Internet Kloob
This is the internet kloob we used throughout our trip to St. Petersburg to check email and make hotel arrangements. It’s just down the street from Sennaya Ploshchad. (The place where the subway cart was.)
From my experience, internet kloobs in Russia usually consist of a small room with 10-15 computers and 5-10 adolescent boys playing video games. This one offered the added bonus of a coffee vending machine in the corner that we tested out on several occasions.
What was your experience at an internet kloob like?
(And yes, the proper translation would be internet club, or internet cafe, but I wanted to convey the slight silliness I feel when I pronounce this in Russian.)
One final thought - I’ve looked at this picture many times, and it wasn’t until I posted it that I realized ‘internet’ is written in English and ‘club’ is written in Russian. Maybe that’s where the silliness comes from!
Giveaway Winner
Thanks to everyone who entered in my first giveaway! And the lucky winner of “First Thousand Words in Russian” is….Lerussianprincess! So please get a hold of me and let me know how to get you your prize!
I have another cool idea in mind for next month’s giveaway, so be sure to check back in early January!
Subway - take it with you!
And here’s a better shot of the Subway Trailor you can just catch a glimpse of in the ‘Watermelon Cage’ post.
Yet another thing in Russia I found odd: a pull-behind trailer that they sell Subway out of it. I guess it makes sense. It’s the kind of thing they might sell hotdogs or ice cream out of here.
And don’t forget! Today is your last chance to enter to win “First 1000 Words in Russian”. Don’t forget to enter. And I’ve already got an exciting prize picked out for next month’s giveaway, so stay tuned for that!
Lezginka!
Last Friday I was lucky enough to attend a Lezginka workshop sponsored by Russkiy Mir of Washington DC.
What’s Lezginka? It’s the national dance of the Caucasus region. Each area has it’s own variation. We learned the Kabardinian, as that’s where our young dance-instructor couple (shown here) is from.
The version we learned is the dance of a love story. There are three parts. During the first part, the Kafa*, the woman is very shy, barely making eye contact with the man as he dances around her. The second part is called the Laparisa*. This is where the two start to show off a bit more - especially the man. This was definitely the most fun to dance as it involved some of the quick footwork you’ll see in the video below.
The third part, the Witch* is where the two finally get to be together (after getting the family’s permission, of course). This is the only part of the dance where the couple touches. (*These spellings are my best guesses, as I could not find a reliable source with this information printed, so corrections are welcome!)
Check out this video to see a sample of the Lezginka.
And don’t forget: Now through Friday, you can enter to WIN a copy of First 1000 Words in Russian! Click here for details!
Super Tuesday Giveaway!
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am very thankful for anyone who reads this blog and especially anyone who comments, likes, or reposts, so I offer you my first giveaway!
What’s the prize? This adorable book - The First Thousand Words in Russian. I have a copy myself and love it! It’s great for beginners and more advanced speakers alike, as it contains a lot of words you just don’t use on a regular basis. (As well as many you do.)
Note - the book is slightly used, but is in very good condition.
Here’s how it will work:
I think that’s about it. Oh, I’ll mail to anywhere in the world, so anyone can enter. And since we are nearing the holidays, if you are the winner and would like to send this as a gift to someone, I will gladly giftwrap it and send it their way. Just let me know.
Good luck!
Update: And the winner is lerussianprincess! Thanks to all who entered and please check back next month for a giveaway you will not want to miss!
Word of the day: gamble
Last weekend I had a great time in Vegas with some girlfriends. So of course, I needed to know how to say gamble, which translates as играть в азартные игры.
играть = to play
азартные = risky
игры = games
By the way, this photo is from the “Happy Days” slot machine game. I was very excited to see it because I think this looks exactly like me! (Especially before I lost weight on the ‘Russian diet’, but that’s for another post.)
What do you think? Think this looks like my other pictures that are posted?
***Thanks, filinka, for the correction!
![Мишка Косолапый
Last week I went to my regular Russian conversation Meetup and had a great time. One of our members had just gotten back from Russia and was kind enough to bring us back some Русские Конфеты (Russian candy)!! Not only was it a tasty (and sentimental) treat, it also lead to a mini Russian Lesson. The name of the candy is “Мишка Косолапый”.
