The frosty and sunny weather seems to be a perfect accompaniment for the celebration of such a remarkable milestone. The door of the celebrant's home remains open throughout the day, with visitors arriving constantly, both official guests and fellow villagers. The phone hasn't stopped ringing either, as there are many who want to convey their warm wishes to Tatiana Karpechenko.
When asked by BelTA about the secret to longevity, she answered as follows: “It's about many things in life. I'll speak from my own experience. One must lead a healthy lifestyle. Don’t get upset over trivia. Live your life calmly. Be at peace and harmony with all your relatives and loved ones, and they will always come to your aid."
“I have lived a happy life,” the woman said. “Of course, a great trial in my youth was the Great Patriotic War. The second major trial was when my husband passed away and I was left alone. But time heals everything… Now my son lives with me and helps me a great deal. A social worker also assists me. I have a happy old age. A peaceful one. I wish the same for everyone.”
Tatiana Karpechenko, who worked as a mathematics teacher, noted that the professional careers of many in her family are, in one way or another, connected to mathematics, which brings her particular joy. “I have four children in total (thank God, all are alive), five grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. My eldest son will turn 76 in February. Two grandsons work in Mogilev. My eldest granddaughter is retiring this year at 53; she lives in Vorkuta. My daughter is in Moscow, and her sons work as programmers. My eldest great-granddaughter has already graduated from university and has been working as a programmer in Vorkuta for two years now. The geographic spread of my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren includes Mogilev, Moscow, Vorkuta, and also Spain,” she added.
Tatiana Karpechenko is the protagonist of the journalistic project Women’s Fates - The Fate of a Unified Belarus by Alina Grishkevich. The section about the teacher on the BelTA website is titled The Sharp Twists of a Woman’s Fate: Born in a Taiga Village, She Stayed in Belarus by Chance, and Taught the President.
“Tatiana Karpechenko is a resident of the village of Alexandria and a Teacher with a capital ‘T. Not only because she was the classroom teacher of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko for four years during his school years in Alexandria. The remarkable life story of this ordinary woman contains a multitude of events and facts akin to a gripping film plot. Tatiana Karpechenko was born in a taiga village in Vologda Oblast (her maternal roots trace back to Shklov District). At the age of 18, during the Great Patriotic War, she began her teaching career in Arkhangelsk Oblast and subsequently dedicated her entire life to teaching her beloved subject - mathematics. Winding and unpredictable was her teaching journey to her mother’s homeland, to Alexandria, a journey she remembers down to the smallest details. In the project Women’s Fates - The Fate of a Unified Belarus on the BelTA’s website, Tatiana Nikolaevna shares a story of unpredictable twists of fate, of unexpected and pivotal encounters. She recounts the studies of her famous student and the amazing and unforgettable meetings with his mother – a simple village woman who instilled in her son the essential values and truths of life,” the project’s author says
“Into the tapestry of her life, woven like strands in an intricate braid, are countless events and landmarks of a national history rich in hardship and triumph, courage and patriotism. A teacher’s life is filled with creation and love. One cannot do without them. For the true goal is not merely to convey knowledge to a young mind, but to plant deep within the heart a steadfast love for the native land and a desire to build and create for the Motherland. This is a profound challenge, achievable only by those who care deeply and are passionately devoted to their calling and their country. Drawing on her hundred years of life, Tatiana Nikolaevna contemplates the simple, timeless truths she inherited from her forefathers and now passes on to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This unbreakable bond between generations is built on love for the homeland, for its golden fields and spring waters, for the taste of fresh milk and the sight of cornflowers as blue as a peaceful sky. It is built on the memory of ancestors and of all who defended their homes, who fell in battle, and whose names we honor at memorials with our children and grandchildren. Within this fundamental truth, there is place only for peace and good,” Alina Grishkevich says in the project Women’s Fates - The Fate of a Unified Belarus.
