Prelude to a Kiss

[Ulysses]

Hello all,
   With apologizies to Duke Ellington & Roberta Flack for a title, I preface these following notes & TR with both a warning & an invitation:  Go to Ukraine, plan, be wary...be smart, enjoy the time & experience it all!!!!!
   As for me, I'm really a simple country boy with a few miles on me: lucky in life; a bit unlucky in love, etc.  I've been on the site here for the past year or so, reading, listening, soaking up the many tidbits of information.  I've seldom posted and have only spoken to 1 member directly...(thanks dneid).  Otherwise, I've appreciated you all...both in negative & positive ways   I've browsed the numerous sites into the wee hours & was booked into Kyiv in late May of this year.  A week before my departure, my small Harley took me on a ditch detour and my body attempted to wray around a rather solid oak tree.  The oak survived: my body suffered!!  I've been an active runner & fitness buff for many years; and with more than a few prayers and my conditioning as back-up, I recovered without any lingering damage.  My list of ladies shrank a bit (a good "thinning out" process maybe) and so I rebooked everything until late September.  Plans made.....I depart!
   It's that ketchup bottle thing....the anticipation....all the preparations, computer time on RWD, seemingly endless photos & profiles, e-mails, calls, check, double-check.   Then the packing....all those do's & don'ts...max 3.5 oz liquids in baggies.....(just how many espressoes did I have this morning???)   OK...all packed...all calm...waiting at the airport...Memphis to Chicago...then Paris...then Kyiv via Zurich.  And what for????  Ah...a woman...those unexplanable, complicated, confusing creations we seek to somehow maybe complete the other halves of ourselves.??!!
   A pre-flight calm descends.....then I'm off!!   
   Enchante'.....la belle madamoiselle.....oh , wait.....wrong language!  I'll need that later on my back leg to Paris....(to be later regretted....ask me!!!)  Definitely too many words in my poor brain at this time.  How can I be expected to remember so much & know so little???
   OK....cramped airline seats; but good connections and I arrive late on a Thursday afternoon to gray skies and rain.  KBP is minor bedlam to a newcomer...
clear customs...no problem...nada...zip...then a missed connection on a ride into the city....the waiting and hustling of the cabbies.   Finally a ride....off into the steady drizzle & I submit my jet-lagged body to a name-less hack driver on a tight schedule!!  By now, it's rush hour and the jam is on.  I'm glad to be so fatigued!!!  But arrival "happens", I check in with my contact agency, apartment secured, and I find myself solo in a definitely "cold-water' flat. Triple locks and sufficient warnings aside; I only seek sleep..and.......it.......finallly.......comes.
    Day 1.........3 am.....I'm up and wide awake....an omnious sigh....definitely still jet-lagged and still playing catch-up!!   So I'm up and checking out the streets in the pre-dawn light drizzle.   My first meeting is with my substitute "wingman" and local guide....Olga.   We meet awkwardly for a brunch & coffee...(good food!!)
and chat about our backgrounds and my goals here .   I must check out OK...a "fledging in the storm" image in my head in spite of my outer calm and confidence.
     Then it's off to my first meeting with G.   It's at 2 and I'm early, checking out the staff at the agency; observing those that have been handling my concerns and dreams over the past few months.  With G., we had communicated briefly before my accident and then it drifted off.  I was surprised she was still interested, but my feelings were not all that positive.  We meet.....then off into her waiting cab I go.   We quickly arrive at a beautiful park with a great restaurant on-site.  We chat without any interperter, as her English is very good.
I'm sensing a vast gulf between us....she's dressed very well...very chic...but my instincts are dead-on.  Her need to soon return to work convenes our meeting.  We shake hands before she's off after directing me in a vaguely familiar direction(I'm soon lost in the light drizzle!!)  A few $$ lighter....lessons learned.  The gray skies and steady rain only add to a late afternoon gloom....And I've got another meeting in only a few hours....!!!
   

