подсолнух(Sunflower) is the blog of the Emporia Russian Club. The ERC is a club dedicated to the promotion of Russian language and culture in Emporia, Kansas.
Trivia: The sunflower is both the national flower of Russia and the state flower of Kansas
Hello everyone! I just wanted to do a little update for those who are unable to come to our meetings this semester. We have been adding words to our growing vocabulary. Previous posts from Clara teach us the colors. We have also gone through adjectives, months, and weekdays. Last week we began looking at Russian grammar and how sentences are structured. Today I will be bringing cursive writing versus print letters and we will be planning because... International Education Week is next week!!! The Russian Club has decided to put up a table and give a mini Russian lesson November 14 from 1pm-3pm in the Memorial Union. Come by to say hello or participate! There are not many more times we will meet this semester so please come join us as your schedule allows! Hope to see you soon!!! Stephanie
Hello all again!
Sorry about not posting when we were meeting here on the weekend. I ended up sending out e-mails and posting it on HornetLife. We had our first meeting today and wanted to let everyone know what we talked about for all who were unable to make it.
We had a great conversation on how Russia is slowly trying to gain more land space and what different countries around Russia speak Russian. We then began to talk politics occurring in Russia and shared about getting together in solidarity with PRIDE. A few suggestions that were made were for an educational aspect or reading poems/songs from the Russian GSM (Gender Sexual Minority). If anyone else has any ideas on something we can do together, please post them or e-mail me!
It seems like many of us still want to continue learning the language so next week I will be bringing the cyrillic alphabet with pronunciations and a couple other previous posts to help. I'm terrible with names, but one of the ladies there suggested t-shirts so we are looking into that for our club as well.
Next week we will talk about ideas to do with PRIDE as I went to their meeting and have a few ideas from that as well. Sometime soon I will post a few things on what is going on in Russia with the laws against the GSM community. After we discuss ideas, we will dive into the Russian language and continue learning it!
Thanks so much for everyone who was able to make it and I hope everyone has a great night and weekend!
Stephanie
Wow...I hadn't realised I never posted a farewell on this for last semester!
Oh well, welcome back! I hope y'all enjoyed your summer and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again! Speaking of which, what days and times are good for everyone to meet this semester? So far, Wednesdays seem to be looking better for some. Does anyone else have suggestions, specifically for times to meet?
Come see us at the Activities Fair on campus tomorrow! I have some Russian tea cakes for all who come by.
I hope your semester goes off to a great start and I will post the date and time we are meeting by this weekend so please give your input as far as meeting times ASAP!
Come join us tonight at Russian club as we finalise the details of our poetry night and learn more Russian! Looking forward to seeing ya'll tonight and next week!
Due to several conflicts that have come up, Russian club meeting tonight at the Inner Bean is cancelled. Have a safe and fun Spring Break and we will see you March 28! Please check our Facebook page and blog for more information on the International Tea Party when classes begin again after Spring Break! До тех пор, Стефания
Read these lyrics: (See the Russian beside the English) I would have loved to translate into Chinese for our members from China, but I am sorry - I am sure I would mess it up using google translate.
Ой, да не вечер, да не вечер.
Мне малым малом спалось.
Мне малым мало спалось,
Ой да во сне привиделось…
Мне малым мало спалось,
Ой да во сне привиделось...
Мне во сне привиделось,
Будто конь мой вороной
Разыгрался, расплясался,
Ой разрезвился подо мной.
Ой, разыгрался, расплясался,
Ой разрезвился подо мной.
Ай, налетели ветры злые.
Ай, да с восточной стороны
Ай и сорвали чёрну шапку
Ой с моей буйной головы.
Ай и сорвали чёрну шапку
Ой с моей буйной головы.
А есаул догадлив был,
Он сумел сон мой разгадать.
Ой, пропадёт, он говорит,
Твоя буйна голова.
Ой, пропадёт, он говорит,
Твоя буйна голова.
Ой, да не вечер, да не вечер…
Мне малым мало спалось,
Мне малым мало спалось,
Ой, да во сне привиделось
Oh, at this evening, at this
evening,
I was sleeping so small time,
I was sleeping so small time,
Oh, and I saw in my dreams...
I saw in my dreams,
That my horse (black as crow)
Was like crazy
Under my saddle.
Oh, evil wings came
From the east side
Oh, and disrupted black cap
From my head.
