cat's meow -vignette

[na2]

Hi Guys,
  I'm new to the site but not to the subject. Demographic data: 50+, Asian/American, divorced, NK. Wonder how many members are from minority groups and would like to read/know about their experience with FSUW.

[janic]

I do not belong to a minority group, but would welcome you to the forum anyway: Welcome!

Greets, j.

[myrddin]

Welcome, na2!

I'm also not a minority (in the US), but I'm sure there will be no shortage of opinions on the matter  .  I suspect there aren't too many among the frequent posters, but the subject has been discussed.


TW1970 hasn't been around for awhile, but you can read about his direct experiences:

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=7848.msg143388#msg143

Also, I believe BillyB (who is around frequently) has Asian ancestry.  His thread here

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=9838.0

discusses his experiences.  Though not focused on race, his approach would be an excellent guide for anyone.


Since you claim you're not new to the subject, I'll ass-ume you already memorized the 10 Commandments     (see the link at top, probably on the left part of the screen).

Good luck!

[ECOCKS]

Look for Law's TR as well. Find him on the member board.

[na2]

Hi, thanks for your feedback. Myrddin I did read the 10 Commandments but I'm afraid I've violated all of them. Here's my first experience.  First time I ever heard of FSUW was in 1993 when my long time tennis partner asked me to go with him to Moscow. I scoffed at the idea and thought it was preposterous but he kept after me. Rather than loss a good double’s partner (we won the club championship 2 years running), I agreed to take a look. He showed me some glossy brochure from EC (Atlanta) but what caught my attention was the VHS (remember them, black plastic box with spools of magnetic tapes?) promo. One look at those Slavic beauties and we were on our merry way (Houston-Moscow-Houston). Fast forward to the Cosmos Hotel a huge Soviet era pile built for the boycotted Moscow Olympics. EC actually put on a good show and whatever opinion you may have of them, they delivered the goods. While I remained skeptical, I kept my powder dry and had a good time. There were gaggles of pretty girls but one that caught my eye was actually working as an interpreter. Elena or Helen was studying to be a doctor and had brought along her Mom as a chaperone. I took this as a good sign - how can you ever go wrong with a Mama’s girl. So I chased after her in the few days remaining and much to my surprise she said yes – well sort of  Turns out her cousin from Ufa met and got “engaged” to one of the guys in the group. It’s possible the cousins talked it over and agreed that they would come over together. But she was serious enough to come with her cousin to the Cosmos where an American paralegal had set up shop to process K-1 applications (for a fee of course). It appeared to be a pretty successful romance tour because there was a long line of couples waiting to see the paralegal. After waiting patiently for an hour, the paralegal came out and advised us to come back after lunch. He had that much work to do. So on her cousin’s advise we crossed the road to the VDNHK to get lunch. This is a park set up by the Soviets to commemorate their space program. It had degenerated to a large open-air bazaar with all sorts of shops where you can buy pirated CDs and tapes, Soviet militaria and even shoulder –fired SA missile (so we were told). After a quick lunch at a food stall, we started walking back to the hotel. We took a different path than the one we had used coming in. Along this pathway were lined up people offering pets for sale –dogs, cats, birds, turtles, snakes, etc.  Helen saw and fell for a very young weeks old Russian blue kitten, She said it was a rare specimen with a perfect white coat and eyes as blue and deep as Lake Baikal. Never having been to the mythical lake and upon being proffered the cat’s breeding provenance (it was in Russian with many impressive seals), I said why not. I had not brought a ring anyway and it seemed to be a cheap substitute for one. Helen was all effusive and seemed genuinely happy and engaged in some unexpected PDA. The seller advised us to feed the kitten pronto since it had not been fed for several hours. So Helen decided to bring the cat to her flat to feed it. I offered to go along but she said not to bother since her Mom was in their apartment and would take care of the cat. She said she would be back to the Cosmos right away and asked only for the taxi fare. So off she went on a smoke-belching Lada with her precious Russian blue kitten. That was the last I saw of her – for several year anyway. So guys was I a victim of a scam or a scat? h

