2010 11 11 - Ya Moscovich: Machina

The Russian word for Car is MACHINA. There word for bus is AVTOBUS (pronounced AvTOboose). You would have thought that AUTO or at least AVTO would of caught on, but it did not.

John Hiatt's excellent "Slow Turning" album contains a fine song titled "Tennessee Plates". This is a song that Hiatt could not have written if he were a Russian - for one thing the author would need to be pretty familiar with Elvis and his obsessions with cars.

Secondly the lyricist would have to come up with the line "There wasn't one Japanese Model or Make" - This line would be of no sense to a native Russian - The Japanese and Korean car makers are blowing US automakers out of the water in Moscow.

Moscow Intersection (click to enlarge - I intend to put a better picture in here at some point, but right now this is what I got)

You may spot some Fords and Land Rover's but the GM products are pretty rare - unless you include Opel - remember them - I think they were part of GM at one time. Whatever Opels they couldn't have sold anywhere else they must have brought here. I have not seen a Chrysler/Dodge product but I have heard them mentioned by one of my teachers.

Toyota, Honda, Mitsubshi, Hyundai, Mazda, Suzuki, Nissan, Kia and Daewoo all represent the Asian market pretty strongly in Russia. Cars produced in Western Europe are also common - Audi, Volvo, Renault (specifically somethng called a Megane) and a significant number of Peugot's can be found. The luxury car makers Mercedes and Lexus as well as BMW also fare well in Russia.

If you live in Russia and your not interested in an Import than you will likely be buying a Lada. Aparently Lada was responsible for making the 80s era Fiat. Most of the Lada's I see throughout Moscow appear to be compact, plain and practical. They look sort of like a miniature volvo with a boxy front end.

A second car that may be specific to the former soviet bloc countries is the Skola which is made in the former Czech Republic. The are perhaps as many in numbers as the Chevy's.

AND


Happy Birthday to Debbie!!

2010 11 10 - Language Lesson: A Little Vodka

Here we are in the middle of the school week and I realize I haven't talked about school at all.  This is the Language Lesson for the week.   

This is a real conversation that BilIie Jo and I had on the Metro a few days ago:

ME:  How do you say "A Little"? 
JO:  What do you mean? - In What Context?
ME:  Well  - If somebody asks me "Do you want some Vodka?",  How do I say "A little"
JO:  (dead serious) Russian's Don't Say That.

Language Lesson
Of course, I thought she meant when Russian's drink Vodka they only drink a lot of Vodka.  The veracity of that statement is for a different discussion.

But what she was telling me is that there is no specific phrase to mean "a Little".

For some expressions they only have one phrase and insert a negative in front of the word or phrase.

The word for a Lot is MNOGA - easy for me to remember - The Vikings used to have a Defensive Lineman who had the last Name NOGA - and he was BIG or A Lot as in MNOGA.  If I can relate something to sports or numbers there is a chance I can remember it.   

The Russian word for No is of course NYET and they have NE for Not.  To say a Little one would say NE MNOGA.  The words run together and the NE has a short i to finish -> The phrase comes out sounding like NiM-NOGA.

  

2010 11 09 - Ya Moskvich: Magazina

Azbuka SuperMarket

The Russian word for store or shop is Magazina.  They call a Magazine a Gazeetta or a Journal - pronounced sort of like Zhernal.  They also use the word SuperMarket, but I don't think they use the word Market - I do see Super as a prefix fairly frequently.

There is a Supermarket on the ground level of the building next to ours is which is very convenient.  Calling it a SUPERmarket is a bit of a stretch.  Size wise I would say it is comparable to the Valley Forge Trader Joe's perhaps slightly larger.

