RUSSIA HAS IT ALL!

If I were Russian. An essay from Enjoy Russian school student

What would you do if you were Russian? Sometimes we ask Enjoy Russian school students this question and they give very different answers. Here is an essay from Adeline:

“I will be writing my name as Аделин instead of Adeline and greeting people “Здравствуйте” instead of “Hello”. Russian is widely spoken and it is one of the 6 official languages of United Nation. This recognition given for Russian language is an honour itself as a global language. It will be my pride to speak and write in the language which seems to intrigue people from all over the world. Many people will be surprised When the letter ‘B’ in Russian language is pronounced entirely different from the letter ‘B’ of Roman alphabet. Now, isn’t this unique?

If I were Russian, I will have to work extra hard in my Geography class but it is definitely worth the efforts. Russia is largest country in the world by land and it is spanning across 2 continents – Asia and Europe with 11 different time zones, seasonal climates and various landscapes. I will not need to travel out of my country and have lifetime adventure to appreciate the marvelous Mother Nature in Russia- mountains, islands, rivers, steppe, lakes, taiga and tundra and Russia has them all. Russia is also the only country where everyone can be in the same country yet they live day and night apart – “Good Morning in Vladivostok” is “Good Night in Moscow”. Above all, it is easy when people ask me, “Where are you from?” and I will just answer “Russia!”. Who doesn’t know Russia and no one should ever miss it on the world map.

If I were Russian, I will know that my country is not only geographically rich, it is also culturally rich. Russia is filled with majestic architecture and also beautiful arts from its people – literature, ballet and music. People from all over the world admire the splendor of Russian buildings from churches to metro stations. Nobody can miss the building with colourful onion shaped domes from Russia. Besides that, Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is one of the largest museums in the world and it is storing a vast collection of arts. It is said that if you spend a minute looking at each exhibition, you might need to spend 11 years to see them all. I will be privileged to be surrounded by the richness of arts within my country and I will never get bored for next 11 years.

If I were Russian, I will practise traditions and superstitions which are interestingly unique from the rest of the world. For instance, I will celebrate Christmas Day in January instead of December and I will not be allowed to whistle in the house for the fear of bad luck. Instead of receiving a dozen of roses bouquet from my lover, I will receive 11 stalks of roses because even number of flowers are for funerals. Russians practise some traditions that are different from others. Russians will enjoy a session of Banya with hot steams to warm the bodies before jumping into a pool of cold water or even the snow. This sounds crazy to many people but to Russian, this is a traditional practice which is good for health.

If I were Russian, I would not trade my identity for anything else in the world because Russia is an unique place to be.”