Posts from February 2010

How to Dress Your Child (and Yourself) for Russian Winter

Posted by yelena 10 Comments
Feb 26 2010

I’ve only been with this blog for a few weeks and I’m already breaking «расписание» [schedule] that Josefina and I planned for this month. I was supposed to tell you how to make a particularly tasty Russian salad. But I feel that, given the time of the year and the fact that many of «наши читатели» [our readers] plan to travel to Russia at some point, there are «более важные» [more important] things to talk about.

 

Specifically, I want to talk about how to dress for a Russian winter in order to avoid stern talking-to’s from the ever-present «бабушки» [old ladies; lit. grandmothers]. But let me back up and say that there are two ways of dealing with «бабушки». First is «игнорировать их замечания» [to ignore their comments]. Second is to bundle up.

 

In reality, since «бабушки» can’t be outnumbered and have nothing better to do but spend their days «судача» [tattling] about you, the only way to avoid their dirty looks and «колкие замечания» [barbs] is to bundle up.

 

Technically, you can try defending your under-dressed self with the following proverb:

«Держи голову в холоде, живот – в голоде, а ноги – в тепле»

[Keep your head in the cold, belly - starving, but feet - warm]

But I doubt it would help (never helps me when I am being lectured by my own Mom on this subject).

And if you don’t think this is a serious issue, then read a comment from one of this blog’s readers, Kari, who was asking a while back for advice to “fight off the babushkas that invade my private space with their concern over my daughter’s warmth! I tell my husband that just ONE more comment that I am (a bad mom) not dressing my child more enough from Russians in the city and I just may explode!”

So, here’s a quick primer on how to dress yourself and your child for Russian winters.

 

«Колготки» [tights] – admittedly, is not the item to be visually inspected by «бабушки» [the old ladies], but better be safe than sorry. Warm tights are a must for women and children (of both sexes). Men will have to wear «подштанники» [warm ankle-length undergarments that go underneath the pants, hence the name].

 

«Свитер» [sweater] – layer it over a shirt, «водолазка» [a turtleneck sweater], or anything that doesn’t look thick and warm. If you are dressing a child, put a couple of sweaters on.

 

«Носки» [socks] – whether you wear «колготки» [tights] or not, put on a pair of very warm woolen socks. The thick and itchy white or grey hand-knitted ones, made and sold by «бабушки» are the best.

 

«Пальто» [coat], «шуба» [long fur coat], or «куртка» [jacket] – which one you are going to end up wearing depends largely on your gender and your personal preferences. Generally, however, men do not wear «шуба». Whatever it is you wear, it has to look very warm, very thick, and very bulky to be «одобренно» [approved] by «бабушки».

 

«Шапка» [hat] – you might as well stay home and wait for summer if you don’t wear a hat. And when you do put one on, make sure it covers your ears. When choosing a hat for a small child, get the one «с завязочками» [with strings that tie under the chin; lit. with the ties].

 

«Шарф» [scarf] – men can get away with wearing short and fairly thin (think flannel or thin felt) ones also referred to as «кашне» [neckscarf]. These are typically worn over a «свитер» [sweater], but underneath «пальто» [coat] or «куртка» [jacket].

 

Children must have their thick wooly scarves tied over their coats. Whether you tie the scarf in the front or in the back depends on the age of your child. Under 5 – tie in the back so that the child doesn’t get a chance to fiddle with the knot. Plus you’ll score some extra points for pulling the thus-tied scarf over the child’s mouth so he or she «не дышит холодным воздухом» [don’t breath the cold air].

 

«Варежки» [mittens], «перчатки» [gloves] – remember, «мужики варежек не носят!» [men don’t wear mittens]. Mittens are generally for children. Again, for some extra approval points, sew the mittens onto a length of elastic ribbon and thread it through the arms of your child’s coat.

