To Russia with love

Rostislav Znamenskiy poses in front of an anti-doping billboard in the Athletes' Village. Sun Xiaochen / China Daily

Although life at the Guangzhou Asian Games' Village is enjoyable for Rotislav Znamenskiy, a Russian physiotherapist with the Saudi Arabian delegation, he is missing his wife and four children.After meeting at the Chinese study center in the international zone of the Village, Rostislav shared a letter he had just written to his loved ones with Asiad Daily. Rostislav has bought special gifts for his children and can't wait to be reunited with his family.

Here is the letter from 'Slava' to his wife:

Dear Ira,

I am fine at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, but I miss you and our children very much!

In order to serve the athletes well, I work very hard and sleep for only three or four hours every day. No matter how tired I am, I just want to tell you that I love you and I miss you and the kids every single minute here in Guangzhou.

The life here is enjoyable and a lot of fun. The games are well organized and the Athletes' Village, where I live, is comfortable. The weather in Guangzhou is much warmer than Russia in winter, I can still enjoy the sunshine in November. And the people here are all friendly, always smiling and saying hello to each other.

How are the children? I have bought gifts for them. Tell Igor that he will get a remote-control helicopter. It's so cool. For Valeriya and Veronica, I have prepared makeup packages for them, which are pretty popular among young ladies in China. And tell Valeriya to pay more attention to her studies. The economic courses in college will not be easy for her if she spends too much time on recreational or sports activities.

Being here, I finally have the chance to feel and learn Chinese traditional culture. There is a Chinese study center in the Athletes' Village and I have learnt to write all the family members' names in Chinese calligraphy. Using the brush pen is difficult, but interesting. I will take my handwriting back home so you can see it. It's a little illegible, but beautiful.

And I also want to tell you that China has developed very fast in recent years. The country changes year by year, and the people here are very friendly. It's definitely an unforgettable experience for me. But I am looking forward to coming home and I can't wait to see you! I will finish my work and go home on Nov 28.

OK, I'd better quit writing now. I miss you! Hope all is well at home!

Your loving husband,Slava