Hello! New here :)

Hi, my name's Dasha and I'm currently living in the USA. I'm from Belarus originally but I moved to the states when I was about 5 and forgot the language. I'm moving to Saint Petersburg for study abroad through my university in 11 days and I've been using various resources on the internet as well as Rosetta Stone, though that honestly did not do much. I'd like to pair my courses up with self study, as I'd really like to be able to speak Russian with my mom and grandfather.

I know some of the basics, but can anyone recommend any good resources out there or maybe a non-judgmental penpal to exchange messages/emails online with? I try to use my mom as help around the house, but she tends to just laugh at my attempts which isn't really that helpful hahaha. But yeah, any useful tips or anything really would be appreciated! I'm a little nervous to live in Russia for a whole year without really knowing the language too well, so anything at all-- even things about Saint Petersburg-- is welcomed. :)

спасибо!

How good/bad is your Russian right now?
By 5 you should have been somewhat fluent in Russian, so you probably half way bilingual in your brain :)
You just need practice, I think
We are in the close time zone, so we can do skype if you want, but 11 days isn't gonna be enough :)

BTW my daughter is Dasha and I'm curious how people call you in school. Do they call you Dasha or Darya?


PS: That's why I have "Russian language only" rule in my house :)

Things about SPB
1. It's a beautiful and big city.
2. People are nice, generally
3. It doesn't have fast living pace as Moscow or NY
4. It's not that expensive as Moscow
5. IT HAS COLD WINTERS. Not much because of the temperature but mostly because of wind chill factor, so be prepared. Air is also very moist even during winter season
6. There are lots to see in SPB.
7. They have subway system which might be useful if you need to travel faster than traffic :)

Are you going to study for free?

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Originally Posted by Doomer

...Are you going to study for free?

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How could that be possible?

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Originally Posted by Lampada

How could that be possible?

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Hmm
Why it couldn't?
I got my master in information science and I hadn't been obliged to pay for it

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Originally Posted by Doomer

Hmm
Why it couldn't?
I got my master in information science and I hadn't been obliged to pay for it

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Somebody paid, obviously.

To answer your question, my Russian is alright understanding wise. I watch a lot of movies and listen to music and can pick it up, and I've been practicing speaking, and I have some of the grammar down, but I have difficulty reading Russian-- I'm a little slow at it and I seem to not recognize a lot of words. I'd really love to improve my vocabulary. I've been working on my Russian all summer to prepare for my move. And my computer's microphone/camera seem to be a on the older side and not very reliable, so I don't think I can skype at all :(

Also, I go by Dasha now but when I was younger in school (like in high school and middle school) I would just go by Daria, but once I got into college I decided to go by Dasha :) To save a long explanation, I just tell people it's my "Russian name", because people in America seem to find Russian nicknames very bizarre. And thank you for all your help! :) I've spent some time in Kiev and Minsk, but my mom tells me SPB is nothing like either of the two cities haha.

And yes, technically I'm paying but I receive academic scholarships through my University in Florida, so really it becomes free :) for me, anyways.

I'm sort of in the same boat as you in that I'm moving to St. Petersburg for a year in 13 days. But, I've been studying for 3 years so my Russian is not too bad. I was in St. Pete's last summer and it was an amazing experience. I think the winter will be a different game but I'm still hopeful it will be great! Good luck and if you need any advice from someone in a similar position, let me know. You can email me at kylesbarry___at____gmail___dot___com.

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Originally Posted by Lampada

Somebody paid, obviously.

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Well, government
Means tax money

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Originally Posted by DashaK

To answer your question, my Russian is alright understanding wise. I watch a lot of movies and listen to music and can pick it up, and I've been practicing speaking, and I have some of the grammar down, but I have difficulty reading Russian-- I'm a little slow at it and I seem to not recognize a lot of words. I'd really love to improve my vocabulary. I've been working on my Russian all summer to prepare for my move.

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You might want to read this :)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/ma...pagewanted=all
Don't be afraid. If you understand Russian you are very close to speaking and for reading and writing you just need practice and maybe some classes

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Originally Posted by DashaK

And yes, technically I'm paying but I receive academic scholarships through my University in Florida, so really it becomes free :) for me, anyways.

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SPB will be the whole new world after Florida :)
Keep us posted

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Originally Posted by DashaK

Also, I go by Dasha now but when I was younger in school (like in high school and middle school) I would just go by Daria, but once I got into college I decided to go by Dasha :) To save a long explanation, I just tell people it's my "Russian name", because people in America seem to find Russian nicknames very bizarre.

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Yeah, figures
I guess the "рь" part in Дарья is kind of a tongue twister for mere mortal Americans :)