Former Helsinki’s deputy mayor considers Petrozavodsk an ideal city for learning Russian

Ilkka-Christian about dramatic history  of Petrozavodsk and his learning Russian experience

As you probably know Petrozavodsk where you can learn Russian language is situated close to the European Union and Karelia has a common border with Finland. May be that’s why many of Enjoy Russian students come here to practice Russian from this county. This autumn we were happy to host very hardworking and loyal student (who has been studying with us several times) Ilkka-Christian. What makes students come to Enjoy Russian more than once? Here is the testimonial of our Finnish student and his impressions from city and the school both in Russian and Finnish languages:

Лично думаю, что каждому финну надо посетить Петрозаводск, по крайней мере один раз в жизни потому, что в этом городе мы сталкиваемся и со своей собственной (!) драматической, иногда у нас замолчанной историей – на берегу Онежского озера финские коммунистические лидеры верили, что построили там социалистический рай, и финские националисты на военной форме исполнили свою разрушительную утопию о ”Великой Финляндии”. Но, конечно, финнам сегодня, прежде всего, было бы интересно ездить в ПТЗ потому, что нынешний город – близкий, красивый и развитый город, который покажет то, что Россия – это не только Москва и Питер. С точки зрения изучения языка город просто идеальный – всё находится поблизости. Школу могу сердечно порекомендовать потому, что здесь  хорошие условия, отличные преподаватели, эффективная организация и вообще хорошее соотношение цены и качества.

Jokaisen suomalaisen pitäisi käydä Petroskoissa ainakin kerran elämässään. Senkin vuoksi, että törmäämme täällä myös oman historiamme dramaattisiin ja joskus vaiettuihin käänteisiin – Äänisen rannoilla ovat suomalaiset kommunistijohtajat uskoneet rakentavansa sosialistista paratiisia ja täällä ovat sotilaspukuiset suomalaiset ”aakooässät” toteuttaneet yhtä lailla tuhoisaa utopiaansa Suur-Suomesta. Mutta ennen muuta siksi, että nyky-Petroskoi on läheinen, kaunis ja kehittyvä kaupunki, joka osoittaa, että Venäjä on paljon muutakin kuin Moskova ja Pietari. Kieliopintojen kannalta kaupunki on ihanteellinen, kaikki on lähellä. Enjoy Russian -koulua voin kokemukseni perusteella lämpimästi suositella – ajanmukaiset puitteet, erinomaiset opettajat, toimivat järjestelyt ja hyvä hinta-laatu-suhde.

Special Russian course in Russia for adults of 50 + years young!

Are you fond of Russia, its culture and language? Would you like to take an exciting trip to Russia, its beautiful Republic of Karelia with it’s pure nature, numerous lakes and rivers, deep green forests? What about meeting lots of Russian people, living and sharing meals with a hospitable and caring Russian family, learning Russian in a group of international students of your age and interests? 

EnjoyRussian School welcomes you in April for a 2-4 week Russian immersion program in a safe and green town Petrozavodsk not far from St. Petersburg. 
All you need to do is to apply. From that moment the School coordinator will help you with each step: to prepare documents for your visa, to book train tickets or arrange transfer from the airport, to choose must-take things and everything else. 

Dates: 
2-week program: April 02-13, 2018 (40 lessons) 
4-week program: April 02-27, 2018 (80 lessons) 

Cost: 
2-week program: 320 euro - tuition fee, 150 euro - homestay with breakfast 
4-week program: 640 euro - tuition fee, 300 euro - homestay with breakfast 

Location: Petrozavodsk is a safe and green town, capital of the Republic of Karelia, North-West of Russia, close to Saint-Petersburg (5h), Moscow (14h), Helsinki (10h). 

Apply here: https://enjoyrussian.com/courses/russianforseniors/
Our e-mail: info@enjoyrussian.com

HOW TO SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS IN RUSSIAN?

These days people in different countries congratulate each other on Christmas and wish all the best. Perfect time for gathering together with a family and spend cozy evenings near the Christmas tree.  For Russian people this holiday comes only in January (and to be honest it’s not that hugely celebrated as the New Year’s Eve) which is why all eyes are on Russian traditional New Year recipes, presents, mandarins and champagne. But it goes without saying that many Russians congratulate their relatives and friends who enjoy Catholic Christmas, send them postcards and photos with snowy and beautiful winter sceneries. Let’s learn how to say Merry Christmas in Russian and wish each other all the best!

