суббота, 28 февраля 2015 г.

Let us introduce our talented Russian language teacher - Anastassia Zhigalina.

Dear students, we continue presenting our talented Russian language teachers))
Всем доброго часа! Меня зовут Анастасия Жигалина. Если сказать, что русский язык занимает большую часть моей жизни, то это будет правда! Ведь я - 14 лет учитель русского языка в школе, 13 лет преподаватель лингвистических дисциплин в университете и более 10 лет преподаватель русского языка как иностранного в школе "Enjoy Russian"!
Если Вы хотите овладеть русским языком и лучше узнать русскую культуру, то я готова помочь Вам в этом. Мы вместе разгадаем тайны великого и могучего русского языка и загадочной русской души!!! До встречи на занятиях!!!

пятница, 27 февраля 2015 г.

Klaudia Schvaiger has come to Petrozavodsk to learn Russian from the second-largest city in Austria – Gratz.


Klaudia Schvaiger has come to Petrozavodsk from the second-largest city in Austria – Gratz. Klaudia has already been in Petrozavodsk for two weeks and told us about her first impressions in Russia.

Klaudia, what can you say about your first impressions in Russia and were they the same with your expectations, when came to Petrozavodsk?

When I was going to Russia I didn’t know what I would meet their. I thought that everything would be different from the life in Austria, from the life in Europe. I think that people in Russia are private and don’t care about foreigners, because, for example, when I was in Canada and was in coffee, people asked me where I was from and what I did in Canada. And that’s why I think they are private people. I like this town; it is a big town for me, like Gratz, where I live in Austria. There are a lot of beautiful buildings and a lot of places to visit, but I like especially, an embankment in Petrozavodsk.

And what about learning of Russian language, can you say that your language has become better?

Yes, yes, of course. I didn’t understand anything on the first day, it was very difficult for me to speak, but now it’s easier, but yet I have some complications, but I work hard to improve my Russian there at the school and communicate with my family.

And tell me about your plans. I know that you are going to Saint – Petersburg next week. What are you going to visit there? And do think that Petrozavodsk is different from Saint – Petersburg?

I don’t know exactly, where I will go, but maybe I visit the Hermitage. I believe that Petrozavodsk is different from Saint – Petersburg, because it’s a very big city and people are used to meet foreigners there.

Do think that people in Austria and Russia have some common features in their behavior, mentality?

I reckon that people in Austria are more open and smile more, even if they don’t know people. We are very organized, as Germans and we try to be a very punctual and maybe roads are cleaner in Austria. But I believe that Russians are private when you are not very close with them but Russians have easy manners, they are not actors.

And one more question, why did you decide to learn Russian language?

I learn Russian, English and French languages. I always want to learn languages and I wanted to learn east language, because east languages are different from European languages and I think that I will find a work as not so many people in Austria learn Russian, I can say that more people are interested in Russian language. And I believe that it’s the language of the future.

Why do you think people in Austria want to learn Russian language?

I reckon that it’s happen due to collaboration between Austria and Russia; people in Austria believe that our countries will collaborate in the spheres of economy, manufacturing and techniques.

Thank you very much for your answers and I invite you to Russia next year.

Thank you. I would like to visit Moscow and other cities because Russia is a huge country. Good bye! 

Apply for the Intensive Russian courses at Russian language school "Enjoy Russian" in Petrozavodsk, Karelia.

Volunteer and Learn Russian in Petrozavodsk, Karelia

You are willing to learn Russian but your budget is limited? You want to achieve the fast progress in Russian but don’t want to follow usual classes? You want to immerse into a Russian lifestyle and find new friends?
Choose the program "Volunteer and Learn Russian". 3 reasons to come to Petrozavodsk to learn Russian and volunteer with Russian language school "Enjoy Russian":
 
1. Immerse into the Russian culture and improve your Russian. Our School is located in a small cosy town which completely differs from large, noisy megapolises as Moscow or St Petersburg. People are friendly; you feel like at home and can always rely on people’s help.
 
2. Volunteering is the effective way of learning Russian. Implementing different volunteer projects you find friends, meet interesting people, learn to be sociable, to interact with people of different culture, ages, religions and philosophies and PRACTICE RUSSIAN.
 
