View Full Version : Russia Info
LadyMuskie
01-19-2015, 01:52 PM
Don't we have a poster here on XH who lives in or has lived in Russia?
My girl scout troop has Russia for our World Thinking Day project and I need some help with learning about traditional Russian culture outside of nesting dolls and Tchaikovsky. We're talking 5 and 6 year olds here, so nothing too in depth, but they're supposed to be able to present a couple of words or a nursery rhyme, etc. in Russian. I wrote my thesis paper at X on Putin, but outside of politics in the region, I'm not overly familiar with the culture.
Any help is appreciated.
Juice
01-19-2015, 02:14 PM
Don't we have a poster here on XH who lives in or has lived in Russia?
My girl scout troop has Russia for our World Thinking Day project and I need some help with learning about traditional Russian culture outside of nesting dolls and Tchaikovsky. We're talking 5 and 6 year olds here, so nothing too in depth, but they're supposed to be able to present a couple of words or a nursery rhyme, etc. in Russian. I wrote my thesis paper at X on Putin, but outside of politics in the region, I'm not overly familiar with the culture.
Any help is appreciated.
I heard some crazy stat once that the majority of Russian men have a BAC over the legal limit when they die.
LadyMuskie
01-19-2015, 02:24 PM
I heard some crazy stat once that the majority of Russian men have a BAC over the legal limit when they die.
I could see where that is true, but I'll probably keep from mentioning it to the 5 and 6 year olds in the girl scout troop what with having to explain to them what BAC is and why Russia is full of people over - inbibing on vodka. Now, the leader meeting is a different story. :wink:
I also remember a poster who was living, or had lived, in Russia. Try some key word searches maybe. I can't recall the name.
GoMuskies
01-19-2015, 02:56 PM
fellahmuskie
David Greene at Morning Edition just put out a book on Russians, ordinary Russians, he met while a correspondent. Maybe too steep for age 6' but you could read them portions?
How about the huge Russian interest in chess? Ballet? I once attended a production in the old Marinsky theatre in St. Petersburg.....the audience reactions/rapture were as interesting as the dancing.
LadyMuskie
01-22-2015, 05:30 PM
We are really keying in on ballet and music since those are things 6 year old girls can relate to. We're also going to show them clips of Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 where they use Russian classical music.
I think they're too little for War & Peace, but I found some cool facts such as the largest fresh water lake in the world is in Russia and Russia has an almost 100% literacy rate according to the UN. Since they're all reading now, I think they'll understand that. It's hard to keep it easy for them, but also make the info interesting enough that the 7th and 8th graders will be interested.
danaandvictory
01-22-2015, 06:21 PM
The Trans-Siberian Railroad is unique and would make for a nice visual project (showing how it compares to the size of the US or whatever).
LadyMuskie
01-22-2015, 06:38 PM
The Trans-Siberian Railroad is unique and would make for a nice visual project (showing how it compares to the size of the US or whatever).
That's a really great idea! I had read about the railroad and it's length, but I didn't think about doing anything visual with it. That's a great way to show the size of the country, the different climates, etc. Thanks!!
fellahmuskie
01-28-2015, 10:49 AM
Lady, looks you got some good info. Maybe too late by now, but here a few other interesting/cool things about Russia.
Moscow Metro - absolutely gorgeous architecture and amazingly effective at moving people around. Here's a cool website: Moscow Metro pics (http://twistedsifter.com/2014/11/beautiful-stations-of-the-moscow-metro/) The most impressive stat to me is that NYC's subway carries 4-5 million people per day, while Moscow's averages 7 million, despite having less than half the number of stations. It's literally so busy during weekday rush hour that at certain spots all you can do is shuffle for 200-300 feet a time until you get to an escalator. I've seen the same thing in London, but there the walkways are much narrower and people have personal space. In Moscow, you just crush together. If a train car is crowded and you need to get on or off, you just shove until you make it through. No one ever gets upset or says a word.
Geography - the Trans-Siberian Railroad is really cool. I got to ride one small segment around Lake Baikal. But it does leave out a big chunk of the country - Russia's south. People think of Russia as being super cold, but millions of people live in a similar climate to Cincinnati or even warmer in some areas.
The Caucasus Mountains are also in the south, on the border with Georgia and Azerbaijan. It's mostly Muslim, a totally different culture from Slavic Russia. The most interesting part is that in Dagestan, the province where my family lived, you have 35 different languages in an area the size of West Virginia. They aren't dialects, either, totally different languages. Everyone learns Russian in school, but it would be the equivalent of each county or large town in West Virginia having its own language.
Cheesehead
01-28-2015, 01:00 PM
My wife went on a business trip to Moscow a few years back and she reported it seemed like everyone smoked to her. So, there's that!
I remember smoking a Russian cigarette on a train in Poland about 20 years ago, and it almost killed me.
LadyMuskie
01-28-2015, 02:54 PM
Lady, looks you got some good info. Maybe too late by now, but here a few other interesting/cool things about Russia.