For more Russian “winter vocabulary” check out the video lesson with Alina and Jack!

RUSSIAN LANGUAGE LEARNING MATERIALS – WATCH, LISTEN AND STUDY!

If you haven’t got on with your Russian language class today it is the high time to watch a video lesson, listen to a new podcast and learn some Russian grammar by a picture. This week Enjoy Russian school tutors, our student Jack and our Australian friends suggest you to discuss the way Russian people ask each other about professions and daily routine and talk about Russian geographical position. Do you know that in Russia you may celebrate New Year’s Eve for 11 times? Have you heard that when people from Russian city Anadyr get up to work, Russians from Kaliningrad go to bed? More interesting facts and useful traveling tips are here!

New video lesson with Jack and Alina with a really important topic on the agenda – asking people about their occupation. From this video you know the difference between Russian phrases “what do you do” and “what is your profession”, become familiar with a Russian habit to say “what do you do” when they are curious and surprised.

Episode 2 of our podcast touches upon Russia’s geographical position and takes you to unique Russian cities

And here’s a bit of Russian grammar important to know –

Volunteer and learn Russian in Russia! 

Special program for you if you’re active, enthusiastic and willing to practice Russian as much as possible! 

The program includes 2 parts: during the first half of the program you study Russian (in a group or individually), during the second half you volunteer. So you may choose form 4 week (2+2) up to 12 week (6+6) program.

You may organize a language cafe for adults. The language cafe is a place where people gather together, drink tea and coffee, talk to each other and practice their foreign language. The teacher or foreign volunteer organizes this event. You are free to choose any topics for discussion. Usually the language cafe takes place once a week and 4-8 people participate. The duration is 60 minutes.

You may visit foreign language classes for Russian kids and teens who are learning foreign languages at our foreign language center. You may give them some games, quizzes, discussions and other activities in your native language. You may discuss with the teacher your idea and get some help if required.

You may visit Russian public school and give some presentations for kids and teens about your native country.

You are welcome to offer your own volunteer project.

Apply here: https://enjoyrussian.com/courses/volunteering/
Our e-mail: info@enjoyrussian.com 

HARD TO SUCCEED EVEN FOR ROBIN HOOD!

Discover your Russian summer and visit the high ropes course in Karelia

Does a name “Sherwood” ring a bell? It does! But we usually think first about the famous park in England, royal forest and Robin Hood. But how is that possible that almost every citizen of Karelia and its surroundings travels there more than once a year? Somewhere in between two major cities of Karelia the adventure park “Sherwood” is located. Known informally as a Seventh heaven the high ropes course makes Karelia attractive to tourists, extreme seekers, wild nature lovers and of course Russian lamguage learners!

Come here not to stare but to act!

Literally the place for jumping, stepping, climbing through and swaying all over! More than hundred m of ropes are installed to hold the platforms and connect the trees. Here you may find everything to challenge yourself from massive barrels and wooden bridges to huge triangle platforms and cubes. You can create your own strategy to pass the trail within a certain period of time or just set a goal of “being able to move” and explore the platforms one by one at your own pace. Once you are tired jump right into the transparent net serving as a life-saving blanket. That is 100% right place if you want to experience the ground crumbles under your feet! Take a look down and you will feel like a bird. It reminds the giant hammock at a height of 30-40 m. There is a big climbing wall by the entrance to Sherwood so you can combine favorite sports and as Russians say «убить двух зайцев одним выстрелом» – kill two birds with one stone. By the way never ever animals suffered here because the park is strictly protected by the local administration.

Spectacular location

The location is gorgeous. 2 hundred year old pines, the choir of unique birds you may find only in Karelia turn the place into a fairytale land and the magnificent lake view. Make sure you get down to the shore of lake Syamozero which is literally the best place to take a walk and have a picnic. Pitch up a tent, make tasty shashlyk with your Russian friends and go to pick blueberry, cranberry and mushrooms. Amazing landscapes bring many gifts in summer. Ask the locals and they will show you where the spring may be found. The purest water you’ve ever tried! You may also visit the similarly-named village with the ancient Karelian traditional houses (Изба) and take a boat trip or enjoy fishing at sunset.  If you want to chill even more after the ropes course take a bike and visit authentic church in a village Akhpoilla. It’s really unique construction because it was built by the Karelian people in 16 century with the observing Golden Section proportions.

