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Author Topic: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014  (Read 86399 times)

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Offline lonedrake

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #25 on: November 25, 2014, 07:40:28 PM »
The excess baggage fees depend on the airline and origin of trip.  We paid $100 per extra bag.  Larissa bought 5 new suitcases for the trip.  I noticed while checking the airlines for excess baggage fees, they ranged from $80 to $200 per bag.

They took Delta (operated by KLM) from Kiev to Amsterdam to LAX.  I have used this route several times and like it best.  I also admire KLM for their service.   The tickets were about $1030 each round trip.  The cheapest I have ever got with a major airline and only one stop.

Emergency medical and trip insurance for both of them was $77 for 6 months and includes all the baggage insurance, etc.

Congratulations!! 

I also like the Delta/KLM route through Amsterdam.

Offline calmissile

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #26 on: November 25, 2014, 07:53:32 PM »
That is you Doug!! I think the SL is quite a bit later model year than that!!

Senior moment.... ;D   Had to look at the registration. It is 1987.

Was me!  Now #1 priority is the raising of a 5 year old and mama needing transportation.
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Offline calmissile

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #27 on: November 25, 2014, 09:02:47 PM »
We are having a pre-Thanksgiving pot-luck tomorrow at work.
Wifey making a large pot of borscht to give the employees a taste of FSU food.

Doug (Calmissile)

Offline AkMike

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #28 on: November 25, 2014, 09:08:03 PM »
She really looks like a happy cook!  :clapping:


Offline calmissile

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #29 on: November 26, 2014, 12:12:41 AM »
She really looks like a happy cook!  :clapping:

Tonight would have made a good comedy skit.  Several exchanges of 'crazy husband', 'crazy wife'.   :)
She previously told me she had never baked a turkey.  She calls me out to the kitchen to 'help' her.  Mistake #1, I went to help her.  She decided to marinate the turkey the boss gave us for Thanksgiving.  First order was to go to the store and get a turkey bag.  What the hell is a turkey bag.  Clerk found them for me.  She put the turkey in the bag and poured some liquid with vegetables in it in the bag.  I asked her if she took out a bag of body parts from the chest cavity.  She looked puzzled and said no bag was inside.  I have never remembered a turkey without the heart, gizzard, liver, etc being in a plastic bag.  She said to look for myself.   

How in the hell do you get a big fist inside the turkeys asshole to search for a bag?  What a scene. I was getting frustrated and all she could do was laugh and say 'crazy husband'.   In desperation, I texted my boss and asked if the innards were in a bag.  He said yes, so we both searched the inside of the turkey for the bag.  By this time the damned thing looked like it had given birth and clearly there was no bag inside.

So the bird is now sitting in a roaster in the garage marinating, I guess.  Will ask the boss tomorrow about the heart and gizzard......that is if he can quit laughing long enough to answer.

Lisa's tablet could not connect to my wi-fi, so I decided that I probably would have more success with that project.  Presto...problem solved.  I then decided she will be the expert in the kitchen and I will stay with the electronic projects.     ;D
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Offline calmissile

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #30 on: November 27, 2014, 08:47:45 PM »
Thanksgiving Day

How the heck do children stand 55-60 deg F. water (swimming pool)?

Ah, the jacuzzi is warmer.       :)

I don't know why she tried to scare me by saying she had never cooked a turkey, only ducks and geese.  It came out wonderful.  It was a little strange eating it with what seemed like tartar sauce rather than gravy, but it was great.

With her broken English, she can be humorous at times.  After complimenting her on her turkey she responded with "I am American girl now"

Tonight it's relaxing in the jacuzzi with the Nemiroff she brought.
Doug (Calmissile)

Offline ML

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #31 on: November 27, 2014, 09:25:15 PM »
Tonight it's relaxing in the jacuzzi with the Nemiroff she brought.