[Ravens9273]

Hi, thanks for your feedback. Myrddin I did read the 10 Commandments but I'm afraid I've violated all of them. Here's my first experience.  First time I ever heard of FSUW was in 1993 when my long time tennis partner asked me to go with him to Moscow. I scoffed at the idea and thought it was preposterous but he kept after me. Rather than loss a good double’s partner (we won the club championship 2 years running), I agreed to take a look. He showed me some glossy brochure from EC (Atlanta) but what caught my attention was the VHS (remember them, black plastic box with spools of magnetic tapes?) promo. One look at those Slavic beauties and we were on our merry way (Houston-Moscow-Houston). Fast forward to the Cosmos Hotel a huge Soviet era pile built for the boycotted Moscow Olympics. EC actually put on a good show and whatever opinion you may have of them, they delivered the goods. While I remained skeptical, I kept my powder dry and had a good time. There were gaggles of pretty girls but one that caught my eye was actually working as an interpreter. Elena or Helen was studying to be a doctor and had brought along her Mom as a chaperone. I took this as a good sign - how can you ever go wrong with a Mama’s girl. So I chased after her in the few days remaining and much to my surprise she said yes – well sort of  Turns out her cousin from Ufa met and got “engaged” to one of the guys in the group. It’s possible the cousins talked it over and agreed that they would come over together. But she was serious enough to come with her cousin to the Cosmos where an American paralegal had set up shop to process K-1 applications (for a fee of course). It appeared to be a pretty successful romance tour because there was a long line of couples waiting to see the paralegal. After waiting patiently for an hour, the paralegal came out and advised us to come back after lunch. He had that much work to do. So on her cousin’s advise we crossed the road to the VDNHK to get lunch. This is a park set up by the Soviets to commemorate their space program. It had degenerated to a large open-air bazaar with all sorts of shops where you can buy pirated CDs and tapes, Soviet militaria and even shoulder –fired SA missile (so we were told). After a quick lunch at a food stall, we started walking back to the hotel. We took a different path than the one we had used coming in. Along this pathway were lined up people offering pets for sale –dogs, cats, birds, turtles, snakes, etc.  Helen saw and fell for a very young weeks old Russian blue kitten, She said it was a rare specimen with a perfect white coat and eyes as blue and deep as Lake Baikal. Never having been to the mythical lake and upon being proffered the cat’s breeding provenance (it was in Russian with many impressive seals), I said why not. I had not brought a ring anyway and it seemed to be a cheap substitute for one. Helen was all effusive and seemed genuinely happy and engaged in some unexpected PDA. The seller advised us to feed the kitten pronto since it had not been fed for several hours. So Helen decided to bring the cat to her flat to feed it. I offered to go along but she said not to bother since her Mom was in their apartment and would take care of the cat. She said she would be back to the Cosmos right away and asked only for the taxi fare. So off she went on a smoke-belching Lada with her precious Russian blue kitten. That was the last I saw of her – for several year anyway. So guys was I a victim of a scam or a scat? h

WOW!!
Nice to know the kind of people EC hires.

definetly got taken. However it is in the past. It seems you learned from it and can now move foward.
Only advice I could give I am sure you already know. Take it slow next time and get to know the lady better.
Best of luck to you.

[kievstar]

Very interesting story.  You mentioned you saw her again several years later.  Have you gone to Russia since 1993.  I think people would like to know about your trips if you care to share?  Your the first person I have read about from the early 1990's visiting Russia that appears to be a good guy.

[NJ]

Amazing story na2. Thanks for sharing it. So did it somehow continue?

[GoodOlBoy]

Welcome to RWD NA2.

Did you cancel the K-1 in Moscow or did she and the cat manage to sneak into the GoodOl' USA?.....or....was the whole thing a sham (K-1, paralegal, fees, etc.)?


GOB


BTW...You probably should have put a "tracking" device on the cat's collar...right Muddy?  :evil:

[myrddin]

Hi, thanks for your feedback. Myrddin I did read the 10 Commandments but I'm afraid I've violated all of them. Here's my first experience.  First time I ever heard of FSUW was in 1993 when my long time tennis partner asked me to go with him to Moscow.

