Dear Yulia,
How are you? I hope you are doing well despite all of the stress of preparing paperwork and forms. It sounds like you have been very busy with all of this the past few days! I am glad to hear that you have submitted your application for a passport. This is a good thing to do, as it will be necessary for any future trips abroad. I am very appreciative for your wonderful father, and his willingness to try everything he can to help. You are very lucky to have such a great father!
I carefully read your Email several times and have given this matter a lot of thought. In fact, I spent nearly all day thinking about this, and about you! I think it will be so great to meet in person whenever it is possible in the future. However, I think that trying to rush this trip and travel within the next month is unwise. I understand that you are very excited to visit the USA, and I am so eager to spend time with you! I was very excited about the possibility of meeting you soon, and it was very fun discussing different possibilities and cities to visit earlier. But, now that I have done more research about travel conditions here and abroad, I still think that it would be best to postpone any travel until next year. I know we were both excited about seeing each other soon, and I know I contributed to this excitement. But I think it is important to carefully consider the reality of the situation. I have many concerns about trying to rush this trip, and here are a few reasons why I think it is better to wait until later next year to meet:
1) COVID continues to be an unpredictable situation, with cases continuing to increase here in many cities. Every government site I have visited (both US and Russian) strongly advises against non-essential international travel at this time. This means that it is not recommended to fly or travel unless it is for essential business. You mentioned the problems with distribution of a vaccine in Russia, and that the situation is not good there either. I understand that this could delay my trip to Moscow, but this is OK. I have flexibility with travel dates, so I can wait however long I need to in order to get a Visa to Russia next year. I know waiting is hard, but for you my dear Yulia, it will be worth it!
2) I know that you are anxious to use your upcoming vacation, and that it starts soon. But, I don’t think it is wise to rush preparations for such a major trip simply for this reason. I am sure that you will get more vacation time next year, and will be able to arrange for a few days off in the Spring or Summer since you will have at least 5 months to plan for this. Surely you can plan for a few days off in Moscow with 5 or 6 months prepartion! You can enjoy your upcoming vacation this year to spend with friends and family in Russia, and then we will have several months to plan for a meeting in Moscow! This also guarantees that the planning will not be stressful or rushed!
3) If I cannot visit Moscow until Summer or even after Summer next year as you mentioned, this is OK. I can book flexible travel and adjust the date of my trip as necessary. If we have to wait until even later next year to meet, this will be difficult, but there are also advantages. It gives us even more time to plan, and it gives us more time to both save money.
4) Finally, in your previous Email, you mentioned that you only have $900 and that this is all of your money. I think this is the most important reason to wait. Yulia, I am so eager to meet you in person, but I do not think it is wise to travel if it will exhaust all of your available funds. It is always wise to have spare money on hand when you travel, in case of unexpected emergencies (like needing to book a hotel due to a cancelled flight or train). I have actually made this mistake before, nearly 3 years ago. I traveled abroad and spent all of my money on the trip. I even had to charge money on my credit card to get home, and I was struggling financially when I got home until I returned to work and received my next paycheck 2 weeks later. Then, I had to pay off the charges I had put on the credit card. This was very expensive, took a long time, and cost a lot of money in interest. I was very foolish to travel with so little money. I do not wish for anyone to make this same mistake. Yulia, I know you are very excited to visit the US and I think you will enjoy the trip MUCH more if you able to take more time to save more money for such a large trip, so that you are more financially secure and can enjoy the vacation without stress due to money worries. Of course, I can help with finances and expenses too when we spend time together, but I will not always be with you when you travel to and from the US, and for this reason it is always good and wise to have your own funds, especially in case of any emergency.
I know it is disappointing to wait until next year until our meeting, but I think this is the wise and responsible thing to do. However, I have an idea! If we wish to talk before meeting next year, this is possible using video chat! I know it is not the same as meeting in person, but at least I could see your beautiful eyes and hear your voice over video. When I think of you, I wonder what your voice must sound like since we have never spoken. I think that it would be very pleasant to listen to, like that of an angel! We could discuss this matter more over video chat. I think that would be very nice. We could use Skype, or Viber for example. My gorgeous Yulia, I have not seen a picture from you for 4 days now, and I think it would be lovely to chat over video and hear your voice, and see your smile! What do you think about this?
I am thinking about you, and I eagerly await your next Email!
Have a wonderful day my sweetheart ;)
Ryli