That was then, this is now

[Kuna]

I think Kievstar has covered the typical complaints very well...

I'll add one from my wife:  She'd met one man prior to me.  He had written once and she didn't answer, then he wrote again saying he would be in Dnepr and would she like to meet for coffee?  She'd not met an American before so she agreed to meet him "even though he was too old" (but I don't know how old - I get the feeling he was only slightly older than me though).

She said when they met it was bizarre.  He had nothing to say and at the end of the coffee It was a relief when she thanked him for the coffee and got up and left.  Here's the strange bit...  the next day she gets an EMAIL from him asking her to marry him.   

Now I'm sorry...  we know this is not typical behaviour but if you ask my wife now about Americans looking for a FSUW she insists ALL americans are like this dude. "Desperate and stupid" are the words she used.

Crazy I know, but all of the ones she met are like this - and therefore all must be like this! 


From my personal observations hanging out in O'Briens and other bars frequented by western men I would say the most common complaint is that most men appeared unrealistic.  I know the average man CAN trade up a little when going from the west to FSU but I met a few guys who would OBVIOUSLY struggle to date at all at home and they were expecting 15 - 20 yr age gap hot models and impeccable home maker type stuff.  Of course the agencies lead them to believe the spiel but I think everyone ends up a little disappointed when reality hits.



Oh, the other "complaint" my wife had....  apparently she got hundreds of email that were just one or two liners...  and then she got many that sent photos of their cars, boats, etc.  By the time I wrote to her she'd given up responding to any messages but I took some advice from Elena's Models and put my name in the subject line.  She said she only opened my email because she couldn't understand why someone with a Ukrainian name was writing to her so I'd suggest for all you anglo-westerners you might consider a name change to get noticed more!      

[LiveFromUkraine]

Now I'm sorry...  we know this is not typical behaviour but if you ask my wife now about Americans looking for a FSUW she insists ALL americans are like this dude. "Desperate and stupid" are the words she used.

Honestly, I don't think she is really that wrong with her opinion.  Most of the Americans I met were not people I would want to associate with.  It came to the point where I didn't want to meet any foreigners when I lived in Ukraine.



Thomas

[OlgaH]

I used free dating website and I can not recall anything I could complain about...   

[2tallbill]

Interesting thread,

To Turbo, I read many of your previous reports which could be
Titled "The Odyssey of Homer Turbo" Due to your trip reports
(and others) I decided that surely I could do this too.

[Ooooops]

  Most of the Americans I met were not people I would want to associate with.  It came to the point where I didn't want to meet any foreigners when I lived in Ukraine.

Were they expats, tourists or sex tourists?   

[Mishenka]

When I count my closest friends, they are all from outside USA. It's in my blood, I feel more at home around Europeans, FSU, Middle Eastern, Aussies and Kiwi's. My blue eyed grandfather was Russian and half Lebanese, My fathers first wife was Russian, My oldest sister was raised by her Russian Grandmother, my mother was half Russian, half Lebanese.  I love America for its open doors to immigrants, giving opportunities to all, not just some. I do not embrace the attitudes of some Americans here. For example this election has become an embarrassment to me. The candidates, the media, and many people, really makes me stop and think, how did such a great place turn into what it is today? I expect more right answers, more wisdom, more action.  The problems we face are not that hard to correct. Still, it is the best place on Earth to live, and together over time, we will all make it better. One thing that impressed me the first night I met Galina, she told me I was as her native family man, she felt so comfortable with me as if we were native twins, from her own city even, her own Russian family. I felt the same. instant attraction and comfort. We have been inseparable, attached at the hip ever since.
Mishenka

[OlgaH]

The candidates, the media, and many people, really makes me stop and think...  I expect... more action. 
Mishenka

Mishenka,

more action? How much more? 

[Marc@LTP]

Just thinking of my first trip to Russia 1995 and my last trip a bit over a year ago.

Keep in mind I have never been out of the country before. Other then the Army I had not been out of Calif. that much so this was an adventure for me. The first day I woke up about 7am I was in pain like I never felt before I could not stay still or sit my stomach was killing me I felt like I had a bad case of gas. I wanted to go to the hospital that's how bad I felt, but there was 1 big problem I did not have a phone number to call not even 1 person. Here I was with a full service agency that I worked for and did not have 1 phone number to call my office in Tver or the Russian manager.  So for about 2 or 3 hours I felt like I was about to die nice start to my first trip?

About 10 Am my phone rings it was Nadya the office manager asking me if I was O.K. I told her the story she sent a driver to pick me up and took me to the office were she was waiting to this day I call her momma Nadya she was doing all that she could to make me feel better she asked me 1 question did I drink anything from the Driver, and yes the driver had some Coffey from home, and she ran across the street and came back with some pink Russian stomach stuff we have it here I just cant spell it.

