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Hello Haema

Thanks for the words of condolenses. Many people who knew her sent their messages.
It's so happened that for almost during a decade we hosted foreing students from US and western Europe, ho came here to study russian. And everybody my mom treated very well. They were like her sons or daughters.
My Mom was born on 22 of March in 1939 -the year when the second world war boke out. She is Ukranian. from the village about 100 kilometer from Kiev. She had a hard and severe life. At the age of 14 she left home because it was very hard for her family to support all kids. She's got 2 sistrs and a brother who died in a car accident in the army during 60-s. Some sisters died during the war. My mom could die during the war. She was in fire. But german soldier saved her giving her mom some uniqie medicine for that time. (Germans were feeding kids when they were towards Moscow nach ost. Of course they shot all the communists in the village. But they were extremly auwfull on the way back burning practically everything down.
In Mosow (at that time it was Moscow region) she worked for the factory.
She had the first unhappy marrige though she loved her first husband a lot.
Before his death (he died several years ago) she saw hm in her dream.
She had unsuccesful pregnancy and almost died.
Then she broke her leg on the 31 of December and two students of medicine fixed it wrong so till the end of her life it didn't bend and was a little bit hooked.
But she was very pretty. Ukranian girs frankly speaking are more beautiful then russian ones.
My Mom used to say that she was unhappy till the time when i appeaped. She gave birth at the age of 42. very late espatially according to soviet measures.
She met my dad a year before. nd they married when I appeared/ It was his second marriage also. (So I've got a half-brother on my dad's side.
She was a very kind and honest person. And she will be in paradise. That's for sure.
I'm so sorry for being rude and naughty to her.
The thing is I didn't a change to say good-buy and to ask for fogiveness.
Last year Mom had a heart attack. Since fouties she had high blood presuare.
In april she was in a hospital for a month but it didn't help. During the week she felt not good. Early on Friday morning I went for a day to Kazan (the capital of Tatarstan) on business. The next mornng in airort I call to her but my cousin answerd that my 's in hospital. Late at night she had a stroke/ and on the fifth day she died in the emergency box. They didn't let me in/ I was only on Sunday in an ordinary room in the hospital.
For three days Kristina (a girl from the UK) came to visited us. As iif to say farewell. After Kristy found out all she sent flourwed via internet and sent a letter. here it is a part from it.

"Dear Volodja,

how are things with you all.

I imagine it must feel terribly empty. She was such a warm, friendly person who made you feel happy and loved; I cannot magine what it must feel like to be without her.

I hope you are all looking after each other. I feel really useless being over here, I wish there was something I could do.

Did you receive my flowers? I know it's not much but I wanted to show my last respect - and I know how much she loved flowers.

Life is so harsh - it gets you when you least expect it and throws you into cold, empty spaces, with no comfort other than that time eventually will make the pain fade, slowly...just try to remember the good things, be grateful for all the happy times you had and for the love she═had═for you all, ═and remember how she invoked that deep feeling of comfort and love in everyone that met her. She was loved by everyone and I think she knew that - how could one fail to tell her, you just had to - she was always there with open arms.

She was a person that had the fortune of meeting so many people from all over the world - she will be remembered across several continents for decades to come. That is no small feat. We can only hope that we, too, will be remembered in that way one day.

Your mum will be remembered with love - she will always be in my heart, just like you all will.

Please remember that, and please tell your father too - you are all always with us in our thoughts".

So we'l all remember her til I die or lose my memmory.
So buy for now Haema.
Now I have a constant access for the free internet.
Write back
Vlady

Dear Vladimir,

I am so sorry to hear your very sad news. My thoughts are with you and your family.

Haema

Funeral will be tomorrow.

Hello Haema

I wanted to write a proper blog text, but my mom got a stroke.
She is in the hospital. The situation is hard.
I'll write back soon.

Now I can't help thinking I have said something to offend?

Haema

Hi Vladimir,

Just wondering how things are at your end? Hope all is well.

In the UK at the moment the mood is reaching fever pitch for the football World Cup in just three short weeks. Is football one of the main team sports in Russia? Does it have a dedicated ( and rather large) following as football does here? personally am not a football fan but it is impossible not to get caught up in the zeitgeist of the bigger events.

At the risk of discussing the weather, there is talk of a drought warning here in London given the lack of rainfall over the last few months.

Hear soon.

Haema

Hello Vladimir,

Thank you for sharing with us the achievements of your Uncle Nick. Sounds like he was a bit of a hero and you are obviously extrmely proud of him. Do you really mean to say that he died as a result of a wardrobe falling on him? That is a sad way to go and an entirely unexpected way for anyone to imagine as their end.

I can also gather from your posting that you are very proud of Russia and Russians ( not so sure about the kalashnikov?). That is a great way to be and I wonder if one was to see things with a more critical eye...would one's view remain the same? Is there full press freedom in Russia now?

So I am still waiting to hear what life is like for a lawyer in Russia. What field of law do you practice in? Is it a good profession to be in? Do many young students aspire to become lawyers or is it a profession they wish to avoid?

We have solicitors and barristers here that form the two branches of the profession and each branch does have a specific role to play although there are many plans afoot for the two branches to become more alike. Solicitors are more 'front-line' and have more client contact and deal with case-preparation etc and barristers ( they wear the wigs and gowns) deal mainly with advocacy in the courts.

Becoming a lawyer is , I think, still a fairly popular choice although I think it would be right to say that the image of lawyers here has had a bit of a beating... Fairly? Unfairly?

I look forward to your response.

Haema