Russias Got Talent!

Believe it or not Anna's 7 year old son is quite the singer and he performs during various concerts in Russia. Anna sent me this photo of him taken during one of his performances.

He will be singing in another concert very soon. We hope to get a video of his performance to share on the blog soon.

Flash Flooding in Russia.

My desire is not to bring politics onto this blog but today Anna and I discussed a topic that has been published about the floods that occurred in Krymsk, Russia.
This was a region in Russia that Anna is quite familiar with. Her late grandmother lived there and Anna used to visit there quite frequently. This has been a sad day in Russia. With over 170 people lost to the flood and many still missing, I can only compare this to the tragedy that occurred not too long ago here in America. This tragedy followed hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
 There is much controversy regarding the lack of comment from the Russian Government on this incident and it is similar to the controversy that surrounded the U.S. Government's response to Hurricane Katrina. Many people believe this flood could have been prevented by the Russian government but the threat was ignored to protect another region in Russia that is located in Novorossiysk.
This region is a major Black Sea port and it is essential for exporting Russian oil and grain. It is thought that the government released water from a reservoir allowing the water to flood the region of Krymsk in order to prevent a dam from breaching thus protecting the region of Novorossiysk which is of significant economic importance to Russia.
In summary all I can say is that Governments seem to operate in similar fashion regardless of what country you live in. It is sad that a government that is supposed to protect its citizens focuses on other agendas.
I think this is true both in Russia and in America. Hurricane Katrina, meet Flash Flooding in Krymsk!
Fox news says "Early in his presidency, Putin learned the hard way about the need to take charge quickly when disaster strikes.". Doesn't this remind you of the statements made by the press during the story of Katrina? It does me.
We are really not that much different. I think we see the same thing in America during these types of situations.
We are not as different as we think we are. Just because we don't speak the same language does not mean we are not similar.

Let the waiting game begin!

Two months after Anna applied for the letter of invitation, yesterday I was able to send the package away to CIBT to submit the application to the consular for approval. I first had to fill out an application for the Visa at the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Seattle.
The application was for a private homestay visa that will be valid for 90 days minus the time that is required for the processing which is a 15 business day processing time.
I had to send the Visa application, The CIBT applicaion, my passport with copies of the vital pages, passport photos and the official letter of invitation from Anna. Then of course there was a price tag of over $300.00.
Now it is just a matter of time before I get my passport with the required visa to enter Russia. The waiting game has begun. All I can do now is wait with my fingers crossed.

It's Finally Here!

After about 2 months after Anna applied for an official letter of invitation to me, I received it in the mail just yesterday! I actually was disappointed when I arrived to the Postal Annex a 2:30 and it had not come yet.
 I was on my way back home when they called and informed me that the letter I had been waiting for had just been delivered. Literally I had to turn the car around and return to the Postal Annex to retrieve the Letter. The first Letter addressed from Anna to me!
Now, I can complete the application for a homestay visa to Russia. Both Anna and I are excited. I now have 90 days to go to Russia to visit with her and the 2 children. We hope this visit will occur during a week in Late August.

The letter's in the mail

Today Anna was able to track the invitation letter she mailed to me last week. It passed through customs in Moscow on June 26 and is well on its way to me. I hope it will be here by early next week although the person at the Postal Annex said it will probably take 10 days if I am lucky. I am lucky though. How else would I be able to gain the love of a woman as beautiful as Anna? So given my luck it should be here soon. And for those of you wanting to hear what we talked about today, I will tell you we spent some time talking of Archaeology(which was a shared dream of ours when we were young) and Attila The Hun. The subject of Archaeology came up because of a recent discovery of an ancient civilization and some dolmens discovered near Sochi in Russia. Of course Attila was a natural detour for our conversation. We never know where our conversation will lead at any given moment in time.

Hello Anna finally broadcast in London.

