Dari Utara untuk Jakarta, Surat Rindu untuk Vina

Dear My Vina,

How are you there? It's been a long time I've not t written a letter to you. Today in Arkhangelsk didn't fall snow and I think winter will be over soon and spring is coming. I am so happy about it. Now I want to tell you about my life in Arkhangelsk. 

Do you remember when I was in Jakarta? I really hated to walk, because of traffics jam are everywhere, I hope now is better. But here I always walk to anywhere such as supermarket, university, traditional market even restaurant! I miss everything about us, but here I am, in the North Pole.

Vina, here I live in a dormitory which addressed in Prospek Novgorodski 34, building 4. I live with some neighbors from Swaziland, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and of course Russia. Do you know what I think every day when I wake up? 

I hope I can see you here, spending 5 months without you is like a thousand year we are apart. If I can tell the universe about my feeling, I hope it will understand that Asia and Europe will never break our hope. 

A couple of months ago I saw eclipse, did you see it? If you saw it, tell me what you were thinking about when you saw it. Even Jakarta and Arkhangelsk separate us, I know we still see same sky, moon, and breathing in the same oxygen. Even how hard they want to make us break up, I know they can not make us disappears each other.

Do yo know what is the meaning of Arkhangelsk? It means Michael refers to Saint Michael the Taxiarch. He is a saint that leads God's armies to against devils and now he protects Arkhangelsk Oblast, I wish he also protects you and I've told him to help me to tell Eros about protecting our love. Arkhangelsk was founded by Ivan the Terrible (Ива́н Васи́льевич) because of failing Livonian War to try to get access to the Baltic sea in 1558. 

In the middle ages, Arkhangelsk was the most important port in Russia even in Northern Countries but in 1722 Peter the great decide to close and move the port to the St. Petersburg nowdays. Vina, do you know Lomonosov? 

He is a scientist, writer and poet that the first established university in Russia Lomonosov Moscow State University and he was born in Arkhangelsk! This city has many magic things, one of them is белая береза (Belaya Beroza) the trees that you can see everywhere, it can spread love just like in the poem wrote by Серге́й Алекса́ндрович Есе́нин (Sergei Yesein) and It always reminds me about you. 

I've been to some museums, they have many collections about the history of Arkhangelsk and Russia. When I was in the winter holiday, I went to the church of the Russian Orthodox named Церковь Николая Чудотворца  (St. Nicholas' Church), which located near the river Dvina. 

I was surprised because it was the first time for me, it has wonderful design interior, like some pictures of saints, angels, Maria, and Jesus fill all the wall and awesome exterior, because the church was established in some centuries ago and still exist till now. Most of the time, I often go to the beach of Dvina, let me tell you, I've replaced its name by deleting D and now is only Vina. 

In the morning, I see the sunrise and I wish "Vina, more than thousands of miles we are apart, but I know you are always with me". At 15.00 I come back to see the sunset and I wish "I talk to you, please tell her if here I miss her so much" When you close your eyes, I am there with you, I never go.

Vina, I spend many times to go out alone, I visit some another wonderful place here like what we did in Jakarta and I wish you are here. I went to the biggest library and I like when I was sitting and the view is frozen river Dvina, that's so beautiful, just like you. The tallest building in Arkhangelsk is called Высотка (Visodka), I am often around there because, that's center of the city, which located Почта России (the Russian post office), you must be here! 

Very interesting, the bookstore that makes a crazy, museum, old city Чумбарова-Лучинского and of course my favorite place traditional market. Arkhangelsk has many beautiful places to take photographs especially sunrise, sunset, and snow. I hope one day we can spend a day off, even only one day to complete my journey. I am without you is meaningless.

Vina, I will not go home this summer, sorry. I am going to Riga to attend summer school which organized by Triba University. You know I will learn the Latvian language! My first Baltic language, I am so excited! after coming back I'll start my master's degree and I plan to take place to participate in a student exchange to Tromso university and of course I will be a volunteer. 

I really want to see a red square and Hermitaze (Госуда́рственный Эрмита́ж), I hope I can go there this summer. But, I have bird of happiness (пти́ца сча́стья), a symbol of Arkhangelsk, I'll ask it to send my soul to you, please accept and keep it.

Vina, tell me everything about you, write and send to me. I don't mind how long I receive the letter a thousand year or even a century, I want to know about you. I can do everything here, but without you is like a sailing ship in the big ocean without a captain. 

I know my home and I will come back to you as soon as I finish my study. If you miss me, just tell the moon in the midnight, I will know it will tell me directly about your feeling and I will send my hand by wind then when you wake up in the morning, just breath the oxygen, it must be me.

Lomonosov and St. Michael

Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great

Bird of happiness. Source: stranamam.ru

Sunset in Dvina