Jumped the Gun

[jdaco70]

Yeah, I already posted on another page prior to introducing myself. LOL.  Anyhow, here it is!! :oP

Hey everybody, my name is Jeff, and from Charlotte, NC. So, this whole internet game is very new for me, let alone looking for a wife! I only came across this idea from a friend of mine who is from Russia, that lives near me in Charotte. So, I am now on my search, interesting to say the least! and I am very excited about it. I have been searching for about a month or so now, and I dont think I have ever seen so much crap you have to filter thru....You know, dishonesty, scams, baits, money scemes...What a chore!

I have read here that Elena's Models is a good place to start? So, I have an account there that I have been searching on, hopefully it will pan out, as I want to take a trip over there sometime in August if possible. I guess I could always search on this site, but are there any other good places that are legitimate for my search? Of course, there are always going to be devious people out there, but who has the best control over this? As much as possible I guess.... Is EB the best option??

I appreciate all the help and/or suggestions I can get, as I am definately going thru with this, and serious about my intentions.

Thank you,

Jeff

[Vaughn]

Welcome, Jeff....  my wife of seven years and I are also in Charlotte. That aside,
have you begun any travel plans at this point?

Keep reading the archived threads here - and best wishes !

[BillyB]

Welcome to the forum Jeff,

I've never used agencies but many here like EM. If you need services, then an agency may be good for you. If you don't need services, then use a dating site. Bride.ru is a good one and another I'll keep secret for now since I'm still fishing in that pond.

Do lots of reading here. Scammers are easy to avoid so don't worry and you'll be more focused on finding one of the good girls.

[SFandEE]

Welcome Jeff--business takes me to Charlotte every now and again.  Nice city.

Great idea to go to Ukraine.  Wade in and have a good time.  You bring up challenges that are common to many of us.  I went with AFA last Summer, but had traveled to FSU quite a bit on my own before then--I was not doing anything with agencies, I did not know anyone that had used agencies.  I decided to try AFA when I met a happily married couple.

Scams do exist but for me they are not devastating, just road bumps.  I would say I regret time lost abroad and it could be debated if they were genuine scams or just misconnects that were ended efficiently.

I and others I have met prefer building a rapport with women who are able or willing to speak directly with you in English.  Best to make arrangements and plans yourself--take the business side out of it the best you can.

Most on this site speak well of EM.  There are others that are very problematic, so the threads are a good place to start.

I don't sense you have doubts, but these are real women.  They are even more beautiful in person and this will be a lot of work, so bring your best effort.  Keep in touch and look forward to hearing your experiences along the way.

[flyer1]

I used allbeautiful.net.  They are in Kharkov, Ukraine.  I was very pleased with them.  I arranged my apartment thru them. This is where I met my wife of almost 2 years. 

[acctBill]

Jeff I can't advise you on which agency to look for a Russian wife, I met mine at a university in the UK, but my one piece of advice I would give is to start to learn Russian ASAP.  I've been to Russia dozens of times on business and personal trips and dealt with translators often during business meetings. They are great for official discussions but not for the personal intimate discussions that are necessary when starting a romance.  Even if she understands English well she will appreciate it greatly if you can add a few words and phrases in Russian to the conversation. 

If you are successful in finding a Russian wife this journey will probably take a couple of years to complete, by then you could have a fair conversational ability in Russian.   

[Taz]

I'd second the suggestion to learn Russian. Every little bit you learn will enhance your trip and quite often make a very positive impression with the ladies.

With respect to an agency, is there a particular area within Ukraine you are interested? PM me and I can offer some suggestions depending on where you want to go.

[Photo Guy]

Some other things you can do is immerse yourself in Russian/Ukrainian culture, by reading books, watching movies, and hanging out with Russian groups in Charlotte. There might be a Russian Orthodox church in your area. 

[Misha]

I met my wife on the mamba network: singles.ru

I liked it, though it is a numbers game. You must be willing to send many messages and you must be capable of filtering out those women that are not compatible with you.