Yesterday our story was finally broadcast on BBC 4 Radio in London, England on an episode of "Don't Log off", hosted by Alan Dein. Although I think I sound absolutely horrible on the radio, I  hope everyone enjoys the podcast at http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/dlo/dlo_20120620-1102a.mp3.

Good News from Russia!!!

Today was a great day for Anna. She finally has hot water coming from the faucet after 13 long days without hot water.
She will no longer have to boil gallons of water to take a bath and to bathe the children. The frustration is finally over and they celebrated by visiting the beach.
Other good news is that the official letter of invitation is finally ready and she will once again make a long trip to pick it up and put it directly in the mail to send to me. Finally we can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Once I receive the letter, I will then send that along with the visa application to the Russian Consulate in Seattle, Washington. At a price tag of almost $200.00 I should receive the visa that gives me a 90 day window to visit Anna in Russia.
I can assure you that both Anna and I are very much looking forward to that time.

Family Life in Russia....

I wish that I could tell everyone today that Anna is finally coming to America today but I cannot. There is still much that needs to be done including the finalization of my divorce that should happen within the next 2 weeks or so (God Willing). And of course I still need to take a trip to Russia to visit her in order to obtain the photos of us together to apply for the necessary visa for her and the children to come here and she is still waiting for the official letter of invitation that I need to apply for the visit there.

Hopefully she will have the letter some time next week. We just need to continue to take it one step at a time.

Today Anna sent me a link to an animated video that represents the typical family life in Russia. I think this is a good representation of family life just about anywhere with many families. I have seen this in many family experiences. I enjoy watching truth portrayed through all forms of art. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Dead Camels...

Due to a high demand, Anna and I decided to put 5 pages of our correspondence on the blog for you all to read. This particular excerpt will be from a chapter that is called "Dead Camels".

Of course the title is not what you would expect but you will understand after you read the actual correspondence. You will find it here http://privetanna.blogspot.com/p/hello-anna-sneak-preview.html

We hope you all enjoy it. This particular portion of our correspondence is considered one of our favorites.

What's next and when will this story come to an end.

It is said that true love stories never have an end. I believe this is the case with Anna and I. Our story will never end and it will extend far beyond the day that the very last copy of our book is sold. Yet every story needs an ending and as many of you already know "Hello Anna!" is quickly becoming a book that will soon be in high demand.

Unfortunately, there are many things that must happen to bring about the conclusion of the book. First, there must come an end to my first marriage through legal divorce proceedings and I can assure you all that progress is being made but it is not final yet. Hopefully soon there will be a final date set to bring the past to an end and allow the future to begin for Anna and I.

In addition to all of this, Anna and I still await the arrival of the official "Letter of Invitation" from the Russian government that is necessary for me to obtain a visa to visit the country of Russia. All of the paperwork has been approved and filed, but it is now a waiting game as both Anna and I must wait for this document to finally arrive. We expect it should arrive on or about the 16th of this month.

Upon receiving the document, Anna will have to mail it to me so that I can send the original document along with the application to the Russian Consulate in Seattle who will then review the application and issue the visa. Once I receive the visa, I will have a 3 month window to schedule a trip to Russia to visit Anna.

This trip is necessary for us because the U.S. Government requires proof of us together via a photograph of  us together somewhere in order for us to obtain the necessary documents for her and the children to relocate to the United States.

When all of this happens, our story will begin here in America, but our book will be complete. We hope that this process will take less than a year, but neither of us has any idea of a date. We may not know a date for quite some time.

Until that time our story continues to be written and currently is over 1350 pages in length unedited. Our story will be broadcast on the radio in London on the BBC Network soon after the 13th of this month. Feel free to view the podcast when it is available. The show is called "Don't Log Off" by Alan Dein.

What does the future hold?

What do you consider 1300 + pages of written correspondence between Anna and I? 

Every word we ever spoke to one another is written in this 1300 page document. It includes 25 pages of poetry that Anna has compared to William Shakespeare.

