Setting up the Xmas Tree

The day started fairly early yesterday. Not too early because it's not day until around ten o'clock in the morning anyway, but we were all very active already when the sun finally decided to show his face.

When I say 'we', I mean Sergey, Lubov and myself. Yulia and Alina usually are up at 7:30 because school starts at 8:00.

Sergey asked me (Oh, yeah! We can communicate even though he does not speak English) if I wanted to follow him while he prepared a mounting support for the Xmas Tree he intended to buy. I followed.

We went to a small garage, converted into a storage room, where his father keeps tools like saws and welding machines. Once there I helped (not too much, I'm afraid) measuring and sawing three metal bars he intended to weld to a cylinder he found. The cylinder was hallow and would be great to out the trunk of the tree in. The bars, once welded should keep the cylinder upright. Sawing the bars ended up being more work than he expected so he decided to have someone else do the welding.

We went to Slava's Car Repair Shop. I was very much surprised to see such a big modern shop in a small town like Tchaikovsky. Slave proudly shows pictures of the work done at his shop. Cars that had turned over we repaired to the smallest details. The painting job was incredibly good. He even has a computer to mix Pantone colours to mach specific colours from specific brands and years of cars. Quite amazing, really.

While his employees worked on the welding of our Xmas Tree Base, we talked. I realized that the more I hear the language the easier it becomes to pick up words or even entire conversations, though I do not speak.

For example, Slava asked Sergey if he could speak English and Sergey said no. Then he asked how do you talk to each other then? Sergey explained we managed and mentioned he was very surprised to see I could read Russian. Well, it's not like I can get a book and devour it in a couple of hours but I have been here for three days and I am picking up the language. Let's say I have the reading skills of a 7-year-old. I stumble into difficult words, stress the wrong syllable but I am reading. Slava, then, told Sergey about a guy he met in France. The guy could not speak any French at first but not long time later he was able to find his way around. He mentioned, wisely I would say, that this happens when you speak more than a language. Things start making more sense. It is true. So many words in Russian are similar to their English, Portuguese, Spanish or whatever.

For example, shops are 'magazines'. In English a magazine is a totally different thing but in Portuguese (old Portuguese, anyway) it is a place where you can buy goods.

I was surprised I could understand the entire conversation. By the time I live Russia I will be speaking at least a bit. Won't that be cool?

With the welding of the tree base done, we went to buy the tree itself. Unfortunately all places we tried were closed. You see, their Xmas Trees are real, not plastic ones. So we had to go to the periphery of Tchaikovsky to buy the tree. A very rural area, with small farms. The farmers don't really sit there waiting for customers. They have better things to do, I figure. As a result, we got home with no Xmas Tree.

Yulia and Alina were waiting for us for lunch, poor girls. It was already past 3 in the afternoon when we arrived. After lunch, Sergey and Alina went out to find a tree. Yulia and I stayed behind. Mom was at the 'magazine'... Well... It was a wonderful afternoon.

When Sergey returned, shortly after Mom called to say she was on her way home (may God bless this woman; gotta love her!).

When he arrived he had this big, natural Xmas tree he went into the woods to get. Alina mentioned they were knee deep in snow and that it had been fun. To that Yulia whispered in English so they could not understand even if they had heard "we had fun too"... She's just too cute!

When Mom arrived we put the Xmas Tree on its base and started decorating it. It was he first time in my life I did that. First time also I really put presents under the tree. I was very happy.

Little did I know things would not be so nice later in the evening.

We went for dinner with Igor, Yulia's cousin, and Olga, his girlfriend. Very nice folks that I met before. I wanted to go some place nice but Tchaikovsky is too small and the options are limited. We ended up in the Butterfly Cafe, again, where Yulia had her usual ice-cream and I had, just for lack of option, an instant coffee.

I took the opportunity to call my parents and wish them a Merry Xmas. Yulia was a bit embarrassed to talk to them. Even to talk to my cousin, Soraya, who happens to speak a little Russian, being married to a Russian man. I was a bit disappointed but it was ok. I understand him being shy and all.

What happened was, we left the Butterfly Cafe and went to a restaurant. There, for the first time I was sad with Yulia.

I usually say that "What I do not know, the Devil will whisper in my ears". I can't explain why - maybe I am just too susceptible to signs - but I can sense things. And suddenly I sensed Yulia was talking about me to Igor and Olga.

She does all the time, I know, but this was different. It was not regular conversation, small talk or anything alike. How can I explain it? Let's put it like this: if I was recording all the conversation she had with people about me, that specific bit would be the one she would be embarrassed to have translated. Do you get the idea? That was the very first time she was using the language barrier against me. Specifically happy I could not understand what she was saying.

