You have! Thank you!

It's funny because I always pictured my accent as a 'base' for the English accent. Do the English consider their accent a 'base' or do they 'strip off' their accent to do American (hope I'm making sense)?

Lu

P.S. Pigeon pie doesn't sound to good...

I have a question narnian_at_heart, you mentioned that there are Orthodox Churches where you are and I was wondering if they are a bit different then the ones here. Do you know if the sit or stand during the services and if the women have to have their heads covered?

I'm not Russian Orthodox so I've never been to one of the services, just heard about them. I don't know about the head coverings, I don't think they wear them from what I've heard from friends who are Orthodox.

I do know that they do stand and there was actually quite a bit of contraversy a few years ago because some people wanted to bring in a few chairs and let older people sit but the rest of the people didn't want them to bring in chairs.

I'm pretty sure that they do sit part of the time now because I was talking to an Orthodox friend and she said that she's probably the first person to ever fall asleep holding a candle (during a service). I'm assuming that she was sitting because I can't imagine her falling asleep with a candle while standing!

Here all women have to have their heads covered with a cloth when they go to church, and men on the opposite have to take their hats off. In the church there are a few benches in the back where old people and pregnant women sit, other than that everyone else stands. It's neat if people can sit, cause I'm not an Orthodox but I've been to sevices and once I had to stand for two and a half hours for the sevice then for confession and communion.....I felt as if my feet where going to fall off.

Adeona wrote:
Regarding Russians in Alaska, wild rose, there are a lot where I live. Most of the ladies were dresses (long, pretty silky ones) and a head cover. I'm not sure if there are any orthodox churches.

wow cool, I'll bet they are Orthodox cause that is the way Orthodox women dress, they rarely wear pants, in church it's forbidden to wear pants, only skirts

Lucy of Narnia wrote:
What is the weather like?
What special holidays do you have that Americans don't?
What is something that you are curious about us?

The weather varies greatly depending on where in Russia you live. If you live down south it's not very cold with hot summers and mild winters. Up north the snow may never melt. I remember watching on televsion how it was the beginning of summer vacations and all the kids were sledding down a hill of snow. Where I live the winter are usually quite, but not very cold (about -15 to -20 degrees centigrade) this winter has been unbelivable warm with temeratures of only about -3 to-5 degrees. summer are usually rather hot but not to hot, in winter the sun sets very fast, usually by five p.m. it's pitch black outside, and in summer the sun sets very late at around 11 p.m. (up north around St. Petersburg and Veliki Novgorod there are what we call white nights, when the sun doesn't set, it's really awesome there)
Special holidays...well we have this holiday on the 8th of march known as 'The International Women's Day' but from what I heard, it is only celebrated in Russia, Ukraine and places like that.
23rd of Feburary is 'The Day of the Protectors of our Fatherhood' which is basically men's day
May 9 which is a huge national holiday on which the victory of WWII is celebrated
November 4th is also a big holiday, on which is celebrated victory over the Polish attack in 1612, the end of the Troubled Era and the beginning of the Romanov Dynasty
What is something that you are curious about us?
Personally me,I'm curious in just about everthing, but one thing is do you have any national or traditional foods and I'd also like to know about some of you national holidays cause the only one I am aware of is the 4th of July

Lucy of Narnia wrote:
BTW, what I meant about 'is dance really important in Russia?' is like, is it a staple in your culture, like everybody learns to dance, passed on by families, etc.?

ah I see, well I guess in a way then dance is important. It is a very imporant part of our culture, passed on by families....I don't really know....maybe in some families . Dancing is ver popular though, it will be rare for a kid to not have done somekind of dancing in his life. Usually when they are young parents send their kids to what is called here 'choreography' it's just basic dancing, lots of kids also do ballroom dancing when they are in first through third grade. A lot of guys at our reenactment club did ballroom when they were young. We'll start talking about dancing and they are like, 'oh yeah I danced ballroom in first grade'
So yes in a way, dancing is important
I do have another question, in other counties is a thing known as 'reenacment' popular in other countries. When you take a certain period of history and reenact it,like sew clothes that they wore in those times, make weapons of those days and stuff like that. It's SUPER popular in Russia, like amazigly popular, a lot of people are into it and I was wondering about other countries

A few answers to some Canadian questions, from my southern Ontario POV:

Going back to Kira's post (*waves to all the Canadians on here* ) ... I tend to say 'eh' quite a lot, and I've heard that bit about 'sorry' too. That's funny about the igloo question, Kira.

For Canadians: Is snow a regular occurrence in Winter, and does it get very deep?
Do you really make hugs snow forts in winter?
What's your food like?

