Social Scene...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tufts University
21

<p>LOL NO WAIT. I love "Djentlmeni Udachi"...the best line in that movie is when the three guys are dressed as women, walking along, and some pretty woman is walking ahead of them.</p>

<p>Manwoman: "a skajite, vi ne znayete kotoriy chas?"
Woman: "Pol pervovo."
Manwoman: "Spasibo. A skajite, kak vas zavut?"
Woman: "Tanya. A vas?"
Manwoman: "Fedya."
Woman (angrily, under her breath): "Nu i dura." LOL but i promise it's much funnier in the movie</p>

<p>OKAY so I was out to dinner with a bunch of the russian girls i grew up with the other day, they had come back from college and were telling us things about the colleges we're heading off to in the fall.</p>

<p>Jessica: "My roommate's sister goes to Tufts. Do you know what she did there? she got together six of her friends and started a 'people-watching club'. And they asked for funding for a trip to Montreal in order to 'people-watch'. Tufts actually paid for their trip to Montreal - where the drinking age is 18 - and they just spent a week getting plastered."</p>

<p>Not that I'm for or against this, just thought it was something funny you'd all be interested in lol</p>

22

<p>HAHA!</p>

<p>How abut "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears", what a great sappy movie.</p>

<p>It is good to see some russian folk around, go figure!</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>Vlad</p>

23

<p>Moskva Slezam ne Verit is an awesome film. And I love that song :)</p>

24

<p>Yo!</p>

<p>I highly recommend a class with Vida Johnson on Russian Film, you'll watch some many good films.</p>

<p>Also, next semester take "Classics of Russian Lit" with Professor Sloane.</p>

<p>Russian Dept at Tufts is A-W-E-S-O-M-E!</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>Vlad</p>

25

<p>Really? Because in all honesty I was debating which to take as my language, Russian or Spanish. My Russian has slipped MAJORLY over the years - but then some kid who's much more fluent in Russian than I am started taking Russian at MONTCLAIR STATE and was like "It's soooooo hard!" What do you think?</p>

26

<p>As a fluent Russian speaker, I would actually NOT recommend taking Russian. Of course, I am going by the fact that I'm completely bilingual and am totally comfortable reading and writing; but if you have experience speaking Russian at home, you should keep in mind that the people in your classes will be non-native speakers. I would imagine that because of a native background, some sort of remedial Russian classes for natives would be a better choice than the general classes geared towards people who have not spoken it. Unfortunately, Tufts does not offer such an option (to my personal knowledge), although I did hear some talk about it last fall. </p>

<p>But how long have you lived in America? Did you go to school in Russia? Can you read or write in Russian? It depends on your level; if you can't read or write and have trouble with grammar or spoken formulation, then it may make sense to take one of the more advanced Tufts classes after testing. But if you can read/write/etc., in my opinion you'd be better off taking Spanish.</p>

<p>Not to knock the vast expressivity, breadth, and contributions to worldwide cultural development of the Russian language (!), but unfortunately the study of Russian in America today is no longer as useful or easily implemented as it was before (during the Cold War years, for example). The Russian community is fairly large, especially in Boston, but it fails to compare to the rise of Hispanic anad Spanish-speaking populations. Spanish-speakers are a hugely rising minority in America, it would make more logistical sense, in my opinion, to take Spanish. But with any language, I recommend thinking carefully about what your goal is with the study of that language; ideally, it should be gaining some sort of fluency if you don't have that already.</p>

<p>Having said all that, I do know Americans and other nationalities who take Russian classes at Tufts based on interest as well as other factors, and I always enjoy talking with them and helping out when necessary.</p>

<p>In my personal experience, I did not even take the Russian exam, because I didn't just want to pass out of the foreign language requirement - I love foreign languages and wanted to continue studying them. I ended up placing out of the requirement anyway, but with exams in Spanish and Italian. I do know people who have passed out of it using Russian just as their native language.</p>

27

<p>Hey! thanks for such a deep interest in my situation and the excellent advice.</p>

<p>I was born and raised in America, but Russian was my first language. Still, over the years it has slipped quite a bit - I have the Russian of, let's say, a third-grader. I can read and write, but I won't know what the bigger words mean, you know? And then bad things happen, like when you're on the Russian radio and the radio DJ asks me how I could have finished reading Harry Potter 5 twice since it came out three days ago:</p>

<p>Me: "Mne tak ponravelas kneeshka, ya ne mogla OTRAVEETSA!"
Yes, you read that correctly. Not otarVAtsa, but OTRAVEETSA. And since everyone's grandparents were listening at the time, the next week I had to endure good-natured catcalls of "Hey Renee, I heard you say something really stupid on the radio!" and "Renee, keep that book close by in case you're ever poisoning yourself!"</p>

<p>The fact is that when I'm speaking to my friends' parents, I completely forget words that I once spoke as easily as breathing. Then, as I apologetically use the English word instead, I have to say "I'm sorry, my Russian isn't what it used to be," and they look at me sadly and say "Yes, I remember you once had a beautiful grasp of the language." I guess the best way to put it is that when I grew, so did my English vocabulary, but my Russian has been virtually the same since age 9. As a result, I'll want to use the sophisticated English words I'm capable of, but am unable to find the Russian equivalent, and therefore come across as uneducated.</p>

