The Good, the bad, the ugly,... Get the truth.

[JR]

I would not know how to recognize a 'mail order bride'.

They are the ones with postage stamps on their foreheads.

[Amerkanski]

What were your experiences/impressions on your first trip to Russia?

I caught a direct flight from LA to Moscow and some how they lost my luggage and I had to get to SVO2 within two hours and missed it and had to get a hotel close to airport. Anyway, I met up with some AM friends that took me around Moscow and I actually had a great time. A bit shocked on the prices of things but it looked a lot like parts of Germany our Europe. Then I caught my flight the next day (still no luggage) to Volgograd and it was a culture shock. The airport is very old and rundown and a hassle trying to ask about my lost luggage until my friends arrived. My friends did not live in the city center but 45 minutes south of the City (it's all  connected) and noticed the more south we traveled the worse it was getting. I get to my flat I rented and it looked like Harlem in the 60's with no sidewalks and puddles of mud everywhere. I opened the door of my flat and it was rather nice surprisingly and my friends warned me not to answer the door to anyone unless it was them for the first few days!




I am jet-lagged and severely hungover with no clothes or toiletries so I thought it would be an excellent idea to find a bar. It takes me 30 minutes to figure out how to lock the huge secondary metal door to my flat and then off to the bar I go. As I am walking down the street I see the old Soviet style buildings around my area and thought it was a rough place and the people were even more rough so I went to plane "B". That was to go back to my flat and crash. I tried to take a shower but I guess it was hot water only day so I just went to sleep.

The next day my friends arrived and wanted to show me around that area and I just flat out said I am not going to live here. They assured me it was temporary and then we went to the City Center and viewed all the war memorials that are truly depressing, but remarkable at the same time. I liked Volgograd City Center because the people actually had somewhat of a passive look on their faces compared to the city in the south I was in.
  

The next day it was fill the fridge, get some clothes, and change some money day. I go to an outdoor market and walked into the butcher section and thought I'd pass on that. I then found a market with everything and filled up, but did notice security guys eye-mugging your every step. Then I went to the outdoor clothes market and actually met a nice guy who spoke a fair amount of English and I bought myself some clothes and pointy shoes Russian love. I then went to the bank and stood in 2 wrong lines and dismissed before I was able to clue in where to exchanged dollars.Then as I was walking to catch a cab and I smell this delightful deep fried something that looked like hush-puppies, but with chicken inside. I had to buy 10 of those. The cab was a no go because we could not understand each other and had to hike it back to the flat with bags in tow.




PartII later- need coffee- need to load pictures to host

[Seeker]

"Everything I post is considered "my opinion" and honest and straight forward as possible. Don't hate the player but the game."

I got it... not sure about the rest of the readers here, but is there a point to all of this?  I dislike the player and the game at this time... can we bring this into a new thread if you truly want to be offensive and hear what others want to say?  This one is old and has little meaning anymore.  You can play with yourself if you wish, but that is how I see it.  Your own mental masterbation.

Good thing I am not mod in this thread!

[Amerkanski]

"Everything I post is considered "my opinion" and honest and straight forward as possible. Don't hate the player but the game."

I got it... not sure about the rest of the readers here, but is there a point to all of this?  I dislike the player and the game at this time... can we bring this into a new thread if you truly want to be offensive and hear what others want to say?  This one is old and has little meaning anymore.  You can play with yourself if you wish, but that is how I see it.  Your own mental masterbation.

Good thing I am not mod in this thread!

Then why post in it? "Your own mental masterbation" -Do me a favor and go swig back the rest of your future and start your own thread.

Does anyone want to hear the rest of my story? ...

[ECOCKS]

Sure Amer, the story is interesting, he's just suggesting that maybe you should put it over into a new thread, New Arrival, First Experiences sort of thing and all.

[Gylden]

I am serously thinking of hiring a privat detective to find out what nationality my wife is.
From what I have been reading, I think she is lying to me about her nationality!
 :whirling:




(just kidding)

[dogspot]

Sure Amer, the story is interesting, he's just suggesting that maybe you should put it over into a new thread, New Arrival, First Experiences sort of thing and all.

Finally this thread finds it's way back on track and you want to suggest the OP start a new thread to tell a story that is totally relevant to the message he is trying to convey?

 

Please continue, Amerikanski.

[Seeker]

Finally this thread finds it's way back on track and you want to suggest the OP start a new thread to tell a story that is totally relevant to the message he is trying to convey?

 

Please continue, Amerikanski.

I just think the story is old in this context.  With far too many diversions into the "self declaration" frame of mind/mode.  Maybe it is time to start this one over... or let it die.

