Hiking Trail in Russia

The Frolikha Adventure Coastline Track is a well-known hiking spot near Lake Baikal in south Russia.  The total distance of the trail is around 100 km (about 62 miles).  The trail is a difficult one since during one's time along the trail crossing 65 m wide rivers and climbing large boulders are not uncommon.  There are no bridges or ladders to overcome these obstacles either. As it gets extremely cold at night, hikers need the best equipment to protect themselves from the cold. Despite the difficulty of the trail, the sights are quite beautiful along the way!

This Day in Russian History...

So, I browsing around the internet, and I found this nifty little website (yes, I did just use 'nifty' in a sentence, no, I am not an eighty-year old woman) called Russipedia, which I think is essentially some odd Wikipedia-type website for all things Russian. Basically, don't actually take what they say as cut-and-dry without actual research, but it's certainly fun to browse!

Mikhail I of Russia

Anyways... I found out that today, March 24, is the day that sixteen-year old Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov assumed the throne of the Russian Empire in 1613, thereby beginning the Romanov dynasty. As many of you knew, the Romanov dynasty ended with Czar Nicholas II in 1917 when the Bolsheviks assumed power; however, I bet you didn't know that the dynasty lasted nearly three hundred years. Mikhail was essentially chosen to be czar by a council of nobles because he was related to the last czar of the Rurik dynasty, and connected to Ivan the Terrible.

Mikhail was reluctant to take the job at first, but after his patriotism was appealed to the boy went to Moscow, and was crowned. His reign was, for the most part, dominated by his parents, but overall he began the longest-running dynasty in the history of Russia.

Кавказская овчарка

Кавказская овчарка (Caucasian Ovcharka)

The Caucasian Shepherd or Caucasian Ovcharka is one of the most brutal Russian dog breeds (maybe not the puppy featured above). It is a large, even-tempered dog with powerful and muscular body, bear-look face, deeply set oval dark eyes, round-shaped cropped ears and low carried long tail. It has a thick and water resistant double coat in shades of gray, brindle, yellow, rust, red or white. The coat may be longer or shorter depending on the region the dog comes from.

The strength and dedication of this dog has made it a popular working, police and guard dog throughout Europe and the former Soviet Union states. They call it Caucasian Shepherd in Europe and Caucasian Mountain Dog in America. In the West it is also known as the Russian Bear Dog. In Russia its usual name is Caucasian Ovcharka which means means sheepdog in Russian.The Caucasian Ovcharka was used for centuries to guard flocks, kill wolves, hunt bears and protect properties against trespassers and thieves. 

Read more: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/caucasianowtcharka.htm

Flag facts!

So the Russian flags has no official symbolism but some people have put meanings to it. They believe white stands for generosity, blue for loyalty, and red for courage. In 1696 if became the official flag of the Tsardom of Russia. It was there until the formation of the USSR and was reintroduced in 1991 after the fall of the USSR. Russia also celebrates national flag day on August 22 which was established in 1994.

What's a country without a national anthem?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOAtz8xWM0w

The above link is for video that plays Russia's national anthem. This video also includes transliteration and English subtitles so that you may choose to sing along in either Russian or English.

ХЭППИ БЕЗДЭЙ ТУ Ю!!!

Go like us on Facebook! Поставьте нам ЛАЙК!

Сегодня в линг-кабинете. Урок 9 неделя 1. Здоровье!

Ну, как вы чувствуeте себя?

Listen to разговор 2. Write down the correct order (numbers next to pictures) of the events that you hear in Ed’s tragic tale to Katya… What happened to the schmuck? Что случилось этому мудаку? When you’re done, listen again, this time following along in the text and writing out the missing words (on the back of this worksheet!)