3. We aim to make your preparation and the stay itself as easy and worry-free as possible. We will help you prepare for the trip, including getting your visa, and help you get settled in Petrozavodsk before you begin your program.
http://enjoyrussian.com/368…/3693_long_term_russian_courses/

Top 10 Must See Places in Karelia

Republic of Karelia is famous for it's amazing nature, culture and history. We are glad to offer you unforgettable trip to this wonderland all year around. If you have already visited some of the following places, please feel free to share your impressions!
 
1. Kizhi Island
"Kizhi" is one of the Russia's largest open-air museums. This is unique historical, cultural and natural complex. The museum collections, including the Kizhi ensemble of wooden church and houses, is the object of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
 
2. Solovki
The SolovetskyIslands are an archipelago located in the Onega Bay of the White Sea. Solovetsky Fortress and Cathedrals founded in the 15th century are open for visitors. Sekirnaya Hill, the Church of Ascension, and Commemoration Cross remind us of GULAG camp located here in 1923-1939. Prehistoric sacred labyrinths and burial mounds (presumably, created by proto saami people) will expand your knowledge of Russian and world history.
 
3. Waterfall Kivach
Waterfall Kivach is the most famous waterfall in Karelia and the second largest plain waterfall in Europe. What is more, on the territory of conservation area Kivach you will see different kinds of wild animals.
More http://enjoyrussian.com/3661_useful_info/top_10_must_see_places_in_karelia/

вторник, 24 февраля 2015 г.

Гостья из Польши Мирослава Кедровская

В феврале к нам в Петрозаводск приехала гостья из Польши – Мирослава Кедровская (но мы все зовем ее Миркой). Это не первая поездки Мирки в Россию: она училась 3 месяца в Москве, когда была еще студенткой последнего курса. Она так полюбила Россию, что решила приехать снова. Сейчас Мирка реализует волонтерский проект в Петрозаводске «Разноцветный мир».

ВПЕЧАТЛЕНИЯ О РУССКИХ
Русские любят петь песни, особенно в застолье, что замечательно, по ее мнению. Еще Мирка считает, что русские женщины очень заботливые. Однажды она не смогла попасть в домой, так как не могла открыть дверь, но соседи всячески пытались ей помочь. Ей было очень приятно от этого.
ПУТЕШЕСТВИЕ ПО РОССИИ
На вопрос, куда бы она съездила, Мирка ответила: «Я бы хотела съездить в Мурманск увидеть Северное сияние». Даже мысль о том, что нужно провести около 20 часов в поезде, чтобы доехать до Мурманска, не остановила ее. Хотя Мирка призналась, что любит ездить на поезде, поэтому наверняка эти 20 часов пролетят быстро. Но сказала, что хотелось бы посетить все города России, и быть может, выйдет замуж за русского, останется в России и будет путешествовать по всем городам. (смеется)
ОТКРЫТЫЙ УРОК В ПЕТРОЗАВОДСКОЙ ШКОЛЕ
Мирка (вместе с Клаудией из Австрии) провела открытый урок на английском языке в Державинском лицее. Она получила много положительных впечатлений: было весело на уроке, а ученики были очень активными. Еще приятно удивилась, когда узнала, что в лицее преподают еще и польский язык.
ХОББИ
У Мирки много увлечений: она любит читать, особенно русскую классическую литературу; обожает музыку Исландии (ее любимая певица – Бьёрк). Ее мечта – посетить музыкальный фестиваль, который проводится ежегодно в Исландии. Русскую музыку Мирослава также слушает: группа «Кино», «Барто», «Гражданская оборона». Кроме того, Мирка обожает смотреть русские фильмы, такие как «Про уродов и людей», «Груз 200», «Брат» и комедии Гайдая; ее самый любимый режиссер – Балабанов.
Удивительно, что Мирка приехала к нам в Россию на автобусе из-за боязни летать на самолетах. От своего родного города до Варшавы – 6 часов, от столицы Польши до С.-Петербурга – почти сутки, а от Питера до Петрозаводска она добиралась уже поездом. И после долгой 2-х дневной поездки Мирослава наконец приехала в наш город!
Мирка начала учить русский в университете, но сейчас она уже отлично владеет языком. Она призналась, что «Я просто влюбилась в русский язык, в эту страну. Если ты что-то любишь, обожаешь, то тебе легче дается. И мне не жалко тратить время для того, чтобы учить русский». Вот в этом-то и весь ее секрет успеха!

Беседовала волонтер школы русского языка “Enjoy Russian” Йен.

четверг, 19 февраля 2015 г.

