There was a time when I almost lost hope in getting married again. I have a daughter from my first marriage. Only the other Russian women with similar experiences can understand what it means to be thrown away from your husband's family, and how it feels to come back to your parents' home with a child in your hands... I thought I would never recover again. And I had a feeling that all men in the world are the same...

When I met Chulan in a local marriage agency, I did not have any expectations. I just wanted to take a change in my own life. Well, we met a couple of times during a week, but I did not feel any affection for him. Then, the very last evening, he offered me to have a dinner with him, and to invite a new interpreter. This was the first time I met Irina. Those who have met her in person, will have no doubt that the three of us became friends immediately. Irina managed to break my coldness and his shyness with her "ice-breaking" questions, and we began to grow interested in each other.

Then, there was a long voyage in the ocean of our relationship - letters, meetings, trips, classes of English, paperwork, worries and excitement. I didn't realize it then, but I know it now, that, in this "ocean" of our relationship, it was Irina who helped me to avoid being sea-sick. It was largely due to her effort and patience that I did not leave the "boat". She gave me more hope, together with the amazing energy, which she gives out to everyone she meets.

Her approach worked well on us - we've been happily married for two years now! Elena and Chulan, England