In February 2014, during one of my trips on the metro, I случайно met Lena, with whom I had previously participated in a training and had been a “homeless person” at the railway station. We exchanged contacts, and Lena invited me to courses for aspiring entrepreneurs, which were held under the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
From February 17 to 28, 2014, I completed training at the International Business School under the program: “Management of Innovative Production. Formation of a Sales System and Promotion of Innovative Products to the Market,” with a total of 76 academic hours.
For me, this became an opportunity to distract myself from the endless routine of teaching work and from the state I was in at that time. The courses were designed for people who wanted to start their own business, and simply being in that environment already created a sense of movement.
After attending these courses, they lifted me up a bit and helped me feel like part of society again. By completing tasks in a group, I gradually began returning to a normal life. My communication with Lena continued, and one day she invited me to her home to help set up her computer. That was when I found out why our paths had crossed again — Lena had moved to the Krasnogvardeyskaya metro station, literally to a building next to mine. This explained our seemingly random encounters.
During one of these visits, I helped set up her computer, and afterward Lena предложила that I become a tutor for her daughter, Anya. She said that she considered me a genius in mathematics and hoped that I would be able to help her daughter. At first, I reacted to this skeptically, but I decided to try. Lena warned me that Anya was about to arrive home.
When Anya approached the building, Lena called her, and on speakerphone a somewhat rough voice was heard: “Hello! I got it! I’m coming!” This surprised me — from that voice, I expected to see someone with a harsh, possibly stern appearance matching the sharpness of her tone. For a moment, I even thought it might be difficult for us to find common ground. But when the door opened, Anya walked in — a petite, dark-haired, cheerful girl with a very pleasant voice. It turned out that on the phone she was simply joking around, as she liked to do. I immediately realized that we would easily get along. We got acquainted, and through her mother we began to communicate a little. However, Lena warned me to be careful, as Anya had a boyfriend at that time, which was something to take into account in further communication.
As it later turned out, Anya’s relationship was not as strong as it might have seemed, and her boyfriend lived in another district. Because of this, Anya began to invite me out for walks more and more often. When I asked her why she chose me, Anya answered that she did not know anyone else in that area, and that she felt bored and sad being alone. That is how we started walking together, and one day I told her about a girl named Nadya, who often occupied my thoughts. Nadya had once formed an incorrect opinion about me, and I переживал because of it.
Anya responded to my story with understanding. She was one of the few who did not judge me for my feelings toward Nadya. With Anya, I began to feel free; I was not ashamed of my experiences. Our communication began to develop in a positive direction, and gradually we became friends.
Life continued to smile at me, and new people appeared in my life. One day, closer to the May holidays, Andrey from the Unification Church called me and suggested that I join a three-day trip. They were planning to float on a raft that they would build themselves. For me, this was great news: three days in nature, overnight stays in tents, new people, fresh air — all of this sounded wonderful. I immediately agreed.
Andrey strongly urged me to quit smoking, and surprisingly, for all three days I действительно did not smoke. It was the first time in a long while that I managed to go without cigarettes, and it turned out to be beneficial. I felt lighter and freer, both physically and mentally. The raft trip became a great experience for me, improving my internal state and filling me with positive energy — another important step toward improving my mood and health.
Another great event that Andrey invited me to was a volunteer project — a community clean-up day in Borisovsky Park. At the end of the event, they promised a delicious meal at Volzhskaya and a large, friendly gathering. Of course, I agreed again. On one of the Saturdays in May, during the May holidays, I gladly took part in cleaning the park together with other participants. There were many of us, the atmosphere was fresh and energetic, and everything went just wonderfully.
