h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Good day, Ivan!
Your name is music for my ears because it is the only Russian name in H2G2.
I am Russian so I live in Russia.
My only hobby now is to learn English. But sometimes I recollect that the world is wonderful and now I can – I really can – talk to people in English.
I live in a very small town. There are only I and… I in the town. Oh! I forget! There are a lot of terrible bears here… I fight with them and always win
What else… Russian winter, vodka… I don’t know what placed in the mind of foreigners about my country. But if you want to know more about Russia, about me you can write to me.
I’ll be very glad.
VeronikA

Hello, and welcome to h2g2!

Ivan isn't my real name, I must admit. I chose it because it was short, and because I like vodka. I'm not Russian either - but my mother is Estonian, so maybe that's close enough.

If there are any other Russians here, I'm not sure. I know we have Hapi, who lives in Moscow, but he's Dutch. There's also Solnushka, who is married to a Russian man. This is a great place to practice English; there are a lot of people here who have English as a second or third language, and it's clear that they're learning all the time.

Which part of Russia are you in? It's such a huge country...

Hello Ivan!
Thank you very much for your reply!
Your name (your nickname) is the most popular man’s name in Russia. There are so much people here whose name is Ivan… And Ivan is a main hero of Russian fairy tales .
I liked nick Solnushka. It’s impossible to translate it into English… May be «My sun» or «My dear sun». It’s so tenderly…
As I remember you live in Australia. It sounds like another planet for me because it’s very far from my native town. And your country is very big too.
I live in Volgodonsk (VOLGA+DON). It’s not a big town indeed. It’s situated in the south of Russia. Rostov-on-Don is a capital if our region. About 50 years ago a famous canal was built here. It connects two Russian rivers – the Volga and the Don.
By the way, Estonia was a part of Russia and I suppose that your mother or her parents know Russian language.
I’ve written so much… I’m a hero!
And what about you? What do you do for the living?

My grandmother understands Russian, but refuses to admit it. Still less would she speak it. The Soviet invasions of 1940 and 1944 destroyed her family, so it's understandable that she has a deep distrust of Russia; she associates the language with oppression, murder and slavery. But what can I say - she'll be 88 next month... She escaped in 1944, carrying my mother on her back. She understands that Russia wasn't the problem, and that the evil creature Stalin was the problem, but the sound of the Russian language still causes her great distress.

My first language was Estonian, but Mum started speaking to me in English before I started school so that I wouldn't seem out of place. These days, English is my preferred language.

I work for the Australian federal government, in a social welfare agency. I could say more, but I'll just end up boring you. It bores me. I'm looking for another job.

Hello!
I’m very sorry that your relatives don’t like Russians. It’s not fair…
I think invaders have no nationality. They are not Russians, German or Estonian. They are “evil creature ” – you are
right.
After I’ve received your letter I feel that your grandmother’s story is my fault because I’m Russian. Don’t you think that it isn’t fair too?
I love my country and don’t want to talk about Stalin.
My grandfather was arrested in 1933 and nobody knows where and when he died. I’ve never seen him.
I have a lot of reasons to hate… But I try to hate or to love only alive people.
Can I ask you a question? Of course if it's not a secret. How old are you?

I quite agree about invaders having no nationality. I know what irrational guilt feels like - I also have German ancestry... Let's not mention it again. I regretted saying what I did as soon as I'd said it, but there's no way to erase anything we say here. Sometimes that is good, other times it isn't so good. So let's move on...



I'm 35, though sometimes I feel like I'm 16 and sometimes I feel like I'm 72. It depends what state of mind I'm in. I am single, and live alone by choice. I like reading and gardening.

Good day! Happy New Year!
I wish you Happiness and New – really New - year!

Sorry I did'n aswer you at once.

Why don’t you ask questions? I can’t guess what you’d like to know.
I’m Veronica.
I’m 30.
I’m a journalist.

I don’t like reading because it’s my work. I read and write from morning till evening every day. And I’ve read a lot when I was a student. I’m tired… I don’t want to read about life. I just want to live.
Writers are so deceitful. I don’t believe them
And - I’m sorry, but it’s true - I don’t like gardening.
My family has got a small country-house. But it’s not interesting for me to go there.
Now I live with my parents and my niece. She is the most beautiful and clever girl in the world.
I like to swim, to dance, to meet my friends. Ok, I love to chat…
By the way, can you dance? I’ll be able to teach you dancing via the
INTERNET if you have a special belt with the necklaces
I don’t like vodka – it’s the most useless man’s creature. I don’t like winter, snow, frost and cold people.
What else?