Hello Anastasiaweb! A few months ago I was at an art shop and I came across a beautiful lacquer box. On it were beautiful paintings of princes and princesses. The owner of the shop told me that the beautiful paintings on the boxes were ancient and timeless stories and legends from Russia. I also agreed with her that the colors were vivid and the boxes themselves were magical and they carry you away in them. I bought a book titled Russian Lacquer, Legends and Fairy Talesand I read a few stories about these boxes and the stories and legends that they represented. Now, looking back, after returning from Aktau, Kazakhstan, I think that I was part of one of those beautiful little lacquer-box stories.
I stepped off the plane after twenty hours of flying, plane changes and customs. (I hate customs) Checking in, checking out and questions, questions, questions. Five weeks?! Yes. Da. Nyet. Da. So, there I was, thousands of miles away from home, in a strange country where I don't speak the language and no one speaks mine, very well anyway. It was five o'clock a.m. and 100 degrees - in the shade, if there was any to be found. I think there are two trees in Kazakhstan. This rather warm morning I was in Alma-Ata, the capital of Kazakhstan, hoping that Elina would be there. I cleared customs, finally, and looked pensively out at the sea of faces. I spotted a small, petite hand waving to me. Slowly, we get closer as I dragged my luggage towards the small, waving hand.
It seemed like forever and a day before we came face-to-face, and right then I knew that I was indeed a character on one of the lacquer boxes. I was in a fairy tale of my very own. Hundreds of letters, dozens of gifts, pictures and cards, and numerous phone calls did not prepare me for the magic that I felt at that moment when I looked at Elina for the first time. Time stood still; for me it will last an eternity. She was most beautiful. A jewel. She glowed like the rising sun. I was so happy to simply see her and say hello. At first, our communication was limited to hand gestures, facial expressions and very slow, deliberately simple English (my Russian is worse than rusty). We were both excited and nervous. As the hours passed, our talking to one another got easier and easier. Elina had to translate what I said to her mother, Valentina, and to her youngest sister, also named Valentina. I had brought a small English-Russian-English computer dictionary to help things along.
All day I looked around in awe at my new surroundings - my jaw dropped at the differences from America to there. (Camels walk down the middle of the street!) So, we made our way to the apartment of some friends of the family, who live in Alma-Ata. The father, Ivan, is an official in the police department, and he and his family had a very nice apartment. I remembered my friends telling me to get ready for vodka, beer and wine and don't drink the water. I said, "Sure, sure, no problem, I'm sure they'll have Coke and Pepsi too."
That evening, at the apartment, the family had a small party for me and, needless to say, no coke, no pepsi - vodka, beer and wine along with a large assortment of Russian foods, like platskies and perogies. Well, I, not being a very big drinker, ended up quite drunk after toasting more times than I cared to count. I did have a fantastic time, and Ivan finally said, "Americanski, go to bed!" I felt the party the next day.
That afternoon, we went to the airport to get tickets to fly from Alma-Ata, 1500 miles to Aktau, Elina's city, which is right next to the Caspian Sea. Here I met Elina's father, Adlam, her older sister, Elita, the other younger sister, Ella, her younger brother, Adlam, and the little dog, too, named Toby.
This was the beginning of my journey of five weeks into the past, and into my future. I was now in a country where I felt an extreme love and caring among the families I met. The people may not have much money, but their love for each other overwhelms this. I was very envious of this sharing and caring as I related it to how I see American families today, passing these feelings by or totally forgetting about them. The strength and togetherness was powerful. Elina's father would give anything for his family, he told me, through a translator, after Elina and my engagement, and that his daughter was a princess and he wanted me to make sure that I promised to love her and take care of her.
I was welcomed into the family completely. Now they call me sanuk which means "my son." The warmth and caring that I felt was more than I had felt in a long time. The following weeks brought Elina and me closer and closer to each other. Taking long walks and sharing our ideas. She and I think much alike and dream the same kinds of dreams.
Now, the future begins. I am awaiting her visa approval from the American consulate in Moscow and I am anxiously waiting for her arrival in America. When she arrives, we will finalize the wedding plans here and after the wedding, we'll continue to share our new lives together.
I do remember what Elina told me one day: "Chuck, I will be like you were here, when I come to America. I will walk around like this, with my eyes open wide and my mouth open and saying, "I cannot believe...."
Presented by the client himself
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