ALMOST like in the 1963 James Bond movie, From Russia with Love, Francois Joubert from Middelburg found his true love in real life when he first met Elena Komarova, during her visit to friends in Middelburg in the Eastern Cape, in June 2017.
Elena comes from a town called Kolpashevo in Siberia, Russia. For the past eight years she has lived in St Petersburg.
Elena and her son, Vova, came to visit her friends, Stefan and Ksenya Duvenage, in Middelburg in June 2017.
It was during this time that Francois met Elena and things just developed from there during the two months that she spent in SA.
After her return to Russia, they communicated through video chats until January 2018, when Elena returned to South Africa, but this time especially to visit Francois.
In June 2018, Francois went to visit her in St Petersburg as well as her home town in Siberia, where he asked her mother for Elena’s hand in marriage.
In Russia Elena took Francois to see Catherine’s Palace and the Winter Palace, both in St Petersburg and they visited the Red Square in Moscow.
Francois was also exposed to a bit of culture when Elena took him to a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.
Elena came to visit Francois in South Africa from January 21 this year and they got married on February 15.
Elena’s favourite things of SA are the sea as well as the nature, wild life and sceneries of sunny SA. Mangoes and avocado are some of her favourite fruits.
Francois won her heart with his “onderste-bo koffie-poeding” and often treats her with ribs and chops during a braai. Although he did not like to swim in the sea (due to his fear of sharks), he nowadays joins Elena for a swim in the sea.
For now they will try to visit each other twice a year, until her son has finished school.
“As I have been to Russia in summer, my next trip will be to visit Elena in winter in St Petersburg where temperatures are around -10°C.
“She still tries to convince me to go to Siberia, but I do not think I will survive the -35°C!,” Francois said.