While I will never compare my poetry to one of the greats, I believe that in the end this will become a book. It has a great possibility of even becoming a movie. Our story will be broadcast on BBC 4 Radio in London over the next month. What do you think is going to come of all this?

Please feel free to comment. Both Anna and I really enjoy reading your comments.

On the street where you live!

Today I sent some video links to Anna that were on youtube. They were actual videos that were taken on the street that she live on in Russia.

She confirmed them to be in her neighborhood. They revealed the school her children attend, a hardware store that she frequently shops at and an apartment building just down the street from where she lives. It was actually nice to actually see things that she sees every day.

It will not be long before I can walk hand in hand with her down the street and look at it and point out the places I have already seen on youtube. 

If you have not read our story yet Click here to read it.

We read to each other

Today Anna sent an audio recording of her and the children reading a book to me in Russian so that I can hear the words as I learn to speak Russian. I have to say that I love to hear her and the children read to me.
She also asked me to record a script that she sent so that she could also practice the words to help her study her English. Click here to listen to my audio recording to her.
Here is a link to the audio file she sent me so you can hear her and the children read to me. Due to the format it was recorded in you will either need Apple Quicktime to listen to it or you can download VLC Media player to listen to it.

If you have not read our story yet Click here to read it.

Our first picture together

Yesterday Anna sent me a picture that she took of me through Skype. It was completely unexpected but I thought it would be an interesting addition to the blog.

This is how Anna see's me Through Skype.

This is our very first photo together. You will see her up in the upper left hand corner of the image. Hopefully soon we will have our pictures taken together in person.

I will try to get a picture of her through Skype later today.

The End is in sight!

Today Anna made a second trip to the state office to submit the application for the official invitation that is required for my visit to Russia.

It is not an easy process by any means to do this. She had to ride a bus for over 100 miles each way to file the papers. She had to do it a second time today because she didn't have all the information she needed from me.

Needless to say, I was apologetic to say the least but at least now we have an end in sight.

Every story needs an ending and the truth is our story will not end until Anna and I are together, this is the first step towards our future together because when the time comes to file for the visa for her to come here it will require photos of us together. This is why I must take the trip.

The other good news is that our story is number one on Google, even before it is finished. "Hello Anna!" is on the first page of Google search results!

Artwork for Anna

As many of you are already aware, I am an amateur photographer and I have some Photo-Shop experience. In fact one day I hope to publish a calendar that contains many of my photo-shopped pictures of flowers.

Today I was able to take some nice pictures of some flowers at a friend's house. While Anna is asleep I was able to use my photo-shop skills to say "I love you" on a picture of a flower.

I hope you all enjoy it. If you are interested in viewing more of my photos you can always view my public flickr photostream at www.flickr.com. Feel Free to comment.

Hello World! Our story is going global!

Today I was interviewed by Alan Dein with BBC Radio in London and our story will be broadcast next week on his new show called "Don't Log off".

I spent an hour with him talking through Skype while he was on his laptop and I was on my I-phone. We had a great conversation and I hope you all will be able to hear it soon on th BBC podcast. Here is a link to Alan's Show Don't Log Off.

Anna also has a busy day today as she files papers with the government in Russia to get the official letter of invitation for me to apply for my Visa. She has to take a bus approximately 130 miles each way to drop off the paperwork for the application.

As I write this entry she is on her way.

Hello Anna! From London

Today I received a message from a radio journalist with the BBC Network out of London, England. He has been following this blog and is very interested in our story. He invited me for a phone interview to talk about the story about Anna and I.

The interview will either take place tomorrow or on Friday. We are still working out details, but I am sure it will be great. I must say that Anna and I are both excited for the invitation. It will be my very first interview on a radio program.

I can assure you that I will share the details of the interview with everyone after it has taken place. Perhaps you will even read about it here before it is put on the air next week in the United Kingdom.