You may either buy a ticket to St. Petersburg, take a train to Petrozavodsk and travel to local Sherwood by bus or can simply sign up for a course of Enjoy Russian school. Every summer our students enjoy not only Russian language learning but also exploring the surroundings of Petrozavodsk!

“NOW I CAN MAKE RUSSIAN BORSCH!”

Jack’s experience at Enjoy Russian and a piece of advice for Russian language learners

To progress forward with the Russian language goals one needs a real case.  Here’s a short interview with Jack Lawlor who had been learning Russian language at our school and was a volunteer both in the International Summer Camp for kids and teens in Petrozavodsk and English language studio. Jack was studying at Enjoy Russian school twice and achieved great results in Russian. We asked what made him learning Russian and why he decided to take his second trip to Petrozavodsk.

Tell a bit about yourself and why have you started learning Russian?

I’m from Boston and I came here because I’ve been studying Russian language in school and I loved it, I thought it was fantastic. Grammar’d really appealed to me I found the culture interesting so I decided to continue my studies in more depth here (in Petrozavodsk).

What was your first impression from Petrozavodsk and Russia itself ?

I came here first 2 years ago and it’s kind of funny thing to remember because everything seemed so big! And now when I come back for the second time (I’ve been here for couple of months here straight now) it’s very small, maybe because I’ve adjusted to it.

When did you come to recognition you should practice your Russian with locals?

After some situations when I used some Russian word that ends up being just either totally not right or old like the word ИБО (потому что, because. People do not use in in modern Russian). I used it one time in a conversation and somebody laughed at me. That’s why you need practice!

What did you like about being a volunteer in the Summer Camp for kids and teens? 

The teachers I worked with were fantastic. Getting to know all the kids was fantastic too and thinking about my native language in a way I never thought about it before definitely was a new experience. Working in a Camp was so much fun! All around are fantastic people. Everyone was welcoming and very friendly. First I was a student of Russian and then I was a volunteer in English classes, it was interesting to look at things from both sides and gain a little bit of experience in that.

What can you say about your Russian host family?

My host family was super nice, very tasty food very hospitable and happy to talk to me. My host mom even showed me how to cook some stuff, for example Russian borsch!

What Russian cities would you like to visit and why have you chosen Petrozavodsk to learn Russian?

The part of the reason I came to Petrozavodsk is that I talked to other people and their advice was that.  Yeah you could go to Moscow or St. Petersburg but they are so metropolitan,  it’s more like generalized European cities but not Russian. That’s why I chose Petrozavodsk. But  I’ve never been to Moscow and  would definitely visit it. I’d like to travel around Siberia too and go to Baikal.

What food from America do you miss here and what Russian food will you miss back home?

Here I miss a good apple pie! Russian food that I’m going to miss.. Well I can make borsch now! I also know how to make kalitki! There is a supermarket in Boston that sells pel’meni. So I can get those too.

What would you advice to people who just start learning Russian?

I would say avoid the temptation to translate! It’s tough at the beginning but it’s how you start defining new Russian words and the ones you already know, that makes all come together a lot quicker.

Russian vs. American. What is the difference?

I feel like Russians seem a bit less approachable (on the streets for example), they smile a bit less but once you actually talk to them they are so friendly, there is always a bit barrier to overcome. But in all Russians are very similar to American people.

In what 3 words would you describe Enjoy Russian school?

Friendly, immersive and welcoming!

Thank you Jack! We hope to see you in Petrozavodsk soon! If you want to become a volunteer in Russia or just learn the language and travel the country feel free to choose one of our courses.   Haven’t seen Russian video lessons with Jack? Enjoy!

3 RUSSIAN NEW YEAR SONGS TO CELEBRATE 31 OF DECEMBER

Learn the lyrics and enjoy the music!  

Christmas and New Year are coming soon! Time to have a break from shopping and putting up the decorations, wrap yourself up in bright tinsels and sing Russian New Year songs!  Because Every Russian language learner needs a good song (or a playlist just in case) to welcome the year 2018.  Enjoy Russian school recommends learning by heart these 3 extracts of Russian songs since they are loved by everyone in our country and will help you to pass for Russian at every festive dinner! Enjoy and remember to check out our courses to learn more festive Russian vocabulary!

1. «Song about 5 minutes» (Песенка про 5 минут) by lydmila Gurchenko.

