Windows to Russia has been ruled by politics since day one.
Or I should say, the day that Google finally decided to index it and give it out to the world to see once in awhile…
Because of what Windows to Russia is about, makes it center into the political war going on between the west and east. I never started out thinking that…. I simply started out writing about a country that caught my attention and a country I fell in love with…
America made my site political. I just wanted to write about Russia and tell the west and or basically why we in America are wrong about Russia. I simply wanted you to see Russia from a standpoint of an American that found everything and I mean literally everything that we were taught, past and present is wrong. Until I came to Russia, propaganda was a thing bad evil countries did against my country. Not my country, America the land of the free…. Would we do such to other countries. We were the shining light of the world…
Now that was propaganda being used against us, inside our own walls we have built…
Windows to Russia became centered with attacks from all directions from the US. Mainly the USA Gov…. Old story and who cares? I am still here and still writing. Literally everyday, 6000 posts and 10 years and going strong…. But THEY tried to kill this blog…
As in most things that my, your and our country calls America does, they created by their actions, hate and fear. A Windows to Russia to be a tool against the games being played by them. I stopped caring if Americans came to Russia, one day, after coming to Russia and realized how misinformed we are as Americans…
It happened after I visited the Red Square and I cried…
All I had been trained for from birth crashed around me and I realized that Russia is one of the most wonderful countries in the world…
Russia does not deserve to be infiltrated by dogmatist from a controlled unknowledgeable country…
Why?
In a nutshell; Russia is honest, realistic, free, life just flows, people are tangible, fake is a word not understood and most of all: So many intellects that mousiness is predominate in everyday public life… But dumbness does not prevail in the inner society…
* * * * *
Life moves on: Politics begone…
To be a Russian living in Russia, you must be able to communicate with very few words and most of the time simple gestures. It is an introvert world in Russia and extroverts stand out like a very sore thumb…
When meeting someone the passing is usually an exchange of hello or Zdravstvuyte said at such a level that only you can hear. It is not expressed across the room and a nice thing about Russians is; they see you and never acknowledge that they see you. But I promise that they have seen you and remember that you were there…
Now in a small Tiny Russian Village, my friend Vova and remember I just said friend. Will yell cross the village to get my attention. That is because he is a very good friend. He has that right to holler at me to say hello and whatever…
I think a perfect example of how Russians look at life is this…
In Russia you say hello to someone according to rank, friendship and age…. and even answering the phone…. Saying hello can make or break a relationship and it is the first thing you do when you meet someone…
When you answer the phone you say, “Hello” actually “Hallo”…
Lets try to make some sense of just saying hello in Russia… You will most likley always say it wrong, except for the born and raised here Russians… 😉
Most common is to say:
Здравствуй [ZDRAST-vooy] – Hi
Здравствуйте [ZDRAST-vooy-tye] – hello
“Здравствуйте” is used when speaking to someone you really do not know, Здравствуй is for those you know somewhat. You can also use “здравствуйте” when addressing multiple people. Even if you know some very well…
If you are speaking with a friend you can say “Привет” [pree-VYET] to greet them in Russian. There are unbelievable examples of confusion to use “Привет”: some below…
Привет [pree-VYET] hi
Приветик [pree-VYE-teek] this is a diminutive form of “привет” and it means “hi”
Приветики [pree-VYE-tee-kee] also a diminutive form, and also means “hi”
Now to make a clarity; youngsters never use Привет [pree-VYET] to an elder. An elder can use it toward a youngster, but not vice versa. The Здравствуйте [ZDRAST-vooy-tye] form is used only to an elder…
To be honest I get very confused as to what to use to whom, but in the village Vova and I use Привет [pree-VYET]. We are friends and equals…
More greetings that we use… I like these the best…
Доброе утро [dob-ra-ye OOT-ra] good morning
Добрый день [dob-riy DYEN’] good afternoon
Добрый вечер [dob-reey VYE-chyer] good evening
Доброй ночи [dob-roy NO-chee] good night
Спокойной ночи [spa-KOY-nay NO-chee] good night
Just some tidbit of information and most likely Svetochka will correct my thinking about how I see it. But it is confusing to me at times…. I just wanna say, “Hi!”
Another tidbit: Every greeting with another man is done with a handshake. Always for the first time you meet in the day. After that it is not necessary to shake their hand again. But the next day, you will be shaking hands again and you need to remember that…. This is predominate in the villages, but ignored mostly in the big cities. I guess that is why Muscovites try to not make too much eye contact! 😉
In Moscow you would shake 10,000 hands a day if you did that…
WtR