Jack would have won! jb would have lost

[Turboguy]

I think I saw that there were 5000 Russians in Pittsburgh.  I guess they are not hungry Russians.  Alexanders was a really nice place and the people were very friendly and nice.  I am sorry it is gone assuming it is which I believe.

[MarkLeftTX]

When we were at International Village (held every year in Renzi Park) they had some Ukrainian dancers performing. Apparently there is a Ukrainian Cultural Center in town.

I probably need to get Viktoriya connected to that at some point. Honestly, she usually avoids all Russians and Ukrainians.

She got in with a group of them when we were still in Dallas... but she didn't enjoy hanging around with them. Most of the time, the women sat around bad mouthing their husbands and bad-mouthing Americans in general, so she didn't go out with them much. (She told me that if the husbands could hear what the women were saying in Russian, they wouldn't be so happy their wives were getting together and going out!)

That said, every now and then she sort of misses the food and talking about Ukrainian folk stuff... not often... but every now and then. So, I'll try to get her connected there if I can talk her into it (and if it ever stops snowing! YIKES!!!)

One thing she would like to find is a Russian or Ukrainian hair stylist. She doesn't like the beauticians she has found here in the 'burgh so far...

[Maxx2]

Honestly, she usually avoids all Russians and Ukrainians.

She got in with a group of them when we were still in Dallas... but she didn't enjoy hanging around with them. Most of the time, the women sat around bad mouthing their husbands and bad-mouthing Americans in general, so she didn't go out with them much. (She told me that if the husbands could hear what the women were saying in Russian, they wouldn't be so happy their wives were getting together and going out!)

I've been hearing similar things like that for years. I remember CaptB telling about something his wife said about 3 RW that he and his wife met at a married couples party. Two of the three admitted that they were just hanging on until their green cards arrived. They were outside smoking. Meanwhile inside the husbands were saying to CaptB they wish they never married. Doug Salem told me of a similar story. I got to wonder if these women will ever find a man they are happy with or if the husbands ever wised up :noidea:?

[dbneeley]

Don't think this phenomenon--of ladies standing around with girlfriends badmouthing their husbands and talking about divorcing them--is confined to RW or even to cross-cultural marriages in general. In fact, this happens also with people who marry folks from their own hometowns, their high school sweethearts, whatever.

It also isn't entirely confined just to women, but in my experience women often talk about things with their girlfriends for some time before acting--often seeming like they are doing so "out of the blue" to their husbands who are so often clueless.

In the years I practiced law, I learned that this is a surprisingly common phenomenon, as a sizable portion of my practice was family law and the bulk of that was representing women seeking divorce. It also happened to me that way with my first divorce--which, even though I knew there were problems in the marriage, still sufficiently put me off the entire idea of divorces that I soon thereafter left the practice of law.

As for not socializing with fellow expatriates, that too is not uncommon, at least among RW. Besides a natural reluctance to hang around negative people as in this case, there is also a well developed sense of class among many RW. As one lady so memorably put it to her husband "I wouldn't socialize with those women at home, so why should I here?"

Be careful about automatically categorizing any particular behavior as an "RW thing" when it may simply be human nature (or sometimes "women's nature"!)

David

[ML]

As for not socializing with fellow expatriates, that too is not uncommon, at least among RW. Besides a natural reluctance to hang around negative people as in this case, there is also a well developed sense of class among many RW. As one lady so memorably put it to her husband "I wouldn't socialize with those women at home, so why should I here?"

David

One idea here. 

If a FSUW who is in USA actually does want to meet and socialize with some other women from FSU, she might consider nosing around at nearby universities. 

In checking around to help a Ukrainian woman who wants to come here for university study, I found there were quite a number of other FSU men/women associated with the universities as students, faculty, husbands/wives of faculty, etc.

No guarantee, of course, that university types will be high class or compatible with any given woman, but I think the odds might be higher.

[Maxx2]

Be careful about automatically categorizing any particular behavior as an "RW thing" when it may simply be human nature (or sometimes "women's nature"!)

David

If you here the words "Doc-QUE-Mint, Doc-QUE-Mint" all the time from a RW gathering it might be a good idea to sneak a tape recorder into the group. 

[MarkLeftTX]

Don't think this phenomenon... is confined to RW...Be careful about automatically categorizing any particular behavior as an "RW thing" when it may simply be human nature (or sometimes "women's nature"!)

Oh... Geez... Thanks for the lecture on gossiping habits of women...

The difference is that when the Russian wives do it, they do so in a different language, all the while smiling back at their husbands and waving...