Anna Z

When I started this project I thought that a few months would go by and I'd get some sort of results.  The idea in the meantime was to post some sort of content periodically so as to keep this "fresh" in the search engines, at least for the very narrow set of terms I needed.  That has turned out to be harder than I thought.  For all I know today I've already hashed this topic as well (and likely have)!

If you've never met someone and only have a handful of email messages from years ago it's very difficult to try and post thoughts about that person.  It would be much easier, I think, to make some things up.  Likely a lot more interesting as well. 

Tosno.  That's the town Anna claimed to live in.  It seemed to me that she traveled for her work although she described her job as very low level.  I remember one post where she wrote about a hotel room she was staying in.  Just a few short paragraphs but I had a clear picture of not just that hotel but the entire town she was "stuck" in.  Five years later I remember it being cold and somehow dark like the room had just one small light.  I believe she traveled by train and would be home late the next night.  Maybe this is just supposed to be the west's version of Russia in general and she played up on that...

My "New" Anna and I have written back and forth pretty regularly.  We have almost nothing in common so the conversations are short and topic driven but she is a very good person.  Every once in awhile she'll ask how the search is going, which is nice, but it's really just one of the few topics we have to speak on.  I know nothing of her friends or what she does from day to day.  We could just as easily be writing about the weather.  I do like her a lot though and with me growing up during the cold war it still amazes me that I'm communicating with someone from Russia.  To her it's just an everyday thing.  20 years, night and day, amazing.

Turkey, Russia, Britain, Ukraine, USA.  Just in the last 30 days traffic has come in from all of these places and more.  What's odd is that much of it has been via Internet searches for some variation of "Anna Zareva".  I'm wondering - is this a common name? 

Regardless, this is an open question to anyone who has landed here via a search.  What and/or who were you looking for?  I'm really curious to know.  I do realize that even the lowest traffic sites receive visits from around the world.  What's intriguing to me is the originating thoughts of this traffic. Unless google analytics is telling me stories many of you are searching for someone with a similar name to this blog.  Just wondering whom that might be.

Thanks!

Hey Anna, I've had quite a few visits from Russia.  Seeing as this blog is in English I'm wondering why people are going here.  The google keyword reports shows a few searches on your name.  Are any of those searches you?

It's been six months.  I've spent exactly zero time on this so no harm.  I would like to speak to you again, though.  I believe you're an extrememly talented writer.  That much I've said and the thought hasn't changed.  Anyway, this is just a post to let you know this site is still looked after.  Send a post - soon.

It happened quickly as I thought it would.  No, Anna hasn't written me but if someone were to search for her name (in English anyway) this blog shows up on the first page of results.  No big thing, certainly, being that there's not much competition for "Anna Zareva" or "Anna Tsareva" on the search engines.  Of course if that's not her real name it will be very unlikely she'll type that into Google.  If it is maybe she will.  I have no idea what the average frequency is but I've got to believe most people type their own names into search engines from time to time.  We'll see if she does (and chooses to respond). 

Too much spare time perhaps.  I looked back at some of the emails I saved from Anna and they date back to 2002.  It really is foolishness to dwell on these old emails and I understand that.  It's not that I've thought of them or her constantly over the last five years (I haven't).  I do think she is special, though.

I read the other day of a man from Italy who also corresponded with Anna.  Apparently he came to some of the same conclusions.  He was certainly disappointed but more, I think, on losing a pen pal than any sort of love interest.  Perhaps if I locate her I'll forward her contact info to him as well, if it's ok with Anna.