 

Finally, «сапоги» [boots] – let’s just say, get the warmest boots you can find and you’ll be good to go.  When selecting boots, think of lots of snow, iced-over sidewalks and possibly long waits for «автобус» [a bus], «троллейбус» [a trolleybus] or «трамвай» [tram or streetcar] and you’ll naturally avoid all the high-heeled low-cut no-good fashion nonsense.

 

So, let’s say you «закутали» [bundled up] yourself and your child and are ready to go enjoy the snow – maybe build «снеговик» [a snowman] or «кататься на санках с горки» [sled down a hill]. Here’s the final check before exiting out of your apartment and into «бабушкино поле зрения» [old lady’s field of vision]:

 

If you can easily move your arms or legs, you are likely underdressed. If your child can, without your help, get up to standing from sitting on the floor, he or she is most definitely underdressed. Quickly, put on an extra sweater.

 

Follow these simple instructions and leave the old ladies if not speechless (that’s impossible), then at least admitting that you «знаешь, как одеваться по погоде» [know how to dress according to weather].

And in Russia it’s “Man Day”!

Posted by josefina 6 Comments
Feb 23 2010

Question of the day: «А где твоя фуражка?» [And where's you cap (peaked cap)?] Of course you haven’t really been to Russia if you haven’t had a Russian officer place his old «советская ушанка» [Soviet (i.e. Red Army) fur hat] on your head!

But I can already hear your objections, «дорогие читатели» [dear readers], that today – the 23rd of February – is NOT «день мужчин» [‘the day of men', or why not simply: ‘man day'] at all, but «день защитника Отечества» [Defender of the Fatherland Day]. Women can also be – and often indeed they are – «защитники» [pl. defenders] (though in this case it would be more correct to use the female form of the word: «защитницы»). Today is historically known in Russia as the day when we celebrate the army; back in Soviet times this day was as a matter of fact called «день Красной армии» [Red Army Day]. So how come I take the liberty to call this public Russian holiday “Man Day”? There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, in Russia «ВСЕ мужчины обязаны служить в армии» [ALL men must serve in the army]. For women, on the other hand, this is not so much «обязанность» [obligation, responsibility, duty] as it is «по своему желанию» [at one's pleasure, at one's will]. Thus when we celebrate «армию как таковую» [the army as such], we are implicitly celebrating «мужчин как таковых» [men as such]. But to say that every Russian man has at one point in his life been a soldier is of course not correct. I know plenty of Russian men who have NOT served in the army – but spent every day of their lives after turning eighteen until the age of twenty-seven (when you’re deemed as ‘too old’ to serve) hiding from the army. Many Russian young men try to do this (and some of them are successful in it), not because they’re not «патриоты» [pl. patriots] but because the Russian Army is no «рай на земле» [heaven on earth]. Enough said! (It is not my subject to speak on at length, after all, being as it is that I have two gigantic arguments speaking against me: a) I’m a woman; and b) I’ve never served in ANY army). Secondly, coming up soon here in Russia is the public holiday «международный женский день» [International Women's Day] on the 8th of March. On this day it is tradition to «поздравить всех женщин» [congratulate all women], so why shouldn’t there also be a day to «поздравить всех мужчин» [congratulate all men]? I think it is only fair!

Besides, in Russia both of the traditional gender-oriented ‘Western‘ holidays of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are only slowly gathering popularity. But this also means that in Russia you don’t have to have children in order to have someone congratulate you! Really, women on the 8th of March don’t have to do ANYTHING to get flowers. By our birth right we’re simply «прекрасный пол» [the beautiful sex] and we don’t even have to try and prove something further than this, unlike the men who in Russian are known as «сильный пол» [the strong sex]…

