ABOUT MY SELF (native town, study, family, what can be the use of
knowing English for me)

     First of all I, sinful, would like to say a few words about myself.
I am Vladimir Ivanov. So my first (or my Christian name) is Vladimir (in
Church Slavonic and Slavic language). Most likely the name means "he who
acquires (vladeet) peace(mir)" or "he who does (dir-deet) his own will
(vla-volya). In West they use this name as Welemir. My surname is Ivanov
(son of Ivan or John'son in English that is equivalent to Johnson). I am
22 years old. I was born on the 25th of August in 1980.1 left school in
1997. In the same year I entered the Moscow Theological Seminary which I
am finishing now. So by now I have been studying at the Seminary for 5
years.

     The study here has turned out to be difficult, comforting and
joyful. Difficult because we studied complex subjects such as Latin,
Liturgies, Comparative and Dogmatic Theology, History of the Old
Testament...Comforting because we have been enlarging our base knowledge
about saul-saving orthodox faith and have had possibility to be often in
church, participate in church service, receive useful advice and
encouragement from experienced in spiritual life monks and priests.
Joyful because I have gone on pilgrimage to different monasteries...
namely to the Saint Mount Athos where I had a little talk with a Greek
old monk (starets I would say) in English since I did not know Greek so
well. The monk told me above all that he and as many Athos monks
honoured much blessed martyr Tzar Nikolay and his holy family whose icon
he had in his cell. The 4 years at the Seminary have given me many
friends and have broadened my personal vision of life.

     My native city is Smolensk, one of the oldest cities in Russia. The
city is known since 863. It

was attacked and destroyed many times by Polish, Lithuania, French,
German occupants.

     However it has survived and preserved its historical view and
beauty. Especially beautiful and majestic looks the Dormition Cathedral
(founded in 1677) standing high over the Dnepr-river.

     My family is rather large. It is an average Russian family. I have
a mother, a father, a sister and a brother. So we are five in our
family. My mother is a tall and slim woman with long blonde hair and
large blue eyes. She is a University teacher of History. She likes music
and plays the guitar. My father is a well-built man with short black
hair and grey eyes. He is an economist. He works for a state-company. He
is a very busy man. My brother is a manager. He works for a private
company. Before he worked as a programmer. He is married and he has
children. My sister is a lawyer. She works for a law firm. Before she
worked as an accountant and an operator in an office. Our family is very
united. We celebrate Easter and all the 12 high holidays in the russian
church -1) the Nativity of Christ (Christmas in West), 2) Epiphany,
3)the Meeting' (of the Lord), 4)Our Lord's entry into Jerusalem, 5) the
Ascension (of the Lord), 6) the Transformation (of the Lord), 7) the
Nativity of the Most-Holy Mother of God, 8) the Presentation in the
Temple, 9) the Annunciation (of the Most-Holy Mother of God), 10)
Falling-asleep (Assumption) of the Most-Holy Mother of God, 11) the
Elevation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross, and 12) Pentecost
(Trinity Sunday). In summer-time we go swimming and in winter-time we go
skating. My family is very dear to me. I mean that I can find love,
help, understanding and support in my family. I have many friends. If we
there is a problem in our family we try to solve it together in a
reasonable way. When I was a teenager my parents didn't like my staying
out late or my being disobedient, impolite or even rude. Since my
baptism in Orthodox faith I have been trying to be as attentive and
careful as possible as I can to my parents. They say that that study is
always a psychological challenge and they encourage me saying: "Keep
your peace!", "Keep your nerve!", "Try to keep up your spirits!", "Do
not loose your spirit!", 'Take a new lease of life!", "Cheer up.!"... I
have a lot of relatives (blood relations); aunts, uncles and a cousin.
My cousin is a pupil, he is in the fifth form. I try to be on good terms
with all my blood relations.

     I have a grandmother and grand-father. They are on pension
(retired). They live in a village where have many domestic animals: a
cow, a dog, hens, gooses, goats. In summer-time I like to visit them and
help with feeding animals, making hey, wood and doing another housework.

     As far as English is concerned, I have been learning it for 10
years now. I hope, I'll be able to tell to English-speaking people at
least on simple level about basis of orthodox faith, God's miracles such
as the holy fire on the Lord's coffin in the Jerusalem temple, the life
of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, the Saint Patron of Russia and other
Russian saints. English would help me in communicating with foreign
orthodox believers abroad. Among other places I would like to go to
London to see orthodox life in diocese of Metropolitan Antony of Surozh
and to visit the newly found scetes in Alaska to see the way American
and Russian monks work out their salvation.