Language Lesson:  You can see the store name above - Azbuka is what we call the store, but it is only the first word - I have never heard Billie Jo use the second word.  If you continue down to the end of the photo you will see the word SuperMarket - sort of split up by the lamp post.  From our PECTOPAH/RESTAURANT discussion earlier you may remember that the C is an S continuing on down the lower case "y" is used for the U or "oo" sound.  The thing that I call a Pi sign is a P.  Finally we have a match the E is an E.  And then we get to a letter that English speakers view as a P - that is an R.  There is another P(R) further down and the rest of the letters are all matches M, K, T and the A which is concealed by the streetlamp.       


$$$
There is sticker shock for practically everything you buy in Moscow and this includes groceries.   There are groceries stores with better deals than ours that really are not that far away, but when your traveling by foot and carrying bags convenience is key.

Asbuka has separate Deli counters for meat and cheese as well as a bakery and coffee counter.  There is also a fairly significant wine section.  Everything is of course in Metric,  Grams, KG, Litres, ML etc.  which you need to get used to.  Billie Jo does all the talking so if we need anything from the deli she is in charge of figuring that stuff out - typically 200 or 250 grams of turkey burger, lunch meat, cheese etc etc.


There are also lots of prepared Russian dishes, Blinni (filled pancakes similar to a crepe) and some other things that I cannot spell right now - many along the lines of a stuff pastry.


Muscovich
The two oddities that immediately stick out are that for fruits and veggies they have a weigh station in the produce section rather than weighing the items at checkout.  So you pick up your apples or whatever hand them to a girl at the scale and she weighs and tags them for you.  The second thing is when you then get to the check out the girls are all sitting down - I am glad I don't work at the Acme at home - or else I would walk in and demand that I can sit down while working the checkout line.  Note I said girls - near as I can tell the people handling these jobs are always female.

Oh one other thing - you know when you get to the checkout, your standing in line and they have all the impulse buy items right next to you - mostly candy and kids stuff.  In Russia they have all those items as well - Candy, Gum, Mints (Orbits are big here), Hello Kitty, Pez, etc - There is one other item amongst the toys and candy - they also stock the condoms at the checkout.  Although I read in a guidebook to be wary of domestic brands and it would be best to buy a reputable brand. 

2010 11 08 - Ya Moskoviche: Domestic Life

Ya Moskovite means I am a Moskovite or I am from Moscow. Actually Billie Jo has informed me the Russian term is Muscoviche.


I am none of the above really, but up until now pretty much all you have read about is sight seeing, relaxing, and me whining about doing a little school work (and breaking my fiancee's camera).

Well if you are staying in an area for two months (or five months in Jo's Case) Not all is a vacation. You need to get involved in the chores of living there. These means all of life's commercials - stuff like cooking, cleaning, and laundry.

Monday is an off day for me while Billie Jo is at work and I try and take care of a few domestic items on my day off.

We have a washer but no dryer. This is not a huge problem except the washer is a little small - perhaps that is fine for Billie Jo and all her girl clothing, but you get about two pairs of boy clothing in there like my Levi's and the thing is stuffed.

Washing Machine Control Panel

As you can tell this should be easy for me to use - the buttons are set up just like a cassette player, er, I mean CD or DVD player for you youngsters, er, I mean an mp3 Player - There is probably a more contemporary reference, but that is as far as my 40+ brain has progressed. At any rate there is a Play/Pause button and that is something I understand. We always use the delicate cycle - there are about a dozen of them - they are on the dial and could be the signs of the zodiac for all I know. The Zodiac sign for Delicate is a Flower.

Regardless the washing machine in Russian is much easier to operate than that thing we had in Paris - I am convinced the French folks were just messing with us and that wasn't really a washing machine - it probably was a cassette player.


The washing machine is located in the kitchen - we also have a dishwasher but rarely use it - Jo probably used it all the time before I got here, but no longer feels the need since she now has me doing the dishes.

The stove is a bit of an oddity it has gas burners but an electric oven. We A) turn on the gas line and B) hand light the burners each time we use the stovetop - I have never worked in a restaurant kitchen but years of living in...how shall we say this, uh.. Quaint apartments have trained me at this whole stove lighting business. Still I get nervous every time. My advice to any novice is to always light the burner with your left hand.