Sounds like a scam  (and the source of your name for this thread).

You imply you've been back and that you did see her several years later, a literary technique called "foreshadowing". 
 No matter how much experience you have, odds are you'll learn more as you read the archives.

[na2]

Hi GOB; the paralegal was legit and I didn’t cancel anything or lose any money since we never applied anyway. Hi Kievstar & NJ here is the sequel. Other than a bruised ego due to gratuitous but good natured teasing from the guys on the plane, I survived my initiation. My tennis partner soon moved to Alaska and married a RW – the second one he brought over with a fiancée visa. I continued to receive catalogs from EC so my interest remained but at a subdued mode. About a year later I opened the latest EC catalog and lo and behold there was Helen on the cover. But wait she wasn’t alone. Beside her with an ear to ear grin (like the cat who swallowed the bird) was an overweight middle-aged guy looking resplendent in a black tux. Helen looked heavenly in a classic white wedding dress, her golden blonde tresses piled under a luminous veil. For propaganda purposes and no doubt to encourage business, EC would feature engagements and weddings. I was a bit chagrined for having been ditched in favor of a cat but I really did not have any strong feelings about her at this time. My thought was that she would also ditch this guy after she got her GC. But I had caught the bug real bad and so in December 1995 I went on another EC tour to Moscow. I had a good time, met and chatted up pretty girls, hoped for the best but fully expected the worst. On the third day of the socials I run into Masha (Helen’s cousin). She said that after the cat fiasco when Helen failed to return to the hotel, her guy caught cold feet. So she was back on the circuit; we commiserated and wished each other good luck. An hour or so later my interpreter said a young lady wanted to talk to me and pointed her out. It was Masha, so I went over to see what was up. She said bye the bye do you know that Helen is in town. Somewhat taken aback I answered no; and that I thought she was married and living in the USA. Masha whips out her cell phone and before I knew it I was talking to Helen and agreeing to meet her. Next day I met her at the Patio Pizza in front of that Soviet horror story called Intourist Hotel on Tverskaya ulitsa. Both hotel and restaurant have since been torn down replaced doubtless by some garish New Russian monstrosity. I almost did not recognize her when she walked in. She had put on weight, her once porcelain smooth skin was dry, pale and puffy and her hair was a mess. And she had been crying her eyes red, swollen and bloodshot. Despite many embarrassing glances from nearby diners she told me her story. As I suspected she met her husband (Garry) while working as an interpreter on an EC romance tour. She fell for him, loved or liked him enough to go through the fiancée visa process. She said there was a slight hitch because it turned out Garry had previously married and divorced another RW. At this I raised my eyebrows like duh, did you not hear the alarm bells ringing. But Helen was not going to be dissuaded and eventually she got her K-1 visa. They had a big wedding knees up at Garry’s parents in Charlotte. They then got on his SUV and drove past Durham and some distance into a thickly wooded area. Garry explained this was their honeymoon cottage and would be there for a few days. There she was kept alone and incommunicado, without telephone or a car. Her husband would leave her to go to Durham for days returning with food, groceries, books and magazines. Other than her husband she didn’t see or talk to anyone while in those woods. She did not know where she was and did not know what to make of her new situation. This went on for a few months until one day Garry handed her his cell phone. He said she needed to call her Mom in Moscow. She called their apartment and talked to her brother. Their Mom had had a stroke and was in the hospital. Garry bought her a RT ticket to Moscow, gave her money, even a MasterCard. A few weeks after arriving in Moscow a Russian advokat (lawyer) showed up at their flat. She was told that her husband had filed divorce proceedings back in the States and had cancelled her credit card and return airline ticket. The mouthpiece told her not even to attempt to enter the States because she had no valid visa. Her about-to-be-ex husband did not file a change of status with the INS. Basically she was fucked (literally and figuratively), her K-1 visa had long since expired. She was back in Moscow empty handed without GC or funds. I asked her what she was going to do now. She said she wanted to see her own lawyer, she was determined to save her marriage and return to the States. I was incredulous and told her she was very lucky to escape alive and that her husband had abused her and kept her a virtual sex slave. All these were beyond her and I could see she didn’t fully appreciate her situation. After a long and uncomfortable silence she looked up and asked me if I would lend her $200. Somehow I wasn’t surprised, and amidst her promises to pay me back, I reached for my billfold and forked over the cash. I did not expect to get repaid and she didn’t disappoint. Fini - never saw her or heard about her again. I hope for her sake that she didn’t return to the States to her abusive ex. 

