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Taking It Slow, Russian-Style

By Michele A. Berdy

Плестись: to wend

You’d think I’d be used to Moscow winters by now. And although I love the snow, by mid-February I start running out of energy. I’m like a big balloon with a slow leak, deflating and falling behind in everything.

In this state, creativity comes slowly. So I have languidly taken my time looking into how to be late in Russian.

These are important words, since being late is a Moscow thing. There’s traffic, or a metro so packed you have to wait for three trains before you can squeeze on, or — let’s be real — an alarm clock you slept through because it’s still pitch black at 8 a.m. If you’re late, a good word to use is задержаться (to be detained), which is nicely unspecific. After all, at their airport when they announce “Самолёт задерживается на три часа” (The plane will be three hours late) you don’t know if it’s because they are waiting for a spare part or because the pilot is sitting in traffic.

Sometimes задерживаться is to stay for a while — Поехали на неделю, задержались на лето (We went for a week and stayed for the summer). But sometimes people or things don’t stick around for as long as you’d like. Ваня наш нигде подолгу не задерживался (Our Vanya never stayed in any place for long.) Деньги никогда не задерживались у моего бывшего мужа (With my ex –money never stuck around for long.)

Another all-purpose word is запаздывать (to be late). Запаздывает зарплата — уже три месяца без денег! (Our salaries are being held up — we haven’t been paid in three months.) Язык всегда запаздывает — сначала явление, потом его название (Language always lags behind — first a phenomenon appears, then the name for it.)

If you don’t like those words, there’s отставать, which describes all kinds of ways of getting behind, such as taking your time when you shouldn’t. Moms and Dads are always shouting to their kids: Ребята, не отставать, нас ждут люди! (Come on, kids, don’t dawdle! People are waiting for us!) Inanimate objects can also run late: Часы на кухне отстают на десять минут (The clock in the kitchen is slow by ten minutes.) As can musicians: Скрипач отставал от оркестра (The violinist got behind the orchestra.) Or countries: Мы всё больше отстаём от развитых стран по продолжительности жизни (We are lagging further and further behind the developed countries in longevity.) Sometimes you can just be behind in everything: Вот видите, как вы отстали от жизни! (Look how behind the times you are!)

But my new favorite word for lingering and lagging is плестись. When the word is used with a person, it means to take your time going somewhere, often due to impediments: В один вечер, когда снег уже подтаял и на дорогах была жидкая, грязная каши-ца, я плелась к дому (I wended my way home one evening when the snow had melted and the roads were covered with thin, filthy, porridge-like slush.) Or fatigue: Я позади всех плёлся, потому что измотался за день (I trudged behind everyone because I was worn out for the day.)

You can also lag behind everyone — плестись в хвосте: Жизнь — это скоростная трасса, если можешь — обгоняй, не можешь — плетись в хвосте (Life is a super highway. Pass if you can. But if you can’t —you bring up the rear.)

In February I’m definitely bringing up the rear.

Modern British Families

Father leaves for work in the morning after breakfast. The two children take the bus to school, and mother stays at home cooking and cleaning until father and the kids return home in the evening. This is the traditional picture of a happy family living in Britain. But is it true today? The answer is - no! The past 20 years have seen enormous changes in the lives and structures of families in Britain, and the traditional model is no longer true in many cases.

The biggest change has been caused by divorce. As many as 2 out of 3 marriages now end in divorce, leading to a situation where many children live with one parent and only see the other at weekends or holidays.

There has also been a huge rise in the number of mothers who work. The large rise in divorces has meant many women need to work to support themselves and their children. Even when there is no divorce, many families need both parents to work in order to survive. This has caused an increase in childcare facilities, though they are very expensive and can be difficult to find in many areas. In addition, women are no longer happy to stay at home raising children, and many have careers earning as much as or even more than men, the traditional breadwinners.

There has also been a sharp increase in the number of single mothers, particularly among teenagers. Many of their children grow up never knowing their fathers, and some people feel the lack of a male role model has a damaging effect on their lives.

However, these changes have not had a totally negative effect. For women, it is now much easier to have a career and good salary. Although it is difficult to be a working mother, it has become normal and it's no longer seen as a bad thing for the children. As for children themselves, some argue that modern children grow up to be more independent and mature than in the past. From an early age they have to go to childminders or nurseries, and so they are used to dealing with strangers and mixing with other children.

So while the traditional model of a family may no longer be true in modern Britain, the modern family continues to raise happy, successful children.

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