But while speaking on the differences between male and female in Russia, let me share this my «местное наблюдение» [local observation] with you: at my university every spring there is a beauty pageant known as «Мистер и Мисс УрГУ (Уральского государственного университета)» [Mister and Miss Ural State University]. About a month or two before this pageant the walls all over our university are filled by enormous amounts of posters of its female participants. These posters are usually not outright ‘sexy’, rather they’re «суггестивные» [suggestive], but I think that to the untrained western eye most of them would seem a bit ‘sexist’. However, there is not a single poster of a male contender – not yet at least. How come? Our university has more female students than male students, it would surely only make sense if it was the other way around? Also I would like to say that I think – this is only my strictly personal opinion though – that a beauty pageant has no place at an institution of higher education. Not only because in order to take part in it – though these ‘rules and restrictions’ apply only to female contenders – one must be of a certain height and weight (last time I checked this was taller than 168 cm and lighter than 58 kilos – I checked this because once upon a time I was younger and wanted to participate in it, but «увы!» [alas!] they told me that even though I’m light enough, I’m too short). One of my Russian friends informed me though, that at the university where she studies – «Уральский политехнический университет» [Ural Polytechnic University] – where there are a lot more male students than female students, the male contenders put up plenty of more ‘suggestive’ posters than the female do… I guess that no matter how you look at things, Russia will always seem to be «без логики!» [without logic!]

Who would you vote for to be «Мисс УрГУ 2010» [Miss Ural State 2010]?

The Russian Soul of Winter Olympics: “Русская душа зимних олимпиад”

Posted by yelena No Comments
Feb 19 2010

The Vancouver Winter Olympics started last week, on February 12. The day before “церемонии открытия” [the opening ceremony], “премьер-министр Владимир Путин” [Prime Minister Vladimir Putin] addressed the athletes, giving them a combination of pep talk and partying words known in Russian as “напутствие” (lit.: for the road):

 

Мы все с нетерпением ждём стартов и ждём ваших результатов. Мы прекрасно отдаём себе отчёт в том, в каком психологическом состоянии находится наша олимпийская сборная, мы уверены, что вы справитесь со всеми эмоциональными трудностями, всё преодолеете и добьётесь больших успехов”, – сказал в четверг премьер, обращаясь к спортсменам во время телемоста из информцентра “Сочи-2014″ с “Русским домом” в Ванкувере.”

 

[Impatiently we are waiting for the starts and for your results. We are fully aware of the psychological condition our Olympic team is in; we are confident that you will successfully deal with all the emotional difficulties, overcome it all and achieve great success” - said the Prime Minister on Thursday, addressing athletes during the live link-up between the info-center Sochi-2014 and Russian House in Vancouver.]

 

Now, unlike my mom – a hard-core figure-skating fan – I don’t follow the ups-and-downs of this sport very closely. But the reference to the emotional difficulties left me wondering. With a little bit of digging around, I zoomed in on “скандал с Плющенко” [scandal involving/around Plushenko], the 6-time European figure-skating champion.

 

You’d think that with 15 winter sports, the Prime-minister would not concentrate so hard on the figure-skating issues. But I’m going to draw on my own experience growing up in Russia to say that many Russians consider “фигурное катание” [figure skating] a big part of their national identity.

 

“Керлинг” [curling] might have a few fans in Russia; and “бобслей и санный спорт” [bobsleigh and skeleton] attract a small, but loyal following. But while much attention is given to “биатлон” [biathlon], “лыжные гонки” [cross-country skiing], and “конькобежный спорт” [speed skating], the heart and soul of Russian Olympics experience is figure skating. Even “хоккей” [hockey] doesn’t hold a candle to it.

 

When I was growing up in Russia, for a month or two surrounding the Winter Olympics (or a European Figure Skating Championship), every single girl and some boys in the neighborhood wanted to be figure skating champs. There was only one “закрытый каток” [covered ice-skating rink] in our city and it was mostly closed to the public. The very few “открытые катки” [open-air ice-skating rinks] were “забиты битком” [overcrowded] and we had to wait in line for skates forever.

 

But we, the kids, didn’t mind this problem at all. Instead, every frozen “лужа” [puddle] became a tiny ice-skating rink of our own. And since most of us didn’t have skates, that kind of equipment being “дефицитный” [difficult to obtain], we would simply slide across the ice in our clumsy winter boots practicing all those “тройные лутцы” [triple lutzes] and “тулупы” [toe loops] (not to be confused with an article of clothing). Best of all, there were hardly any falls or injuries with this kind of practice.

