Jane

We have been blessed with a wonderful landlady Jane. She doesn't look like I would imagine a landlady in Russia to look like. She is not older, or dumpy or a babushka in a baggy dress and sagging stockings with a bandana around her head (sorry but this what I envision a landlady to look like here) and some of them do. :0)
Jane is young with a husband and two lovely little boys. She is very pretty and has been a joy to deal with. (unlike some of the landlords or landlady's that our missionaries have had to work with).
When appliances broke down (like the washing machine and the refridge), she had them fixed, she helped us get the television working, she made sure the living room floor was repaired after water damage caused some major buckling.
She was pleasant to work with and she and I became friends along the way despite the language barrier. She does speak English) We laughed as she tried to find the right word in English and we were absolutely no help with our limited Russian. She and Dave had a good relationship as well.
There were times when a lot of waiting was required. It was during these times of waiting for work to be done that a sense of humor REALLY came in handy. I have heard that Russian people don't understand our sense of humor, but Jane did and it made her laugh. She told me she appreciated my sense of humor. We had fun together even amongst frustrating times of waiting for service or repair.
We introduced her to the Meilstrup's yesterday and I gave her a big hug when she left.  She has been a blessing to us here. Our lovely apartment will be a safe haven for our wonderful replacements as well and I hope it will not take long for it to become home. I will miss her.