Just call me Sasha

This morning I finished my homework for Grammar and Lexicon, but when I got to class, I found that the schedule had changed and in the afternoon we had Conversation Practice, the class for which I had not done my homework. Sigh.

I was supposed to tell something "interesting" about my homeland, and over lunch I quickly composed a speech about the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock.

When I reached the classroom, I found it empty. Checking back a few minutes later, I found a note from my groupmates that they had gone to a "party." I noticed that other classes had been invited too, so I joined them, passing my bewildered teacher on the way down the stairs. +/-

This "party" was the celebration of 60 years of communist rule in China. The Chinese students had put together a little presentation.

In the department where I study, probably 75% of the students are from China. They mostly have separate classes, but we see each other in the corridor. In one of my classes, there was a student, possibly from Korea. When he pronounced his name, the teacher could not understand him. She shook her head and said "your language is difficult for the Russian ear to understand!" Then he replied, "You can call me Sasha" (which was nothing like his actual name, but would suffice).

Meanwhile, everyone had gathered to congratulate the Chinese students, who took turns giving speeches about their country in Russian. Some were more understandable than others, mostly due to intonation. We watched a slide presentation which featured a small child singing a sweet song while images of China's weapons of war flashed across the screen. It was humorous, yet tragic at the same time. I couldn't help but think that these weapons were in theory stockpiled in competition with other nations represented. And here we were congratulating them...

A few of the Russian teachers got up to give speeches in honor of China. This was one of those "official" moments in which Russians are usually very polished. Americans, if asked, would not know what to say. After the usual "health and happiness," one of the Russians wished the Chinese success in having more Russian speakers in their country. I wondered what kind of wish that was. As if I wished the Germans good luck spreading English in their country.

After the presentations were over, someone uttered something in Chinese, and suddenly everyone rose to their feet to sing what I can only assume was the national anthem. Then it was over, and we didn't have time for class. Saved!

It's official...

One element of cultural shock lies in the difference in what is regarded as professional, or official.


There are times when I notice something like a typo and think...we would never allow that to be publicized in the States. And at other times, if I am performing or presenting something for review, I realize that to the Russian eye I look ill-prepared, because I haven't used a format that is up to their standards.

The mark of the ink stamp is very highly valued in the Russian Federation. Visitors have their first encounter with this at passport control. When you hear the big STAMP! you know that everything is okay and you have passed inspection (a lot of countries stamp you at passport control, but in Russia especially this is a sign of things to come). +/-

In fact, it seems that anything that has a stamp on it is regarded as official. I have been amused upon noticing seemingly mundane announcements with an ink stamp. It seems a bit excessive.

Another reason it seems strange to me, I suppose, is that I am used to everything in my country being computerized. Handwritten signs are a thing of the past. When I see something written sloppily in a Russian hand, it seems unworthy of the accompanying stamp. In the past this may have been a question of technology, but computers are fairly widespread nowadays. It must be by habit that a Russian form may be printed out, only to have all the remaining information filled out by hand.

When I went to my first classes at the university, I met with the advisor and she took down all my information by hand in a little notebook with lines. Then she filled out my form by hand, which I then took to the general office so that they could complete my contract by hand, which will then be signed by several parties and stamped (I assume). And then I'll be official!

It is still a bit disconcerting to see grocery store prices written by hand. Not because I think I am being cheated, but because I wonder how they can keep track of everything if it isn't computerized.

This is not to say that Russians have bad hand-writing. It is, in fact, very beautiful, and whenever I have received letters, the handwriting has been evenly spaced with the help of pencil lines which are then erased. There is nothing wrong with the way it looks other than the association. Handwritten text is for primary school homework and personal notes. Everything else, if it is meant to look professional, should be typewritten. It's the mindset that is ingrained in me.

I suppose, the equivalent of the ink stamp in the U.S. is that everything look as far from hand-made as possible. If any text is to be displayed, it is typewritten about 90% of the time, with the rest being special artsy publications like a menu that changes daily.

There are some cases where it is the opposite. For example, homemade pastries are considered celebratory in the U.S., whereas in Russia it is the custom to buy an elaborate cake in a bakery for a special occasion. I used to make greeting cards, until I discovered that Russians often buy them...however, a perfunctory message (store-bought or not ) is not sufficient, and they write out long, flowery birthday wishes.

My roommate received an invitation to study in the U.S., and found it strange that the organization had used a form letter. She said that Russian officials prefer that a letter be more personalized, with more specific information. In both cases, attention to detail and precision are present. But they are evaluated by contrasting criteria.

I could probably think of a lot more examples, but hopefully that will suffice for now!

Just for laughs

What's the result when you try to translate Chinese-English into Russian? Confusion!

My friend asked me to translate a user's manual for her, but I had a lot of trouble deciphering it, and often had to go by the diagram.

Most amusing were the "care" instructions at the end:


1) When you on-off the door, please do not overexert, for fear mangle the parts.


2) Every season put a few butter in the path, and let the door move about freely.

The pros of being a student

While language training is a must for missionaries, I have never really considered it a priority since I had studied Russian previously and get plenty of language practice in daily life.

But due to the current visa regime, I've been "forced" to become a student. Of course, I could have tried to get all my paperwork together to enter a degree program. But since I am trying to figure out about residency at the same time, it seemed practical to take a more low-key approach and become an "exchange" student.

I have three Russian language classes, 14 hours a week: Grammar, Lexicon, and Conversation Practice.

Here are some of the benefits that I've observed over the past week of attending class: +/-

-I receive feedback about my language skills. My friends don't normally correct my grammar/pronunciation. Error correction is a must in language training, so while I still acquire a lot of new words daily, there are some weak areas in which I've become stagnant. Now I can receive a little correction by attending class, and break through some of the barriers which remain.

-I have an excuse for making mistakes. It might sound cowardly, but I do get tired of being an outsider all the time, and it is refreshing to be in a place where people know that you are learning and are patient with you. This is not to say that the average person on the street is not patient with me, but here I can let my guard down a little more because it is a learning environment.

-It gives structure to my week. The class schedule changes from day to day, but the class periods are all the same, and I know that my day is planned out until about 3 pm, at which point I can engage in other activities.

-I have permission to discuss culture. Actually, culture comes up quite a bit in ordinary conversation, but it is often hard to put into words what I am feeling. While attending class I have realized that some of those feelings are repressed. I normally try to avoid analyzing Russian culture too much with other foreigners because it can quickly turn to criticism or just idle talk. But with other foreigners and a native Russian present, the environment is more conducive to edification. I was reading parts of the textbook during my commute, and found the observations to be quite poignant. Culture shock is one of those things that you have to work through; it does not just go away if you ignore it.

-Language training is fun when you already have conversation skills. Sure, my grammar can use some work, but at this point I can have productive conversations with the other students, and it is interesting to have discussions with them, rather than just for the sake of being in class.

-Discounts! I get a student ID and student transportation pass, which is less than half of the usual price. Of course, I have to pay for the lessons...but it is nice to have some perks!