Hello ... Again :)

[JohnMI]

Hello everyone. I registered with this site several years ago, posted an Odessa trip report where I admitted to falling prey to a few scams and took some slight grief for using AW as my primary search vehicle. Though I have disappeared from posting here since 2008 (I think!), I have been a regular lurker, reader and traveler to Ukraine. Thanks for the information all of you have unwittingly shared with me!

Anyway, 5 years of persistence have paid off, and in January I met the woman I have searched for since 2005. We are a perfect fit for each other, and we even share the same warped sense of humor. Daily video chats, 50-200 txt messages exchanged per day, multiple vacations together and meetings with her friends and family members since we met have confirmed that we were created for each other.

I have proposed marriage, she has accepted and we now begin to work on our documents. I already suspect I will have many questions concerning the visa process, and I hope some of you here will not mind answering a few questions from time to time.

That's it ... re-introduction complete. Off to other forums for additional reading.

[Faux Pas]

JohnMI

Congratulations and welcome back!

[Chicagoguy]

Try    www.visajourney.com     for great information.

[FredC]

If you want assistance with your visa paperwork,I can recommend Anastassia Ash. I have been using her to do translations and filling out the forms. She has been a very valuable asset. My Tatyana's interview is in less than 2 weeks. If all goes according to plan, she will be here the week before Thanksgiving. I'll also add welcome back.

[JohnMI]

Sorry I couldn't respond sooner, guys. I don't know why, but my Windows 7 computer "forgets" my user name and password any time to load a different page here so, effectively, I cannot access this site as a 'member' with my laptop. The kids are finally in bed so I can use their Mac tonight. 

Anyway, thanks for the welcome back, the great link concerning the visa application process and the reference to Anastassia Ash. If my memory is correct she lives very close to my home, and I will try to find one of her postings here so I can ask her about translation. I'm sitting here with scans of passport pages, divorce order and a few other documents that I understand must be translated into English.

This has been a long and expensive ordeal, but looking back there were a lot of amusing moments. Along the way I think I was targeted for, and often fell for, every scam and angle going, but it was an interesting journey and I end the game with the grand prize.

Thanks again, guys.