E-book and Paperback available! My Dear Readers! Thank you so much for sending me your smart, witty and sometimes totally unexpected questions about Russia, reading…
Hello my dear friends! Announcing a fun collaboration – let’s build UnderstandRussia playlist together! Which songs come to your mind, when you think about Russia?…
Flowers are beautiful. But what is more important – flowers are symbolic. Flowers follow us on all special occasions. Knowing “flower etiquette” is key, especially…
One of top 5 questions I get in emails from my readers is “How to learn Russian?” Russian is indeed one of the most difficult…
Foreigners often say that Russians are too direct. One of manifestations of that is going straight to the point at business meetings or in social…
A friend called me last week and asked, why is it impossible to set up a meeting with Russians far in advance and be sure that…
What to expect if your Russian friends invited you to their place? How to prepare for your visit? First of all – prepare to enjoy…
It is sunny and warm now in Moscow, best time to visit! In the last several weeks you have sent me dozens of questions on…
Guardian has done an amazing Guardian Moscow project this week! The well-respected media outlet decided to research all aspects of being a Muscovite. Being one, I do…
There are some things that we, here in Russia, take for granted. One of such things is that it is always sunny on major holidays….