Поболтаем о днях рождения с Алексеем
Добро пожаловать, болтуны! You have been invited here to prepare to join Alex Sitnikov, SRAS’ Moscow Student Coordinator in a discussion about celebrating birthdays. SRAS is excited to be working with you! Очень рады познакомиться!
Let’s start by letting Alex introduce himself:
So how does this work? Your instructor will let you know when the event will be and, if needed, how to log into it. Alex will start by introducing his subject in a short five-minute talk. Then, he’ll lead you in discussion using the Russian vocabularly you’ve learned in advance (see below) and following the questions below, which hopefully you’ve also taken the time to consider in advance. Скоро увидимся!
Новые слова для тебя!
- день рождения – one’s birthday
- от мала до велика – from baby to adult/of any age
- подарок – a gift/present
- именины – name day
- крещение – christening
- знать – gentlemen, ladies
- купцы, дворяне, члены царской семьи – merchants, nobility, members of the royal family
- всенародный – literally: all-people’s (for everyone, public)
- именинник/именинница – birthday boy/girl
- накопил – amassed, collected
- украшение дома – home decorating
- воздушные шарики – balloons
- отмечать – to celebrate
- скатерть – tablecloth
- праздничный – related to or appropriate for the celebration
- торт со свечами – a cake with candles
- загадать желание и задуть свечи – to make a wish and blow out the candles
- каравай – karavai, a round loaf of bread traditionally made by Russians on various occasions, sometimes sweetened and decorated. Most often seen at weddings now – in addition to the cake.
- приносить подарки – to bring gifts
- одеться нарядно – to dress up
- компании молодежи – youth companies
- участвовать в квестах – to take part in city/escape-room quests
- играть в настольные игры – to play board games
- виновник торжества – a playful name for a birthday person, literally “the one to blame for the festivities”
- устроить сюрприз – to spring a surprise
- спросить заранее – to ask in advance
- практичный – practical
- подарочный сертификат – a gift certificate
- от магазинов косметики до конных клубов – from cosmetic stores to horse/equestrian clubs
- праздничная открытка – a greeting card
- теплые пожелания – warm wishes
- сделанные своими руками – handmade
- самый важный подарок – это внимание – the most important gift is attention/care (for sb)
О чем именно будем болтать?
Consider how you would respond to the following questions:
- Когда у вас День Рождения? Сколько вам лет?
- Как вы любите отмечать День Рождения? Есть ли у вас семейные традиции?
- Вы больше любите дарить или получать подарки? Почему?
- Что готовят (или едят) в Америке на День Рождения?
(extended questions)
- Каким был ваш самый запоминающийся День Рождения?
- Представьте, что вы подписываете открытку для своего друга. Что вы ему пожелаете?
Тебе понравилось?
After the event, let us know how it went! We’d love to hear from you!
I’ve studied in Irkutsk and St. Petersburg with SRAS, but [Bishkek] is, by far, my favorite because of the intense focus on speaking skills. I spend about three hours, 4 times a week speaking one-on-one. It’s such a unique opportunity! The people are also especially friendly here. My homestay is fantastic, the coordinator is a never-ending wealth of help, and the food of Central Asia is delicious.
My semester back home so far has been incredibly influenced by my semester abroad with SRAS and I find myself talking about it almost daily. Since many of my classes touch on the region (Europe after Socialism, Central Asian Politics), I’m able to add comments and insights unavailable to me before. My contributions to our Russian club have also been greatly enriched. Thank you for everything you did to facilitate this experience and going out of your way to ensure our success.
I wanted to find a program that combined my love of Russia and my passion for environmental studies. Because of my interest in environmental issues, Lake Baikal had always been a site of interest to me. Studying abroad in Siberia gives you the opportunity to see a completely different side of Russia and the Russian people. Just think, few people at home even know that Siberia is anything but a wintery tundra!
The program here is wonderful. All of my teachers have been extremely helpful and I have made friends both here in the dorms and with others who live in the city and find that I often have many opportunities to practice Russian outside of the classroom. Already I feel that my Russian has improved immensely, especially my listening and speaking.
I spent Fall and Spring with your program in St. Petersburg and it was truly the highlight and culmination of my University experience and just a banner year! I can’t thank you enough for or gush enough about your program. I recommend it to just about everyone I talk to, whether or not they’re interested in learning Russian.
At a time in my life when I was at a crossroads regarding where my career might take me, this course showed me a path that truly inspired me, and I haven’t looked back since.