In the end only kindness matters...

Sometimes you write a post, and the words are like a huge echo. You have no idea where the words travel, who hears their tone, or in what country the human reading them is located. So, this post is just a short test to check blog traffic, and see who is still visiting LJ during the long holiday in Russia.

I can't imagine having so many days off in a row, as it is unheard of in the USA unless you are taking personal vacation. The country simply would not shut down for two weeks. I was off for too many days the past month because my office was empty, with no work to do. I almost went insane from idleness, but got to see some films in the cinema - the children's movie "Sing," "Passengers", and a very good and touching movie called "Manchester by the Sea." Plus, tons of old films on Netflix. :)

Who is here? :) Also, how many of you have heard of Dreamwidth.org? This is another blogging platform, with an interface similar to LJ. I am thinking about cross-posting there, as there is a mix of both Russian and English language blogs, in an effort to draw new readers and commentators to the blog. I want to continue to publish posts about my journey to the tiny gem called Georgia, but only if there are people to view the words and photos, to absorb the stories, and somehow find meaning, pleasure, or even aggravation in them.

Happy New Year dear readers! I hope 2017 is a good one...

I don't understand this holiday in Russia. Is it merely a religious observation, or do people also exchange gifts on Orthodox Christmas as they do on New Year's? Congratulations to those who celebrate! I'm not sure how the Orthodox church observes Christmas day, or if it varies from the Christian rituals in the USA and Europe on 25 December, but I hope everyone has a festive day! Cheers from the USA! :) Please share Orthodox Christmas traditions in comments. I'm not religious and don't observe these holy days, but is interesting to learn about cultural distinctions for celebration.

Before the sun rose this morning, we were up with my young nephew looking at Santa's delivery in the living room. :) What fun to watch kids and all their excitement on Christmas morning! I know this day is not widely observed in Russia, and that Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on 7 January. However, for all of my readers in the U.S. and abroad who are celebrating I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas! My mom is now in the kitchen cooking a hearty breakfast, and we will spend the rest of the day relaxing and welcoming family guests before we have a formal Christmas dinner this evening. Cheers!

P.S.: Should I publish reports in the blog next week, or will everyone be too busy with the New Year holiday to read? I'm off of work until 4 January, and will finally have time to write! 

Americans are preparing for a big holiday tomorrow with the arrival of the Fourth of July. Red, white and blue to the extreme. Stars and stripes hanging everywhere, a lot of colorful parades and small town festivals. Usually, I stay at home in the Washington, DC area and watch the fireworks explode over the Washington Monument and Capitol from the comfort of my apartment balcony. However, this year we're lucky because the holiday falls on Friday, my work closes today at 2 p.m., and we're treated to a long weekend. I'll travel to our wilderness home in Fredricksburg, Virginia and try to attend the festivities tomorrow in the Old Town area. We're having a crushing heatwave here in Virginia, temps today around +35 C, but I'll do my best to suffer in the heat and photograph the local festival to show you how Americans typically celebrate their nation's birthday. It involves a lot hamburgers and hot dogs, beer, family time and guess what? FLAGS!! :))

To define America in a few words is impossible for me. I can only say I love my country, its people and the principles upon which it was founded. Yes, this is a textbook quote and to try to explain American patriotism seems impossible to a foreign audience. I've tried here on LiveJournal and can never adequately express it, or my Russian audience can't relate to the sentiment. Many readers feel our patriotism is unauthentic or a product of indoctrination, but it's not the truth. I think you must live here, absorb the diverse beauty of the nation, from its landscapes to people, to fully appreciate the country and the spirit of its people. Politically, America sometimes feels like two nations, not one. Yet on the human front, I still believe "American" is a cohesive term. A feeling that people genuinely care about and respect others, that you can come from anywhere in the world, work hard, assimilate into our society and be considered "American" in the same manner as a person born here. There are not many nations on the globe where this is possible.

Happy Birthday America! I've traveled to over 30 countries, yet there's no other place I wish to call home. 

I know in Russia people are getting ready to celebrate May holidays, but I didn't remember the significance of all the days. So, I googled it and found this interesting image. In the U.S., we don't celebrate International Workers' Day on 1 May. We have a similar holiday called "Labor Day," which is celebrated on the first Monday of September. It's a national holiday, and officially marks the end of summertime. I understand that in modern day Russia the holiday has lost some significance, and it is mainly a day of protest.

Should I continue to publish reports this week, or will everyone be away from LiveJournal? How will you spend the holidays? Unfortunately, I no longer have my flight benefits through United Airlines, so my overseas travel this summer will now be much less. Soon, I'll put up a poll and readers can vote on my next U.S. destination. You will recall I did this last year, and readers sent me to Wyoming. I'm thinking of Colorado, Montana, or maybe somewhere in Canada.

I wish everyone a relaxing holiday, whether you spend it traveling or with family! 

I once visited a winter market in Vienna, Austria. Everywhere the smell of spice, cinnamon and Christmas! Twinkling lights, romantic strolls through the narrow aisles and warm mulled wine. There are many things Europe does better than America, and Christmas markets is one of them. We have no such traditions in America, although most large cities will have some type of "holiday" market. A few days ago, we took a stroll through the market in Washington, DC. Incredibly boring, yet it has been ranked as one of the top 10 holiday markets in the country by many publications. Let's look inside...( Read more... )