Well, we talked and she swore I was wrong. She explained she was actually complaining about her mom and since she was not using 'nice' words, her body language might have led me to believe she was trying to hide from me. Which she was, but not what l thought. I'm willing to give her the benefit of doubt. Besides, between us, true or not her explanation was quite convincing.

All's well when it ends well.

Un altro giorno se ne va

What a beautiful day yesterday was. Yulia came home early from school and we had a chance to spend more time together. After lunch, Alina, her sister went out with friends and Mom went to her shop (she has a store and sells high quality winter and leather clothes). Left alone, we had some time for ourselves. We packed Xmas presents, talked a lot and even misbehaved a bit. Just a bit! Needless to say my insecurities were all washed away.

Later in the afternoon, after Mom called to check if everything was alright, we went out. My Baby Girl became very sad she had to remove the piercing she did in her belly button. The one they gave her was too heavy and the skin was inflamed and getting thinner. If she did not remove it, it would probably break. That would be a pity because she has one of those cute belly buttons.

The end of the second day

I was right... She is indeed sorting her own feelings, trying to gather information, analysing bits and pieces to decide: Do I want to marry this guy?

She won't let me in on her thoughts, of course, but when I look into her eyes I can almost see the table of judges raising their white signs with my score every time I do something. So far the crowd did not 'boo' me off the stage. I can say the total accumulated score is good by her actions but unfortunately that is no guarantee of a happy ending. As the saying goes, "It's not over until the fat lady sings".

She is always sweet and caring. Makes it hard not to make comparisons. For example, before we leave the house to the cold snow covered streets, she will lovingly help me with my scarf, making sure my neck is covered and protected from the cold. She holds my hand when the ground is slippery and my arm whenever we are going up or down a set of stairs, not because she's afraid she'll fall but because she's afraid I will. She also gives me 'room to breathe', not clinging too much all the time though I would not mind if she did.

Her folks are also very kind and though I'm sure they have an eye on us, they are extremely discreet and never unpleasant. I just know they have their concerns because I would, too. But I think they like me and I'm even learning some Russian to talk to them.

No matter what happens, this is one experience to cherish.

When insecurity sets in

Of course it had to happen sometime. The first day was almost perfect. Nothing much happened apart from a quick stroll through the town centre, some hand-in-hand walk by frozen Kama River, bad coffee in a small cafe near Mom's shop and a stop to watch 'Kill Bill', Tarantino's latest movie.

Everything fine. Well, actually I will have to watch the movie again some other time. No, no, no... I was not being naughty at the cinema, no. That is not the reason I have to watch the movie again. I have to watch it again because we did not know the movie was dubbed in Russian with no subtitles whatsoever. What do you do then? As I watched, people around me laughed and 'wowed' to the clever dialogs and action scenes. I did not mind the movie too much, startled by Yulia's smile and soft skin. Erm... Never mind.

Something happened, though. After we got back home to meet Mom, Dad and Sis for dinner out, my Baby Girl became very quiet. I don't know if she was sad, pissed with something or what. Maybe she was tired, having to speak in English all the time and translating the dialogues back and forth, English to Russian, Russian to English as I happily talked with her parents. I asked if anything was wrong. She said no but would not elaborate.

Of course I thought I had done something or said something, either to her or to her family and she got upset. I must be really sick or have a very low self steam... Or maybe I think the world revolves around me. I don't know. I noticed I always tend to think it's my fault. Anyway...

I had the impression she grew a bit distant. Of course I cannot expect her to be available all the time or even smiling all the time but it occurred to me that maybe was evaluating our first day together. That's when insecurity comes into play. Was I good enough?

You don't get a second chance to make a first impression, you know. I truly believe her folks liked me but... Did she?

The first Day

It's very early in the morning here. I guess it should be almost noon back at home. Despite the fact I went to bed very late, I'm already awake, my mind racing, recollecting recent events. Ladies and gentleman of the jury, she is the most adorable thing in the world. I can't explain the magical aura that surrounds her being. And though I know she is only human, right now I just don't seem to recognise her possible flaws. I am happy and warm with her in my life...

But I am getting ahead of myself. Do forgive me for this unavailable state of awe. I am in Russia. One place in the world I did not quite though I would see. I begin my travel last Friday at 10:00pm. I flew from Singapore to Bangkok, Bangkok to Istanbul, Istanbul to Moscow, Moscow to Izhevsk, rode a car from Izhevsk to a small town called Chaikovsky, more than 14,000 kilometres from my point of origin, just to meet her... The one girl who has been giving me hopes of a happy life again: Yulia, my precious Russian princess.

And she is more than I could have hoped for. It is no wonder her kindness and beauty show so clearly in her emails, SMSs and pictures; she seems to be love personified. As a friend said: a goddess. She is indeed. And if this goddess in tiny form accepts me, in exchange for daily doses of her love, I'll be her servant, making her the one and only in my life.