How do people in your country make friends? Is it easy to make friends in your country? I have a general idea how slavic people make friends, but no clue about Americans and other countries. Having spent several months in US I noticed that people here really enjoy street small talks (kind of "It's a nice weather!" ,"I like you dog, what's his name?", "You look nice", "Where are you from?") And they happily talk to you never to see you again. This is different from Russians for we rarely make such small exchanges, but if we do, this probably means that we made up our mind to know the person better. We are quite straightforward about friendship and as we start seeing a person as a probable friend to be, we begin involving him/her in our life sharing our news and concerns and inviting to take part in different activities. I guess this approach has its pros and cons=))
I also wonder how married people make friends in your country. It seems making friends was easier for me when I was younger and single=) Perhaps, this happens because you become busier and more involved into your family activities as well as people of your age around.
My situation with friendmaking is also complicated by the fact that currently I can't start working in the office (otherwise I would have some new co-workers) and I can't participate in all the activities people offer (active sports, challenging hiking, nightlife)
So tell me please how you make friends in your country once you have moved, for example, to a new state where you know nobody? Do you think it is easier to make friends in big cities or in small towns and villages?
All my best=)
Recently I heard this song by the Beach Boys. It is called "Mona". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTFOu8lSoYs
The song is somewhere from the 60s, right? Was Mona popular name back then? Is it popular now? Or perhaps it sounds old fashioned?What comes to your mind first when you think of this name?
What are popular names in your country? What are your favourite names? (In you country and international).
Looking forward to your answers=)
When I was a little girl I supposed that all the native speakers of English are very lucky because theу don't have to roll their R sound. Sometimes children at the kindergarten teased me because of my mispronounced R and I thought: "Were I British or American, my life would've been easier"=)))
In Russian - my first language - the R sound has to be rolling. It is somewhat similar to the one Spanish speakers do or, perhaps, the Italians, with the only difference - in Spanish or Italian the vibration goes mainly to the tip of the tongue while in Russian it also affects the bulk of the tongue. I guess that makes Russian R sound less "melodic" and more roaring as if a working car engine.
Some Russian speakers might also mispronounce L sound. That happens when a speaker uses lips for pronouncing the sound (which are not needed in the case). This adds to the L sound some shades of W, making it less distinct.
Some people might have problems with hushing sounds (like sh, etc).
What about your native language? What kind of R sounds do you have in it? Is it important to roll your Rs? Do little kids and some adults get challenged with it? What are other sounds in your first language that might appear challenging for a native?
I am curious to know what languages people of different countries can understand without learning them. I mean the languages which are closely related to your first one. For example, I am a native Russian speaker so I easily understand languages of the eastern slavonic branch like Ukrainian and Belarusian (95-100%) Understanding southern slavonic languages as, for example, Serbian and Croatian is much more challenging for me (I usually understand about 50% of the story).
And you? What languages can you understand because they are somewhat related to yours?
I decided to google for Hong Kong volunteering projects and found many options including even dogwalking. The dogwalking means the dogs shelter needs help with walking their dogs. The new coming volunteers are offered training and safety instructions.
Dear Hong Kong residents, have you ever participated in such dogwalking? Or any other volunteering projects? If yes, please share your experience.
It was quite interesting to read about volunteering in Hong Kong as it's all quite different from my country.
I also wonder if there is any guerrilla gardening in Hong Kong or in your country?
People of the world, please share you experience in volunteering, guerrilla gardening or taking part in any community project the purpose of which was to make a change for the better.
All my best,
Sveta
Hi!
I and my husband came to Hong-Kong recently and discovered very beautifil and exciting city. We haven't visited any sights yet, but we are looking forward to. Could you give us some recomendations about the city or tell us about your favourite places?
Sasha, my husband, is on bussiness trip while I am not, so I have a little more time to look around. Do you have any advice for the Hong-Kong explorer?
We'd also be happy to meet some local people or other travellers. Unfortunalely, we don't speak any Chinese, but we speak English and our first language is Russian.
Regards and many thanks,
Sveta
Hello!
I am translating the good old Rocky Road to Dublin into Russian and it turned to be not as easy as it had first seemed.
Dear native speakers, could you please explain me or parahrase the following lines from the song. I would like to make shure I am getting it right.
1. The chorus.
Hunt the hare and turn her
Down the rocky road
And all the ways to Dublin,
Whack-fol-lol-de-ra.
2. Enquirin’ for the rogue, They said my Connacht brogue,
Wasn’t much in vogue, On the rocky road to Dublin.
3. Down among the pigs I played some funny rigs,
Danced some hearty jigs, The water round me bubblin’,
4. Then with a loud hurray, They joined in the affray.
We quickly cleared the way, For the rocky road to Dublin.
Thank you!
