Living in Russia – an overview A dácha is the name given to a house in the country, which Russians flee to as soon as real spring kicks in (May). Once there, they enjoy growing their own vegetables and herbs (like dill, ukróp), ending the day with a well-deserved shashlýk – the very tasty Russian version of a barbeque. Don’t look for spicy (óstry) sausages on the grill, as this kind of food is not very popular in Russia. Even the waiter in your local Indian restaurant will make a distinction between ostry and ‘foreigner spicy’. Many dachas have their own bánya, a distinctly Russian place to unwind. It is something between a Finnish sauna and a Turkish bath, but better than both. things are done in Russia compared to the outside world. If they call you nash (one of ours), you are pretty well integrated. In the same context, evroremónt (European style renovation) in your flat is considered to be a more serious job than a mere (Russian) remont. Skvoznyák: draught. What some of us view as fresh air is viewed <strong>by</strong> many Russians as a potentially fatal attack on even the strongest person’s health. You will hear the same remarks in your office about the konditsionér (air conditioning). Davléniye (pressure), a strange headache a lot of people on this side of the planet suffer. It is sometimes brought about <strong>by</strong> ‘magnetic storms’. Korótkiy den is literally ‘a short (working) day’, say, until 3–4 pm. This can be every Friday for some, the day before one of the many public holidays for others, and the day of somebody’s birthday for almost everybody. Málenkaya pyátnitsa (little Friday) is actually Wednesday. In the evening, you are allowed to be in a little bit of a weekend mood. Russians like diminutives. Once you become closer friends, no matter what age you are, Alexander becomes Sásha, Vladimir Volódya, Maria Másha, and Evgeniya Zhenya. After a while they will probably change your own name to something funny and rather cutesounding, usually ending in -chik. In spite of the country’s huge size, Russia has relatively few regional accents and dialects left, compared with Germanic languages, where changes can be detected every 15 miles or so. It seems Standard Russian has supplanted regional dialects. You should know, however, that they do have mat: foul language. While every language has it to some degree, the frequent use, content and creativity of the Russian version is unique. The editor kindly asked not to provide any examples here, but once you start living here, ask your best Russian friend for a brief introduction so that you at least have a clue what your taxi driver is yelling about after standing 2 hours in a traffic jam (próbka). Having said that, it’s best to keep your knowledge of Russian obscenities to yourself; there is no point in risking potentially lasting diplomatic or physical damage. Johan Verbeeck Johan first arrived to Russia in 1987 as a student. Returning frequently, he finally settled in Moscow in 2002. Johan combined his previous business experiences in various fields with his love for languages when he opened the Russian branch of ElaN Languages (Belgium) in 2008. Building a network of top translators and trainers in the language and communication field, he is regularly invited to organize cross cultural seminars and presentations on Russia specific issues. 20 <strong>Step</strong> <strong>by</strong> <strong>step</strong> : Living in Russia
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