Ditto to Watziznehm's & Kira's responses, plus I'll add a bit of my own:
1) Many parts of Canada get snow in the winter: some more, some less. We have very similar weather patterns to the northern US. In fact, a good bit of the USA is north of the most southern reaches of Canada (which lie in Ontario). When I was a child, we used to have snow all winter long ('twas marvelous!), but now, it's hit and miss where I am, sadly and to my utter chagrin. We are near the lake, which quite moderates the weather. I long to move to an area someday—even only a couple of hours away—that has more consistent snowfall.
2) When we have snow, we love to play in it, yes: snowball fights, forts (but not usually huge), etc. And we don't live in them.
3) Nearly exactly like yours (if you're from the States), except for white vinegar (which we like with our french fries), ketchup chips (I think), and some British chocolate bars like the bubbly Aero bar.

The only other Canadian stereotype I've heard is that the people there are super nice. (My penpal says that one is false, lol )

As with any country, there are nice Canadians and not-so-nice Canadians.

Hmmm I've always wondered if hockey was really *that big* in Canada or if it's just a sterotype

It's a huge sport here: mega-crazy fans all over the place, even thousands who still root for the Toronto Maple Leafs even though they haven't won a Stanley Cup in 'forever' (since the 60s, I believe ). That's one loyal fan base!

As Kira and Watziznehm mentioned, another hugely Canadian icon is Tim Horton's. It's almost like a welcoming, cozy, community pub where folk come to gather, chat and catch-up with each other. Wonderful place! (Pretty good food, too, which has expanded from only donuts to an expansive deli selection.)

Only in Canada, eh? Although I know Timmies is gradually expanding into the States.

It's a huge sport here: mega-crazy fans all over the place, even thousands who still root for the Toronto Maple Leafs even though they haven't won a Stanley Cup in 'forever' (since the 60s, I believe ). That's one loyal fan base!

1967, in fact. My family are all part of the thousands-who-still-love-the-Leafs crowd. Granted, we are not about speaking about their weak spots and where they can improve, but all in all we love 'em through thick and thin. Actually, my siblings and I are third generation Leaf fans, which we inherited from both sides of the family. Which just, of course, proves that hockey really is a 'big' thing up here.

I do have another question, in other counties is a thing known as 'reenacment' popular in other countries. When you take a certain period of history and reenact it,like sew clothes that they wore in those times, make weapons of those days and stuff like that. It's SUPER popular in Russia, like amazigly popular, a lot of people are into it and I was wondering about other countries

Oh yes! We have that here in Canada as well, it's fairly popular, I'd say. In fact, when my siblings and I were much younger- I was probably four or five then, Mom and Dad took us to a War of 1812 reenactment. Needless to say, my older brother and I were bitten by the British history bug and have never lost our love of British and British Canadian history. I've often thought it would be fun to reenact- there are even some organisations that reenact my favourite regiments in the British army from the 1800s (my favourite time period), but we don't live in an area conducive to reenacting. Maybe someday.

Old folks have taken up the tradition of coming to "Tim's", buying a coffee, and then sitting around the tables, gabbing.

Heh. I work at a Tim Horton's and the old folks who sit around for hours and gab are quite plentiful. A lot of them get their coffee watered down with hot water too, seems nasty.

Sometimes people from the US come into my Tim Horton's, you can tell they're from the US because they tell me and use it as their excuse for spending half an hour staring at the menu board and still not getting it and then holding up the line as they order. A lot of Canadian customers don't understand our menus either though, they're just more prone to inform me of the confusion while the rare American will just say, "Sorry, we're from the US". Oh! And out of all the items and drinks Tim Horton's offers, the most popular drink by far is a large double double, it's crazy popular

Of course, I'm in British Columbia, so I can't speak for all Canadians.

You're the third British Columbian I know of on here! Very cool. I live a lot more North though, so we get a LOT of snow.

As for Canadian food - well it's all the same as in the US pretty much, except for a few things, as already mentioned before. Nanaimo bars of course! And poutine, which I personally consider kind of icky. And pizza with Canadian topping I suppose? And after discovering in johobbit's post that ketchup chips (ick) and Aero bars don't exist in the US, I went and looked up some other things and apparently Canada has Coffee Crisps and Crispy Crunches (chocolate bars) and the US doesn't... I had no idea, they're standard-see-everywhere chocolate bars here. And apparently the US has a lack of Shreddies (cold cereal, ick to it as well ) too. We have the Canadian Second Cup here as well. I hear they make better hot drinks than both Starbucks and Tim Horton's, but I never go there. I'm a Timmies girl, plus I get 25% off my orders because I work there so it's not like I have a choice.

I say "eh" a lot too. I mean not to, but I just can't help it! I've also heard that the Canadians on the far East are the nicest - my grandparents retired and went on a road trip all across Canada as celebration, and they said the nicest people they met during their travels were in New Brunswick.

I say "eh" a lot too. I mean not to, but I just can't help it!

I went on vacation to Canada once, and that surprised me. I thought that was mostly just an over-done joke, but every Canadian I talked to said it more than once!

To anyone from Alaska, are there any accents there that are only found in Alaska? Are there many chain restaurants/stores in the cities?

To anyone from Alaska, are there any accents there that are only found in Alaska? Are there many chain restaurants/stores in the cities?

Not really any accents. No one I know (and I've been on several mission trips with people from all over the country and a few people from other countries) has ever mentioned that I had an accent.

