Liankacreations

  January 13–14, 2026 The Old New Year, also known as the Orthodox New Year, is an informal traditional holiday celebrated according to the Julian calendar. In the 20th and 21st centuries, it falls on January 14 in the Gregorian calendar. Unfortunately, this year in Russia the working days started again on January 12. Fortunately, people had enjoyed a very long Christmas vacation up until then. During those holidays, my youngest son and his wife — my lovely daughter-in-law — went to visit her relatives in the city of Kemerovo. The trip usually takes about three hours in normal weather, but on their way back a blizzard began. Thankfully, they made it home safely. They sent me some photos and videos, which I put together in a short video here . As for me, I’m no longer very attached to Russian holidays. Life here is different, with different customs. I’ve become so busy that, while I still remember many holidays, I no longer celebrate them with large feasts. For example, it is very c...

  The holidays are finally over — well, almost. Orthodox Christmas and the Old New Year are still ahead. But there will be no more large feasts or gift exchanges. For many people here, these days will pass unnoticed: Americans are not familiar with Russian-style holidays. Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on the night of January 6th to 7th. This means that all morning on January 6th I will be receiving and answering congratulations. And then Svyatki begins — the Christmas season, a time when young people, especially girls, traditionally tell fortunes, most often about their future spouse. Luckily, I don’t do that. It feels good to have grown out of that age — or perhaps simply out of that country. Instead of fortune-telling, I think about a vision board. I first learned about it in Tomsk. And ever since I once heard about The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, I have believed in the Universe — alongside God, faith, superstition, good and bad karma, dreams… and myself. I do what I can. I try ...

  Faith, Memory, and the Small Habits We Carry Across Borders I never thought I would miss church. But somehow I got into the habit of going to church at Christmas—Catholic Christmas—and also to the Episcopal church, whatever that means. Churches here are different from Russian ones. Of course, they belong to different religions to begin with. But to me, God is one. And although I was never a religious person, there are moments when I feel the need to go to church. I was never religious because I couldn’t be. The Soviet government and the Communist Party were our ideology and our faith. There was no room for belief beyond that. After the fall of the Soviet Union, churches reopened. Happy citizens rushed inside to baptize their children, to marry, to celebrate Easter and Christmas, and so on. Suddenly, people found faith in God, and the churches filled with parishioners. Russian churches are not very humane. You can hardly find benches to sit on during the service— if nothing has ch...

  If you think it’s cold here, you’re wrong — it’s –35°C in Tomsk. More than 10 scheduled buses did not depart from Tomsk to Tolmachevo, Asino, Kozhevnikovo, Teguldet, and other settlements on Tuesday due to the extreme frost.   Earlier, it was reported that temperatures in the Tomsk region could drop from –30°C (–22°F) to –43°C (–45.5°F). Tomsk itself is in the southern part of the region, but it is still around –35°C there. It’s going to get warmer on Thursday, only -11°C (12.2° F ) -13°C (8.6° F). Mayor Dmitry Makhinya urged drivers to give rides to people waiting at bus stops during severe frosts and help take them to a warm place. In Russia, it’s generally normal to give rides to strangers (this is how I got married for the first time, LOL). I haven’t seen a similar practice here. Maybe it is just me.  One news caught my attention: On December 8, a group of Russians was deported from the United States for the third time. The third time? I didn’t hear anyone tal...

  Journaling 7* When you’ve worked in the same library branch long enough, you start recognizing patrons as soon as they walk in. Since I don’t see well from far away, I often recognize people by their figure, posture, or even their smell. You might not believe it—or maybe you would—but some people come in with a very strong smell of alcohol. There was one pair in particular, a mother and her son, who always carried that strong scent. I especially remember the son. He visited the library for several days in a row about a year ago . I remembered him because once he said, “Every time I get out of prison, I go to the library.” I couldn’t stop smiling that day; he just made my day. So here he was again, this time with his mother. She checked out a book, and then they left, leaving the strong smell of alcohol lingering in the building.

  Every year on October 21, we begin our celebrations: first, the anniversary of my arrival; then our wedding anniversary; and finally, New Year.  Today marks twelve years since I landed at Logan Airport. Daniel met me there with flowers. I was so relieved to finally let go of my constant alertness after traveling for nearly 36 hours. At last, I could relax and start looking around for something similar to what I just left - something that could help me to encore in Massachusetts. I often tell people that I’m in America only because my husband is an American, and I am grateful to him for that. My husband is my only encore.   Daniel asked me today whether twelve years feels like a long time. Honestly, I’m not sure. Sometimes it feels like we’ve been through so much together, and yet, I don’t want to believe that I’m twelve years older. Twelve years ago, Daniel took me to the beach. It was the first time I saw the ocean, the sea grass, the seagulls. I have been in love...