The Talking Phrasebook Series presents useful phrases and words in side-by-side translation and with audio files specifically geared to help students work on listening skills and pronunciation. Each entry below, divided by category, features an English word or phrase in the left column and its Polish translation in the right. In the center column for […]

Tucked away on a side street in central Warsaw, the heart of the city’s old Jewish center still beats within the walls of the Nożyk Synagogue. The Nożyk Synagogue was the only synagogue in Warsaw to survive the devastation of WWII. Today, it serves as the primary place of worship for the Jewish community in […]

Bigos, sometimes referred to as “Hunter’s Stew,” is a Polish dish comprised of slow-cooked meat, cabbage, and spices. There are many variations of this simple dish. Different meats such as pork, beef, and mutton in fresh, smoked, and/or sausage form can be used. Sauerkraut can be used instead of or with fresh cabbage. Red wine […]

Below, Olga discusses what a first year freshman experiences on day one of their college education. The day offers no classes. It is instead filled with speeches, handshakes, and status symbols. All of this is highly indicative of the role of formality and ceremony in Russian education and Russian society. This resource is part of […]

In this entry, Olga completes her account (begun in part one of this blog entry), of passing finals week to complete her first year as an undergraduate at Moscow State University. After having missed several classes due to a serious hospitalization, Olga finds that achieving her goals for good grades is particularly challenging. In the […]

After an eventful year starting her new major and facing down a serious hospitalization, Olga faces perhaps the still most stressful part of any semester: passing finals week. For most degree courses in Russia, it is not possible to pass the class without passing the final. Because degree programs are so rigidly structured, trying to […]

Although she passed her entrance medical checkups at the start of the semester, Olga still developed a serious illness that affected her ability to attend classes and participate in her internship with SRAS. With a diagnosis of stomach ulcers, Olga was hospitalized for two weeks. In the following text, Olga details her experience of falling […]

This is a quick introduction to Warsaw’s milk bars, which are important cultural institutions as well as great places to eat, and to the Polish food they offer and the Polish language needed to order in them. While English-speaking eating establishments can be found, they will typically be more expensive and less of an important […]

Medical commissions and state medical examinations are fairly common in Russia. Students entering university programs have to undergo a battery of tests before entering university. Failing a test can mean that a student might need to undergo treatment before entering his or her university program. Olga Dmitraschenko entered Moscow State University in 2006, after completing […]

The history of the Russian language and its alphabet is long and fascinating. Here are a few anecdotes from the Russian language’s history. The following is based on an article from Russian7.ru. It was translated to English and adapted for greater clarity for an English-speaking audience by SRAS and SRAS intern Sophia Rehm. The Unprinted […]

Deciding on a university major in Russia tends to be a serious and permanent decision. In part because most faculties in Russia have their own entrance exams, changing a major involves not just “declaring” a new major, like in the US, but often involves essentially a whole new application to the university. Further, degree programs […]

Although the introduction of the Unified State Exam (USE) was meant to largely replace university entrance exams, many universities, especially those with prestigious programs, continue to require applicants to take their specific entrance exams. The USE is now simply an additional requirement. Olga Dmitraschenko entered Moscow State University in 2006, after completing her high school […]