It goes without saying that the song is epic. It firstly appeared in the film “Carnival night” in 1956. The song is familiar to all generations and remains one of the most popular songs.

2. «The forest raised a Christmas tree» (В лесу родилась ёлочка)

 

3. «If there was no winter» (Кабы не было зимы) – is a song from a famous Soviet cartoon Prostokvashino. The word КАБЫ (if) is an archaism to ЕСЛИ

Individual Russian course in Russia in January-February, 2018! 

Learn Russian effectively at your own pace. Vocabulary and content by your request, including: 
- Russian for beginners; 
- Russian for tourism; 
- Russian for business; 
- Russian literature; 
- Russian for interpreters; 
- Your topics of interest. 

Accommodation: Russian homestay with meals or hotel 
All levels, duration and intensity according to your wishes 

Apply here: https://enjoyrussian.com/courses/individual/
Our e-mail: info@enjoyrussian.com 

LEARN RUSSIAN LANGUAGE WHENEVER YOU GO!

 A podcast about Russians, Russian сulture and stereotypes

A joint Russian-Australian project about the stereotypes and cultural features of Russians has resulted in launching a podcast. From here on learning Russian langiuage becomes faster and easier. Starting a podcast was inspired by people who were learning Russian language at Enjoy Russian school in Petrozavodsk, who travelled to Russia multiple times and who have never been to Russia and plans their very first trip.

The voice you hear belongs to creative and beautiful student of the University of New South Wales Elena Killiakova. She comes from a small town of Blagoveshchensk in the South East of Russia just on the border with China and has recently completed her Master’s in Sydney. Elena is planning  to host some guests, both Russians and foreigners to give listeners an oppotrunity to see Russia from different prospectives. The topics we are going to disscuss include Russian winter holidays and traditional food, interesting facts about the country, popular stereotypes  and Trans-Siberian rail road! Every time we take you to the parts of Russia you’ve never heard about. As interesting as politics,  as entertaining as a sitcom!

In our pilot episode we introduce ourselves and share with you the topics to be discussed and vocabulary to be learnt. Subscribe and feel free to leave your comments and the requests for the upcoming episodes! 

Intensive Russian language courses in Russia in spring of 2018: 

1. Group Russian course: 
March: basic, 1st certificate levels 
April: beginner (Russian 50+), 1st certificate levels 
May: All levels 
Duration: 02-12 weeks 
Tuition fee: from 320 euro (2 weeks, 40 lessons) 
Apply here: https://enjoyrussian.com/courses/standard/ 

2. Individual Russian course: 
Choose any date, duration, topic and intensity of your course! 
Tuition fee: from 17 euro / 1 lesson
Apply here: https://enjoyrussian.com/courses/individual/ 

Improve all your Russian aspects and skills in a short period of time, feel real Russian hospitality in a Russian host family, enjoy beautiful Russian nature, get everyday support of Russian locals, feel yourself Russian! Join EnjoyRussian language School in Petrozavodsk in 2018! 

Our e-mail: info@enjoyrussian.com 

THE MAP OF RUSSIA YOU’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE!

Enjoy Russian school student has created another Russia  

We tend to believe that Russia (the Russian Federation) is a semi-presidential Republic situated in Eurasia, which covers  more than one-eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land area and remains the largest natural gas exporter. Do you know how our students see Russia? Differently! Enjoy Russian school teachers always suggest students to implement a creative project to make learning languages more interesting and diverse.  Here in Petrozavodsk that is a part of our teaching process – to complete a project by the end of each Russian language course. Today we are happy to present you country “Jackia” which has been created by the student from the USA Jack.

Not Russia but “Jackia”. The way Jack sees Russia

• It’s a monarchy with a Tsar as a supreme ruler;
• Currency – not ruble but dollar;
• As for the population – forget about 145 mn, only 1 000 000 people can live here happy and safely;
• There are factories producing ТРАКТОРЫ (field-engines) all over the country;
• Iron and oil based economy;
• Natural resources are huge!

If you want to learn and practice Russian creatively and with fun welcome to Enjoy Russian school courses!

FALL IN LOVE WITH RUSSIA IN SUMMER

Feel, enjoy and discover the wilds!

Even though winter holidays season is right around the corner it is never wrong time to recall good summer days. They say “While it is fine weather mend your sails!”  For Enjoy Russian school situated in one of the most beautiful Russian regions this season means meeting  many people from across the Globe, seeing happy faces between the Russian language classes and taking bright pictures of students and volunteers every single second.  But what is it like, summer beyond the school?