Is that some sort of pleasuring device ?
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline calmissile

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #32 on: November 27, 2014, 09:51:08 PM »
Is that some sort of pleasuring device ?

In an indirect way.      ;D
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Offline ML

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #33 on: November 27, 2014, 10:11:38 PM »
OK, don't let the effect go to waste.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline calmissile

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #34 on: November 28, 2014, 03:01:27 PM »
All the comments about every FSU woman will clean the house no matter how well it was done earlier.....is certainly true.    ;D

It also can have an unfortunate side affect........ how did all these former girlfriends find so many nooks and crannies to hide their underwear?   Must be a sign of marking their territory?

What would we do without Skype?  Larissa has been chatting with her UA girlfriends and family daily.  As best I can determine, her conversations have been all positive about our culture.   She has already made friends in the neighborhood and a couple neighbors have came back for seconds on her borscht.

Lisa is like a fish.  Jacuzzi every day. It's hard to get her to come out and into the house. :)
Doug (Calmissile)

Offline AkMike

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #35 on: November 28, 2014, 03:08:05 PM »
Wow, deja vous!!!
  Then there was the foil packets found somewhere in the back of the closet, luckily the code dates were way old.. I didn't know that there were any date codes on them!  :rolleyes:

Offline ML

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #36 on: November 28, 2014, 07:35:14 PM »
Ochka is probably 1 in a million women.

She used shampoos, lotions, etc. left by other women;
and even still wears some clothes left by others for working out doors.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline I/O

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #37 on: November 28, 2014, 08:03:13 PM »
Cal: Word for the wise if I may - foster the happy times, enjoy the intimacy (of which there will be plenty), love the food supply and be ready. Unexpectedly, possibly weeks, months or even years down the track, there will be a (maybe many) sad time. Catzenmouse (Ken) made a super remark many years ago that fortunately, struck me at the time, on this exact subject - he remarked that he had learned when to allow his wife enough space simply to be sad for a time. You may succeed on many fronts but if you fail on this one, your marriage will fail.

Offline calmissile

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #38 on: November 28, 2014, 08:30:42 PM »
Cal: Word for the wise if I may - foster the happy times, enjoy the intimacy (of which there will be plenty), love the food supply and be ready. Unexpectedly, possibly weeks, months or even years down the track, there will be a (maybe many) sad time. Catzenmouse (Ken) made a super remark many years ago that fortunately, struck me at the time, on this exact subject - he remarked that he had learned when to allow his wife enough space simply to be sad for a time. You may succeed on many fronts but if you fail on this one, your marriage will fail.

Thanks for the advice I/O.  I can imagine normal times she might be sad such as a family member dying or something similar.  I was married 23 years the first time and learned a lot about women in general, but is there something unique about FSU women that you can elaborate on (with regard to sadness)?
Doug (Calmissile)

Offline I/O

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #39 on: November 29, 2014, 05:04:12 AM »
but is there something unique about FSU women
She isn't 'home'....

Offline calmissile

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #40 on: December 02, 2014, 11:06:09 PM »
Just a little update about the first week after arrival of wife and stepdaughter.
Everyone's experience is probably different but this is what we experienced in our house.....
Remember that we met two years ago and have been married for a year and one half.

The integration of the family has been great without any issues or incompatibilities so far.
While I had the house cleaned by professionals, as stated in many posts, the wife cleans the whole thing again anyway.
The date of their trip was a last minute decision and I had not cleaned out the closets and drawers to make room for their 7 suitcases of clothes.   Me bad!    No problem for Larissa.  As I cleaned out the closets and drawers, she calmly moved from suitcase living to normal.

Within a few hours, she had completely taken over the kitchen.  Found every gadget I had bought (and not used) over the past 20 years.  In spite of our confusion over not finding the bag of turkey gizzards, etc. the turkey dinner was fantastic.  The only unusual thing was being served what looked like tartar sauce rather than making gravy.  All in all, still a great dinner.