За столами... We're going to work on the conjunction чтобы, which lets you have one subject in the first clause and a different subject in the second clause. "They asked us to bring him a cake!"
Grammatical context:"They asked, that we bring him a cake." See how there's one subject in the first clause (they) and another (we) in the second? They are imposing their will on us! That's classic subjunctive territory (subjunctive means something like "impelling, bending"). In Russian, there's no subjunctive mood, rather Russian uses the conjunction чтобы to link Subject 1 and Subject 2; the verb in the second, subordinate clause is always in the past. Easy peasy. Прост как гвоздь! 

Они попросили, чтобы мы ему принесли торт! 

Packing for Study Abroad

Okay... anyone who knows me knows that I am an obsessive planner. I have been thinking a lot about my upcoming trip to St. Petersburg and what exactly I should bring with me for three months of study abroad. My gut tells me to bring EVERYTHING, but alas, the 50 lb baggage weight limit and my inability to lug my whole wardrobe through an airport solo remind me to be a bit more conservative. There are hundreds of websites detailing everything from what to bring, what not to bring, to how to pack it. Below are some links I found useful and a list of some things I am likely to bring with me.

http://www.studyabroadspotlight.com/blog/dos-and-donts-of-packing/

http://www.thirdyearabroad.com/advice-and-tips/year-abroad-with-a-disability/item/17.html


My List:

Hard soled, winterized boots (cuz ya know... Russia)

Dark jeans (Wet/Dirty/Snowy St. Petersburg streets will stain your cute acid wash pants)

Nice sweaters (In my experience, Europeans are a tad more formal in their attire than us.)

A LONG jacket (Must cover past your hips to keep you effectively warm)

A hat (Russians will think you're crazy if you don't wear one)

Long Underwear (Doubles as pajamas!)

Slippers (You don't want to track the slush into your dorm room)

Vitamin D Supplements (the dreary weather takes a lot out of you if you're used to the Florida sun!)

Adapter Plugs 

A change of clothes IN YOUR CARRY ON (Airports often lose bags... luck favors the prepared)

An open mind 

Russian Tea

Russian tea-drinking tradition first began in 1638 when the Russian Tsar Michael Fedorovich received a tea-set as a gift from Altyun-Khan, then the ruler of Mongolia. Russian tea is served following meals and in the afternoon. Guests are often invited to a cup of tea, served along with cookies, sandwiches, candies, and cakes. Making tea the classical way by boiling it in a pot on the stove is still much preferred in Russia, even with the advent of modern tea bags. Russian families usually have their own porcelain tea-pots of various sizes and decorations, with the most plain ones being used for everyday tea-drinking and the most decorative being used for festive occasions. Here is a recipe for a modern-day and "Americanized" Russian tea created for the winter holidays:

Ingredients: 

• 6 cups cold water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 whole cloves
• 4 black tea bags
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup sugar, more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Method: 

Bring water, cinnamon stick and cloves to a boil in a medium saucepan; remove from heat and add tea bags. Steep, covered, for 5 minutes. Discard the tea bags and whole spices.

In a small saucepan, heat orange juice, lemon juice, sugar and nutmeg. Warm until the sugar dissolves.

Add the juice mixture to the tea. Taste and add more sugar if desired. Reheat and serve.

One More Thing To Make Barrett Sad About Russia

So Russian motorcycle sports are struggling to gain popularity. This article explains, but I don’t think it is that hard to imagine. For starters, racers in Russia don’t get paid. They either find sponsors, or pay for things themselves. This is massively expensive. Compare this to the nearly idolized positions of racers in places like Italy for instance, and you’ll understand the struggle.

The riding season is also highly short in Russia, so it’s hard to get a following. Apparently, motorcycles are also atrociously expensive. Hard winters and all that. Imports. Blah blah, sadness.

And finally, why race MotoGP, the most exciting races in the world when you could instead subject yourself to ice racing, something motorcycles should never do.

I just don’t understand…

Check the link. http://rbth.com/sport/2014/07/28/russian_motorcycle_sports_struggle_to_attract_fans_and_financing_38533.html