Why to choose Karelia for summer language vacation?

Here you discover the wilds. Our republic’s geographical position is more than favorable. Unique landscape and rich natural resources attract not only the foreigners but Russians from other regions as well. Karelia is known as a land of lakes and rivers. Just imagine – we have more than 60 000 lakes and about 27000 rivers! And water is the main place for legends to come out. There is even Karelian Loch Ness monster living in Ladoga lake (probably brother or sister to Scottish one). “Long neck and massive silver body”. The description from locals attracts not only tourists but also groups of scientists ready to come here and study the lake in depth. 5% of total area is covered by protected national parks. The largest in Europe lowland waterfall Kivach is the nearest to Petrozavodsk (capital city of Karelia). Famous White Night phenomenon is also worth taking into concideration. Have you heard that it never gets dark in Karelia during summer? You may walk outside and stay up all night without even noticing it’s time to sleep!

Here you feel safe and tranquil. It is never boring, annoying or stressful to spend summer here. Forests are nearby, you can relax, go picking berries and mushrooms, spend cozy evenings by the lake with Russian volunteers. Karelian summer is perfect for everyone because each day is different. It could be sunny, windy or rainy, but the main rule remains: no need to hurry!

Here you enjoy special summer cultural activities. Boat trips and hiking, horse riding and fishing, summer open-air festivals and street performances are held annually to make Karelian people and foreign guests love summertime. A trip to the famous Kizhi island is something you should definitely try. As well as joining to Russian summer holidays celebration like Russia’s day or Family day. By the way students usually live with the host family who always invite them to Russian summer house Datcha of suggest them another option.

Summer with Enjoy Russian school is something you should definitely try! Make sure you signed up for Summer immersion in 2018!

Learn Russian language in video lessons

NEW VIDEO! Continue talking about winter in Russian! What winter sport is Jack’s favorite and what does Alina prefer? What famous sport TV shows do Russians enjoy?  Learn and practice with us at the end of each lesson! 

This time we learn the Russian words and expressions for:

- snowboard

- skating

- skiing

- hockey
- sled

And some others!

How to say I love you in Russian?

5 crucial expressions to survive in Russia

For those who has just started learning Russian language or planning a trip to Russia and knows only some common expressions from phrase book Enjoy Russian school’s made up a list of crucial Russian vocabulary. Why the survival lesson? The city of Petrozavodsk where we are situated is not that busy and intimidating as Moscow or St. Petersburg and people do not meet foreigners every single second. That’s why learning Russian here  is on the one hand super effective (people at the streets of Petrozavodsk talk to you only Russian) but on the other hand has it could be problematic sometimes for foreigner to find the way around (not for our students since they are always with Russian volunteers).  So here is our top 5.

Survival Russian phrases worth keeping in mind:

1. По карте или наличными? With a card or cash? – You may always use gestures and point to your purse or a credit card to make people at the shop/ restaurant understands you. But to feel and act like a real Russian you better ask “Pa karte ily nalichnymi?”
2. Кто последний? Who is last? Sometimes when in Russia you need to join the queue. But may face the situation when you enter the post office or bank branch and don’t see the start point of the queue. Here’s when you ask: “Кто последний?”
3. Сколько? How many (much)? Even in Moscow and St. Petersburg you can find not only self-service shops but also “old school” mini-markets where you need to ask a сashier for the goods and prices. In that case that is very important to ask how many and how much something costs or what amount you’d like to buy. How many? = сколько? (Skolka?)
4. Осторожно! Be careful! Not to witness a huge icicle from the roof kills a passer-by be ready to learn by heart Russian version of “be careful” – осторожно! (astarozhna!)
5. Finally, the expression most frequently requested by foreigners. How to say I love you in Russian? Useful to learn because here we have the pronoun – Я (I) and the verb you use to talk about  love – любить.

Next time we will give you another five. But to learn them right now sign up for free trial Skype lesson and watch Enjoy Russian video about how to greet people in Russia!

Russian language courses in Russia for students 50+ in April! 

Join the group of adults from 50 years old to visit Russia and its beautiful Republic of Karelia, learn and practice the Russian language with Russians, get unforgettable memories and positive emotions being fully immersed into Russian culture and language. Feel comfortable and welcome in a friendly atmosphere of EnjoyRussian School! Get everyday care and support in your Russian host family! Taste delicious homemade Russian meals, see UNESCO World Heritage Centre Kizhi, enjoy wonderful Karelian nature and feel yourself Russian!

