Patronyms

Well, if you are observant you have probably noticed that my hosts in Vladimir were Galya, Anya, and Sergei, and my hosts in Murom were Anya and Sergei. It's a coincidence, but not a big one. Russians do not use the variety of first names that we do. To distinguish between Anyas and Sergeis and such, Russians have what are called patronyms. These are a little like middle names, but they are based on the name of your father. So Anya in Vladimir was Anya Anatolyovna, or "Anya, daughter of Anatoly." To make a patronym, start with your father's first name. If you are a boy, add the suffix -vich to the name. If you are a girl, add -ovna. So my name with patronym would be Audrey Williamovna. My father's name with patronym would be William Arthurovich. (It sounds better with the Russian names!) In modern Russian society this serves to distinguish between people with the same first name, and it is also used in formal settings.

The homestay part of my trip is over. I had a great time! I'm ready to see Moscow and St. Petersburg, but here are three things that I will miss about living with a Russian family:

1. Chai (Russian for tea). Russians love tea and drink it often, and it is always served with sweets. We linger for a while over the tea, sometimes talking, sometimes just enjoying a comfortable silence.
2. Laughing, laughing, laughing. Often in the USA we have an image of Russians as rather grim people. To be honest, they do appear this way in the street. At home with their friends, though, they love to laugh and tease and embrace.
3. Honesty. Russians have different manners from Americans. If they want something or don't want it, they just say so. If they want to know something, they ask. There is no sense that a question might be too personal. Of course, if you ask a Russian a personal question they might not give a straightforward response, but they will not be offended by your having asked it. And if they ask something too personal of you, you can just avoid the question altogether and they will not be offended. But for the most part, this direct questioning leads to honest answers and interesting conversation.

Tonight we take a night train to St. Petersburg. I have never slept on a train before and I am very excited to try it! Let's see how enthusiastic I am about it tomorrow morning . . .