And in the evenings, we’d go home, turn on our 2-channel black-and-white TVs (hey, my family had a B&W TV well into the 90’s) and watch the famous skaters perform. Over some hot “чай” [tea] with “сухарики” [hard tea biscuits akin to Melba toast], we held our breaths as skaters were approaching their jumps or performing some particularly complicated footwork. Every fall or stumble was accompanied by our collective “ох!” and “эх!” And a well-executed performance was rewarded with “во дает!” [would you look at that!] and “молодец!” [atta boy]. And then we all tried to guess the marks skaters would get from each judge.

 

In our hearts we knew that “наши” [our] skaters were the best. It was the fundamental truth that required no further proof. Even when our skaters didn’t win the gold medal or (rarely) any medals at all, it did not diminish their skills or “превосходство” [dominancy] on ice, not in our eyes, not long-term. 

 

At the same time this knowledge gave us piece of mind and lots of goodwill towards foreign skaters. In retrospect, it was kind of “снисходительно” [condescending] to think that their wins were accidental and short-term (even if they were to become 6-time European Champions, like Surya Bonali), primarily technique-based with little in the way of “хореографии” [choreography] or “душевности” [soulfulness].

 

But in the end, the one part of the Olympics figure skating program we looked forward to the most was “показательные выступления” [the Exhibition Gala] – no competition, no judges,  no marks.

 

So this year, on February 27, I will brew me a pot of strong black tea, put some “сухарики” biscuits on a plate, and enjoy the Gala. Then, on February 28, I’ll be stopping by my local ice-skating rink that offers adult beginner classes and, back at home, re-naming my piggy-bank savings project “Сочи-2014” [Sochi 2014].

 

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«Класс!» – On the Importance of Calling Things by their Proper Names

Posted by josefina No Comments
Feb 17 2010

There are days when «словарь» [the dictionary] is not you best friend. It might still be «друг» [a friend] of yours, «но не самый лучший друг» [but not the very best friend]. Why is that? Because on these particular days the dictionary fails to explain certain words to you. Or explains them in such a way that makes it impossible for you to understand why they’re used in one (or many) sentence in such a (seemingly) strange way. Today our example of this will be the word «класс». If you look up «класс» in an average dictionary you’ll see that it translates as ‘class; classroom; status; section, department; genus, category; kind, type’. So… alright. Have you memorized that? Good, because we’ll keep this translation in mind when trying to understand the following dialogue:

Саша говорит: «Я купила новый альбом Земфиры!» [Sasha says: I bought Zemfira's new album!]

Петя отвечает: «Класс!» [Petya answers: ... wait a minute - Class! No, that can't be right, can it?]

Understanding the word «класс» as ‘class’ will work fine when you’re, for example, reading «произведения Маркса, Энгельса, Ленина, Сталина» [the works of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin] in Russian because these guys were really talking ‘class’ and nothing else. When they write «классовая борьба» you know this should be translated as ‘class struggle’ or ‘the struggle between classes’. Whenever you come across the adjective «классовый» you know that it belongs to the noun «класс» as in ‘class (Politics)’. As a matter of fact, while reading most «научные работы» [scientific works] that were published in the Soviet Union, you’re bound to simultaneously find out a lot «о классовой борьбе» [about class struggle]. Back in the days of the USSR everything had to be understood in the light of struggle between classes. You’ll also see that Lenin is always quoted «во введении» [in the introduction] – even if it’s a dissertation «по искусствоведению» [on the liberal arts]. But we’re not in the Soviet Union anymore. The word «класс» means something entirely else in Petya’s reaction to Sasha having just bought Zemfira’s latest disc. But what?

To help us figure this out we have another adjective derived from the noun «класс» -«классный» [classy, stylish; first class]. Do try and not confuse «классовый» with «классный». To help you I have this advice: the longer adjective «классовый» is longer because it secretly contains all of those names that I mentioned previously – Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin… The shorter «классный» is that way because it makes it more stylish – which is also one of it’s meanings! Smart? Well, maybe it not so much, but at least I’m trying.