Dates:
2-week program: April 02-13, 2018 (40 lessons)
4-week program: April 02-27, 2018 (80 lessons)
Levels: from beginners to advanced

Apply here: https://enjoyrussian.com/courses/russianforseniors/
Our e-mail: info@enjoyrussian.com

WHY TO PARTICIPATE IN A RUSSIAN IMMERSION PROGRAM IN SPRING 2018?

3 months of adventures with Enjoy Russian

If you want to experience Russian culture in depth and would like to strengthen your Russian two language levels up from where you are now you better choose 12 week course instead of 2-4-week learning. And spring is definitely the best time for that! On March 5 we start a trip full of adventures and new meetings in the North-West of Russia, city of Petrozavodsk.

Long stay in Russia is your chance to see more!

1. You’ll have 240 Russian lessons. You’ll significantly improve your vocabulary, grammar, listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Thant’s what you need if you really want to reach the best results in Russian for a short period of time. By the end of the course you’ll be surprised by the progress you’ll have made;

2. You’ll taste all kinds of traditional Russian and Karelian food while staying with a Russian host family and hear all interesting stories about Russian history, life in Russia and Soviet Union, amazing or weird Russian traditions firsthand from your hosts;

3. You’ll have a chance to visit the Kizhi island twice: in March by snowmobiles to see the silent beauty of snowbound Kizhi Pogost and in May by hydrofoil to take a relaxing walk along the green island under the sun;

4. You’ll have enough time to visit all repertoire of the Musical theatre (opera, ballet, operetta), concerts of the Philharmonic Hall and modern performances of Creative Workshop Drama Theatre;

5. You’ll celebrate all spring Russian holidays with Russians: eat “blini” for the whole week, burn the scarecrow of winter and dance in a round during Maslenitsa, cook an Easter bread “kylitch”, color the boiled eggs and toll a bell on a bell tower at Easter and participate in celebratory parades dedicated to the Labor day and Victory day during the May holidays;

6. You’ll visit all speaking clubs arranged by EnjoyRussian School: game club to remember lots of new Russian words in a fun way, literature club to read Russian classic literature, movie club to watch Soviet and Russian movies and cartoons, discussion club to learn a lot about Russian culture, traditions and superstitions;

7. You’ll see full-flowing Kivach waterfall;

8. You’ll meet all the Russian volunteers of EnjoyRussian School with whom you’ll visit all must-see and must-eat places in Petrozavodsk;

9. You’ll participate in all kinds of cultural activities from winter sports and theater backstage excursion in March to horse-riding and picnics in May;

10. You’ll see beautiful nature of Karelia in all its views: from snowbound fairy-tale sceneries and northern lights, icebreaking and snow melting to green and blossoming sceneries and white nights.

See you in spring! Sign up for a course here 

BEST OF THE BEST – FAMOUS SOVIET FOOTBALL PLAYERS

The year 2018 is going to be something special for Russia. World Cup 2018 is an event extensively discussed on the International arena. On 1 of December FIFA 2018 final draw took place in Moscow and now we know the groups and can suggest what teams are going to run the show. If you’ve already bought your tickets to Russia you might probably want to learn Russian language and be familiar with Russian football history. In this regard Enjoy Russian school tells you about:

5 legendary Soviet football players which names are known to every Russian

1. Lev Yashin. A goalkeeper who considered to be the legend of football history. He won the Olympic football tournament of 1956 and the first European Championship held in 1960. His entire career was devoted to Dinamo (Moscow) and the team won the USSR championship 5 times. He received Golden ball (Ballon d’Or) in 1963 and remains the only goalkeeper ever received this award.

2. Vladimir Bessonov. Ukrainian football player who played for the USSR national team. He won about 80 competitions and later became the coach of Ukrainian team. In 1988 he won Gold medal on the Summer Olympics.

3. Albert Shesternyov. Moscow SCKA player and a member of the Soviet National team. Known as Ivan the Terrible, he became a captain of his team at only 21 years old. In 1970 he became the footballer of the year.

4. Igor Netto. Back in childhood Igor was fond of hockey but his destiny brought him another role. He was famous for “being a gentlemen” when on field after one situation happened in 1962. He was a Soviet team captain and insisted on not counting the goal from Uruguay team (because the goal was kicked through the net hole).