[Ulysses]

    Back to the room I go.....a few cat naps....and I'm good-to-go.  Back across the streets and I arrive to find a fresh-faced interperter waiting for us both.  L. is to arrive at 7, coming into the city from the outskirts. After this afternoon, I tighten up when the bell's ring announces L's arrival.  Turning toward the doorway, we meet.....eyes engage....CLICK...instant broad smile...DOUBLE CLICK..
a half attempt at a clumsy handshake turns into a light embrace and a kiss on the cheek...received & returned!  The chemistry's there....and the floor trembles beneath me....the "door" is opened.  The staff at the agency beam in positive response.   They feel something in the air and soft murmurs are heard.  A few awkward moments ensue, the shrugs, gestures, body language and eye contact merge to steer the 3 of us out the door.  L's driven into the city in a small car...I balance expediency with politeness , the positive chemistry fueling the moments.
L drives....I float!!!!!!!
   We find a simple spot to stop....a small table...teas...OJ...the start of a date...
simple time & place...a 3-part conversation...eyes dance....messages reviewed...
questions posed.   Deeper we probe...but not as deep as the pool of grey-green of L's eyes into which I've dived.
   The brief evening draws to a close...a promising evening short due to her child and work responsibilities.   Our previous letters had already explored the timing constraints.  I had burned off 2 CD's from my computer library...cuts pertaining to what might apply to this mother/son combination from the small background I had gathered from out few letters.  I trust & hoped the common language of music might bridge across our imperfect words.  We re-insert ourselves into her car, I'm soon back at my flat's entrance....The necessary moment of quiet...awkward & unspoken words...then a meeting of lips...a language all their own!!
   Day 2....
     Finally I catch up on some sleep...maybe...drifting along in the pre-dawn grayness.  Two meetings are on tap today.  The rain is finally breaking, but the clouds remain and cooler temps prevail.  I arrive at the agency only to find that
L. #2 had called & requested a 2 hour delay...transportation problems.   No problem....I check e-mails...a few errands...and I watch the activity around the agency......
(While there, a another guy arrives...from the US I think...with some mild protesting....He hadn't used this agency lately, but was there sometime in the past....now grumbling about being put off by a woman with some family issues...
his whining does not go very far with the staff on hand....and it sure doesn't look good on a guy....I get back to my e-mails)
    L #2 arrives....she's a recent addition from the agency and I know very little about her...remembering only her photos and bare information.  She speaks good English and so we're off to stroll the streets.  I know instantly there's no chemistry.....realizing that the previous evening time with L  is dwelling front & center in my head....and heart.  We cross several plazas...the conversation ongoing, but going nowhere.  At an appropriate time, I "pull the plug" to end out time together.  Cab fare is arranged and I'm on my own.
    The afternoon dribbles on....I stroll back & forth on Khreschatyk St watching the constant flow of youth, fashion, bravado & culture.  I'm also entranced by the longest legs balancing atop the thinnest 4"+ spike heels I've ever seen.  Beautiful boots of all lengths....some fine fashion for fine women.  The clicks & clacks across the cobblestones still ring in my ears.

[Ulysses]

Day 2.......PM
    Another cat nap and I freshen up for a 7 pm meting with V.  This was a woman I had some good correspondence with and felt a good connection possible.
I'm early, of course, and am requesting a second meeting with L as my Sunday & Monday are wide open.  L is wonderful and I can't get the thoughts of her out of my head......well, actually, I had asked earlier in the day, but no solid words yet.  Oh the thoughts......
   The interperter arrives early also and we chat prior to V's entry.....the room is warmed upon her arrival....but no fire ignites.  The 3 of us exit, quick sidewalk decisions made & I find myself assembling a Ukrainian version of a burrito within 30 minutes.  Hey, all fresh ingredients and I'm happy.  The 3 of us spend 3 hours back & forth....all manner of subjects opened & discussed.  The interperter is almost an equal part of this date as V and I almost need to rein her in a few times, but decide to work through it all with lots of smiles and laughs.  I'm simply "in the moment" and it's all good.
    The clock moves along and the evening draws to a close.....the interperter is paid, V departs via the Metro and I retire to a quiet spot to nurse an Irish whiskey into the later part of the evening.  Hopefully, sleep will be my companion tonight and the sun will be a more regular visitor tomorrow.  And thoughts of L drift in my head....

[Ulysses]