Breakfast:

Instant Coffee

Coffee (KOFE in Russky) within the Russian home is largely of the instant variety. I am pretty much a coffee novice and this is not an issue for me - until relatively recently the coffee I typically consumed was free sludge at work. Russians like Thais and other Asians are big tea Drinkers, we have a special electric pitcher which heats water rather quickly - I think somebody has been hinting one of these would be handy for home use in the states. Language Lesson: The Russian word for Tea is CHAI.

Eggs

This Confuses Me

As you are likely aware I am obsessed with numbers and one of the oddities, that I think actually bothers me is that Eggs here come in cartons of 10. It seems ridiculous. They have always come by the dozen all my life. Even in Thailand they come by the dozen.

Two other things about Russian Eggs 1) In the supermarket they are not stored in refridgeration units. I have also seen this in Thailand, which is significantly more troubling as temperatures there soar into the 90s even at Christmastime. 2) The Eggs - as well as most other perishables are stamped with a packaging date rather than an expiration date. Of course, Billie Jo and I have no idea of what the plant -> shelf -> Salmonella timeline for Eggs, milk or cheese may be. The Eggs are packed in a couple different box types - the cheaper of which always have he earliest "born on" date. This is one place where I upgrade.

Egg Carton

Notice the date on the top right. Typically the 6 character Russian Date is printed in DD.MM.YY format - that's Day Month Year for all you non-programmers out there. So this carton of eggs was packed or shipped or something on the first of November 2010.

Also, The only eggs available here are the brown variety. There is one advantage to brown over white eggs - it is easier to see the shells when you need to pick them out of a cup. They also seem a bit sturdier and require a bit more impact to crack.


Washing Machine with Fabric Softener and Dish Soap

Um, I thought some folks in our more juvenile audience may get a kick out of the name of the Russian Dish soap.

It has occurred to me that "Fairy" is underused term to attack ones masculinity - I once heard a rather clean tongued acquaintance of mine use the term within an emotional outburst directed at a hockey player for taking a dive. I believe the player was Alexander Ovechkin - Stinkin Fairy.

Hope your enjoying all this talk about eggs and food, It doesn't end here - Tomorrow I am thinking of hitting the Russian Supermarket - Note our grocery store was decorated for Christmas on the first of November.

2010 11 07 - On Tour: Victory Park

Victory Park

Victory Park is located on Poklonnaya Hill which is one of the highest spots in Moscow. The park is a Memorial to those Russians who served in the Great Patriotic War, or World War II to Americans.

The park contains a huge obelisk and The Museum of the Great Patriotic War. Several statues honor leaders and soldiers involved in the war During the summer there are 1418 fountains that run the length of the park each one symbolizing a day in the five year conflict (1941-1945).


Victory Park Obelisk
The Oblelisk stands 150 meters - A statue of Nike (the Goddess of Shoes Victory) stands above the structure.

At the base of the Obelisk is a Statue of St George Slaying the Dragon. This is an image that can be seen throughout Moscow as the triumphant St George is also present on the Coat of Arms of Moscow.

Victory Park Eternal Flame
The building in the background is the Great Patriotic War Museum. There is a Tomb of the unknown soldier located near the Kremlin. I do not believe that there is a Tomb at the Victory Park location, but the flame itself was lit from the one that burns at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier. Note that the soldiers guarding the flame in this photo are women.

Victory Park Clock Winter

This is a hill on the side of the park MOCKBA is written in Yellow. These of course mean Moscow - which is pronounced MOSKVA. As you may remember from our PECTOPAH lesson the S sound in Russian is represented by the C. Now we introduce the V sounds which is represented by a B. The B/v is significantly more common in Russian and I will try to get to a discussion of that in the future.

The Clock is the round figure to the left of the photo. During the winter time the clock does not have hands. it is merely a circle. However....

Victory Park Clock in Summer

During the summer the clock is much more colorful and actually has hands - and it is also not dark at twenty after 6 in the afternoon!