Our story is being written

What if every word you spoke with each other was written in one big document. From the first hello to the latest I love you. Every word recorded in a single document.

This is exactly how it is for Anna and I. Every word we have ever spoken to each other is recorded in a single document that now exceeds 1200 pages in length and includes almost a half of a million words. Our book is being written with every conversation we have.
I expect that this document will be over 2000 pages long before we can even begin to have a conversation over the telephone.
But i must say it is nice to be able to read our previous conversations over again from time to time. I even find things in our conversation history that I misunderstood at the time but now I understand.

Memorial Day in Russia

Today was a particularly rough day for Anna and we were unable to talk very long.

May 2nd would mark 2 years from the day her husband passed away.

Anna and the children decided to visit his grave in the cemetery today because she had to work on May 2nd and was unable to visit on that day.

As if the grieving would not be enough, upon returning home her daughter began to run a fever and Anna herself felt ill. She thinks it may be her allergies acting up with the new blooms that come after the arrival of spring.

I hope they all feel much better tomorrow.

True Love is Patient

Patience is something both Anna and I have to exercise each and every day. With almost 7 months of correspondence we still have not been in the same room as one another or even been in the same country together. We still live on separate sides of the planet from each other.

Everything that has to happen for us to be together takes much time. Anna has just finished filling out the papers to present to the consulate in Russia to get me the official letter of invitation in order for me to visit her in Russia. She must ride a bus for over 100 miles each way to deliver the paperwork to the consulate. Then it will take an additional 3 to 4 weeks for her to receive the official letter. Upon receipt of the letter, she will then need to mail the letter to me which will take more time. Once I receive the letter from her, I need to mail it to the Russian Consulate in Seattle along with the Visa application with the hope it gets approved. This process will take 4 to 6 weeks also.

Once I get the Visa, I can fly over to Russia and visit her briefly, but this is still not the end. During my trip to Russia, we need to get pictures taken of us together, so that when we finally apply for the visa that will allow her to come here, we can prove to the U.S. Immigration services that we have been together. This is a requirement for that type of Visa.

Much needs to happen and everything is slow moving and takes so much time. Sometimes it gets frustrating but we are both patient and will wait for however long it takes to start our lives together. True Love is Patient and will stand the test of time.

Feel free to post a comment if you wish.

Good things are coming soon!

For all of you who are waiting to see pictures, we are working on getting pictures taken for the website. While I am not very picky as to what pictures I put up on the website, Anna is very picky.

She needs to make sure that she not only looks her very best, but she also needs to get the pictures taken in such a way to ensure her privacy in her hometown.

She is very concerned about the privacy of her and her children. The last thing we want is for her to be required to answer questions from acquaintances that surround her daily.

Another good thing that is on its way is the continuation of Anna's story in her own words. She sent me the text today and I will start working to get it all translated. This will take some time. I hope to have the continuation posted on the website by the end of this week.

If you have not read her story yet you can see it here http://privetanna.blogspot.com/p/h-ow-it-all-began.html.

The pictures will be here soon. Until then, I hope you enjoy this composition I created for Anna using a photo that I took and Photoshop.

The Uncertain Future

Today Anna and I discussed the various issues that will face us if she chooses to move to America. As any normal mother, she is very concerned about the education of her 2 children.

We both know that this decision cannot be entered into lightly because it will be a big change for her and the children. They have never been to America and this will be a huge culture shock at its very best. It will take much thought and discussion before this type of decision will be made.

We discussed various options available to us but we agree that we will take this one day at a time and not plan too far ahead. We are still waiting for the consulate in Russia to process Anna's letter of invitation that will be required for my Visa to enter Russia. Also my pending divorce provides many complications.

Although it is our desire to be together, many things must happen to make this a possibility. Thus Anna is very pessimistic regarding our future. We ask what you think, take our poll.

