Let’s tweet up!!

By Karyn Dubravetz on February 3rd, 2010

Something I have been wanting to do since I’ve been on Twitter is host a Russian language “Tweetup”. I organize real-world Meetups every week to practice Russian, so why not do the same thing on Twitter?

So it’s settled, I’m hosting my first Russian Tweetup on February 28th at 1:00pm EST/GMT-5 (1:00pm = 21:00 Moscow time) and you’re invited! (Click here if you need help with time zones.)

Tweetup!
Photo by dicktay2000

This is the first time I’m doing this, so it’s going to be a little experimental, but this is how it should work:

  • Everyone will log onto Twitter on the day and time specified above.
  • Simply tweet as you normally would, but follow each post with this hashtag: #rltu (Russian language Tweetup)
  • You will need to run a search for this hashtag to follow all the tweets. You can do this simply through Twitter, but it’s best to use an application like TweetDeck, or HootSuite.
  • The point is to practice Russian, so tweets should be in Russian.
  • It’s a good idea to have a Russian/English dictionary open at the same time in case you need help. Multitran.ru is a good one.
  • The Tweetup will last an hour.

Well, I think that’s about it! Let me know if you have any questions, and I’ll be tweetin’ with you soon!

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To each his own (pancake)

By Karyn Dubravetz on January 27th, 2010

They say that each culture has its own version of the pancake. Here’s an article on the topic, but I just have to point out that it claims that a blini (used as a singular noun) is Russian and a blintz is Jewish. Now I don’t know about the ethnicities of these pancakes, but as far as the language is concerned, a blintz is the English translation of the word блин. The plural form is блины in Russian or blintzes in English. Okay, I feel better now. (And don’t get me started on the word blinis!) Check dictionary.com for more.

On a side note, the word блин is also used in slang to mean dang or darn.

So, as some of my twitter followers already know, I had the pleasure attending my very first blini party this past weekend. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of the event, but basically there was a stack of blintzes that reminded me of this picture from Shel Silverstein’s “Where the Sidewalk Ends”.

Here is the accompanying poem, if you’re interested:

PANCAKE?

Who wants a pancake, Sweet and piping hot? Good little Grace looks up and says, “I’ll take the one on top.” Who else wants a pancake, Fresh off the griddle? Terrible Teresa smiles and says, “I’ll take the one in the middle.”
—Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends

So we started with the stack of blintzes. Two stacks, actually – one sweet and one not-so-sweet. The not-so-sweet blintzes were accompanied by a choice of a mushroom sauce or a chicken and egg dish. Oh, and of course сметана – or sour cream! For the sweet blintzes, there was variety of fruit-related toppings. I have to admit, I filled up mostly on the sweet blintzes, topped with Nutella and bananas. What do you like with your блины?

All of this deliciousness, was accompanied by an endless supply of mimosas – all in all, the perfect blini party!!

A big shout out and thank you to my buddy, Alex, for inviting us!! Can’t wait for the next one!

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Watch on Netflix: Animated Soviet Propaganda

By Karyn Dubravetz on January 20th, 2010

I’m sure we’ve all discovered Netflix by now, but are you using it to practice your Russian? It’s one of the easiest and cheapest ways to catch up on all the Russian movies!!

Recently I tried something a little different: Animated Soviet Propaganda. There are four discs in all: 1. American Imperialists 2. Fascist Barbarians 3. Capitalist Sharks and 4. Onward to the Shining Future: Communism. Each disc has 10 or so animated shorts, followed by a “making of” documentary. So far I’m halfway through the series. (I’m on the cheap Netflix plan; two movies per month.)

I watched “American Imperialists” a while ago and really enjoyed it. It’s interesting to see what the stereotypes of your own culture are – or were – even if it was just propaganda. If you’re not a Netflix subscriber, you can find a lot of the shorts online. Here is one of my favorites from that disc:



Part 2 can be viewed here.

Two more of my favorites from disc 1 were Someone Else’s Voice and Mister Twister.

The other night, I finally got around to watching the second disc in the series, “Fascist Barbarians”. I’m sorry to say, I just didn’t enjoy this disc as much as the first one. There was one short, however, that is a must watch if you are interested in Russian culture and history. It’s called “To You Moscow” and was made to commemorate the 800th anniversary of Moscow. It depicts the history of Moscow up to that point. Here is part 1:



Link here for Part 2.

I am going to take a break from animated propaganda for now, but I’ll check in when I’ve watched the rest of the series. Has anyone seen any of these films? What did you think?

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Dirty Russian

By Karyn Dubravetz on January 13th, 2010

Have you ever wanted to know how to say “where can I buy some smack”, “let’s have an orgy”, or “I feel like shooting the shit with someone”? Then this may be the book for you!

D!RTY RUSSIAN
(Note: This is a small, almost pocket-sized book.)

Don’t worry – it’s not all dirty words, and body part euphemisms. While much of the book does make me blush, there are still sections like ”Friendly Russian” and “Poppy Russian”. It even provides some basic language instruction at the beginning, including an alphabet pronunciation guide.

Here are some other things I like about the book:

  • They give you full phrases and sentences, not just one-word translations.
  • They tell you the feel of a word – whether it’s “kind of formal” or “cutesy”.
  •  They relate it to specific English slang. They don’t just give you five ways to say you’re not feeling well – they tell you how to say “lousy as hell”, “pretty crappy”, or “really shitty”.
  • Quick reference charts, like a guide to name-calling.
  • Bits of info on Russian culture, for example, what their toilets are like.
  • And of course, cute illustrations!

D!RTY RUSSIAN - Banya

My one criticism of the book is how the stresses are represented. As you might be able to make out in the photo above, the phrase is given in English, then transliterated, then in Russian. But the stress is only indicated on the transliteration. So for those of us who can read the Cyrillic alphabet, you still may need to look at the transliteration to find the stress – just a tad inconvenient. Oh, and there’s no index, which would’ve been helpful.

Published by Ulysses Press, you can find the book anywhere online, but here’s a link to Amazon.com, where you can get it brand new for about $5.

Fire - Oгонь
This photo has nothing to do with Russian other than it’s what I got to enjoy while I wrote this post – Thanks, Danny!

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I’m going to Russia this year!

By Karyn Dubravetz on January 6th, 2010

I think my post title speaks for itself, but let me just say it again: I am going to Russia this year!!!

I'm going to Russia!
Photo by quinn.anya

And I’m so excited. If you’ve read my about me page, you’ve seen that I already spent 4 months there in 2003. This will be my first time back since then. But I’m only going for 2 or 3 weeks, and who knows when I’ll be back, so I need to make it count. Researching for this trip is going to be my big project for the next few months and I’ll need your help. When should I go? Where should I stay? And what should I DO?

So many decisions! So please, send me your tips, your success stories, or even better – your horror stories about your travels to Russia. I’m also looking for helpful books, websites, travel agencies, anything that can help me have a better trip. I’ll return the favor and report back as I figure things out.

I do have a couple things figured out already. We (my husband and I) are going sometime in the summer – probably July or August. Part of me will miss the charm of the beautiful Russian winter, but the rest of me wants to be able to spend a lot of time doing my favorite travel activity: walking around outside in between sitting in cafes drinking coffee.

The other thing we know is our main destinations – we’ll spend some time in both Moscow and St. Petersburg. I’ve been to Moscow, but this will be my first time in St. Petersburg, so any advice will be much appreciated!! I’m really looking forward to sharing my “passion for Russian” culture with my husband, who’s never been there. I want to be a great tour guide – and interpreter (which makes me a little nervous, but mostly excited) so help me out if you can!

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