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[lollydoll.livejournal.com]

Oooh, Hello again ^^
I'm in a bit of a puddle here. Next week I will be headed to Moscow, and well.. My language skills still aren't at a good level. I know how to speak a few basics "Hello, my name is ___, Do you speak English, I know a little Russian, I am American" etc, and a few other sayings and questions, but that is about all. Teaching myself with audio cds and books dosen't get very far even with a few months practice. Story goes I will be meeting someone. He knows how to speak and understand English pretty fluently, but his friends and parents do not (atleast not as well) What worries me is my pronounciation and if I will be able to understand hearing something actually spoken. Has anyone ever been to Russia before, or lives there? Also, do many people know English in Russia? I'm curious to know how well someone in my position will be able to get by and if so, how well you got by :)

Comments

[quem98.livejournal.com]

I completely agree with you.
There is an emphasis here on keeping up appearances. Regardless of what's going on, you should always look like everything is peachy.

The Russian's I talked to just don't get that.

For more on this topic, Ilf and Petrov wrote a hystarically funny memoir on the subject called "Odnoetazhnaya America". It was written in the 30's but much of it is still quite relevant. If it's still in print, it's very much worth the read.

[svl.livejournal.com]

I know about that book, there is another one...wait a second, I've got it here, near my notebook..."America sprava i sleva" by Strelnikov and Shatunovskii, 1972. These two guys took the way that Ilf and Petrov. took back in 1930s.
Of course, some things in this book are just propaganda, but not all.