Moscow Metro - absolutely gorgeous architecture and amazingly effective at moving people around. Here's a cool website: Moscow Metro pics (http://twistedsifter.com/2014/11/beautiful-stations-of-the-moscow-metro/) The most impressive stat to me is that NYC's subway carries 4-5 million people per day, while Moscow's averages 7 million, despite having less than half the number of stations. It's literally so busy during weekday rush hour that at certain spots all you can do is shuffle for 200-300 feet a time until you get to an escalator. I've seen the same thing in London, but there the walkways are much narrower and people have personal space. In Moscow, you just crush together. If a train car is crowded and you need to get on or off, you just shove until you make it through. No one ever gets upset or says a word.
Geography - the Trans-Siberian Railroad is really cool. I got to ride one small segment around Lake Baikal. But it does leave out a big chunk of the country - Russia's south. People think of Russia as being super cold, but millions of people live in a similar climate to Cincinnati or even warmer in some areas.
The Caucasus Mountains are also in the south, on the border with Georgia and Azerbaijan. It's mostly Muslim, a totally different culture from Slavic Russia. The most interesting part is that in Dagestan, the province where my family lived, you have 35 different languages in an area the size of West Virginia. They aren't dialects, either, totally different languages. Everyone learns Russian in school, but it would be the equivalent of each county or large town in West Virginia having its own language.
This is excellent! Thank you so much!
I was surprised to read about the climate differentials the other night when I was reading a book I got from the library. Crazy! But I didn't read anything about the languages. Very cool.
LadyMuskie
01-28-2015, 02:55 PM
My wife went on a business trip to Moscow a few years back and she reported it seemed like everyone smoked to her. So, there's that!
I remember smoking a Russian cigarette on a train in Poland about 20 years ago, and it almost killed me.
I think I'm going to go ahead and put the smoking info with Juice's drinking info and use it as a back up plan. But, good to know!
LadyMuskie
01-28-2015, 04:44 PM
Each time I've gone to Europe, we were able to convert some money here in Cincinnati before leaving. Of course, that was into pounds and francs and then euros, but does anyone know if there's a bank downtown that would convert into Rubles? Apparently for just $1 I can get almost 70 Rubles. I thought the kids might get a kick out of seeing actual Russian money (especially before the collapse happens).
fellahmuskie
01-28-2015, 05:21 PM
Each time I've gone to Europe, we were able to convert some money here in Cincinnati before leaving. Of course, that was into pounds and francs and then euros, but does anyone know if there's a bank downtown that would convert into Rubles? Apparently for just $1 I can get almost 70 Rubles. I thought the kids might get a kick out of seeing actual Russian money (especially before the collapse happens).
A few years ago when I went back to Russia I was able to buy rubles at my local bank in small town Minnesota, so I'm sure Cincinnati can do it. It just takes a few days for them to get the currency, if I recall correctly.
But enough about the ruble...I'm still getting paid for some translating work in rubles. For now I'm just leaving them in the bank, hoping the exchange rate improves, but watching it go from 35 to 65 in a few months has not been fun.
waggy
01-28-2015, 05:46 PM
If I had any dollars I'd buy some rubles. Rubles are undervalued.
If I had any dollars I'd buy some rubles. Rubles are undervalued.
Sorry, I'm pretty sure that in order to play the game.... you gotta have some dollars!
(But maybe Fellahmuskie is willing to strike a deal for some chickens or a goat?)
waggy
01-28-2015, 05:58 PM
Sorry, I'm pretty sure that in order to play the game.... you gotta have some dollars!
Thankfully. But some people think the Euro is eventually going to take over as the global standard.
ballyhoohoo
01-28-2015, 08:14 PM
Most Russians can jump off one foot
Thankfully. But some people think the Euro is eventually going to take over as the global standard.
I remember thinking in 2008 chickens and goats might be the way to go. But never the Peso.
A goat who could jump off one foot would buy a kingdom!
LadyMuskie
01-28-2015, 10:58 PM
It started as such an innocuous post. . . I don't even know how we got to jumping goats. Vodka. Sure. Jumping goats. Never saw it coming.
nuts4xu
01-29-2015, 12:29 AM
In conducting some research on Russia myself, here is what I was able to learn....
"You should be very considerate for a Russian woman during all the time in bed with her, especially after the sexual intercourse. She is so vulnerable that will feel offended if you turn away and fall asleep right after making love, even if you had got her shrieking with pleasure."
So there is that. I don't know if it is EXACTLY what you were looking for, but an interesting tidbit nonetheless.
94GRAD
01-29-2015, 09:19 AM
Each time I've gone to Europe, we were able to convert some money here in Cincinnati before leaving. Of course, that was into pounds and francs and then euros, but does anyone know if there's a bank downtown that would convert into Rubles? Apparently for just $1 I can get almost 70 Rubles. I thought the kids might get a kick out of seeing actual Russian money (especially before the collapse happens).
I've exchanged currency at the main 5/3 branch on Fountain Square.
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