The Celebration of Maslenitsa 

Today, in our office we celebrated the holiday of Maslenitsa. Our colleagues and our foreign guests: Klaudia and Miroslava took part on this event and had a lot of fun during that celebration.
At the beginning there was some information about history, traditions and celebration of this Russian holiday in order to let our guests become closer to Russian culture. Then we organized a small competition: participants divided into two groups and performed different tasks. The first one examined how housewifely our women were: they should have peeled potatoes, sewed on a button and sorted out grits. Klaudia and Miroslava showed how perfect they can peel potatoes. In next contest games participants possessed their intellectual and artistic skills. At the end we drank tea and ate pancakes with jam and curd. 
All guests enjoyed the celebration and remained satisfied with it. Come to Petrozavodsk and feel the spirit of Russian holiday!








TOP 5 Russian fairy tales for learning Russian 

Today, Russian fairy tales or skazki (сказки) as they are known in Russia, remain an integral component of Russian culture. The magical world of Russian fairy tales can help foreigners not only to learn language but also to know more about Russian history and traditions. 
And what is your favorite fairy tale? Share your opinion!

1) Конек Горбунок (The Humpbacked Horse)
This story is about Ivan, is considered an idiot and his great success thanks to his little but smart friend - Konyok-gorbunok

2) Морозко (Morozko)
This is the unbelievable story of huge love, envy, stupidity and intelligence.

3) Марья – искусница (Maria the Weaver)
A fairy tale about an old soldier helping a boy finds his mother, who has been kidnapped and carried away to the undersea kingdom.

4) Василиса Прекрасная (Vasilisa the Beautiful)
The Russian tragedy with happy end

5) Царевна лягушка (The Frog Princess)
The story of successful marriage with the Frog Princess.







Top-5 of the most well-favored Russian men by Russian women. Soon in Russia we celebrate the "men's day" on Fenruary 23.

You have probably heard many stereotypes about Russian men. They are considered to be rude, impolite and untidy. However, actually, it is not true. Those who have ever met Russian men know that they are noted for their generousness, domesticity, masculinity, intellect and erudition. As we approach the holiday of 23 February, here is Top-5 of the most well-favored Russian men by Russian women:
1. Vladimir Putin ( Russian President)
2. Danila Kozlovskiy (Actor)
3. Dima Bilan (Singer)
4. Ivan Urgant (Showman)
5. Philipp Kirkorov (Singer)

What is your opinion?



Top 10 Russian dishes you should try when you come to Petrozavodsk, Russia

Are you going to travel to Russia? Everyone knows that Russian food is famous for being nutrient-enriched and various. Here is ten most-favoured Russian dishes. Don’t ever miss the opportunity to try them!
1. Borshch
2. Vinaigrette
3. Pancakes
4. Sour cabbage
5. Okroshka
6. Olivier
7. Jelly (chicken or meat in jelly)
8. Salo (cured slabs of fatback)
9. Kissel (Russian jelly-like soft drink)
10. Dressed herring

And to read the recipe of dressed herring, follow this link:http://enjoyrussian.com/3661_useful_info/17437_top_10..











Top 7 Soviet/Russian Сomedies

Russian people fond of soviet comedies. These films are popular because they are always about average person who believe in happy end. 

What is your favorite comedy?

1) 12 стульев
The best adaptation of the famous comedy novel about a con man and his elderly companion who travel around the USSR in search of a treasure hidden in one of the twelve chairs

2) Собачье сердце
Best satire on the 1917 revolution and communism, period. Based on the novel of the same name by Mikhail Bulgakov. Old Prof. Preobrazhensky and his young colleague Dr. Bormental inserted the human's hypophysis into a dog's brain. Couple of weeks later the dog became "human looking".

3) Операция Ы и другие приключения Шурика
The movie consists of 3 short movies, each about Shurik - a nerdy student. "Naparnik" ("Partner"), "Navazhdenie" ("Strange Impression"), Operatsiya Y" ("Operation Y").

4) Иван Васильевич меняет профессию
Shurik Timofeev builds a working model of a time machine. By accident, Ivan Bunsha, an apartment complex manager, and George Miloslavsky, a petty burglar, are transferred to the 16th ...

5) Бриллиантовая рука
Semyon Gorbunkov goes on a cruise. In Istanbul, he slips and breaks his arm. What he didn't know is that this was a signal for a gang of smugglers. So his arm gets bandaged with gold and diamonds. After he returns home, the gangsters are trying to get their stuff back, while the police try to catch them using Gorbunkov and his arm.