The stories about not drinking cold drinks is apparently true.  I first noticed it when I bought Lisa a smoothie while we were waiting for her new cell phone to get programmed.  Lisa had no problem with it, but when Larissa took a taste she bolted and said too cold.  The next thing I noticed was that she takes the orange juice out of the refrigerator and warms it to room temperature in the microwave.,   :)
Lisa seems to care less, but this is mamas ritual.

I am sure there will be other strange differences that will come up, but it's been pretty smooth so far.

As to the language arguments and opinions on the forum.  My opinion is that if you find a real gem for a wife, the language barrier is something that can be overcome without being a big deal.  It requires patience and understanding, sometimes frustration, but if you love each other you can work through it.  If the FSUW is motivated to learn English she will do so in a short time.  At least where you can communicate even if not fluent.

Things have been moving really fast this week.  I am working full time and there is a lot of coordination and running around that makes it a very busy time.  I am not going to buy another car until Larissa gets her California drivers license.  On Monday I called the school district and had a friend pick up the packet of information and requirements for kindergarten and delivered them to the house.  Other than the proof or residence, birth certificate, etc. it looks like the only thing was a requirement for a physical exam for Lisa and a translated copy of her immunization records.  Luckily, I was able to get an doctors appointment for her in a couple days, so she should be ready to enroll by the end of the week.

I also inquired about ESL classes for Larissa and discovered that they are part of the Adult Public Education System.  The only classes in session now is Intermediate English ESL classes.  The woman said that Larissa could come in and take the test today, but would need to have a good grasp of English basics to pass the test and be enrolled.  She passed it with flying colors and went to her 1st class the same evening.  When I picked her up from class, she was beaming and said she really liked it.  It turns out the other new student was from Belarus.  Also, her instructors wife is from Ukraine by coincidence.    She seems to be fitting in just fine so far.   :)

I suspect that she will have no problem making friends.  The neighbors are already making a big to-do about her and her personality is very social.

There were some pleasant surprises concerning my 5 year old stepdaughter.  Over the past few years her biological father had only visited her a couple times and it was coincident with court hearings they were having over the divorce, custody, etc.  For the past several months we have been on Skype daily and she is usually in the room bouncing on the bed and saying "I love you papa" , etc.  The time we spent together is Kiev left me a little worried because she is so overprotected like many young kids in UA.  She had slept with her mother since birth I think.  When I was in Kiev and Crimea we had a problem of Lisa not wanting us to sleep together.  I think it was a combination of jealousy and insecurity being separated.  After I came back to the states, Larissa and I discussed the issue and she said she would wean her off sleeping together.  It seemed to have worked.  Lisa has her own bedroom here and is very happy that it is 'hers".  While the closeness built steadily with Lisa over the months we were on Skype, I was not prepared for the reaction when they arrived.   All the hugs and kisses was unexpected since she was a little reserved toward me when we were together several times in Kiev.  It is a real heartwarming experience for me.  I almost feels like she was starved for a father figure in her life.  Tonight, I remembered when we first met in Kiev.  Larissa, Lisa and I were walking somewhere shopping and out of the blue, Lisa took Larissa's hand and placed it in mine as we walked.   It's amazing how young minds seem so adult at times. 

Next week Lisa should be in kindergarten and Larissa will be busy in ESL classes.  I think the next big hurdle will be for Larissa to get a drivers license and then buy a car for her.  I got a Russian language version of the California Drivers License Handbook, and she is already studying it, so she seems to be anxious to make that leap.  It should be a breeze as she is an excellent driver.

Lastly, I want to remind newbies to take their time in selecting a potential wife.  There is something more important than boobs and legs (took me many years to discover that).  It is the personality fit between the two of you.  My first romance in UA could have easily been a train wreck because I was determined to get married to someone that I did not really know that well.  Stop and think about it.  Would you marry someone in the states you only spent a few weeks or a couple months together with?  It's an expensive and time consuming exercise to do it the way we did, but I am much more confident that it is a marriage that will last because we spent so much time together as a 'family' before making the big move.