Day 3....a Sunday morning
    I've awakened early---too early---still the residue of jet lag---and a few dreams draped across my head.  Yesterday was the first decent weather day, but today returns to umbrellas and rain gear.  I'm back to the agency to check on my request with L.....and it's a go....8 tomorrow.....I can make a brunch out of the morning and have all day!!!!!  But no....it's at 8 PM....another short time with the lovely L.
    I've stopped in a large tent(ie..Beer Garden)  on a side street while the rain patters on the canvas....a regular rhythm that could easily lull me into nap mode.  I've yet to see much of the city and my time is drawing to a close on Tuesday morning.  I spend the afternoon socializing with a local running club consisting of a few expiates from the US & UK and their Ukraine friends.  Talk varies.....then a few beers consumed.
Day 4....Monday AM
   The morning starts dry....then the rain returns....constant drizzle throughout the day.  My shoes start to show the strain of too many puddles.  A few chores, some pre-packing starts....and I prepare for tonight's meeting with L.  so many questions in my head.   I jot down the important ones....no...wait...they're all important!!!  Nothing needs to slip through the cracks tonight.   OK...not too pressing or heavy either...I just know it will be a while before another face-to-face meeting is possible.  My mind covers so many options, so many possibilities all wrapped up in 1 hour tonight.  So the afternoon passes slowly
    L is arriving at 8 and I'm as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. A small bouquet of flowers in hand, I arrive early, chat with the newest interperter, and anxiously await the bell's ring.  L arrives, a few moments quietness, then the warmth returns with soft kisses on all cheeks.  We depart again in her small car and quickly find a small coffee spot for 3.  I'm sitting across from L tonight and wander off into the deep pools of her eyes...I can't keep away!!!!!  The initial hesitancy fades...light chat develops...details filled in from Friday's unspoken words.  We both learn more.  I then ask a probing and complex question at an opportune time...if I've read everything else well.  L's eyes shift, darken, and the spark leaves    and a lengthy, multi-part answer unfolds.  Her past 10 years++ come forth in a way I totally understand.  Between the interpreter's delivery and L's eyes, I've reached into her heart into the intimate....a place where a man & a woman can stand together.
   

[Ulysses]

Day 3 continued.....
    We wrap up at the coffee shop and L. produces her camera.....I reply with the same.   Results: several photos with shy smiles, half-closed eyes, awkward embraces all saved for some "future" events????  We bundle up and proceed back to her car.  The words drift off as some earlier mention (lightly)???  of the briefness of my visit (booked in for 5 nights) catches my ear.  I now cringe inwardly.....my only excuse....totally honest...would be "poor planning".  All thoughts of my time is Paris are sprouting wings???????? Hmmmmm?
   The 3 of us approach "the" corner where her car lurks ahead.  Our triangle of souls draws close, a relay of words,....and I drop my present umbrella around just the most-important 2 of us.....Our private corner appears and her soft lips find mine on a drizzly corner in Ky iv.
I muster up a short phrase in Ukrainian....she responds in soft English...the rest of the world spins around this previously normal spot....the curtains drop...appropriate applause sounds in my mind.  Re sonanting in my ear is a familiar line from Bogart....I"m sure....."We'll always have Ky iv!!"   The resounding dim of her car's horn and fading headlights seal the drizzle further around me.

Tuesday AM....
     OK..........no sleep....nada...I toss & turn over cancelling the Swiss Air flights for 2 more soggy days in Kiev.........no promises........no "what-ifs'....just that possibility of "maybe"......in my mind, L has the responsibility of her work and son to balance.   I hang on the edge...a pivot point...and wish for a crystal ball to appear.   Back to the flat where I brew a cup of strong tea and wish to conjure up some meaning in those soggy leaves om hand.!!!!!  But my ride appears, luggage packed and off we go...........The airport is reached, all goes well, I'm off to Paris.......

[Ulysses]

A wrap-up.....and the need for help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    My time in Paris is busy with the group I'm meeting with....a motley mixture of runners from UK, Australia, Bomm, Geneva, Brussels, ex-pats from the States and a few new friends from Florida, Los Angeles & DC.  I've sent a few quick e-mails through the agency from cramped internet cafes before a short, sweet and most wonderful reply in halting English arrives from L.   Like out instant chemistry on our first meeting, her brief note says it all; and the 4 attached photos from Monday night appear to tell me it wasn't all a dream
    The time dwindles away in Paris.....I'm sitting at Charles De Gaulle, a thick fog envelopes everything almost as if a dream has re-descended upon me and all the days past.  But it's all been real.
    I went to Kiev after 1 busted trip, lessened number of letters and contacts, and really expected to fail....But.......now I'm a .250 hitter......4 at bats...1 hit
Lot's of players make the Bigs on 250 averages....good player....clutch players that come through when the count goes high.  My one hit is solid...you know it by the feel and the crack as the bat connects solidly with the ball.  It rockets over the 2nd baseman's leap and slices dangerously toward the right fiels corner.  I round 1st and dig for 2nd, glancing just quick enough to see the hoesehide rattle & die in the corner recesses of right field.  Fair Ball!!!  and I'm digging faster!!!


