Now here, what to expect

[jb]

KenC,

Can that be any worse than Cod Liver Oil, Castor Oil, and Milk Of Magnesia,,, yuck~!

[LatinSwede]

I won't lie about being a Wal-Mart junkie.  In the early part of our relationship I told her I'm cheap, as far as every day living expenses go.  My humble apartment home is shamelessly supplied by Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree.  I usually go to target for clothes, because they loook better than Wal-Mart.  My previous trip I brought her shoes I got it Target.  She seemed to like it, and didn't complain they weren't Gucci. 

Food in the home is a big issue we've discussed.  I'm content to get my food from Wal-Mart, but I have my alternates incase she gets too picky.  A Trader Joe's food market recently opened.  Even though I'm an unappologetic  cheap skate, I always come out with a arm full of goodies.  It's so much like what I'd get from a European grocery store (my favorite is the Albert Heim chain in Holland), and it wouldn't be too alien for her I think.  Last week I bought some beer from Lithuania there and it was Ochin Vkusna!  There's tons of European products there that remind me of my growing up years.

She's already talking about getting new furniture, and she isn't even here yet.  Uh oh!  Out goes my $99 Wal-Mart Futon.  In comes a proper living room set.  I notice many of them don't take care for the starving artist look.


I hope this does not scare anybody, but I used to like pickle juice when I was a little kid.  That and eating raw spagettie.   

[TigerPaws]

[color="#0000ff"][size="4"]Gentleman,[/size][/color]   [color="#0000ff"][size="4"]

 I am fairly certain KenC and Dan  will agree that even after almost 6 years together my lady and I are still   learning about each other, sure 80% of the language issues are gone and maybe  50% of the cultural issues (we still bump into those but we have a better  understanding of how to deal with them now). My lady is very responsive to my  correcting her use of English (grammar mistakes) but to be honest I enjoy those  little grammar errors as much as her accent, I guess it is one (of many) reasons  I chose a Russian lady. While our on board attire is decidedly more casual than  when we lived in a house (shorts, tank top or a bikini for her, shorts and a polo  shirt for me, no shoes for either of us is the norm) she almost always wears some  makeup and no matter how casual the bar/restaurant is (they can be real low key  out here) she will always look her best.  [/size][/color]   [color="#0000ff"][size="4"]

 Home cooking has always been one of  the hallmarks of being with my Russian lady, she loves to cook and experiment  with different foods. Now that we live on our boat the amount of fresh seafood  in our diet had risen dramatically and while I am more of a steak and potatoes  man she is happier with the greater abundance of fresh fruit and seafood, well  seafood is better for me anyway so I guess it is a win, win for  everyone.[/size][/color] 

 [color="#0000ff"][size="4"] As for the ice thing once my lady  realized the water was safe that issue pretty much went away and after we move  to Florida then aboard our boat and sailed south the ice issue has gone away  completely. I can not remember a day sense we sailed south when it has been  below 78F, so almost everything we drink is either chilled or has ice in it now.  I will say when we were visiting her friends and relatives in Russia last summer  the ice thing reared its ugly head, like you said ice causes colds.[/size][/color]    [color="#0000ff"][size="4"]

 Goombah; Just be patient and enjoy  the ride, like KenC said bite your lip until you know what was meant vs. what  was said or what you thought was said, it will save a lot of hurt feelings.  Being with a lady from the FSU is one Hell of a ride, sometimes frustrating but  all in all an experience and so far the adventure of a lifetime.[/size][/color]

[Goombah]

TigerPaws - I'm blessed with not having to bit my lip, for there is nothing she has done to annoy me.  I'm not sure the opposite is true, but she is at least tollerating me!

Kevin

[TigerPaws]

[size="4"][color="blue"]Kevin,[/color]

 [/size]
[color="#0000ff"][size="4"]Tolerating is half the battle the  rest is all up hill
[/size][/color]

[RussianGal]

Interesting topic you opened here, guys.

I`m trying to remember how I felt when came here...

1. Warm drinks. Yeah!!! It was a year transition for me - from a warm juice/water/lemonade to a cold one. The reason I preferred warm ones was because I thought I could catch a cold with cold ones, like I used to in Belarus. Apparently, I was wrong.

2. I also was and still am quite reluctant to meet with local RW here (I do meet with some girls from time to time but it is not something important for me). I figure why should I meet with some strangers just because we were born in the same country. :-)

3. Big supermarkets were annoying at first: too much food, the selection is so big, hard to choose from. I thought I would be prepared after living in London, UK, but I was not. America is very different - it is bigger in a lot of things. ;-)

4. I  was shocked by the lack of public transportation, lack of people on the streets. Still adjusting to it.

5. Found myself being very judgmental and constantly comparing things. Usually, it was 'bad America' and 'good Belarus'. Thanks God my hubby was understanding and did not send me back home for being an a..s ;-)

6. I was turned off by people at first: thought they were all fake with their smiles and 'how are you'..

7. Hated the food for the first couple of months. It just did not taste right to me. I`m still not fond of it but I got used to.

