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 …
Tag Archives: learning Russian
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.
becoming Katya
My adorable Russian teacher, bless her non-English speaking little heart. She cannot remember my name to save her life. Now, I realize that my name is sort of difficult to say. Years of school teachers calling me “Kur-stin” or “Kris-ten” have taught me that. Traveling abroad showed me that pretty much anybody outside of Scandinavia …
Americanski University of Central Asia
Last week Farrell and I were invited to a lunch with other international students studying at AUCA. We nibbled on mini burgers and samsa, a Kyrgyz hot-pocket, (aww, what a nice symbol of globalization) and talked about what inspired us to come to AUCA. We all had our own reasons for choosing to move to …