I was told by one of our native Russians that the candy is named after a children’s nursery rhyme, and it goes like this:
Мишка косолапый по лесу идёт,Шишки собирает, песенку поёт.Шишка отлетела — прямо Мишке в лоб!Мишка рассердился и ногою — топ!
Here’s my loose translation:Clumsy Mishka walks around in the forest,Collecting pine cones and singing little songs.A pine cone falls and hits Mishka right in the head!Mishka gets mad and stamps his foot!
[Мишка is a прозвище (nickname) that means bear in nursery rhymes.]
Are there any Russian candies that bring back memories from your travels?](http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv3g9rLKlb1qed3zko1_500.jpg)
Мишка Косолапый
Last week I went to my regular Russian conversation Meetup and had a great time. One of our members had just gotten back from Russia and was kind enough to bring us back some Русские Конфеты (Russian candy)!! Not only was it a tasty (and sentimental) treat, it also lead to a mini Russian Lesson. The name of the candy is “Мишка Косолапый”.
I was told by one of our native Russians that the candy is named after a children’s nursery rhyme, and it goes like this:
Мишка косолапый по лесу идёт,
Шишки собирает, песенку поёт.
Шишка отлетела — прямо Мишке в лоб!
Мишка рассердился и ногою — топ!
Here’s my loose translation:
Clumsy Mishka walks around in the forest,
Collecting pine cones and singing little songs.
A pine cone falls and hits Mishka right in the head!
Mishka gets mad and stamps his foot!
[Мишка is a прозвище (nickname) that means bear in nursery rhymes.]
Are there any Russian candies that bring back memories from your travels?
Peterhof/Петергоф
There’s not really a lot to add to this. It’s beautiful. I highly recommend it. (Try to get the citizens’ discount.)
Raise your hand if you’ve been there!
Want 10 Christmas cards from around the world? (yes!)
Hey guys, I just came across this and had to share! Someone on Tumblr is doing a Christmas card exchange! You just sign up, agree to send out 10 cards to the addresses you are given, and in return, you’ll get 10 cards from around the world!
This sounds pretty cool to me. I am definitely going to try it out. I’m excited to see where my cards come from!
You should try it too and let me know where you get cards from!
Only thing is: the deadline is Tuesday November 15th! (Sorry, I just found this or I would have posted it sooner.) Have fun!
Word of the day: citizen
This is my ticket to get into Peterhof and it’s one of my favorite souvenirs from this last Russia trip! Can you guess why? It’s not because of the pretty image of Peterhof on the front of the ticket, it’s because of that special word on the back of the ticket: граждане. (See the red arrow?)
As I mentioned in the last post about Peterhof, муж and I are cheap, right? And it is not uncommon in Russia to find two sets of prices: 1 for Russian citizens and 1 for tourists. Now is it just me, or is this completely unfair?!
So when I saw this was the case at Peterhof, I decided that I would like to pay the Russian citizen price. So, I got exact change ready for 2 tickets at the citizen price (which was 260 rubles total, as you can see on my ticket. I really wish I could remember what the tourist price was) and when I got to the window, I said as assertively as possible, and in my very best Russian, “2 tickets, please.” (and avoided eye contact).
I know I almost ruined it with the “please”! Believe me I was very nervous. I don’t normally do things that are this dishonest and rebellious. ; ) So the lady took my money and gave me the tickets. I was so excited! Best 260 rubles I ever spent.
Have you ever faked being Russian to get the cheaper ‘citizens’ price?
By the way, граждане is one of those irregular plurals, so I guess the word of the day is actually citizenS. The singular form is гражданин.
Date vs Meeting
There are a lot of different words for get-togethers in Russian and I always get them confused. Recently, I was talking about my busy schedule for the coming workday, and my Russian friend giggled when I said I had a свидание scheduled for early the morning. Turns out the word I really needed was собрание.
So remember, boys and girls,
свидание = date
собрание = meeting
Actually, it’s great when someone is kind enough to correct this type of mistake. After a tiny bit of embarrassment, I’ll be more likely to remember the correct word in the future.
What words do you get confused?
Images: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net, photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I've been studying Russian for years - I'll fill you in on the fun stuff! (It's all fun!)
by V. Kanevsky (1986)
Wanted to write a post about travelling on trains in Russia and found that amazing post from Cody,...
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