[Ravens9273]

DAMN!
She is GOOD!

One very professional scammer.
After really reading these stories you can see how good she is. Thinking about it now I bet the whole cat thing was even a set up. She knew the person you paid for the cat and it was a set up. What guy newly engaged would not have bought the lady the cat? She knew this. This is also reason for the excuse about it needing to be fed right away. It gave her the chance to split as soon as the money was out of your hands.

Now the whole abusive husband thing?
I know that was BS reading it. In fact just to get even I would have told her she got what she deserved and walked out.

Well I hope your road is alot smoother this time.
Good Luck

[kievstar]

I have a feeling she never went to the USA and the photo on the cover of the magazine was to drive up business.  Showing an unattractive old man with a young good looking wife is good for business.   She probably was never married. 

I do not like your story do you have any more visits since 1995? 

[Muddy]

Stay away from girls who work for the agencies
She has met many men and I am sure she has done this before, its good business for her
After what she did to you the first time, she was not interested in you at all, she did not even like you enough to call you and talk to you, you never should have met her again,  she probably thinks you are dumb you met her again and gave her $200, you are lucky you did not lose your wallet or worse.

50+, Asian/American,...
you don't have a good chance, sorry!

[JR]

  Your the first person I have read about from the early 1990's visiting Russia that appears to be a good guy.

Am I really that bad of a guy?

[kievstar]

Jolly Rats, did you write about visiting Russia from 1990 to 1993?  If so, I will like to read your story.  I only have seen one other guy write about early 1990's and he is still searching and he has been dating out of his league for 15 plus years.

This guy in the thread seems like a good guy to me. 

[na2]

Hey everyone thanks for reading my posts. To answer your queries:

Ravens 9723-- if she set up the double scam, she went to a lot of trouble for so little gain. The kitten cost $20 and the $200 I gave her; they were bills that the money changers rejected. I’ve dropped many times that amount on strippers on a single visit

Kievstar – I made 4 tours with EC between ‘93 and ’99. The first two as a full guest and the last two I traveled alone and just paid at the door. I also made 2 other trips to Russia and Kiev after 1999.  I know there are many detractors of EC on this site but that was not my experience. I met three ladies from these tours that I came to hairbreadths of marrying. One girl I stayed with her family in Yaroslavl for 2 weeks in the spring of 1994. Another girl from Voronezh stayed with me at the Radisson Slavanskaya in Moscow for a week. The last girl, Antonina actually made it to Las Vegas on her own in 2000. I was stationed in Europe by then but I flew back to LV to be with her. To  varying degrees; these three ladies indicated their serious intention by initiating the fiancée visa process.  All were nice and decent young ladies who were sincere, well educated and kulturny. It was my own timidity and hesitation that prevented me from marrying one of them. In my own heart of hearts I really did not want the responsibility of raising a family and I basically “choked” and chickened out. I have come to reconcile with the lost opportunities and the path not taken. My only regret is that if by spending time with me, the young ladies lost their own chance of finding a deserving WM. 

Muddy – your point is well taken but in 1993-1999 I was a bit younger. Though I am not looking for a wife now, I have other cards to play. I now live in Prague where I am a partner in a health recruiting business (nurses, dentists, physical therapists, etc). I also teach English, salsa and Latin dances. I have a lot of contact with Czech, Ukrainian, Russian, Hungarian and other CEE women. It’s relatively easy to date women you see, talk and work with everyday. No more agencies or romance tour for me. I’m doing just fine thank you .

[Muddy]

Yes, I understand.
Good luck to you.