Our First Conversation in Russian

I have been studying the Russian language almost non-stop every day using the Pimsleur Approach and today I was able to speak with Anna briefly in Russian. Our first conversation was brief and consisted of the very first words I spoke to her and the title of this blog.
I spoke to Anna "Privet Anna!" and she answered "Privet". I responded with the question, "Kak dela?" which means in English "How are you?". She responded to the question with "Ochi horosho" which means "Very Well" in English. This is a huge break through for us because we were able to finally speak verbally to one another in Anna's own native language. She understood me and I understood her.
Even though I will need to learn much more of the language, I feel like this was a great step for us. I was able to speak a few more words also but I still have much to learn. Finally after 1150 pages of written words, we spoke our first conversation! It may not seem like much to those who are reading the story but for us, it is a huge milestone!

Read A Story To Me.

Learning to speak another language is not easy. I purchased the Pimsleur Approach about a month ago and am learning very slowly. I want to know how to speak Russian fluently one day but it will take years to learn this way. I do not have years. I have only a few brief months before I go visit her in Russia.

Even though Anna is also studying her English, I find it necessary to learn Russian also. Anna has volunteered to record herself reading books and send them to me with the hope I can listen to her while I fall asleep. Our hope is that with the combined methods of the Pimsleur Approach and flooding my brain with the words will help me to learn enough in a few short months to enable us to communicate in Russian.

Even if it doesn't help, it will be nice to hear her speak to me. She truly has a beautiful voice. If an Angel spoke, I am sure it would sound just like her. If you haven't yet read her story, feel free to read her story in her own words

Troubling Dreams

Today Anna told me of a dream she had last night that troubled her. She wanted an interpretation and I gave it to her. Personally I think it is very accurate and she is also in agreement but we wanted to post it here in the hopes that someone else can confirm my interpretation. I will not tell the interpretation here but here is the dream.

---

"I walk with someone on the seaside city. They showed me a very old shabby house. And on this house is a lot of decorative details. Casings of the windows, along the cornices. And I see that all of these carved details of the house is very well preserved. They all whole, not broken. And I think that if this house repair, it will be very beautiful. And in the yard of the house, at the top, like a network, the web with huge spiders. Spiders are very large in the size of a young child. And in the middle of the yard is in a chaise lounge and a sunbathing woman. I ask her: 'Are you not afraid of the spiders?', and she replied: 'Don't pay any attention to them'"

---

Sorry for the errors with grammar, but this is a direct quote of the dream. Please feel free to comment with your opinion of the interpretation.

A good day!

Today was a great day and we were able to talk for almost 2 hours.
Much discussion was on my trip to Russia and how we will get the Visa necessary for entering the country of Russia.
Another big topic of discussion was this blog. We discussed obsolete topics on the blog that I have since removed and we can expect to hear more of Anna's own words in the near future as this blog is becoming a collaborative effort of both Anna and I.
You can look forward to hearing more from Anna here soon.

A day without Anna (Misery)

Unfortunately, today was a rough day for Anna and she did not feel like talking. I will not discuss the details here, but I cannot blame her for feeling bad and not wanting to talk. I can only hope that she feels better when she wakes up in the morning because I can assure you that a day without Anna can only be compared to complete misery and I admit I did not have a good day either.

The Never Ending Letter continues...

Today another page was added to the Never Ending Letter. It now contains 25 pages of poetry written to her. Here is just one sample from today's poem.

"separated since our birth and put on different sides of earth"
Copyright 2012, All rights reserved.

If anyone is interested in purchasing a copy of the never-ending letter please feel free to contact us. Although it has not been published yet, we will keep your name on file so when it does get published we can place your order.

Our story is told on video

Find True Love Online

Anna sent me this picture I hope everyone can enjoy it. The caption is in Russian but she was able to translate it for me. In English it translates as follows: "It is a wonderful thing the Internet, probably the only place you can find the soul, not knowing of the body ... and then go crazy with desire, to touch the body of beloved soul." We live this every day. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.