6) Джентльмены удачи
Criminal comedy. A team of gangsters steals Alexander the Great's helmet. In order to locate it, an undercover kindergarten director who looks exactly like the gang band's leader joins them.

7) Полосатый рейс
A comedy about tigers and lions running around a cruise ship full of passengers.







Top- 3 of the Modern Russian science-fiction writers among Russian youth.

People all over the world read Russian classics of literature such as Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky. However, they are not so popular among modern youngsters. The only literary genre which is still interesting for teenagers is science-fiction. Books of the genre can even force gamers to read. Moreover, some of science-fiction books are the basis for computer games.
Let's look at our top-3 list of modern science-fiction writers from Russia:

1. The brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (Братья Стругацкие)
They are modern classics of science-fiction genre who wrote a novel Roadside Picnic (“Пикник на обочине”) where they introduced “stalkers” for the first time. After the Chernobyl disaster the topic about people who live near contaminated area has become more popular. It has resulted in creation of computer game called S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Now there is the franchise with the same title written by different authors.

2. Dmitry Glukhovsky (Дмитрий Глуховский)
He wrote a post-apocalyptic novel Metro 2033 about life of people who survived in Moscow subway (metro) after an atomic war. The novel also addresses the topic of “stalkers”, but it has its own unique style. The book was translated into 20 other languages and spawned a sequel Metro 2034. Then it was taken as a basis for a computer game and the franchise titled Universe of Metro 2033.

3. Sergei Lukyanenko (Лукьяненко Сергей)
The author of a famous novel the Night Watch, which was the first book of the franchise. There are five books: Night Watch, Day Watch, Twilight Watch, Final Watch and New Watch. "The world of the Watch" created by Sergei Lukyanenko went over big. In 2004 there was a screen adaption of the Night Watch which became a successful Russian movie as well.





Our talented teacher of Russian and Finnish languages Darja Korolyova made a video about the Russian soul. Watch, listen to the verses and welcome to Petrozavodsk in 2015!
http://youtu.be/SdOng6BuFiQ
Welcome to Petrozavodsk in May and June to enjoy White Nights and learn Russian.
Have you ever seen it? No? Then it’s time to pack your luggage and come to Karelia! http://enjoyrussian.com/ 

Belye Nochi or White Nights are the incredible northern midsummer phenomenon, when the sky remains bright from late May to the end of July. In fact White Nights in Karelia are longer and brighter than in St. Petersburg. Interestingly, night becomes so indistinguishable from day that the authorities often don’t have to turn the city's streetlights on!

There are a handful of festivals and events in Karelia during this time of year, but the most popular one is Petrozavodsk’s City Day, which is celebrated annually on the last Saturday of June. Town-dwellers enjoy live music concerts, performances usually held on a front of the Onego Lake. And at midnight they have a good time watching the fireworks.

Here are some funny tips on how you can spend time in Karelia during White Nights:
- Go for a walk all day along and not be afraid of the dark,
- Read a book in Russian at night to improve your language skills, and save the electricity at the same time,
- Study Russian 24/7. Nevertheless, we advise you to read with the light on, so as not to damage your eyesight Смайлик «smile»
- Or do activities that you want but you never had a chance to do because of the sky isn’t so bright at night in your hometown.

Photo credits: Natalia Mitrofanova / Maxim Kiryushin / AlekseyT / a group “Zivoi Petrozavodsk”






среда, 18 февраля 2015 г.

10 things never to do in Russia






Knowing what NOT to do is as important as what TO do if you want to fit in or at least make a good impression. Check out 10 Russian social taboos:
1. Don't go to visit someone empty-handed.
What you bring doesn't really matter — a box of chocolates, flowers or something like that.
2. Don't wear your shoes into someone's house. Remove them at the door.
Russian apartments are usually covered in rugs, which are sometimes very expensive and aren’t easy to clean. But don’t worry, Russian host usually offers a pair of tapochki (slippers).
3. Don't make jokes about parents.
You can tell jokes based on gender, ethnicity but just steer clear of jokes about somebody's mother or father. This is the Russian equivalent of an ethnic joke.
4. Don't toast with "Na Zdorov'ye!"
People who don't speak Russian usually think that they know one Russian phrase "Na zdorov'ye!”. It’s what Russians say when somebody thanks them for a meal. Russian people love to make up something long and sophisticated, so if you want a more generic Russian toast, go with “Za vas!” (To you!)