In USA, Tatyana often met “fellow townsmen”. “I have a studio in Washington DC. There’s a screen on the outside and there are many photos about Harbin international ice and snow sculpture competitions. Many people saw the photos and they found me and said excitedly ‘is this Harbin? I was born there.’ I will also excitedly tell them I was born there too. We are like long lost relatives. It’s very warm!”

There’s a cherished photo that shows Tatyana’s mother swimming in Songhua River in her American home. So she asked the reporter how to say “Songhua River” in Chinese on purpose. She has formed a habit to learn some Chinese that relates to the memory of Harbin. Apart from competition, Tatyana took her daughter to walk around Zhaolin Park. Alexa said: “My mother said my grandma ever went there. I’ve never seen her. She is too remote for me. When I walked around, I can feel the life of my grandma at that time. This is unique for me.”

At the end of the interview, Tatyana showed her jacket that the committee gave her to the reporter. She said the organizer gave every competitor such a kind of jacket. She said she liked the red jacket. Although, the ice and snow sculptures looked cold, the sentiment that the creators infuse into the sculptures is hot and strong.