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Alexander Pushkin is your new favorite author

Elizabeth Dausch

19 Aug 2009

Russia

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Ever heard of "Eugene Onegin"? "Queen of Spades" perhaps? If not, it's time to brush up on your Pushkin before going to Russia. You'll see statues of him everywhere because the novels and poetry of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin (1799-1837) are not only loved by Russian people, but are also sacred pieces of national identity. As many Russians love talking literature, one should be prepared to address the issue of Pushkin. If you've read him and hate him, or have never read a single page of his work, it's better to err on the side of praising the man. Saying you're not that big into Pushkin is the the rough equivalent of your Russian friends telling you they don't think Benjamin Franklin was that great.

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Etiquette

Don't shake hands in the doorway

Brendan Wilson

23 Jun 2009

Russia

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Russians have many superstitions. One that I tend to forget is that when being welcomed into a home, it is considered bad luck to shake hands or offer a gift through the threshold of the door. You must always enter the apartment/house completely before offering your hand. For me, it has always been customary to offer my hand as soon as I see someone. If you do this in Russia, you may be rebuffed.

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Slang

Bribery isn't funny

Alec Luhn

18 Mar 2009

Russia

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In Russian stylistics class last week, the topic of bribery arose when we were talking over a point of grammar. For the next 15 minutes, rather than continue our discussion of how to write an official business letter in Russian, we talked about bribery in Russia and the many words related to it. One such phrase is "vzyatka borziymi schenkami," or "bribe with wolfhound puppies." It means bribe with fancy, expensive things, and its etymology comes from the days when most important officials hunted and, as a result, highly valued hunting dogs. I jokingly asked my stylistics teacher whether she takes such bribes. "No, I'm not stupid like that," she said, her face slightly wistful but completely serious.

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