News, reports, interview, opinion, travel writing
Discover how school holidays differ worldwide. In Canada and Australia, students enjoy extended breaks with opportunities for reading challenges and early work experiences. In contrast, the UAE offers shorter vacations but emphasizes extracurricular activities and family time. This article explores these diverse approaches to school holidays.
School Holidays all over the world Read Post »
In August, we set out from the small coastal community of Bamfield, following the rugged trail toward Cape Beale Lighthouse—the oldest staffed sentinel in British Columbia. The journey would take us through dripping forests, over broken boardwalks, and past the ghostly shapes of abandoned boats, until the path ended at the edge of the continent, where waves and wind rule.
At the Edge of the World: Hiking to Cape Beale Lighthouse Read Post »
On Vancouver Island’s remote west coast, Tofino blends vast beaches, ancient cedar forests, and rich Indigenous heritage. Reached via winding roads and free of cell service, it offers world-class surfing, wildlife encounters, and rugged beauty. Over a holiday long weekend, we explored misty shores and rainforest trails, leaving awed, restored, and longing to return.
When Canadian and Russian families flock to Mexican resorts for spring break, their vacation styles reveal striking cultural differences in parenting philosophies and teen independence.
Tofino – Canada’s Best-Kept Secret on the Pacific Read Post »
How Canadian & Russian Teens Spend Holidays (And How Parents Handle It).
When Canadian and Russian families flock to Mexican resorts for spring break, their vacation styles reveal striking cultural differences in parenting philosophies and teen independence.
Spring Break in Mexico Read Post »
In Canada, school shooting drills mix police-led safety training with lessons on empathy, mental health, and community trust. The perspective of a Russian mom living in Canada, and also – her daughter experiences—hiding from “attackers,” memorizing safety acronyms, and chatting with donut-carrying officers. With strict gun laws but rare tragedies, the focus is on readiness, prevention, and keeping schools safe without losing their humanity.
Canada’s School Shooting Drills from Russian mom perspective Read Post »
In the far North of Russia in remote communities, like the village of Meynypilgyn on the Bering Sea, people like Norik, a Kereks fisherman, work to keep the indigenous Kereks culture alive along with Kereks traditions, honouring the spirits of their Kereks ancestors.
When Canadian and Russian families flock to Mexican resorts for spring break, their vacation styles reveal striking cultural differences in parenting philosophies and teen independence.
The Last Kereks: A Story of indigenous people in the Far North Russia Read Post »
Understanding the movie through the song. Enjoyed the cold evening, cozily covered with all the blankets I found at home, the heater on, warm tea, just myself, Tove the cat, and 2.5 hours of ‘Anatomy of Fall’. The music added a new layer to the film! The broken sound of Chopin’s fourth prelude played by the blind boy is hauntingly intense, with anger, played incorrectly, with missed keys.
Anatomy of fall’ analysis and P.I.M.P. Read Post »
His detailed wildlife art resembles photographs. His gallery in Victoria connects people with nature through art and convey the idea of caring for the environment.
Robert Bateman: Canada’s celebrated wildlife realist painter Read Post »
Emily Carr’s – famous Canadian artist from Victoria, British Columbia – last painting, captures the sweeping skies and textured, root-strewn landscapes of Mount Douglas near Victoria. Painted in 1942, it reflects her mature style and spiritual connection to British Columbia’s wilderness. Now at the Vancouver Art Gallery, the work embodies Carr’s Post-Impressionist influences and enduring reverence for the West Coast’s forests, and Indigenous heritage.
Above the gravel pit” Emily Carr Read Post »
A Russian contributor reflects on the deep identity crisis gripping citizens as war rages analyzed through the theory of Karl Jaspers. Beyond guilt, many question their nation’s moral path, torn between patriotism and shame. The conflict has shattered illusions, forcing painful reckoning with propaganda and reality. Some resist, others rationalize—but all grapple with what it means to be Russian. A raw exploration of collective soul-searching in dark times.
Russians Face a Crisis of National Identity Amid War Read Post »
A Russian student living in Canada shares her deep fears for her homeland and struggles with shifting identity amid Putin’s relentless war. As devastation in Ukraine reverberates globally, the article explores how Russians abroad face both internal guilt and external judgment—and why moral accountability and rebuilding national image become essential for healing.
What is the cost of this freedom?
Russian in Canada Speaks of Fear and Identity as Putin’s War Continues Read Post »
Dombai is one of the most popular ski resorts in the Caucasus. The Dombai mountains are located in Karachay-Cherkessia, at the foot of the main Caucasus ridge in the Dombai meadows.
Affordable Alpine Skiing with a Caucasian Flare Read Post »
Khibiny Mountains, eerie industrial ruins, Orthodox monasteries, snow villages, and abandoned factories, or race snowmobiles through frozen valleys.
Kirovsk offers northern cuisine—venison, whitefish, cloudberries—and lively nightlife, while nearby resorts and unique Arctic attractions like the Ice Palace for Weddings make this remote, frozen land both surreal and unforgettable.
What is the cost of this freedom?
122 Degrees below zero: hiking above the Arctic Circle Read Post »
Since the earliest memory of time, the Karelians, a small group of Finno-Urgic people, occupied the territory spanning the north-western coast of Lake Ladoga to south-eastern Finland. What is the cost of this freedom?
Walking in the footsteps of the ancient karelians Read Post »
Town born from postwar industrial ambition, vast taiga landscapes, the country’s only Clock Museum.
with wooden gears and space-bound timepieces to the Mineral Museum housing the rare charoite stone, the town reveals Siberia’s surprising harmony of industry, nature, and history along the storied Siberian Route.
Siberian Wonders: Clock Mechanisms, Rare Minerals, and the Legacy of Angarsk Read Post »
Kirovsk: Skiing on the Polar Circle. The small northern town, which is famous for its phosphate mines, is increasingly becoming popular for winter sports.
Post-Apocalyptic skiing on the Polar Circle Read Post »
Kronstadt is also known as a “rebel city”, for its rebellion against the Bolsheviks. It is also known as a “city of farewells”, as white handkerchiefs were once waved to sailors departing for months at sea.
A unique summer getaway to the city of farewells Read Post »
The best time of year to be in the Kamchatka Peninsula is considered to be autumn: warm, sunny weather sets in, the temperature maintains a steady 8-10 degrees Celsius, but can often reach up to 15-20 degrees.
Kamchatka through the lens of your camera Read Post »
The Curonian Spit, in the Kaliningrad Region, is a good place to have a relaxed, peaceful and inexpensive beachside vacation.
Economic holidays on the Baltic coast Read Post »