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My name is Theo and I went to Russia for the first time in December 2004. I stayed in Yoshkar-ola from the 28th
December 2004 to 8th January 2005. I visit a Russian lady and after I returned home again to the Netherlands
everything started to go wrong. Through circumstances I decided after some months to stop correspondence. Cause I
still remember my holiday in Russia I wrote to Larisa in December 2005 a short email and wish her a very good
Christmas and a happy new year. After some mails going from Larisa to me and the other way she wrote me about a
lady of her agency. She told me that she thought that we belong together and send with this email a picture of
the lady. Larisa wrote a little history of this lady and about her character. If you have only a picture and a
very short story about a lady than it is very difficult to decide and after my first visit to Russia I had
something like ‘’It’s fine with me I go on alone’’. So my first reaction was like, I don’t want to write with
this lady and I told Larisa that I needed some days to think about it. But something in my mind told me to give
it a change and after a few days I wrote to Larisa that I want to write to her if she wants too. Cause Larisa
know about me I told her to tell this lady everything she knows about me. I also told Larisa that I will give it
one more change. I will try and if it will be no good then I will stop and not write again with a Russian lady.
Larisa told the Russian lady all about me and she decided to give it a change. At first we wrote some letters to
each other and then Larisa arranged a phone call between us. The lady was just like me very nervous and despite
she can talk English pretty good we spoke the first time with help of a translator. Larisa thought that the phone
call would take about 15 minutes but it turned out that we talked more than one hour. At some point during our
call I asked her if she would like it if sometime in the future I would come to Russia and visit her. She
answered so spontaneous before the translator could translate my question and said ’’ Can you come TOMORROW’’.
I think that at this point I decide to keep writing and indeed start planning a trip to Russia. After this talk
the word TOMORROW did came back in all our letters.
At one point I asked myself if it should be possible to go to her unexpected and surprise her. I went to the
travel agency and looked if it could be done and there was a way to make my idea real. So I booked the flights,
arranged a visa and informed Larisa about it. She helped me and arranged a taxi from the airfield of Kazan to
Yoshkar-ola. I left home on the 25th of May (2005) and arrived in Yoshkar-ola in the afternoon of the 26th.
Olya (the name of the lady) came around 5 o’clock in the afternoon to the office of Larisa where she thought
that she should get a letter from me. Indeed there was a letter for her but this time quite different than other
times. Larisa gave her a letter with the text :
‘’Remember our first talk. I asked you and you said Tomorrow.
What if ………………. Tomorrow …….……..will be today ? ‘’
Larisa also told her that with this message comes a present and that she can pick up the present in another room
on the next floor. After reading the message she had many questions but Larisa told her to get the present first.
After she entered the room on the next floor there was nothing beside a table and some chairs only a second
door. Larisa told her to open the door and when she did I was behind that door of course she was in complete
shock and did not say a word. The only thing she could say after a few minutes was my name. Her first reaction
came some time later when she hit me and told me that I was a crazy fool !!
During my time in Russia Larisa arranged a trip for us to Raifa monastry and other things such as dinner etc.
I think that Larisa's agency is very reliable and she is very honest and
helpful. She showed me pictures about other people that had visit
Yoshkar-ola and told me about their impressions and relations.
During my time in Yoshkar-ola I learned a lot about Russian people, they are
very wonderful, open, helpful and honest.
When I arrived in Moscow I was brought by a driver (Sergey of Zina's
service to the Russia Hotel near the Red square and the next morning I was
picked up and brought again to the airfield. Normaly I should go by train to
Yoshkar-Ola but there were no vacant seats in the train at that time already (it was depending if I
could get the visa in time). Larisa arranged a domestic flight to
Kazan where I would be picked up by her. The driver helped me with the tickets on the airfield and told me where
I had to go."
I am very happy that Larisa wrote me about this lady and that we both decided to give it a change and see what
happens. It turned out very good and I am very glad that I decided to take the change and buy a flight ticket to
surprise her. Looking backwards I think that it can be one of the most important decision that I made during my
life so far.
Theo Koster , Netherlands
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