   Well, that's it for now.....The hard work starts in a few days.....and I'll need some real, REAL advice.....how to keep the fires hot, how to bridge across the distance.( L had started English lessons earlier this year, but her time is limited.
As a teacher, her pay is modest and she does extra tutoring to bring in extra $$)
IM or ICQ probably wouldn't help much now?????   3 way phone calls????  tell me??  and all the e-mail cards with attachments are nice, but so light-weight.
I'm looking for that New Years-Orthodox Christmas time and focusing ahead on that time together....BIG expectations for a time almost 90 days away.....
So, you seasoned vets out there..........HELP

[dneid]

Great TR!  I am glad to hear things in Kiev were productive.  I got your e-mail.  I'll reply to you later today.  Isn't Kiev just wonderful?  A little expensive, but still a wonderful city.  And those Ukrainian ladies are something to experience.  As KenC told me, you are now ruined.  AM's will no longer do it for you.  Those Ukrainian ladies are certainly wonderful to experience.  I am planning on going back as soon as I can afford it.  In fact, I may take my oldest son to Ukraine to let experience those wonderful ladies.  He has had a couple of rough experiences with AMs.  He needs to broaden his world.  Just want to expose him to another reality so he knows that there are options.
Like I said, I will reply to your e-mail.  It has been a rough summer with my mom being sick and then getting laid off when the start up I was with shuttered operations.

[BillyB]

   Well, that's it for now.....The hard work starts in a few days.....and I'll need some real, REAL advice.....how to keep the fires hot, how to bridge across the distance.( L had started English lessons earlier this year, but her time is limited.
As a teacher, her pay is modest and she does extra tutoring to bring in extra $$)
IM or ICQ probably wouldn't help much now?????   3 way phone calls????  tell me??  and all the e-mail cards with attachments are nice, but so light-weight.
I'm looking for that New Years-Orthodox Christmas time and focusing ahead on that time together....BIG expectations for a time almost 90 days away.....
So, you seasoned vets out there..........HELP

Give her short calls without the interpreter occasionally even if it's to say goodnight. Is she using agency email if she needs her and your mail translated? Tell her to get an @mail.ru account and it comes with an online translator for her to translate your letters and to translate hers for you. Assuming you two are in a relationship now, give her some money to use an internet cafe occasionally for the more intimate conversations. Someone at an internet cafe can help her set up and @mail.ru email account. Make sure your spelling on words are correct. You both are on a high but got to to continue to learn more about each other and hopefully time and distance won't separate you two.

[Jack]

Hello Ulysses, thank you for your trip report. Entertaining and probably enlightening

You have asked for a little advice/help from your recent trip.  I have a few questions to ask about Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3.


First Day 1.

clear customs...no problem...nada...zip...then a missed connection on a ride into the city   

I am curious as to what caused you to miss your ride into the city. Was a driver suppose to meet you there, did he know what you looked like, know when you arrived, was he to be holding a hand held sign with your name on it?

Finally a ride....off into the steady drizzle & I submit my jet-lagged body to a name-less hack driver on a tight schedule!!  By now, it's rush hour and the jam is on.     

To you recall what you paid for your taxi to the center?

I'm sensing a vast gulf between us....she's dressed very well...very chic...but my instincts are dead-on. 

How were you dressed?  Do you recall? 

but my instincts are dead-on.  Her need to soon return to work convenes our meeting.  We shake hands before she's off after directing me in a vaguely familiar direction(I'm soon lost in the light drizzle!!)  A few $$ lighter....lessons learned.     

And what was the lesson you learned?

[Ulysses]

Hello Jack,
     I had made sudden plans with one person in Kyiv, but he was out that day and delegated the pick-up to someone else.....I waited 1 hour.....then the need to settle in before dark took precedent.  I initially had trouble making calls using my regular cell phone, so the missed connection was partially my fault.   The cab ride was 50 bucks....
     As to my first meeting, I was dressed in black slacks, black shoes(Johnston & Murphy)....nice shine too...nice deep wine-colored long sleeve polo button-up(Brooks Bros.) and my best black camel hair blazer.  We matched well, in my humble opinion.  My lesson learned....knowing my instincts were dead on.   From the few letters we had exchanged, there was just a certain "coolness" that came across.  She was definitely a lady, top class...or so it seemed...and I've nothing negative to say about her.   It's just we didn't mesh and a handshake was very appropriate.....but it was a nice handshake, never the less.  BTW, I wore the same to the second meeting that day, and it seemed more than adequate....

