Life. Love. Beauty. Paradise: About Me

I was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan a Muslim country, located in Central Asia. Tashkent is a capital city of Uzbekistan. The main city of Uzbekistan is a huge metropolis with a population of over 3 million people. The city is lined with a grid of straight and wide streets and avenues, decorated with emerald green parks, gardens, fountains imbued with crystal strands. Tashkent cafes and restaurants present delicious national Uzbek as well as European, Middle Eastern and Russian cuisines. Uzbekistan's signature dish is palov (plov orosh or "pilaf"), a main course typically made with rice, pieces of meat, grated carrots and onions. It is usually cooked in a kazan (ordeghi) over an open fire; chickpeas, raisins, barberries, or fruit may be added for variation. Culture of Uzbekistan is one of the brightest and original cultures of East. It is inimitable national music, dances and painting, unique national kitchen and clothes. Summers are typically hot and dry. Winters are cold and snowy.

When I was 4 years old my parents moved to Silute, Lithuania. My dad always wanted to move there, since his mom was Lithuanian. Silute is a city in the south of the Klaipėda County, Lithuania. The town, which is a region center, has a well-developed infrastructure. There is an amateur theatre, a museum, three churches, a few hotels, and many cafes, restaurants, and bars. The sole official language in Lithuania as well as the language you will hear the most is Lithuanian. The largest minority languages are Russian and Polish. Cepelinai meal, folk songs, Lithuanian basketball and the art of cross making are among the most potent symbols of the Lithuanian nation. Lithuanian cuisine is generally mild. Potatoes and rye bread are the staple foods and pork is the favorite meat, followed by beef and chicken. Seaside areas have traditional fish recipes but most other seafood is considered inedible. The average temperature in Silute, Lithuania is cool. July is the warmest month with an average temperature of 62 degrees. January is the coolest month having a mean temperature of 25 degrees.

After living in Lithuania for 7 years, my parents decided to move back to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. My mom's family was living there, so she was very happy to come back, my dad not so much, Lithuania felt like home to him. Even till this day, I know my dad wishes we stayed. Since, I spend my younger years in Lithuania and went to Elementary school there, I primarily spoke Lithuanian. Even though I spoke Russian with my mom, I didn't know how to read or write in Russian much. Going back to school was not easy. But as the time went by, it gotten better. After awhile, my dad stopped speaking to me in Lithuanian, so as the years went by, I started to forget the language I once knew. I've had an amazing life as a teenager. Lots of friends, great school, wonderful parents who loved me and given me the best care, knowledge and support that have made me to a woman I am today. I spend summers at my grandmother's house or their summer house outside the city in the mountains. All my cousins, their mothers and fathers, including my grandparents and my mom were all there. I will never forget those days, best time of my life. My dad traveled a lot on business. 3 days before my 13th birthday, my mom gave birth to my brother Alen. He was the first boy born into our family among 9 females, not including my grandfather, my dad and two of my uncles. At that moment I realized that my brother's birth was meant to be. Since my dad was working a lot and traveling, my mom was the one who raised my brother and I. Life in Tashkent is a lot different from the life in America. We didn't have grocery stores, instead my parents did grocery shopping at the local bazaar. My mom cooked fresh meal every evening. We didn't have a convenience of boxed, pre packaged or frozen foods. My parents didn't own a washer or a dryer, dishwasher or a microwave, I still remember watching a black and white TV. I spend a lot of my teenage years outside with my friends, helping my mom around the house and taking care of brother when my mom needed help.

At age 16, I moved to United States. My parents followed me few months later. Once again, I had to learn a different language, English. Learning English was easy, in a couple of years, it felt like I always spoke it. I graduated in July of 2000. I got married, gave birth to a beautiful girl, but after 5 years our marriage was falling apart and we decided to get a divorce. We realized that we are better off as friends then as a husband and wife. Till this day, my ex husband and I keep a great friendship between each other.

I was working as a server in Italian restaurant when I met my husband in the spring of 2007. We got married on Valentine's Day on February 14, 2008. My husband is my soul-mate, my best friend and the love of my life. On May 28, 2008, I gave birth to a beautiful daughter, Annabella.

Our girls mean a world to us and I can't imagine our lives without them. Being a parent is not easy, but we do our best to teach them how to live life to the fullest, love, succeed and believe that anything is possible.