– Hello Svetlana. Please tell us about yourself, your life story, and how you ended up in Austin?
I was born and raised in Togliatti, a big city on the Volga river. Around the amazing beauty of the Zhiguli mountains, endless fields, forests, and the Volga itself! I spent my childhood and youth there.
Multi-story buildings, streams of cars in some amazing way intertwined and combined with the beauty of nature. The windows of my room overlooked the pier. Looking at dusk, it seemed as if the cars were pouring in and dissolving in the water of a wide river. When I turned 24, we (my parents and I) moved to Belarus, where my mother was from and where, by that time, my sister lived with her husband and children.
Due to a neuromuscular disease, I stopped walking very early on in my life, so I graduated from 11th grade of high school at home. Then for several years, I did not study at an institution, instead I studied on my own, and researched answers to the most important questions in life. In 2005, I graduated from international courses in journalism, and in 2010 from Moscow State University of Press, thereby defining a professional path for myself associated with writing.
For many years I have been working with major Russian organizations, writing articles on a variety of topics, editing, and supervising the work of other authors. I also wrote a book. My personal thoughts and unwavering belief in love and happiness seemed to have met at Providence in the fact that I continuously got acquainted with married couples, who had these qualities that I believed in. I wanted to tell you about them and what I personally experienced. This is how the idea of my book – documentary prose – about unusual married couples was born.
Anyone interested can buy it on Amazon, it’s published in two languages - Russian and English: amazon.com/author/SvetlanaBanks
A little later, after the book was published, there were also changes in my personal life – I got married. My husband is an amazing person, kind, and very dear to me. It is so amazing that someone from another country, from another continent, speaking a different language, appears in your life and in some indescribable way, suddenly, you realize that he is my destined person, my soul.
Everything in our marriage was unusual. We met over the Internet. We decided to get married before we even met in person. We talked without knowing each other’s language. And most importantly, I have been in a wheelchair since childhood, and he is a healthy man who has a mother, brother, and a job in America…
Few understood us when we started talking about getting together. And even now, it’s likely that few understand us. It’s easy to talk about faith in love, but to show it in action is another story.
My family was against our marriage. But then, after Shiloh arrived and spoke to my father for a long time, answering all his questions and doubts, after he asked him to bless our marriage, the parents softened. For the sake of this trip, Shiloh terminated the contract with the company where he worked, stayed with us for a month, and then when he returned home to Austin, he worked as a pizza delivery man for six months.
Shiloh arrived in Belarus seven months later, and we were able to get married. Growing up in a Catholic family, he wished to take on Orthodoxy. We go to church together and enjoy being with our brothers and sisters.
I can’t boast that we’ve passed our golden anniversary, our marriage is only nine years old. But these years mean a lot to me. Only a loving person can wake up at night to turn me around (I can’t do this by myself); dressing me, combing my hair, cooking delicious food, and also working and doing all this effortlessly, as if not realizing that for someone it could be a burden. During our marriage so far, we have visited eleven countries and many cities.
– Tell us about your work. How did you organize your company/business/organization? Were there any memorable incidents?
We have been living in Texas for 3 years. Like any new beginning, the beginning of life in America was difficult for us. I need help around the clock, so Shiloh cannot work like he did before, he had to come up with something that he could do at home. Back in Belarus, he began to teach English via Skype. He enrolled in special courses that allowed him to teach English as a foreign language. He continues to do so now. We also make candles and soap, it started as a hobby and has grown into our small business. Here is our online store: https://www.facebook.com/giftsfrombanks/
We have gone with our products to several festivals and fairs. We are always glad when we are able to participate in something organized by Russian speakers. Over the years, many people at the Russian school have become our friends, and the Russian Orthodox Church has become our family.
– What do you like about Austin the most?
When you come to a new place and realize how far your relatives are now, meeting with others from the same place helps the homesickness. It will be great when the Russians here will be able to get to know each other better, will be able to meet more often and organize various events. It will also be a great opportunity to introduce Americans to Russian culture and traditions.
– What event hosted by the community in recent years have you liked the most?
Maslenitsa was my favorite event in the Russian-speaking community from recent years. There was a very warm, very friendly atmosphere. We liked it there very much and we hope that such events will take place more often.
– What are your hopes for Russian speakers in Austin in the future?
It would be great if over time, Austin would have more of a variety of businesses owned by Russian speakers. I hope that we can all support each other, for example, by asking for a service, or a product, or whatever else, first to our own. It seems to me that in this way we could get to know each other more and support small businesses.
– What would you like Americans to learn about your culture, traditions and holidays?
One of the main things in Russian culture that I would like Americans to know about is hospitality. Our tradition is to meet everyone who comes to visit you with a prepared table. This is a special feeling that is conveyed in a simple tea party or dinner to show that you are welcome there.
Contact information:
Svetlana Banks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/banksbelieve
Online store: https://www.facebook.com/giftsfrombanks/
Amazon: : amazon.com/author/svetlanabanks
Interviewer: Ekaterina Medvedeva-Kosova
Editor: Olga Falkowski
Publisher: Russian Cultural Center