First month married

[ML]

Did any of the theories have me winning the Florida Lottery?

Yes, and some of us were waiting for you to share.
I think that issue is covered somewhere in the code of conduct.

[2tallbill]

In the u.s., people can drive as long as they have a license from a list of countries. Ukraine IS in this list of countries. You don't even need an international drivers license. But, I just don't want a confused police officer looking at her Ukrainian license.

Also, I've had issues getting her license in Geico's system, because they only accept U.S. licenses.

In the US licenses are issued by the individual states. In 50 states you will have 50 different
rules. In some states you can drive with a Ukrainian license for a period of time but some of
them require getting a local license in as little as two weeks. Each guy should look up their
state laws to see what is required and when.

[iceshaft07]

In the US licenses are issued by the individual states. In 50 states you will have 50 different
rules. In some states you can drive with a Ukrainian license for a period of time but some of
them require getting a local license in as little as two weeks. Each guy should look up their
state laws to see what is required and when.

I double checked, your right. Need to check state laws.

Here is massachusetts's if anyone stumbles upon this.

http://secure.rmv.state.ma.us/PolicyBrowserPublic/PB/default.htm?turl=WordDocuments%2FProcess%2520Areas%2Fdrivingwithaforeignlicense.htm

[Kepler352b]

A few things worth mentioning: wifey doesn't like loudness. Apparently, Americans are much louder than russians.

This has been, and continues to be, by far the biggest culture shock for me here (originally from South Coast Australia). Americans: when you talk: you do not talk. You yell!

[jone]

WHAATT?

[Chicagoguy]

My friends were here from Omsk and using one of my cars when stopped by local police. All driver had was Passport and Russian license. Also he explained he was police captain at home. Local cop said "just go". It wasn't worth the trouble.

[ML]

This has been, and continues to be, by far the biggest culture shock for me here (originally from South Coast Australia). Americans: when you talk: you do not talk. You yell!

No, actually Americans do not talk loud in general.  But we have to talk louder when in the presence of foreigners because such are generally hard of hearing.  Something in your water; I presume.

[Anotherkiwi]

No, actually Americans do not talk loud in general.  But we have to talk louder when in the presence of foreigners because such are generally hard of hearing.  Something in your water; I presume.

When I see something like this I sometimes have to wonder if there's just a remote possibility that you might be serious...then I think - no, it's just ML fishing again. 

[alex330]

Apparently, Americans are much louder than russians. They talk very softly.

Interesting as I have experienced the complete opposite. All the Ukrainians and Russians I know are much louder than Americans. When my wife first arrived I would jokingly tell her to stop yelling at her mother on Skype. My wife even mentioned she was shocked at how people in the market speak to each other her last visit home after living in the US for four years. I wonder if this may depend more on the region one comes from?

[2tallbill]

I wonder if this may depend more on the region one comes from?

Or how many pivas have been consumed

[alex330]

When she meets russian people, often she is superstitious. She tells me not to talk about how we met, or our income, because russian people are sly and want to know. She tells me that they can not be trusted.

However, with this attitude, it's going to be very difficult  for her to make friends.

My wife still tells me not to divulge too much information on a number of things. A part of it is superstition. For example don't tell someone good news as gloating will make them jealous and that can bring bad fortune. Sometimes it is just to keep our private lives to ourselves, and other times you just don't need to offer more information than they need to know. She will only answer the specific question and not provide further info as we might here in the US.

My wife had a hard time making friends and still does not make friends easily to this day with local women. It seems a common issue for many women that make the move.

[jone]

Has anyone here ever been to Germany?  They are the most quiet people in the world.  Especially in the Rathskeller.

[Muzh]

My wife still tells me not to divulge too much information on a number of things. A part of it is superstition. For example don't tell someone good news as gloating will make them jealous and that can bring bad fortune. Sometimes it is just to keep our private lives to ourselves, and other times you just don't need to offer more information than they need to know. She will only answer the specific question and not provide further info as we might here in the US.

My wife had a hard time making friends and still does not make friends easily to this day with local women. It seems a common issue for many women that make the move.

Nah, just old Soviet customs are hard to die.

[Boethius]

Nah, just old Soviet customs are hard to die.

Bingo.  Give the man a cigar. :::but the Soviets/post Soviets don't realize how really Soviet they still are.:::

[Faux Pas]

Interesting as I have experienced the complete opposite. All the Ukrainians and Russians I know are much louder than Americans. When my wife first arrived I would jokingly tell her to stop yelling at her mother on Skype. My wife even mentioned she was shocked at how people in the market speak to each other her last visit home after living in the US for four years. I wonder if this may depend more on the region one comes from?