<p>Whereas with Spanish, I think I've gotten a great grasp of the language over the last five years of study - my Spanish, at this point, is prob. better than my Russian, but I still have that Russian MENTALITY that I grew up with. I'll never get lost for long in a Spanish-speaking country, but even with years on intensive study and immersion I'm not sure that I'll be able to keep up with the lightning-fast speed of native Spanish speakers' conversations. Russian, at the other hand, is something I will be able to speak quickly and with full comprehension - I just need to learn the words with which to speak it, lol.</p>

28

<p>Hey Rinka -
Interesting how this thread was hijacked by Russian speakers ;). Anyhow, it's a pretty common situation. All of us immigrants have to allow English to play a huge part in our lives, of course, and it's inevitable that it enters our thinking in some form or another. Russian is hard to maintain without constant contact and stimulation from speakers other than your family. Of course, I also believe we owe it to ourselves to learn and continue speaking our native language. Not to mention the more languages you know, the better. I would encourage developing Russian in any way possible. g2g now, but I'll write more later. It's a very interesting topic to me. </p>

<p>If you want, PM me to chat about experiences and such.</p>

29

<p>haha i know exactly what you're saying! I mean, I really take it for granted, that I'm bilingual. I meet so many kids that have such a rich culture, but can't speak the language, and as a result can't relate to the older generations nearly as well. I both hate and love the feeling of speaking in English and thinking, "Wow, there's a Russian word that would convey what i'm trying to say here PERFECTLY, but there's no English equivalent!!" I figure, I already have all the foundations of this language, I just need to develop it. But yeah! Thanks so much for your time and thoughtful replies, tufta!</p>

<p>P.S. Plus, I find it really sad that my 3-year old brother has a better grasp of the Russian language than I do. THAT NEEDS TO BE RECTIFIED IMMEDIATELY lol</p>

30

<p>Hey Gals,</p>

<p>I can relate to the situation as well. Ever since I moved to the United States a number of moons ago, my parents and grandparents have been nagging me to keep on reading and writing in Russian, as a result, over the years, I've managed to maintain a near proficiency in Russian. However, one day I took a step back and realized that I was now thinking in English instead of Russian. From that moment onwards, I've realized that English is now my 1st language.</p>

<p>Now, enough of my rant, going back to your post Bluirinka, if you ever have a chance to immerse yourself completely in the Russian speaking environment for a period over couple of months, your Russian will come back almost immediately. Another good trick is to read Russian newspapers (not American crap, but rather Moscow News, Kommersant, etc.) or Russian literature.</p>

<p>My younger sister for example speaks 30% Russian and 70% English and will most likely completely loose the language by the time she gets to college. She cant read or writer and her vocab is that of a 2 year old. Very sad, since my grandpa has a very limited grasp of English. </p>

<p>I think a number of Russian immigrants in the second generation have an important choice to make whether or not to pursue Russian. Some chose to completely abandon the language, while others embraces it. </p>

<p>I said it before and I'm saying it again, take Russian at Tufts. Especially, Russian 93 or 95 (dont remember the number), which is a heritage course for the native speakers or alternatively, take Russian 118-122, which is lit and current affairs in the media conducted entirely in Russian.</p>

<p>Cheers!</p>

<p>Vlad</p>

31

<p>wow, that was so incredibly helpful.</p>

<p>see, i COULD in theory just read Russian literature on my own. And I do plan, one day, as soon as my language is better, to read some of the classics like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky in the original Russian. I just think that I'll be so busy with other classes that I'll never have time for it. But! If it actually IS one of my classes, then i WILL get into it.</p>

<p>Those two classes you mentioned sound PERFECT. I will definitely research them and try to get my foot in the doorway. Thanks sooooo much!</p>

<p>Rinka</p>

32

<p>Hey Rinka,</p>

<p>Here's the description of the course I've mentioned previously:</p>

<p>RUS 93-A Special Topics: Heritage Learning
Gassel Block: time to be arranged
A 1/2 credit course to help heritage speakers of Russian acquire basic grammar and writing skills.</p>

<p>RUS 118 Russian in Business and Politics
Gassel Block: G+ MW 1:30-2:45
Introduction to current business and political contexts in the former Soviet Union and acquisition of relevant written and oral skills in the Russian language through the use of television and printed media. Topics include East-West trade, the new generation of leaders and entrepreneurs, and the process of democratization and transformation of Russian society. Prerequisite: Russian 22 or consent. Gassel </p>

<p>RUS 121 Advanced Russian
Gassel Block: E+ MWF 10:30-11:45
Designed for students with the equivalent of three years of college Russian. Classes conducted entirely in Russian; advanced concepts in grammar and stylistics; intensive practice in pronuncation and intonation; discussions based on Russian literature and periodicals. Oral examination. Prerequisite: Russian 22 or equivalent.</p>

<p>For more info check out: <a href="http://ase.tufts.edu/russian%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://ase.tufts.edu/russian&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Cheers!</p>

<p>Vlad</p>