EDIT: actually, if someone is Native (Alaskan Indian), you can definetly tell by the way they talk. It's not really an accent, I guess, it's a way of speech kind of if you get what I'm driving at. It's hard to explain. It's just a way of saying certain words so I guess, yea, it kind of is an accent. Also some people have it and some don't. Pretty much all full native people have that way of speech. There's a smaller percentage of people who are half native who have it. People who are half sometimes don't speak that way at all or it's not as pronounced. If someone is less than half, they don't really have it.

I'd explain it a little more but I really can't. I can hear someone talking that way in my head but it's hard to put into words and it's not really particular words that are said differently (like a down-south person saying y'all) but an inflection more. I don't know how to explain it better.

Oh yea, there are lots of stores and restaurants in the cities. Where I live, there are no fastfood or chain restaurants or chain stores except for a small/medium sized Safeway. In the cities and large towns, there are quite a lot though. In Anchorage (the largest city) there's Walmart, Fred Meyer, Sears, Office Max, Best Buy, Blockbusters, Borders Books, JCPenney's, Safeway, etc. As for restaurants; there're all your normal fast food places: McDonalds, Arby's, Wendy's, KFC, Dairy Queen, Burger King, Carl's Jr., Taco Bell, etc.. The only fastfood chain we don't have (which is sad, because I love it) that I can think of is Chick-Fil-A. As for other restaurants, we have TGI Fridays, Applebees, IHOP, Outback Steakhouse, Olive Garden, and that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

That's what I can think of in five minutes. If there are any other specific ones you want to know about, just ask.

Please forgive me if this question is dumb, but for people in Alaska and Canada- are there Native Indians living in the north cold areas (like the Islands above, or the northern states for Canada)? And if so, do most live in modern lifestyles or still in tepees/igloos? Or does it depend?
(I know the last question is really dumb, but I'm curious!)

There are natives that live up in the northern provinces and territories of Canada, yes. Although, of course, those areas are not as populated, and much of the land is just wild, I believe. (Perhaps someone who knows more details can fill you in on that?) As far as I know they live in communities that are much like ours, although the architectural style may be somewhat different to better withstand the cold. Of course, they still carry on much of their traditions, but they live modern lifestyles from what I understand.

Firstly, Aslanisthebest, I have to clarify something. What you call States, we call Provinces. Just a little basic lesson.

About the Natives up North: Yes, they live in houses, not igloos. Although, they do still carry on most of their traditions otherwise. But, a fun fact about the Inuit: they, unlike the Natives to the South, migrated to Canada from Russia. They were not native at all to begin with! No, seriously! At least, that is what I saw on a documentary once, so my source isn't all that sound. Still, if you take a picture of a native Russian and compare it with a picture of a native Inuit, you will probably find it hard to disbelieve.

Please forgive me if this question is dumb, but for people in Alaska and Canada- are there Native Indians living in the north cold areas (like the Islands above, or the northern states for Canada)? And if so, do most live in modern lifestyles or still in tepees/igloos? Or does it depend?
(I know the last question is really dumb, but I'm curious!)

Yes, there are Natives who live up there. Pretty much all of them live in regular houses and have some modern conveniences but also live very much traditionally. There are probably a few who live in igloos, but I'm not sure.

There's one thing I've always wondered...is Thanksgiving celebrated by people outside of the United States? I'd guess not, since it was started in America, but I couldn't say for sure. If not, are there any holidays that you celebrate that we don't, maybe something that's sort of like Thanksgiving?

Ah, we Canadians also celebrate Thanksgiving! But, we do it in October. The Americans, of course, do it November. As it is though, we don't get nearly as hyped up about our Thanksgiving as the Americans. I've heard that they usually spend more for Thanksgiving than Christmas! Not so for us. Nope, we just prepare a larger meal than normal, most of the time a classic Turkey, and invite friends over to eat it up. That's it!

I read the other day that originally, our Canadian thanksgiving was celebrated on a Thursday in November, and then it changed dates several times, but after an Act of Parliament in 1957 we officially started celebrating it in October. According to Wikipedia, the first time Thanksgiving was celebrated in Canada after Confederation was in April, 1872, when we celebrated it because the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) had recovered from a serious illness.

Yeah, Thanksgiving is probably the 2nd biggest holiday of the year after Christmas in the US. The table is loaded with an overabundance of food (I'm sure Norman Rockwell's picture of a "traditional" Thanksgiving meal may have something to do with this too ), everyone gets stuffed, and either naps on the couch or watches football games. I didn't realize Canada had Thanksgiving...learn something new everyday . Out of curiousity what's Boxing Day all about? I have envisioned this epic thing where Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, and George Foreman teamed up and saved the UK, so they rewarded them with a named holiday.

The parts of Canada I've always wanted to see most were Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon (ask Johobbit )...I guess I read a too much Jack London or something, but it's supposed to be beautiful in its austerity, a good place to be alone, sort of a "rugged individualist" type of environment surrounded by incredible beauty. *writes this one on his 'must see' list*