[Shadow]

Dan are they getting warnings? That Dutch guy has been trolling me hard.

I am just answering your own tactics.
Looking in the mirror before any endeavour is what I usually suggest. Besides that I have taken on some Russian habits. Probably that is why you find me annoying. 

[Gylden]

Shadow,
I think it is your glasses and that you appear to be a very "black or white" kind of guy/dog!
 

[Shadow]

Shadow,
I think it is your glasses and that you appear to be a very "black or white" kind of guy/dog!
 

Could be though usually I see a lot of shades of gray.  Yet what is violet to me, could be purple to you. 

[Gylden]

Could be but from your avitar you give the impression of "black and white".

[Maxx2]

Does anyone want to hear the rest of my story? ...

I sure do. Your descriptions sure bring back some memories. Most guys here praise all the positive aspects of Russia but neglect to tell about things like water limitations, heaved up sidewalks, food sold on the street or market place that is a risk to eat and so on. They are afraid their wives and fellow posters will get upset. It is a similar problem to the one you are describing about some of the women.

[Gylden]

I too want to hear....

[Doll]

I was laughing   when  reading  Amer's "My first trip to Russia" post
All he wrote is mostly the truth. Haha- Americans in Russia
It is true with one stipulation- this is how they live, this is how it is.
Same can be written about China or any other country which is not the USA.
 

[Gylden]

Doll,
I had the same thought, just I think it could apply to the US as well. There are areas of every big city I have been to which could result with the same experience for a foreigner.

[Doll]

True. Amer's problem (his and many others') is that he applies his American standards to another culture and this is the problem.
My free advice to the guys who confront Amerkanski- just skip his style, he is just this kind of a man-a little bit rough and too straight. Just read what he writes- not the way he writes.
 Again, I mostly agree with him.

[Shadow]

I also would like to read the rest of the story. Its a perfect example of a culture shock.
As far as not eating food from the street, just think of what a lot of people cook on a sunny day in their back yard. As long as the locals are willing to stand in line to buy it, I will not object to trying.  

[Doll]

One more thing- Amer is just stuffed with his hatred to Russian everything, but you know what- I "hear" it here from some Americans. The difference is that these here have never been there- they just know something, hear my accent, watch my way of behavior (nothing bad- I am just "another culture woman") and consider things  "weird". It is different, not weird.
 

[Doll]

As far as not eating food from the street

Haha! Two weeks ago my son (Russian) and his gf (American) went to NY- Brighton Beach. He just wanted to show her something Russian. Dmitryi bought something to eat "from the street" - his gf politely refused to eat it. Sure! Haha!

 (You need to watch my Pennsylvanian Dutch husband in the Japanese restaurant! It was something! Haha!)

[Gylden]

Yes Doll, I agree with you, as well as IMO Amerikanski is a bit overconfident about himself, but his job accentuates this (basically going around Russia offering many times better salary to people can really boost an ego).
Good reading though and as most of the women say here, as well as my wife; there is some truth to some of it.
IMO really fantastic advice to live in Russia for a while, it is the only real way to get to spend good time with a woman before bringing her to the US.

[Shadow]

(You need to watch my Pennsylvanian Dutch husband in the Japanese restaurant! It was something! Haha!)

Dutch have the saying 'what the farmer does not know, he will not eat'.  

[Shadow]

IMO really fantastic advice to live in Russia for a while, it is the only real way to get to spend good time with a woman before bringing her to the US.

If nothing else it will give you a very good idea of what she will experience when landing in a foreign country and having to learn the customs and reality of living there.

Some will hate it and stay only for their husband, others will feel like they were meant to live there all their life. Most will be somewhere in between, valuing the good and loathing the bad.

[Doll]

Dutch have the saying 'what the farmer does not know, he will not eat'.  

Well, my husband is better than that but close  

BTW, speaking of differences (Amer is sleeping now so I am filling in )-you know what John's (my husband) favorite  to tell me? "Irina, your problem is that you were raised with too much!"
See? An American saying this to his Russian wife!
(Actually it is HIS problem  )
 I can tell you many things against A-R marriages and I did in my posts long before Amer was here.

[Gylden]

Doll,
I can say bad things about marriages in general, but they only apply to those who are not ready for the endeavor.
Is this what you mean?
There are of course many cross cultural differences to consider when one crosses those political/cultural borders. This includes cross culture business ventures, travel, friendships etc. IMO someone setting out on this type of "adventure" is ill advised to think that there wouldn't be these differences and that there wouldn't be some sort of compromise or creativeness needed.
 

I myself enjoy this experience.