So the best way to figure out what Petya means when he says «класс!» is to look it up in a Russian-to-Russian dictionary. His way of using this word sounds like it is as far from Communism as can be, and thus should be nothing else but an example of «разговорный язык» [colloquial speech]. Here’s the explanation I found in Russian:

«Класс: как сказуемое выражает восхищение» ['Class' - as predicate expresses delight (admiration, adoration; rapture, ravishment, applause)].

And what other ways can one express delight in Russian? Try reactions like «здорово!» [well done!, good job!; marvelous!, splendid!] or «замечательно!» [great!, exceptional!].  Or why not «классно!» [awesome!]. If this adverb means ‘awesome’, then to use the noun it was derived with an exclamation mark must mean pretty much the same thing, right? You think you got it now? I sure have! (At least I think so… but I’m always happy and thankful to be corrected when completely wrong and far off track!) Here’s another situation to illustrate:

Маша спрашивает: «Ты читал «Котлован» Платонова?» [Masha asks: Have you read Platonov's "The Foundation Pit"?]

Митя отвечает: «Вчера только прочитал. Класс!» [Mitya answers: I finished reading it just yesterday. Awesomeness!]

Do you agree with this translation? And have you ever heard this word used in this way before? Slang tends to change fast in Russian language – some words come quickly into use and then disappear into the nowhere they seemed to have come from…

«День всех влюблённых» [Valentine’s Day] in Russia

Posted by josefina No Comments
Feb 14 2010

«На этом воздушном шарике» [on this balloon] it says «я тебя люблю!» [I love you!] But don’t we all not just want to read these words, but have them said to us «вслух» [aloud]?

Today is February 14th, a day known around the world as Valentine’s Day. In Russia this day has a name of its own – though you can say «день святого Валентина» [Saint Valentine's Day] and nobody would frown at you for doing so – and is called «день всех влюблённых»  [the day of everybody in love]. This is from the adjective «влюблённый» (if you’re a man) and «влюблённая» (if you’re a woman) [in love, enamored; amorous, passionate]. But Russian language also has short forms for (almost all) adjectives, which means that you can also say that you’re «влюблён» (if you’re a man) or «влюблена» (if you’re a woman) when you’re in love in Russian – or in love in Russia, for that matter. Both of these two adjectives translate into the same thing in English, seemingly there’s no big difference between them. This is not entirely true, though: the short form (as is general rule) describes a stronger feeling. Or that the same feeling is transitory or temporal. But let’s not talk about that today. Today’s post is not «о кратких прилагательных» [about short adjectives] but about something else entirely – dating in Russia. There’s already been a post on this subject, I am aware. But today we’ll try and steer away from purely lexical and grammatical moments in favor of the cultural context. We’ll try and figure out not only «как ходить на свидание с русским/русской» [how to go on a date with a Russian] but also «что делать на свидании с русским/русской» [what to do on a date with a Russian]. It would be wrong for you to think of me like some kind of «эксперт в этой области» [expert in this area]. Think of me more as a sort of «любитель» [lover; fancier, buff; amateur, dilettante; dabbler] with «опыт» [experience] in this specific area. I may be chronically single, but «сегодня я сходила на свидание с русским» [today I went on a date with a Russian], which means my information may not be universal, but at least it’s up to date! 

Making out in the park – «классика жанра» [a classic in the genre], as the Russians would say, and an essential part of «русская романтика» [Russian romance].

