Telecollab+-+Olya

International Student: Write a brief paragraph introducing yourself. Then pose a question about your keypals, i.e. What do you like to do for fun? Why are you taking this class? etc. etc. Then briefly comment on an aspect of American Culture that was puzzling or interesting to you when you first came to the U.S. Include a question about it if you like.

Hello! My name is Olya. Actually, I am Olga but I go by my nickname because most Americans think of Olga as a giant Slavic woman with long braids. Obviously, I am not giant at all; in fact, pretty tiny. Actually, you will be surprised when you see me anyway, because even though I was born and raised in Russia my ancestors are from South Korea. I refer to myself as KoRussian. I have a couple of questions for you, my dear keypals.

What do you like to do for your birthday? When you hear the word "Russia", what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

Puzzles about the US I was wondering how come you have all these rival schools. I remember when I got transferred from the U of U two years ago, all my friends were making fun of me for going to BYU. That made me puzzle. Another thing that I was pretty shocked about was how some people say, "hey, we should hang out soon!" or "I'll give you a call!" and then they never do.

Something that I really like here is how the customer service is. You go to the store and people smile at you, at least most of the time. It is nice to have friendly people around. Also, whenever you are not happy with a purchased item, you can return it without hassle. In Russia, it is very difficult to return anything you purchased online or at the store. Russians do not know what customer service is about and how to do business to keep your clients happy. I also like that the public transportation system in the US (by the way, have you ever ridden a bus?) is build in a way to accommodate those have physical limitations. Such people in Russia are locked in their apartments and almost never leave their homes unless they have nice family members or friends to take care of them. What I also like about being here is that some Americans sincerely believe that Asians are very smart and diligent.

American Student: Write a brief paragraph introducing yourself. Then pose a question about your keypals, i.e. What do you like to do for fun? Why are you taking this class? etc. etc. Then briefly respond to your conversation partners comments about American culture. You can also ask a question if you like.

Hi, I'm Ashlee. I love languages and speak a little of Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and American Sign Language (for deaf people). I lived in Latvia for a year and Estonia for a few months, but other than that I haven't had a lot of experience out of the US. This summer I'll be spending 7 weeks traveling around Europe in order to fix that. I'm working on a Masters in Hispanic Linguistics. I also like to sing and play pinochle, which is a card game normally associated with old people. For my birthday I like to eat cake and play games with close friends. I don't like big groups or big parties, I prefer just a few people who are really important to me. So, I can understand why "we should hang out sometime" bothers you: it bothers me too. When I hear Russia, I think that it is probably similar in a lot of ways to Latvia, big concrete apartment buildings, similar styles of dress, similar transportation. Except I imagine that Russia has more transportation, like I know Russia has a huge metro system, which Latvia does not have. I like school rivalry, it makes watching and playing sports more fun, but I do hate when people take it too far, like when U of U students poured beer on Max Hall and his family a few years ago after we won a football game. And I hate costumer service here. I prefer to be left alone, not smothered. So how long have you been in the US? What do you miss the most? Do you get to go back a lot? I know traveling is super expensive, but maybe you have family still there to visit? I would also like to hear more about what you are studying and what you like to do for fun while you are here.

Vcjevo dobrovo, (do you ever write stuff in "crazy Russian" like that?) Ashlee

Ashlee, you are right, Russia is somewhat similar to Latvia. I like to spend time with my friends, I think the way I relax is very similar to most American young people. I think English spelling of Russian words is crazy. Sometimes when I send text messages to my friends in Russian, it takes forever to type.

Hi, Olya! My name is Ariel and I am from Washington State. I am studying Spanish as a grad student here because I think it is a lot of fun to be able to communicate with other people in their own language. No, I was not named after the Little Mermaid, but I //was// born soon after she became famous.

For fun, I like to talk, I like to learn Spanish, and I like to learn linguistic stuff (not too surprising). I also enjoy doing puzzles and going for walks, singing and listening to music...I like to analyze what people say and how they say it...I look forward to having my own husband and children, because I like families, yes, but because I'm excited to see my children's speech develop as well.

I am taking this class because I need a pedagogy course for my program and because this class came highly recommended by my friends. Plus, I know from experience that Dr. M is a pretty cool profe. :)

For my birthday, I usually have a family party and a friends party--typically two separate events. Also with my family, we have a breakfast together and the birthday kid (me in this case) will find money under the plate or bowl being used. The amount is generally $1 per year old. :) For us in my family, birthdays are a big deal. What are they like for you?

When I think of Russia, I think of my friends who speak Russian or are from Russia. I also think of Hunt for Red October (really cultural, I know, but hey, at least I realize I don't know much). And I think of communism and the USSR and Sputnik. What do you think of when you think of Americans, or more specifically, American teenagers?

To comment on your observation about people not doing what they say... Yeah, that is something not a lot of people here appreciate either, but it's to be nice and sometimes friends are sincere about it, but aren't exactly willing to commit at the moment.

It surprises me that the customer service is bad in Russia. I just always assumed customer service was supposed to be nice, and that grumpy workers were just being grumpy instead of nice on an individual basis rather than only because they had to here. That is, businesses here tell employees to be nice and it is part of their job, but sometimes there is a grumpy worker. If so, it's not the company's fault. What //is// it like in Russia?

I have ridden a UTA bus. However, I must admit that I am frightened of going very far on one because I don't want to get lost. It doesn't help that the first time I rode one here, I took the wrong one, so my worst fear came true: I was stuck in an unknown place with hardly any way to find my way back.

Hi, Ariel! I actually thought about you being named after the Little Mermaid. I also agree that Dr. M is a cool professor. I asked about celebrating birthdays in the US because I heard that many people here don't really celebrate them. When I think of American teenagers, I have mixed feelings. I think most of American teenagers are pretty independent and I like it. In Russia, a customer is almost always wrong. You are probably the first American I've met who actually have ridden a bus. Most people here drive or they think that buses are scary. I think they are fun.