(no subject)

[suku-vse.livejournal.com]

Off-top. I just want to ask a question: why did you chose to learn Russian language? It's very interesting for me, why people make this choice: do they hope to find a job, or they're just interested in the culture for some reason.

I'll be grateful to all who'll answer my question.

any Russian-Torontonians out there?

[soidisantfille.livejournal.com]

I'm as happy as anyone else that classes ended yesterday for us at the University of Toronto, but I'm worried about what four months of laziness might to do my tenuous grasp of Russian. Unfortunately, U of T doesn't offer any of its Slavic Studies courses in the summer term, and I can't afford a trip to Russia this summer, time-wise or financially. I'm starting my MA in Russian History at the Center for Russian and East European Studies in the fall and will resume language study then, but in the meantime, I'm looking for structured ways to practice my Russian over the summer beyond attempting to read literature in the original with my trusty dictionary nearby. I'm wondering if there are Canadian members of this community who know of any formal Russian language schools in the Greater Toronto Area, or who are in a similar predicament, or just have advice to share.

Barring that, is there anyone who would be willing to chat on MSN or even e-mail back and forth with me (in this case, you wouldn't necessarily need to be from Toronto)? I just finished intermediate level Russian, so I know the essentials of Russian grammar, but I'm looking to improve my conversational abilities and learn new vocabulary and idioms.

Thanks,
Kristy (kristyironside@hotmail.com or kristyironside@gmail.com)