a collection of beautiful old world buildings and palaces. Many famous Italian and French artists and architects spent most of the 18th century turning Saint Petersburg into a city of classical beauty. Read More

The Mystery of Women

Einstein once said: “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.”
I think women are a motive for the thousands pieces of art and are the truly mysterious themselves. That is what makes them so exciting. For over 500 years, people have debated what the Mona Lisa is smiling about. Some have even given up the debate, concluding that the Mona Lisa was actually a painting that Leonardo Da Vinci did of himself. Wouldn’t that be a great trick? Regardless of why the Mona Lisa is smiling, her image still captivates people around the world.

In Berlin’s Museum of Egyptian Art I discovered a beauty that I had known about but never seen. As I walked through the museum, I encountered many objects of cultural and historical significance. While all of the pieces of art were fascinating in their own way, I had not been prepared for Nefertiti. As I looked up, my gaze met hers. Our eyes locked and I was momentarily hypnotized by the beauty of this 3, 300-year-old limestone bust. It was incredible. Read More

Maths exercise to improve your Russian

Загадка:
Ты берешь в долг у мамы 25 рублей, и у папы 25, всего у тебя 50 рублей.
Идешь в магазин и тратишь там ровно 45руб.
По дороге домой ты даешь в долг подружке 3 рубля (ей не хватало на что то).
У тебя остается 2 рубля.
Ты приходишь домой, отдаешь долг маме- рубль и папе – рубль.
Теперь ты должна им по 24руб.
Итог: 24 + 24 равно 48, и 3 рубля тебе отдает подружка,получается 51.
Вопрос – откуда взялся рубль если у тебя было 50?