In a few weeks I may add to this thread if there is anything interesting or unusual to pass on.


Doug (Calmissile)

Offline Patagonie

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #41 on: December 03, 2014, 03:26:41 AM »
Well Done CalMissile

Be ready to suffer from the necessary adjustments, personal and cultural. Also she will feel without roots at a moment. Especially the first year, but not necessary on the beginning. The first year is the most difficult.

"Lastly, I want to remind newbies to take their time in selecting a potential wife.  There is something more important than boobs and legs (took me many years to discover that).  It is the personality fit between the two of you.  My first romance in UA could have easily been a train wreck because I was determined to get married to someone that I did not really know that well.  Stop and think about it.  Would you marry someone in the states you only spent a few weeks or a couple months together with?  It's an expensive and time consuming exercise to do it the way we did, but I am much more confident that it is a marriage that will last because we spent so much time together as a 'family' before making the big move."

More and more i am discovering now the links between the before and after relocating means.
The way you date her, the way you spend time with her PRIOR her relocating, will determine the future of yuur marriage, or your divorce.

There is a whole education and whole process about this with many items that you will not find in any books, and which are missing in a classical local relationships.
"Je glissais through the paper wall, an angel in the hand, s taboy. I lay on the floor, surgi des chants de Maldoror, je mix l'intégrale de mes nuits de crystal, i belong to the festival.

Offline ML

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #42 on: December 03, 2014, 08:22:00 AM »
  It should be a breeze as she is an excellent driver.

No, it will not be a breeze.

She will succeed, but not a breeze.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline ML

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #43 on: December 03, 2014, 08:23:23 AM »
  There is something more important than boobs and legs (took me many years to discover that).

So you finally became a fan of butts ?
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline ML

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #44 on: December 03, 2014, 08:24:12 AM »
Nice write-up Doug.  Thanks for sharing.  Best to you three.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline Wayne

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #45 on: December 03, 2014, 02:12:26 PM »
You might want to check the laws in California because she might be able to drive on an Ukrainian license for 6 months or longer. Also, she would probably need a social security number in order to get a license, and that comes after the green card.
 
It is much more difficult to get a Ukrainian license than most in USA.

Offline calmissile

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #46 on: December 03, 2014, 06:33:49 PM »
You might want to check the laws in California because she might be able to drive on an Ukrainian license for 6 months or longer. Also, she would probably need a social security number in order to get a license, and that comes after the green card.
 
It is much more difficult to get a Ukrainian license than most in USA.
]
]
Thanks Wayne.  You are correct, she can drive for 6 months on her Ukraine license.  The problem is insurance.  I am with AAA and since she is family, they will not insure her until she receives her own license.  In other words she is excluded from driving any of my vehicles until she has a  California license.  That is next major project for her.
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Offline ML

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #47 on: December 03, 2014, 10:15:21 PM »
Are you sure about this Doug?

I have been with several major insurance companies and ALL have provision that states I am insured for any vehicle I drive AND anyone who drives my vehicles is insured under my policy.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline calmissile

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #48 on: December 03, 2014, 10:19:30 PM »
Are you sure about this Doug?

I have been with several major insurance companies and ALL have provision that states I am insured for any vehicle I drive AND anyone who drives my vehicles is insured under my policy.

I was sure after I checked into it, but its been months.  I will check with them again.  Thanks
Doug (Calmissile)

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Re: Arrival at LAX Nov 2014
« Reply #49 on: December 04, 2014, 01:13:52 AM »
You might want to check the laws in California because she might be able to drive on an Ukrainian license for 6 months or longer. Also, she would probably need a social security number in order to get a license, and that comes after the green card.
 
It is much more difficult to get a Ukrainian license than most in USA.

Is an SSN different from an ITIN?  Because you can get an ITIN very easily, pre-greencard I think.
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