Это Я

[peacetraveler22]

In the virtual world it's easy to transform into an entirely different creature. With the click of a few keys and photo processing people instantly become more beautiful, braver and smarter. I think this is most apparent if you've ever played the online dating game. You exchange messages with someone, a few photos, and then when the time comes you meet a person entirely different from the prince you created in your head. Maybe their voice isn't what you expected, or their mannerisms or body language throw you off. It's a strange social experiment to be part of this scene. I tried it for a few months last year, but it doesn't work for me. Almost all of my past relationships started first as friendships and then progressed into something more. I still believe it's the most solid foundation for any relationship.

In my blog, I try to show you the true me. If you read me consistently it should be easy to understand my basic personality traits. The bloggers I enjoy reading most on LJ are the ones who do the same. They write with some sense of emotion and personal insight, rather than objectively. I've met two popular LJ bloggers during their visits to America. One personality was exactly as I expected, the other completely different. And when one of my readers visited DC, I shared a lovely evening with him and his wife. Wonderful, intelligent and interesting people. Exactly as I imagined from this reader's comments.

So today I show you something new about me. Recently one of my Russian friends celebrated a birthday. It's tradition for me to send foreign friends video greetings on special occasions, and in this one you can hear me speak a few Russian words. :) Yes, we all live and die by email and other forms of electronic communication. It's the way of the world but to me it sometimes grows stale and impersonal. Always better to see some animation in the face, some type of expression such that kind words and thoughts are adequately expressed and felt.

Can you understand my Russian in the video? The Russian phrase for "Happy Birthday" is very difficult for an English speaker to pronounce! Maybe I'll try a new experiment and record a short video greeting for you each month in Russian. It will motivate me to study and practice my Russian speech. Or maybe you will grow tired of seeing me? :) At least for today you can see me in motion and hear my voice. Это Я!

Comments

[ss-sulaco.livejournal.com]

I could't have said it better :)

[atlantis555.livejournal.com]

>Can you understand my Russian in the video?
Of course )

>Maybe I'll try a new experiment and record a short video greeting for you each month in Russian
Yes, it'll be interesting. It's always interesting to hear foreigners speak Russian )

[weary-cynic.livejournal.com]

'iz americA' must be 'iz americE' (Russian И not A in the end)

Everything else is very good

[mat-uc.livejournal.com]

Very soft.

U need more "R" and words must be harder.

Not Priv'et. Just PriVet :)

[278200.livejournal.com]

i think u had prononced it very well!

[wonder1ng.livejournal.com]

pretty woman!)

[demonfrost.livejournal.com]

I think you performed it almost perfectly, being an English speaker. Adding to some little corrections expressed above, please try not to make such pause between "С" and "Днем", rather speak it as a whole: "[zdnyom]".

[real-marsel.livejournal.com]

I adore your pronounciation! It's marvelous!

[real-marsel.livejournal.com]

It's music for my ears.

[nar-row.livejournal.com]

That is good enough to understand. :)

By the way, in Russian language pronoun "я" must be the lowercase letter, if a sentence does not start with it.

[joshslokam.livejournal.com]

слово "ПОКА" очень хорошо получилось :)

[mujlan01.livejournal.com]

What a beautiful face, and nice smile! As one friend of mine says: If I was not married ..:))
I understand both sides of your message/// Your Russian is good!

[qi-tronic.livejournal.com]

Foreigners hardly understand how to pronounce soft consonants.
Almost always it sounds like "привьет".
Or "привЭт" :))

But Chinese language is much harder in this part... :)

[qi-tronic.livejournal.com]

Very well understandable!

But did you notice that body language, facial expressions and usage of voice are different for different nations?

For example, the high voice you used ... in Russia it is normally used only when you want to warn somebody (for example, a child) about their behaviour.
So it sounds a little bit like if you are not happy.
If you are happy the voice will be lower like coming more from the heart, not from the head.

This is probably one of the reasons why Russians think that Americans are always teaching them something :))

Here:
ottenki-serogo. livejournal. com/299971.html
many readers solved the puzzle where this new office is located as early as at picture 6, finding that these are _our_ girls :)

[sergechel.livejournal.com]

Correct ending - iz Ameriki, not iz Amerika

[fesma94.livejournal.com]

Or maybe you will grow tired of seeing me? :) (c)
Tired?! :-) I want more posts from you , smart and engaging woman

[mybathroom.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to see you, Shannon!
Your Russian is great!

[wojzeh.livejournal.com]

красотка!

всякого русского можно поздравить вот этой песней:

http://lyricstranslate.com/ru/ya-igrayu-na-garmoshke-ya-igrayu-na-garmoshke-i-play-accordion.html

this is the 'happy-bithday-to-you' russian song.

[inamora.livejournal.com]

you're boring ))

[inamora.livejournal.com]

Зануда.

[inamora.livejournal.com]

Your Russian is great!
I told you already ))

[modest-so-zvezd.livejournal.com]

in life you're different than the photo))

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

In real life, I'm a plain and low-maintenance woman. I wear very little make-up or none at all. In my current LJ photo, I have a lot of make-up on for a photo shoot. :)

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Yes, you could! :)

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Okay, I will try to practice and make Russian videos every once in a while. But they will be very short.