The Town Historian
We were invited into the home of Mr Afanasiy. He is a retired math teacher with a keen interest in the history of Divin. He has been married for 60 years. His wife was a language teacher. Now she is quite ill. Upon arriving at the home of Mr Afanasiy, he graciously allowed me to use his outhouse, and to wash in the backyard sink. He invited us in.

The Afanasiy enclosed porch

We sat around the small table in the enclosed porch at the front of his house, and I took note of his worn clothing. As his wife struggled to enter the room, he tenderly guided her to a couch, and spoke to her in endearing soft tones.

Mr. Afanasiy

His hobby is making colored wire baskets, and he gave us a gift of a two rier candy dish, and two pencil holders. He explained to our translator that he knew we would want something from Divin, so he had painted Divin, 2010, and his initials on the bottom of each basket. I was so touched by his thoughtfulness.

The Afanasiy living room (1)

The Afanasiy living room (2)

Talking with Mr. Afanasiy, our interpreter in foreground

The Afanasiy bedroom

In the bedroom there were lovely photos of the couple in their youth and of their family.

The Afanasiy kitchen.jpg

His cottage layout is similar to how my mother described her childhood home. The rooms were small, simple.

How generous he was to share his home and allow us to glimpse and absorb the flavor of that life.

 

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Page Last Updated: 28-Oct-2010