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[sekhet.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone -- new member just saying hello.

I've been studying Russian for several years now, lived in St. Petersburg for a while, and have done a lot of translation work, predominantly poetry, but I haven't had the chance to use it that much recently. So I thought this would be a nice way to get my Russian fix....

Comments

[kutsuwamushi.livejournal.com]

Oh, nice.

I just finished my first year of Russian, and (of course) plan to continue it next fall. Maybe you should write a post about your experience as a non-native speaker in St. Petersburg.

How much Russian did you know when you first moved there?

[sekhet.livejournal.com]

I knew a lot, actually -- I spoke it well enough that people knew I was foreign (I also don't look Russian at all), but that they couldn't quite figure out where I was from, though they all guessed Estonia. But I think that helped me receive better treatment than if I had spoken only haltingly.

There's a directly-proportional relationship between how well you know Russian and how much you can get out of your time there. This is true, of course, in any study-abroad, or living abroad, situation, but I think it's more true in a place like Russia, which is not particularly tourist-friendly, nor does it try to be.

Russians are incredibly friendly people, and hospitality is very important to them, but the outward demeanor of the average Russian can be daunting to Americans, who are used to more outward and demonstrative shows of emotion. Knowing the language well enough -- or being truly committed to learning the language and immersing yourself in it as much as possible -- to really talk to people and not just get sucked into an expatriate vortex can open up a whole range of opportunities and experiences that are far more interesting than sitting around in the local fake Irish pub with the rest of the expats.

Anyway, I'm starting to get long-winded. I'd be more than happy to talk in more detail about living in Russia as a non-native speaker in general or in particular -- if you or anyone else have any questions, just post them here and I'll try to answer them in another post... :)