Dating in general is difficult. Dating in a foreign country is even more complicated. In Russia – and I’m speaking from experience and not pure prejudice – old-fashion gender presumptions are still the norm. Men in Russia are «мужчины» [men], and subsequently women are «женщины» [women]. But men are men and women are women all over the world, what exactly does this kind of information bring to clear up the question «как?» [how?] to date in Russia? Well, that there are some things that the man generally does on a date, whereas the woman does different things. As a rule Russians dress up for dates (not saying that this does not go for people in other countries as well). Russians do not show up in jeans on a date (I’ve never seen this EVER). If it is a first date – or a special occasion, like today – the man will bring a «роза» [rose] for the lady. It is not recommended for the girl to bring anything for the man (as giving flowers to men can be seen as not respecting their masculinity). It doesn’t always have to be a single red rose – sometimes it may be a whole «букет цветов» [bouquet of flowers]. Once I dated a Russian guy who would bring me gigantic bouquets on every single date. After three dates on one and the same week my room resembled a flower shop. I think it would be safe to say that Russians are a very romantic people. On my date today I received «жёлтую розу» [a yellow rose], but the guy told me that he had wanted to pair with it a «синюю» [blue one] too, and thus give me the Swedish flag in the form of two roses. But he couldn’t find blue roses sold anywhere. Still, a very sweet idea, don’t you think?

It is standard to go for a walk on a date in Russia. No matter how cold (or hot for that matter) it is, Russians love to go on walks. And because most Russian towns are built around rivers or lakes, there’s always a pretty «набережная» [embankment] where this can be done with great pleasure. The traditional (and almost mandatory) «прогулка» [walk, stroll] can take place both before and after someone says «давай где-нибудь посидим и поужинаем» [let us sit down somewhere and have dinner]. If it is a «удачное свидание» [successful date] – when you feel that you like this person and also that this person is into you too – the after-dinner walk will include two important features. First: holding hands. Secondly: the man will carry the girl’s purse. If a Russian man takes your purse, you know it is getting serious! This ‘trick’ I heard about long before it actually happened to me in real life. Back when I was really young and living in Saint Petersburg I had a couple of male Swedish friends who struggled with getting on with Russian girls on dates. Their struggles were fruitless (almost) until a Russian girl told them to try and carry their date’s purse when on a walk after dinner. I don’t know if this ALWAYS works, but in Russia it is considered a nice way of showing that you’re a «джентльмен» [gentleman]. And it doesn’t hurt to try, now does it?

Did you know there’s «памятник группе Битлз» [a monument to the group Beatles] in central Yekaterinburg? Now you know!

After dinner there’s always that awkward moment when you’re trying to understand who’s going to pay for it all. Usually in Russia, the man pays. This used to be tradition in other countries back in the days (my mother has told me tales of this practice), but nowadays at least in the country where I’m from it is most common to split the check. Because I have a tendency to want to pay for myself and because the Russians I have dated tend to take offence when I do this, experience has taught me a new ‘trick’. At the end of dinner I always make a quick visit to the restroom. If the check has already been paid (this is usually indicated by the fact that the man stands ready with your coat in his hands to place it on your shoulders) by the time I get back, I know how we’re rolling tonight. If not, then I will undoubtedly try and flaunt my Scandinavian roots.

Among other things to be aware of on dates with Russians: 1) don’t fight it if they want to open the door for you. Simply let it happen; and 2) don’t be surprised if a Russian man will get off the bus/tram before you and give you his hand to lean on when you’re getting off. Not only on dates do Russian men give women a hand when getting off public transportation. Even male friends will. Sometimes even strangers give you their hands to lean on as you’re getting off – especially if the steps are slippery and they see that you’re wearing heels (most women in Russia wear heels anyway, so I can see from what need this came into practice). At first this tradition might seem a bit weird. Particularly if you’re wearing sneakers and consider yourself a lot more steady than the man giving you his hand. But after a while you’ll get so used to it that you might even get upset when this doesn’t happen, for example, in Stockholm or London.

The important thing when dating in Russia – and when dating in general, no matter what country you’re in at the moment – is to keep not only an open heart, but also an open mind. Or as the Russians say: «кто не рискует, тот шампанского не пьёт!» [the one who doesn't take risks doesn't (get to) drink champagne!]. Gender may be a cage to some, but sometimes there’s a beauty in discovering that we’re not exactly equal after all…

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