I was find, and went on to meet the girl I went for. Talk about a bad day well the first words out of her was did you bring me a gift, and Like any first timer I gave her a set of Diamond earrings well the first thing she took me to meet a girl friend who liver 1/2 block away. I felt like I was being showed off don't as my why I just did not get a good feeling about this meeting. I am going to cut this short latter we went to lunch we meet are translator at the office and started walking to the Restaurant there was only one thing wrong with this picture the two girls were about 10 feet in front of me. I felt like they did not care if I was with them or not so I just stopped went back to the office, and told Nadya that was the end of that did not want to see the girl when she came back.

One hell of a day? and to think I have been working for 14 years for this service? By the way I was still thinking what the hell was I doing in Russia.

Know I got one of the office secretaries went to eat a bit and get some food for my flat I was just not in any shape from the trip and the disappointment of this day. I put this day behind me and don't even think of it as my first day. I think of my first full day as Sunday!

Funny about then and know when you went to a store you had to write on a paper what you wanted then go to a window wait in line and pay for it then when you had your recite you went back to the clerk then they would go and get what you paid for. You even had to pay for the bag or carry it out in your hands, but the babuskas would just stuff it in there huge bags or huge pockets. Its was kinda funny in a good way.

The next thing was walking across the street I was grabbed a time or two and pulled back, and told if you don't wait they will run you over and not even stop to see if you were O.K. I was told people were killed on the road all the time. Thank God that has change big time to day walking is much saffer.

Next thing I think about was the roads hell or should I say the lakes in the road we had a full time office driver so he would pick my up each morning with the office manager and ziz zag all over the road so he would not hit a pot hole, but he would all the time and it was a good thing I did not understand Russian If you know what I mean. Today the roads seem normal its a much better drive!

Next thing is believe it or not I think the towns are much cleaner today by far. I had many time seen on my front porch or walk way (I cant get close to spelling it so I will just say what you use to shoot drugs into your arms) I even kicked 2 of them under a porch one day as there was kids all around that is something you will never see today!!

I am out of time this week end so I will try to think of other thing that have changed and try to post next week.

[Marc@LTP]

By the way I should leave you with some good things about older times in Tver. When you went into a store it was like going back in time maybe like the 30's 40's most shops were staffed by RW they had cute hats and outfits looked a bit like candy stripers in a hospital. I think that for Russia it was the beginning of the end of the old days in Russia.

My office was a non stop beauty pageant of beautiful women just coming and going to pick up letters or meet men, and most men wile waiting for a date to show up would be going crazy trying to set dates with girls. In person about 70% of these girls just looked so much better then in there photos. This was before computers, and 100.000 different services opened up? you ask about meeting RW think about this we were the only real service in town and all the RW new it so were do you think these girls would go to look to meet a man that's right my office was like a night club in the day time?

There is no question if you wanted to meet some of the most beautiful wemon in Tver all you had to do was sit in my office, the new age of computers and free e-mails services killed this part of the Biz, is it better well for me I hate letters and would rather see a lady first. know you need a back up plan back then my office was the best back up plan you could ever ask for!

The best part of this I was liveing there, and at the end I did all the photos and videos of the girls God I would not change that part of my life for all the money in the world!

[Marc@LTP]

I just can't stop thinking about the good old times.

An average day you could go and do almost anything live like a king and if you spent $50 bucks you had a good time if you spent $100 bucks you were living the life of the rich and famous. A $100 bucks today and your just getting buy.

Going out to eat was easy never a problem  today you must call and reserve a table or you will be driving from place to place, and its vary hard for dinner to find a good place to eat.

back then I would eat meet and patios I am a picky eater I would ask for a stake and would tell them nothing on it and it would 100% of the time come back with parsley on it. I would tell them I told you nothing on it they would look at me as I was a strange person, and give me the same line each time that how it comes there is nothing we can do about it. Each time I would tell them you mean to tell me when the cow was butchered it had all kinds of green stuff inside it? They never understood and all ways told me the cook would get mad, that they must make it this way so it looked good. I got to a point were I told them up front that I would not pay for it if it had parsley on it. What do you think happened each time it still came back with the green stuff all over it. So I sent it back I could only think how nuts the cook went no one did that kind of thing back then.

The best thing in the world was there breed it was old school and tasted like it that is the one thing that was 1000% better then the stuff sold today!!!

The people on street at any corner you would see 100's of people waiting to get on a bus.It seam like 1000's and 1000's were walking all over the place. The woman seamed to be 75 to 80% and dressed to Kill yes the streets were better then are night clubs in Tver better then are big shopping malls, and talk about legs this was winter,but the short dresses were all over the place. In summer O my God the dresses were so tight to go with the legs these girls when they went out they had so much pride in the way they looked. This is just in there day to day life.

Know night clubs at night this is 100% the truth night clubs would be packed 85 to 90% were hot Girls trying to out dance the other girls, and most would dance with each other or just get up and dance by them self's?
Today you still see about 60 to 70%  girls, but back then it was better then today. They would come up to you from no were sometimes and ask you to dance. When you did get up to dance the floor would be packed you would be maybe 1 of 5 men on the floor. That my friends was true Disneyland for men.