[Jack]

I had made sudden plans with one person in Kyiv, but he was out that day and delegated the pick-up to someone else.....I waited 1 hour.....

Ok, can see that happening.

The cab ride was 50 bucks...

You were treated very fairly by this taxi driver. 

     As to my first meeting, I was dressed in black slacks, black shoes(Johnston & Murphy)....nice shine too...nice deep wine-colored long sleeve polo button-up(Brooks Bros.) and my best black camel hair blazer.  We matched well, in my humble opinion. 

Sounds like you were dressed very well and you probably did match up from that aspect.

From the few letters we had exchanged, there was just a certain "coolness" that came across.  She was definitely a lady, top class...or so it seemed...and I've nothing negative to say about her.   It's just we didn't mesh and a handshake was very appropriate.....but it was a nice handshake, never the less.

It sounds like an in-expensive lesson learned and basically you learned, I think, to go with your first basic instinct.
All very good.







Ok, questions for day 2.

we meet.....eyes engage....CLICK...instant broad smile...DOUBLE CLICK..
a half attempt at a clumsy handshake turns into a light embrace and a kiss on the cheek...received & returned!  The chemistry's there....

Ulysses, you did bring a smile to my face   and a little chuckle was heard coming from me by a passing secretary.

I do believe, and have expressed, that most all of us men will know in the first 10-20 minutes of their first meeting if their will be the potential for chemistry, but never in the first 10 seconds.   Ok, my question, how could you know in those first 10 seconds the chemistry was there?

body language and eye contact merge to steer the 3 of us out the door.

Three of us out the door. Oh boy, we need the interpreter, we cannot communicate directly with this fine lady.

And with this being the case I am even more puzzled as to how you could sense instant chemistry with a woman you were not able to communicate with directly.





Ulysses I will go ahead and proceed with questions for day 3.

I'm back to the agency to check on my request with L.....and it's a go....8 tomorrow.....I can make a brunch out of the morning and have all day!!!!!  But no....it's at 8 PM....another short time with the lovely L. 

Ulysses, with you and my reply and questions, I put myself into your shoes. What could I expect, what would I expect, what could I hope for, etc.

You are in Kiev for a very short time. L knows this.  Yes, L has work to do, L has a child to look after, all taken in and acknowledged.

On Saturday you asked the agency to contact L and see if she would be interested in a second meeting.  On Sunday morning the agency tell's you yes, you can see L  tomorrow, at 8pm, for about an hour meeting.

Now here is where I am having a little problem with a woman who has a lot of interest in me.   Many times when a woman has really strong and sincere feelings in a man, and she knows that their is very limited time to spend with each other, this woman is going to do what it takes to see this man she has interest in.  On Sunday what could have been more important in her life than to spend time with a man who could be her future husband?  Ok, maybe some big event was planned, if so I would think she would have mentioned this during the Monday meeting.  Ulnless their was a real good reason I think she should have done something to free up some time to see you on Sunday.

My mind covers so many options, so many possibilities all wrapped up in 1 hour tonight. 

And why only a one hour meeting?  Why could she not meet an hour earlier?  Why could her mother, or friend, not help to watch the child for at least an extra hour, or two? 

The hard work starts in a few days.....and I'll need some real, REAL advice.....how to keep the fires hot, how to bridge across the distance.( L had started English lessons earlier this year, but her time is limited.
As a teacher, her pay is modest and she does extra tutoring to bring in extra $$)
IM or ICQ probably wouldn't help much now?????   3 way phone calls????  tell me??  and all the e-mail cards with attachments are nice, but so light-weight.
I'm looking for that New Years-Orthodox Christmas time and focusing ahead on that time together....BIG expectations for a time almost 90 days away.....
So, you seasoned vets out there..........HELP

You have been very good about sharing your experience and addressing questions. Hope we can help.

First thing I would do Ulysses is to make sure you open a direct line of communications with L.    Does she have an e-mail address? If so, good, begin to write her. Write her in Russian, tell her to write you in Russian.  You have the e-mails translated at your end.  If she does not have e-mail get that taken care of. Have her taken to the i-net cafe of her choice, close to home, or work, or school, let her decide. Have her an e-mail address created and show her how to send and receive e-mails.  I would not have the agency to do this as your trying to eliminate the agency or at least not have them in the middle. In Kiev it would probably cost about $30 to have someone take care of everything I mentioned above.

