Willamette World News

By Mariia Ulibegova If you find yourself in Russia and want to have a pleasant evening with a slice of pizza in one hand and a remote control in the other, what do you do? For a really long time now Russian television has been used as a platform to push the ‘official’ political agenda in […]

By Mariia Ulibegova In this article I will try to recall my most vivid memories and most distinguishing features of all the levels of Russian education I’ve been through, from learning how to write to learning how to write a thesis.

By Mariia Ulibegova, Russian Language Assistant In this article I want to present various views on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election that individuals and certain media hold in Russia. Is Trump good or bad for Russia? Opinions differ. I want to show how they differ and why. I also tried to incorporate these […]

Written by Liberty Siegle. Note: I am studying abroad in Irkutsk, a Siberian city close to Mongolia. I am over 3,000 miles from Moscow, so bear in mind that my experience here varies dramatically from what a student in western Russia experiences.

So you’re going to the philharmonic with your host mom for the first time, and you’re making small talk along the way. She asks you if you’re dating anyone, and you say her, you have a boyfriend. She then jumps to the conclusion that “boyfriend” means “husband” and asks “so how long have you been […]

Hello wonderful Willametonians! When it comes to holidays not typically celebrated in the United States, Russia has a whole calendar of them. Literally. Russia follows the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar\Julian calendar as well as the Gregorian calendar (which is the calendar Westerners use). An example of this would be how Russia celebrates New Year’s Day […]

Привет/Privet dear readers! I must say, I had no idea that the floor is hot lava in Russia (remember those primary school days), and that the rugs go on the wall. Yet, this is one of the many lessons I have stowed away in my mental archives since embarking on a study abroad to Russia. […]

Hello Willamette! Long time no write! I’m afraid this is going to be my last contribution to WWN so I better make it as tasty as possible, no? As it happens, food is one of my great passions in life; whether it is eating, feeding, making or simply looking at food. (Google Images is both […]

What prompts citizens to leave their homeland forever and how does their life change because of it? I’d like to start my reflection at the first steps of the process – in the consulate, because as it happens, I was there this morning (don’t freak out though, I’m not moving).

Having grown up in U.S, I’ve seen Russia only as a tourist.Every other year or so, my family has traveled to St. Petersburg, where most of our family lives. Frankly, it’s my favorite city in the world (but don’t tell the other cities that). The “Venice of the North,” as it is sometimes called, holds […]

Привет, dear friends! My name is Anastasia and I have the privilege of being the Russian Language Assistant this year and joining you in Willamette World News. Although I grew up in America, I remain a native Russian speaker. My family migrated from Russia when I was ten months old, and since then Russian has […]

Old fortresses, even after one battle, are sometimes claimed to have ghosts and spirits of defeated souls roaming them. Kremlin was priginally a fortress, then a castle of aort, and more recently served as headquarters for a major world power that was spreading workers’ revolution throughout the world. Internal political conflicts, assassinations of political leaders […]

November 7th, up until a few years ago, was celebrated as an anniversary of the rise of Communist Party to power in Russia. I see symbolism in the controversy that is brewing at the present moment in Russia as this formerly important holiday approaches.

…and missing the other edge by a few $ grand in the difference of salaries. Very few, if any at all, “first-world” countries can pride themselves on the non-existence of a salary gender gap. It exists in the U.S., it exists in Europe, it”s been around for quite a while.

To a country that is numbered 7 on the list of top 20 oil reserve states according to the CIA world factbook, “sustainability,” the fancy word entering the global vocabulary list, shouldn’t ring a bell just yet. As Eugene Kozlovski, a professor of the Optimization Department in the National Institute of Geological Research of Russia […]

February, 2003. Fearing for my life because of the taxi driver’s bravado on a highway. Moscow, Russia : 25 degrees Fahrenheit, sleet on the roads. Within 24 hours, I find myself on a different planet: flower beds with rhododendrons getting ready to slowly go into shy, not yet full, bloom, and green lawns on which […]

The distinction between between the Russian Celebration of New Year’s and X-mas in America is not distinguishable – for most of the country, the celebration has taken on the more “consumerism” and “getting together with family and friends” approach.

You will probably read about how the whole world is getting the aggressive “hope” vibe from Obama in other World News entries by my colleagues, but I will tell you something you won’t likely see anywhere else:
the fact that McCain LOST was a better indicator of change coming to the U.S. that Obama having been elected.

Hallows Eve in Russia – more of controversy and less of a masquerade than it should be. What justification do opponents of this Western tradition use?

On April 12th, 1961 the USSR launched the first man ever into an outer space. Yurii Gagarin became the first man who witnessed the wonders of outer space. Such event became a phenomenon for the whole world. Nobody expected the Soviet abilities, thus it was a shock to the world when the USSR was the […]

The 8th of March is an official public holiday recognized by the Russian government. On these days, government offices, embassies and some shops, are closed. If the date of observance falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday will be a day off in lieu of the holiday.March 8th is designated by the United […]

Hi, my name is Natasha or Natalia, the full name version. I came from Russia a month ago. I’m a Russian Language Assistant. I work with American students who study Russian language and culture. I live in the city of Krasnodar, South of Russia, Krasnodar Krai (also Kuban). Kuban is famous for its resorts on […]

The EU has imposed serious sanctions against the US. The trade war has broken out between European Union and USA. The European Union tried multiple times to persuade USA to adjust their legislation to the law of the European Union and World Trade Organization. Since USA did not obey, as a result the EU imposed […]

It Is Costly to Criticize Poutin It seems as if the power of censorship is growing in Russia. Not too long ago NTV authorities did not allow to air a material about Elena Tregubova’s book “Tales of the Kremlin Digger”, planned to be featured in Leonid Parfenov’s “Namedni”. One of the materials of the book […]