I realized that certain dreams can be meaningful. In my case, these are usually dreams concerning people I know. I have gotten a reminder from the past which I couldn't ignore.

So, many many years ago when I was 10 years old, there was this boy in my class. He was brand new, and came into the 4th grade from a different school. He used to share a name (both first and last) with one of the most famous comic actors of Russian cinema/theatre. He also used to stutter real badly. So lots of kids made fun of him because he had such a famous name and such a bad stutter. And somehow I decided to talk to him. I don't know, there just was something really cool about him. Well, we've become close friends, since 10, and through 14 when we left Russia. I can't even say we were "in love" because at that age we were more like comrads, but we discussed things that I suppose most kids of our age did not - world things. I don't even know how to explain it, but while it was all fun and thrills with my girlfriends, it was dead serious with him. I think that we were in love - in a purest sense possible. But anyway, after my family and I left, we have kept in touch. Through snail letters of course, which sometimes took months and months to get through.

Then, when we were about 17, he wrote me a letter that he wants to marry me. I felt it was impossible, and wrote so. He really was crushed, and I still feel bad about how strict I was. But we still kept in touch as friends. Then in 1997 I went back to Petersburg, and of course we met. At that time, he was already working as a lawyer (he graduated the law university of Petersburg) for some prestigious company. We had totally good time! - though completely platonic of course :) and it was so marvelous. His mom used to adore me, always. She always felt we were perfect for each other. Well, except that he was trained for strictly european code of law (100% different from american), so he'd never be able to work in his field here.

And then he disappeared. I've wrote and I have called and the letters never were answered, and the phone never was picked up. I was quite upset, and asked my friends in Russia to help me track him down. No success. So for the next 3-4 years I heard nothing of him, and I felt that we just lost touch forever.

That was until two days ago. I kept on having recurring dreams of him, over and over again. Within 3 weeks, I had about 4 dreams, and I felt that I had to find him. Well, I started with locating russian white pages. Yeah, only about 100 ppl have his last name, and about 50 his first name. So much for that. Then I rememberd of a russian search engine called yandex.ru - it's about the same as yahoo here, the most popular search engine. So I went there, and typed in his full name - his first, middle, and last name. Several websites popped out, and about #5 on the list was listed his name, and his credentials - a lawyer, and a diplomate. I clicked on it, and while there was no picture on this website, it had brief description of its author which stated that he graduated Petersburg's law school and has worked as a lawyer for a while and now is a diplomate of russian federation in ucraine. There was an e-mail listed. I felt that it's about 90% chance - and I just e-mailed and said if it's you, you'll know who I am.

Well, he e-mailed back! It is him, he works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of russia (another words, top top of the top jobs!) - and he's on work assignment in Ucraine. I could not believe it. I found him. It was almost unreal. Well, he sent me his wedding picture - he also got married. Now, here's the freaky part. His wife looks a lot like me. Of course not a twin exactly, but same type of hear, forhead, and general face shape. I felt a bit weird about it! Her name is almost the same as my russian name used to be.

Well, he's happy, he has another year to go in Ucraine after which he'll return home. I want to invite him and his wife to visit us - I think from all my friends he has a real chance to do it - both money and formality wise. Though such visit would feel almost unreal.

So... a trip down my past. I think that if I haven't seen those dreams I wouldn't of thought about locating him. I'm amazed I didn't think about it later.

Life is funny!