You would probably want to also give her about $25-$30 for her months expense in sending, receiving e-mails and transportation cost.

Next, begin those English lessons if you feel the potential is really there.  Begin with 3 months worth of English lessons, usually two meetings a week, 3 hours each lesson, or three meetings a week, two hour lessons.  Let L decide if she wants to have lessons at her place or the instructors. You want to make everything as easy as possible for her.  After two full months of English lessons, now you call her. Now you will hear if your English lessons are paying off. Oh, she won't be able to speak fluent English, but the little English she does speak will sound so wonderful, and make sure to let her know how well she spoke her English, have her feeling excited.

Now the reverse to this is if she speaks almost no English to you after two months, well, we need to question if she is really serious about learning English.

Many times after three full months of English you should be able to see her without needing an interpreter. You will still need your dictionary for sure, but chances are the two of you will not need an interpreter.  This three month time frame is about when you plan to see her next, get started on this now.  After your meeting in three months if all is going well you may need to help her with a couple months more of English lessons. These ladies learn fast, they really do. I have seen many, many times where ladies who could speak almost no English are able to learn in three months. Why? Because they are taking this relationship serious and wants to show the man how serious she is.

You really should try to see her within 3 months, with 4 months being the longest you should wait if you feel she is serious about you.

And "IF" you do see her during the Christmas/New Years holiday time in Kiev, I would look forward to meeting both of you and as always, yours and L's first three drinks are on me.   

[dispozo]

My lady is also a teacher and she has a friend who is a English teacher. So twice a week they get together and practice and she gives her homework ( a lot of homework). If the lady is really into you, you will be amazed at how quickly they will learn.

I would also get internet in her home or if she already has internet. Then get skype, being able to talk and see each other will help with English and you will not feel so far apart.

I have enjoy your trip report and I like your writing style.

Good luck!!

[Ulysses]

Hello again Jack,
   Yes, I hope your chuckle was a good one....us guys do know in a very short time when "IT" happens....and I'm something of a cynic to many things...but my heart remains open in many aspects also.  Being something of a part-time, ex-cowboy poet, I attempt to cobble together words with my sometimes meager observations and take sufficient time to do this.   But I know when lightening strikes.....and bow to that higher power.
    In my brief visit, I did not feel like I was taken advantage of by anyone there.
But my visit was brief....I'll probably give all another chance later
    As for the communication links, L has her own computer, which I fill regularly with various short notes and e-mail cards/music snippets to express my desires.
She does the same and a short section of Itzhak Perlman's "Vocalise" by Rachmaninov has embedded it's way into my synapses permanently.  I inwardly applauded her conflicts with time, etc.  She had warned me that I was arriving in her busiest time of the year....and I've dated enough single mothers to KNOW the bond that exists between a mother & her child.   I also know that us guys just don't "get it" in that department....not that I wish to be a doormat in that regards either. But there is that innate gulf between a man & a women that somehow drives us to connect.!! Thus we come to my "big" question on that second meeting....the one that was only to be 1 hour that extended to almost 3.  I had a list of maybe 4 or 5 questions scratched out....but the ONE was enough.   I saw enough... before hearing enough.. to know I had touched upon the spot that would...or could...bind us together into the future.  
    As a frustrated ex-cowboy poet, I stepped up to a woman that desired "a man that could show & express his deep feelings"....I'm trying....but I'm not sure the interperter at the agency is quite up to it.  I'm a very sensual man....and confident of  myself in many ways.  But my language skills are a bit slow....and L much too important...for me to let this chance slide by.
     I'm making plans to be in Kyiv for 2 weeks....Dec 26-Jan10....(of course I'll need a cram course in everything between now & then...)  L is already counting the days...I think .....and the prospects for a wonderful New Year & Christmas loom on the horizon.  
     And I again give my regards to all on RWD......Wayne
  

[Jack]

 Wayne consider it that you and L have an invitation to a wonderful New Years Eve party at Independ. Sq.

[Ulysses]

OK Guys,
     Return trip to Kiev booked.......in 2 & 1/2 weeks.......I seriously needed to be back in Kiev before New Year's/Christmas.......didn't want the activity of the holidays to take away from L at this cricial time in our relationship.   This 2nd trip has e more nervous than the 1st.......I'll have 9 days totally with her and her 11 year old son.....I'm expecting to be busy on many fronts while there, but any good suggestions for activities would be welcome.   They live slightly out of Kiev in a forested area.....hopefully a lot of running and hiking are on tap. 
Shopping?????   
    Thanks......U