The clock is made up of living flowers - think Rose Bowl Parade float. Ok I am sure anybody reading has seen the Rose Bowl Parade in like 30 years - well, during the broadcast they mention that every float is completely composed of living flowers - and they mention this about a hundred times during the parade.

On the Winter Clock the color comes from wood chips that have been dyed this is both the case for the area where the clock resides and the MOCKBA signage.

Branding

While at Victory Park there was a Man on one of the five steps (each step symbolizes a year in the war) wearing an NHL knit cap. No specific team just a knit cap with the NHL logo - a little odd - but I am counting anyway. The NHL needs all the love it can get - beside I cannot have Hockey Finish behind NASCAR.

New York Yankees 4
Boston Celtics 1
Elliot Sadler 1
Atlanta Braves 1
Chicago Bulls 1
Los Angeles Dodgers 1
NHL 1

2010 11 06 - Farewell Coolpix S570

This is the final picture Billie Jo took with our Nikon Coolpix S570.

Moscow State University

Click on the picture and you can see some of what the Coolpix 570 was capable of, and I actually shrunk this photo by half so it wouldn't take forever to load when clicking on the blog page - and the picture is still huge.

If the building itself looks familiar it is because Moscow State University is house in one of the other Seven Sisters Buildings that I mentioned in the recent Hotel Ukraine Post. 

Nikon Coolpix S570

We do have my camera as a back up - But this is grainy caliber of photos that come from my 5 year old Canon camera.  Actually it typically does much better than this, but we were dealing with low light.  Still you can see the predicament the Coolpix 570 is in with it's eye half open.  I had dropped the camera with the lens open and have not been able to get it closed.  There are a series of tips I found on the -net but I could only get it to nearly close and there the lens has stayed.

I feel bad - Billie Jo loved that camera - we looked at cameras for the trip for several weeks before she left in July and she was very happy with the one she picked.  It took great pictures, was easy to use and compact.

The rest of our Saturday did not go well either - there were disappointments talking with camera people and we got locked out of our apartment on a day when we just wanted to get home. 

There were bright spots.  The Moscow State Campus has a great view of the city. 

Of course we had no camera to take a picture of the view from....

And people asked us to take their picture with their working camera.

2010 11 05 - On Tour: Hotel Ukraine

Actually we didn't have to do much touring to get to the Hotel Ukraine. You can see it from our Apartment.

Hotel Ukraine from our Kitchen

Hotel Ukraine Top (click to enlarge)

The Hotel Ukraine is one of Seven Stalin Era Skyscrapers referred to as the Seven Sisters. The Hotel Ukraine was originally completed in 1953 - The Hotel has been renovated and re-opened just this past April. The Hotel Ukraine stands 34 floors and was the tallest hotel in the world until 1975. Today it is still the second tallest hotel in Europe. The hotel has a picturesque location on the Moskva River near Moscow's Business center.

The hotel has over 500 rooms and an art collection of over 1200 original paintings by prominent Russian artists from the first half of the 20th century. There are five restaurants in the hotel which also features boutique shopping and if you need to buy a Rolls Royce there is a dealership on the Hotels ground floor.

The renovations were done to open the building as a 5 star hotel. Unfortunately this meant turning the building over to investors - in this case a group connected with the Radisson Hotel Change. And as you can see the Radisson Logo is much larger and gaudier than the Hotels original Hotel Ukraine Nameplate.


Radisson Royal Hotel, Moscow (from the front w/ Gaudy Logo)












Billie Jo in front of the Hotel Ukraine














Statue of some Dude in front of Hotel Ukraine

Hotel Ukraine is well-situated for business travelers and is just a short walk along the beautiful Moskva river away from Moskva City.










Moskva City

Moskva City or New Moscow is as it appears a brand new office park near the Moscow City Center - sure to house the offices of many international companies.

Branding

During the short walk to the Hotel Ukraine we crossed paths with a Dodgers fan.

New York Yankees 4
Boston Celtics 1
Elliot Sadler 1
Atlanta Braves 1
Chicago Bulls 1
Los Angeles Dodgers 1