In English my wife is very soft spoken and demure. She has never raised her voice in English that I know of. When she's speaking Russian to her family on Skype or in person to her FSU friends I'm left wondering who the hell that woman is. It get's loud.

[Muzh]

In English my wife is very soft spoken and demure. She has never raised her voice in English that I know of. When she's speaking Russian to her family on Skype or in person to her FSU friends I'm left wondering who the hell that woman is. It get's loud.

She is a liberal trying to shout out the opposition. 

[Chicagoguy]

In English my wife is very soft spoken and demure. She has never raised her voice in English that I know of. When she's speaking Russian to her family on Skype or in person to her FSU friends I'm left wondering who the hell that woman is. It get's loud.

Same here. Interesting because I thought it was just her.

[Gator]

This has been, and continues to be, by far the biggest culture shock for me here (originally from South Coast Australia). Americans: when you talk: you do not talk. You yell!

Just the Liberal Americans yell.     It's a habit imprinted from shouting down those who disagree with them. 

Conservative Americans are genteel. 

[Muzh]

Just the Liberal Americans yell.     It's a habit imprinted from shouting down those who disagree with them. 

Conservative Americans are genteel.

LMFAO


You are absolutely correct.


Imagine listening to stuff like climate change don't exist, Obama is a Muslim and a traitor, the Democrats eat children raw, and so on. You need to drown all that insanity.

[alex330]

Nah, just old Soviet customs are hard to die.

That's what I initially thought and it has been discussed on the forum before I believe. I would think the woman's age also has a lot to do with it though, no?

My wife has almost no recollection of the Soviet days, she was quite young when it fell apart. She does recall the superstitions though. I can imagine a few "superstitions" may have originated during Soviet times but some like the Evil Eye predate that era by quite some time.

[Boethius]

It doesn't matter.  They are Soviet in their mentality.  Not divulging information is Soviet, it's not a Slavic superstition, nor is the gloating/bad fortune, or offering information.  All of those are very Soviet.  Ukrainian?  Nope.


As an aside, the better half often says how disappointed he is that the Soviet mentality is alive and well.  He thought by now, with an entire generation raised in a post Soviet environment, that would have changed.

[southernX]

It doesn't matter.  They are Soviet in their mentality.  Not divulging information is Soviet, it's not a Slavic superstition, nor is the gloating/bad fortune, or offering information.  All of those are very Soviet.  Ukrainian?  Nope.


As an aside, the better half often says how disappointed he is that the Soviet mentality is alive and well.  He thought by now, with an entire generation raised in a post Soviet environment, that would have changed.

yep  you have nailed it imo

every now and then it shows in my wife and family , in the ealry days she would be very upset if i divulged some small event or plan to anyone other than herself

it was  especially evident in times of  stress with visa , or gov/police dealings

SX

[calmissile]

That's what I initially thought and it has been discussed on the forum before I believe. I would think the woman's age also has a lot to do with it though, no?

My wife has almost no recollection of the Soviet days, she was quite young when it fell apart. She does recall the superstitions though. I can imagine a few "superstitions" may have originated during Soviet times but some like the Evil Eye predate that era by quite some time.

I think both you and Muzh are correct.  From my observations of UA women, those over about 50 are still very secretive and those under 40 are much less so.  We have discussed it before, but it also has to do with not making instant friends, not making eye contact, not divulging personal info, etc.

The younger folks seem to have shed or never had this Soviet mentality.

[Boethius]

Alex's wife is under 40.  However, I disagree, in any event.  To know the difference, you have to have known Ukrainians, or Russians, who were raised with no Soviet influences.  So, someone from Central/Eastern Ukraine born and raised there before, say, 1920, and in Western Ukraine, before 1940.  Exactly how many of such individuals have you known? 

This is about more than suspicion/secretiveness.  It is a whole different set of attitudes, and those have carried on since the collapse of the USSR.  They are extremely ingrained.  I think it is because of the destruction of whole classes of individuals in the name of ideology.

I am not talking about generational differences.

[Sailor291]

Jone, just my observation, but my UW, Daughter and myself lived in Germany for a year while I worked.  I can tell you from personal observations that Germans can be just as loud as any American, same in Ukraine, Russian and just about any other place I have been on the planet.  The only people I can say from my observations that are routinely quiet are Japanese.  Somebody else may have other personal experiences with Japanese, but these are mine.