5. Oleg Blokhin. The only Soviet footballer who played more than 100 games and netted about 400 goals. He was the strongest forward of all times and became a footballer of the year 3 times.

World Cup 2018 is going to take place in 11 Russian cities. Take chance to visit Petrozavodsk where you can not only learn Russian with Enjoy Russian school but also to play football at one of the city venues!

ANCIENT MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

Russian idiomatic expressions frequently used nowadays

While teaching Russian by Skype or in a classroom Enjoy Russian shool tutors are often asked by the students about some historical, cultural or scientific facts about Russia, Russian literature,  space industry etc. From time to time learners are interested in Russian measurement system people used especially when they talk about directions in Russian language. To be honest, not every Russian man is familiar with all the notions, but almost everyone uses some idiomatic expressions that contain one-two ancient measurement terms. Enjoy Russian school briefly tells you about the most frequently used notions.

5 common Russian expressions with measurement notions

1. Since ancient Rus’ and till the year 1925 Russian length measurement system included a number of units that grew out of use. For instance the one introduced by Peter the Great in 18 century was called It was equal to 21 English inches (or 71 cm). In modern days here in Russia we still use the expression:

Мерить всех на свой АРШИН. To measure everybody by one’s own ARSHIN – To judge people by yourself.

Another expression with the word:

Проглотить АРШИН. To swallow an ARSHIN – To stand very straight and still.

2. Another weight measurement unit is often used in everyday Russian (especially by teens) and can be viewed as Russian slang – pood – ПУД (that is about 16 kg or 36 lb). We use the following expression to say “something is going to happen 100%, most likely”.

Сто ПУДОВ (plural) – Hundred poods!

3. Another word is VERSTA – ВЕРСТА (which is about 1 km). The expression you may hear very often when in Russia is – Слышно ЗА ВЕРСТУ. This Russian expression means someone screams about something very loud and he/she can be heard everywhere (even 1 km away).
4. ЗОЛОТНИК (zolitnik – “golden one”) – about 4 grams of gold.

Мал ЗОЛОТНИК, да до́рог. A ZOLOTNIK is small, but expensive : when quality is more important than quantity.

5. МИЛЯ (milya) – mile basically, was equal to 7.4 km

Идти СЕМИМИЛЬНЫМИ шагами. To walk in 7-mile steps – To progress fast in something, to improve something quickly.

And if you want to progress fast in Russian (идти СЕМИМИЛЬНЫМИ шагами) join our Russian lessons by Skype or come to Petrozavodsk to Enjoy Russian language school! Choose a course here

3 MONTHS IN RUSSIA. HOW WAS IT LIKE?

Students about long term Russian language course in Petrozavodsk

Enjoy Russian language school seems to be a place for making a sitcom! An international one of course, because the students come to Petrozavodsk from Singapore and China, the USA and Romania, Germany and India and from almost all the corners of the Earth. Guys find themselves not only totally immersed into the Russian language but also visit all the cultural events, meet hospitable Russians, explore the city of Petrozavodsk and travel around Karelia. From September till the end of November we hosted a group of students brave enough to stay in Russia for three months and to attend long-term Russian language course.

Did you like Russian language course with native speaking teachers? Share your results!

• I came knowing nothing almost and I am leaving with a lot of knowledge. Time will tell how well I may have done!
• I really enjoyed the program and felt that it really helped my language skills. Teachers used the variety of different methods which kept lessons interesting.
• The teacher made a very good job  and showed sincere interest in the needs of every single student!

How did you like the content of the cultural program?

• I found heaps of culture in the 3 months I have beem in Petrozavodsk. Concerts, museums, dance classes, as well as visits to Kizhi and Kivach waterfall.

What about Enjoy Russian school volunteers?

• The volunteers have been excellent. Their standard of English is outstanding!
• They were amazing and really helpful! I think I have made good friends!

Russian homestay. Did you feel comfortable with your Russian family?

• The host family were very helpful and nice and it was great living with them. I felt very at home with them and they made an effort to talk with me and make me feel welcome!

Anything to add?

• I really enjoyed the program and felt that it really helped my language skills. Everyone is really nice, the classes are small and you really get a chance to learn but also feel at home.
• I enjoyed everything! I will definitely recommend the school to other students.

If you want to have your own unique experience af living like a real Russian, choose our long-term Russian language course and come for the brightest memories!