How to converse with me по-русски

I can sort of speak Russian, but my listening comprehension is much better than my speaking. Russian-speaking friends will sometimes taunt me with suggestions(/threats) of switching to strictly Russian conversations, which I could probably handle, but with a few caveats. 1. You don’t have to speak slow, but I need more time to absorb. I …

Maybe you’ll never learn a new language

One of the biggest challenges about moving to Kyrgyzstan (other than finding a reliable supply of powdered sugar) has been the language barrier. I’ve never been to a place where so little English is known or used among the locals, definitely an after-effect of the Soviet Union. I barely glanced at a Russian lesson before …

replacing Arabic

Farrell’s sitting at the table working on Russian homework. I’m cursing the internet for failing yet again. The Beatles “Magical Mystery Tour” is playing on iTunes. He looks up and says, “My Arabic is being replaced by Russian.” He doesn’t look particularly happy about it.