The Russian word for Black Sea is Чёрное море. In Russia, I was lucky to live very close to the Black Sea and I enjoyed going swimming with my grandparents. Because the Black Sea is isolated, it is very warm during the summer and many people enjoy swimming in it because of the comfortable water temperature. The beach is very crowded during the summer days and it is easy for parents to loose track of their children if they don’t pay close attention. I often heard my mother call out to me «Оля! Не уходи далеко» “Olya! Don’t go too far.”

My mom and my grandmother often swam far away from the shore. They swam so far that the beach was hardly visible when they turned around to go back to shore. As they swam in the open sea, many large jellyfish медузы surrounded them but surprisingly, my mom and grandmother were not afraid of them. Back on shore, I always found friends to play with and make sand castles песочные замки. Girls and boys played all around me and I came to them and said «Можно я буду строить песочный замок с вами?» “Can I build a sand castle with you?” and they gladly included me in their activities. At the end of the day, I was very tired from all the exciting activity and my family took me home. With my eyes half way shut, my mom said «Ты очень устала и теперь тебе надо отдохнуть» “You are very tired and now you need to rest”. Indeed, I always slept well after playing on the beach of the beautiful Black Sea.

The Russian word for circus is цирк. In particular, I remember attending a circus in Moscow which consisted of Russian musicians, clowns, animal performers, and dancers. I especially enjoyed watching the different animals that were trained to do certain tricks. The Russian circus is based on centuries-old Russian traditions and fables which makes it very popular among the Russian population.

I went to the Russian circus only two times but I loved every minute of it. Before the show, my parents asked me, «Ты хочешь сахарной ваты?» “Do you want cotton candy?” and with great excitement I said yes! да! I always bought strawberry flavored cotton candy which was my favorite. During the show, many amazing acts were performed by both the acrobats and animals. All through the show, my parents pointed out exciting moments such as «Смотри Оля! Медведь сам катается на велосипеде» “Look Olya! The bear is riding the bicycle all by himself”. I wondered how it was possible to train a bear to ride a bicycle all alone. With an excited look on her face, my mom pointed out again «Как удивительно прыгают акробаты!» “How wonderfully the acrobats are jumping!”. It was an amazing experience for me and I plan on attending the Russian circus again in the future.

One of the most important things when meeting new Russian people is to be able to properly introduce yourself. A few years ago I was invited to a picnic that a few of my Russian friends organized. When I arrived, I noticed that there were other Russian people there with whom I was not acquainted. Upon arrival, I introduced myself to the new crowd by saying «Меня зовут Оля» “My name is Olga.” I followed by asking «Как вас зовут?» “What is your name?” It is important to note that this is a formal acquaintance because I was meeting new people. If I wanted to introduce myself to a child, I could speak less formally and say «Как тебя зовут?» My friend approached me and asked «Ты знакома с Сашей?» “Are you acquainted with Sasha?” I said that I was not and told Sasha «Очень приятно познокомиться» “Very pleased to meet you.” Sasha was a beautiful woman, and I was suprised to find out that she was not in a romantic relationship at that time.

Among the group, there was also one married couple who introduced themselves by saying «Разрешите познакомить вас с моим мужем» “Let me introduce you to my husband” and the husband stated «Разрешите познакомить вас с моей женой» “Let me introduce you to my wife”. For the rest of the day, we enjoyed eating, talking, and enjoying the beautiful weather. We all sat on a blanket under a tree, eating apple pie and enjoying the shade that the beautiful tree provided us with, and the scent of the sweet apple pie as the breeze came through has stayed in my memory ever since.

The Russian word for farewells is прощания. (The singular form of the word is прощание.) There are different ways of saying farewell, and they all depend on the situation. When my family was leaving for the US, our friends and family were afraid that we would not be able to come back, but they tried to stay calm and high spirited by saying «Желаем вам всего наилучшего» meaning “We wish you all the best”. When we arrived in Arizona, my family was very tired and we went to sleep fast that night. My aunt showed us the rooms and said «Спокойной ночи и до завтра» “Good night and till tomorrow.” The next morning we enjoyed a breakfast of waffles and orange juice. It was only 6:30AM when my aunt stood up and said «Боюсь, что мне пора на работу» “I'm afraid I should be going to work.” Surprised at how early my aunt was leaving, my mom said «До вечера» meaning “Till evening,” and my aunt ran out the door.

Once in a while my mom called my grandmother in Russia and talked about family matters. At the end of the conversation, my mom always said «Передавай привет папе» meaning “Send my regards to Dad,” and my grandmother said «Хорошо, пока!» meaning “Okay, bye!” Whenever my grandfather talked to my mother on the phone, he became emotional because he missed our family very much, so he stayed off the phone and communicated through my grandmother. When someone says пока, this is usually a term used when talking to family or friends. However, when talking to strangers, co-workers, or other unrelated people, it is more polite to use the phrase «До свидания» “Goodbye” instead.

The Russian word for bridge is мост. In Russia, my grandmother owned a chalet дача which was surrounded by a beautiful garden. This chalet was a few miles away from our home and we often traveled by bike велосипед to the chalet. On our way to the chalet, we had to cross a long and old bridge which hung over a great river. This river emptied into the Black Sea and each time we crossed it, I threw a stick into it as part of my routine. Each time we crossed the bridge I felt very anxious and scared because despite my grandmother’s reassurance of its safety, the bridge looked unsafe to me and my sister. With each step we took forward, I heard the noise of the old wooden boards under my feet. My grandmother said to me and my sister, «Не бойтесь! Этот мост безопасный» “Don’t be scared! This bridge is safe”. I trusted my grandmother but I still felt anxious every time I crossed the bridge. I must say that crossing the scary bridge was worth it because my grandmother’s chalet was very beautiful and peaceful. I often said to my grandmother «Я люблю дачу!» “I love the chalet”.