But my esaul* was clever
He understood and explained my dream
“Oh, you will lose”-He said
You will lose your head”
Oh, at this evening, at this
evening,
I was sleeping so small time,
I was sleeping so small time,
Oh, and I saw in my dreams..
And a wee bit of history:
*Esaul-captain in cossack's military forces.
** And some words about history of this song. This song from opera about
Stepan Razin (he was cossack from Don's military forces). He was a head
of opposition in russian civil war against king in 17 th century. And
he really lost his head, actually, not just head. 6 june 1671 he was
quartered (executioner cut off his head, arms and legs) after victory of
king's army in this war.
We've been invited to take part in the International Tea Party!
I think it's a great idea - and if we do, I would suggest this tea. It has a very nice black current and strawberry flavor, perfect served hot on a windy day~
I await your thoughts! Should we make tea-cakes? Would anyone like to come over the night before and make them with me? (I'm thinking IF we make some, we should make 100-200.)
I will ask if the university has a samovar on hand - but I highly doubt it. We may have to simply make use with a standard kettle...though I've always wanted a samovar personally and may just have to watch ebay for an affordable opportunity.
So~~~ who's in for a tea party?
Side note: my uncle is in the hospital currently and I'm not sure what each day will bring, so it is very possible that I will not be at our meeting. Our president, Stephanie will do an amazing job leading - am very confident! Конечно,я надеюсь,впереди,и надеюсь нахорошие новостив моей семье.досвязи, мои друзья!
I was giving it some thought and I think a blog post on stereotypes might be a good idea.
Wether they're so-called "positive" stereotypes, such as "all Russian women are beautiful", or "negative" stereotypes such as "all Russian men are alcoholics", stereotypes are stereotypes and can range from being laughable to quite offensive.
So, with that in mind, I compiled this little bity list of what I've found on the internet.
You’ve probably heard a lot of “facts” about Russia that
you assume to be true. Whenever I tell someone that I’m Russian, I
usually get one of the statements listed below in response, which is
irritating and sometimes even offensive. Don’t make the same mistake:
these myths about Russia are just that – myths!
10. It’s always cold in Russia
Yes,
Russia is one of the coldest countries in the world in the winter, with
frosts of up to -30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) common in the
Moscow area and getting even colder further North. However, a lot of
regions in Russia also have incredibly warm summers, and very mild fall
and spring seasons.
9. Russia is dangerous
Russia is not any more
dangerous than any other big country! Of course, every city has its bad
neighborhoods, and if you’re looking for trouble, you will always find
it. However, if you abide by normal safety rules
and don’t do anything illegal, you will not be in any more danger than
you would be in New York or Paris. There are also a lot of police in
Russia, which can be a different problem, but also means that it’s very
safe on Russian streets.
8. Russians are alcoholics
Russians
love alcohol in general, and vodka especially, but most of them are not
alcoholics. Russians drink a lot, but because of this they have a very
high alcohol tolerance! Yes, alcohol is present at almost every occasion
in Russia, but this is a matter of custom and tradition – not
alcoholism.
7. Russians hate Americans
Russians
actually love American trends, media, music and culture. They tend to
get access to these things later than the rest of the Western world –
the first Starbucks in Russia did not appear until 2007 – but they
appreciate them even more. Starbucks, for example, is outrageously
popular in Russia.
6. "Na Zdorov'ye!"
When
raising a glass with a group of Russian people, do not say "Na
zdorov'ye!". This is not a toast; it's something Russian people say when
somebody thanks them for a nice meal. Although Russian people make
toasts with practically every sip of a drink, they usually say a unique
toast every time, e.g. "To our friendship!". If you want to make a toast
in Russia, stick with "За Вас!" (Za vas!), which means "To you!" and is
very acceptable.
5. It’s impossible, difficult, and/or expensive to travel to Russia
Unfortunately,
you do need an invitation and a visa to travel to Russia, but these are
a lot easier to get than you may think! Hotels in Russia and travel
agencies will send you an invitation for a small fee, and the visa
process itself consists of a couple of simple visits to your nearest
Russian embassy.
4. Russians are racist
Russian
people are actually very open-minded. They may not be aware of the
polite way to talk about people from other cultures, but that does not
mean that they have any malicious intent. In fact, they are usually
curious about and happy to talk with visitors from other countries.
3. Russians are gloomy
If you take a look at Russian people on the streets, in the metro, or in the stores, you may well think that they never smile.
The truth is, however, that Russians are warm, friendly, and extremely
funny – just not in public. It is a norm in Russia to have one’s
“serious face” on while in public places, and being too loud or showing
too much emotion is considered strange and perhaps even impolite.
2. Russians are spies
This one doesn’t really
need elaboration, because obviously, all Russians are not spies. There
are probably as many Russian secret service workers as there are
American, French, or Canadian “spies”. This myth comes from the Cold War
and from Hollywood movies, and bringing it up to Russian people is NOT
funny – it only irritates them, because it is so pervasive.
1. All Russians are Communists
This
is another Cold War-era myth that is best not mentioned to Russian
people. There are some Russian people that still think Communism was a
good idea, but they are few and far between. For most Russian people,
Communism meant scarcity of food and other resources and being afraid of
both one’s government and one’s neighbors. Not only are most Russians
not Communists, but I would even say that Russians are especially
unlikely to endorse a Communist regime.
Here are some simple recipes I found for us to use to make scrumptious dishes for the international food festival. Please choose which one you want to make, and make plenty of it! Comment here with which you'll be making - whatever is left, I'll do.
Ok, I'll also be picking up some extra stuff from my usual Russian shop in Tulsa THIS weekend. If you want me to pick up anything for you, just drop by my desk in the CSI and leave your cash with a note under my keyboard :)
Please choose what you want to make by Friday so I can turn in our info to the office of International Education for the event~
Hello all!
Due to Inner Bean's hour-of-opperation change this semester, we may do one of two things:
1. Meet every other week, Thursday after 5pm or,
2. Meet every other week Thursday after 5pm at Inner Bean and alternating weeks on Friday at 11:30 at Java Cat.
Just to avoid cofusion, I propose we meet every other week Thursday at 5:30 at Inner Bean and stay in contact online through the blog, new hornet life site, and twitter. - but what do you all think? Also - should we have a facebook page?
We certainly need to outreach to the rest of the campus and let everyone know we're here!
New Officer Positions!
Stephanie Plummer is the new Russian Club president, I'll be staying at V.P until I graduate at the end of this semester. Aaron Cox is Treasurer!
We now have a space open for secretary ~ secretary will post here as well as the Pres with information and fun Russian facts and keep everyone in the loop about events :)
You may see posts from me on here now and again, but mostly it'll be Stephanie's domain! I know she'll be an excellent president and usher the club into a wonderful 2013 year!
Next week will be Valentine's Day, so we won't be meeting - so online activity will be very important! The international food festival is coming up on Mar 2nd! 11am-5pm. Stephanie and I will likely be doing a dance (we just have to get together and practice LOL) I can post up some simple foods and recipes from which we can each pick to make and bring (don't worry - super easy with ingrediants that will be affordable and available) Look for that soon! After the International Food Festival we're planning to have a movie night showing Russian Ark. The venue and time is being ironed out now and I will have more info in just a few days for you.
At the next meeting lets practice some basic language skills :)
Please see this link and this one, and lastly this one for all you need to know. No worries ~ we'll go over everything together, but you may want to familiarize yourself a bit before hand for fun.
It's been a blast starting this little group and being your pres - I look forward to seeing where it goes!
Clara
How are you? I hope everyone had a relaxing winter break and has acclimitized to the new semester well! Our
first meeting of the semester is February 8th at 11:30 at the Inner
Bean Coffee Shop; I hope to see you all there! If we haven't yet met -
just look for the girl with short blonde hair reading a russian
newspaper...it's likely I'll be the only one LOL
Attached you will find a flyer with some info on it for our
next meeting ~ feel free to post it on facebook or forward to friends
who might be interested :)
For your convenience, our meeting times for the entire semester are as follows:
(alternating Thurs/Fri for best accessibility by all - this way you can
come to a meeting a week, or at least every other week as fits with
your schedule.)
Feb 8, 11:30am Feb 14, 5:30pm
Feb 22, 11:30am Feb 28, 5:30pm Mar 8, 11:30am Mar 14, 5:30pm Mar 22, 11:30am Mar 28, 5:30pm Apr 5, 11:30am Apr 11, 5:30pm Apr 19, 11:30am Apr 25, 5:30pm May 3, 11:30am
I
hope to see you all on the 8th! Topics will be: Community Service,
Movie night, the International Food Festival, and Club elections!