8. Immediately loved MI weather (in Belarus we have only 25 sunny days per year).

9. Budgeting, credit/debit cards were quite new, learning how to do things took time and enormous patience of my husband.

10. Every now and then I was crying for no reason, became very sentimental and could drink a glass or two of vodka all by myself..

P`S` BTW, I like pickle juice too. Just finished the whole jar all by myself. :-)

[Photo Guy]

[size="3"][color="red"]Pickle juice!?[/color][/size][/b]

[size="3"][color="navy"]I understand your list, except for the food thing. There is so much variety- how could you not like it? There are Greek, Italian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Irish, etc. etc. Sure there are bad versions of each of those, but there are good versions too. Unfortunately, the one 'Russian' restaurant(Uzbeky) I tried here, was not very good. It didn't compare with the average mid-priced restaurants in Kiev. I guess I'll have to get myself a Polish/Ukrainian cook of my own. Yup.[/color][/size][/b]

[KenC]

Russian gal,

Very informative post.  I wonder if you could expand on:

2. I also was and still am quite reluctant to meet with local RW here (I do meet with some girls from time to time but it is not something important for me). I figure why should I meet with some strangers just because we were born in the same country. :-)

Why is that so?

KenC

[KenC]

Photo,

Prepare yourself (and your wallet) for your woman's "sushi experience."  I have yet to meet a RW that didn't crave sushi.  I think I saw you mention Jimbo's Natural Food stores, and that is exactly the type of store your lady will want.  Lena does the majority of her shopping for food at Trader Joes which specializes in natural and imported foods.  You will learn to look for the "organicly grown" and "no additives" labels soon.

KenC

[KenC]

 My lady is very responsive to my correcting her use of English (grammar mistakes) but to be honest I enjoy those little grammar errors as much as her accent,

Tigerpaws,

After 7 1/2 years here, two or three English composition classes at college and a multitude of term papers, Lena now corrects my English and finds typos on menues in restaurants.  Not to mention her spelling is better than mine.  (But that in itself is no huge accomplishment)

KenC
[/size][/color][/font]

[TigerPaws]

Photo,

Prepare yourself (and your wallet) for your woman's "sushi experience."  I have yet to meet a RW that didn't crave sushi. 
KenC

LoL KenC,

 Personally I dislike Sushi but my lady loves it, one of those little things we disagree on but what-the-hay it does not bother me to watch her eat it. Besides Sushi still looks and smells like "Bait" to me

 

 

[TigerPaws]

Interesting topic you opened here, guys.

I`m trying to remember how I felt when came here...

1. Warm drinks. Yeah!!! It was a year transition for me - from a warm juice/water/lemonade to a cold one. The reason I preferred warm ones was because I thought I could catch a cold with cold ones, like I used to in Belarus. Apparently, I was wrong. Yes we remember that, not as bad still it took a while for my lady to adjust.

2. I also was and still am quite reluctant to meet with local RW here (I do meet with some girls from time to time but it is not something important for me). I figure why should I meet with some strangers just because we were born in the same country. :-) I was advised to limit my ladies contact with other RW's for at least the first year and found this to be very sound advise.

3. Big supermarkets were annoying at first: too much food, the selection is so big, hard to choose from. I thought I would be prepared after living in London, UK, but I was not. America is very different - it is bigger in a lot of things. ;-) My lady adapted quickly but the selection was and to some extent still is an issue.

4. I was shocked by the lack of public transportation, lack of people on the streets. Still adjusting to it. Yes this was a big issue until she learned to drive and I purchased her a car.

5. Found myself being very judgmental and constantly comparing things. Usually, it was 'bad America' and 'good Belarus'. Thanks God my hubby was understanding and did not send me back home for being an a..s ;-) This lasted about 7 or 8 months then faided, I believe it was more homesickness than anything else, also maybe some culture shock.

6. I was turned off by people at first: thought they were all fake with their smiles and 'how are you'.. This took my lady some time to get used to, maybe a year or more, when we were in Russia last summer she really noticed the lack of friendliness she had come to expect in America.

7. Hated the food for the first couple of months. It just did not taste right to me. I`m still not fond of it but I got used to.

8. Immediately loved MI weather (in Belarus we have only 25 sunny days per year).

9. Budgeting, credit/debit cards were quite new, learning how to do things took time and enormous patience of my husband. Almost 6 years later she still has some troubles but she is getting better all the time but this is most likely because our finances are very complex.

10. Every now and then I was crying for no reason, became very sentimental and could drink a glass or two of vodka all by myself.. Yep! This happened as well for at least the first 6 to 8 months, no Vodka for my lady though just tears and homesickness.

P`S` BTW, I like pickle juice too. Just finished the whole jar all by myself. :-)

[Photo Guy]

[size="3"][color="navy"]KenC,
Thanks for the heads-up. When I was back in NY in October, my friend Steve, the Canon rep, took his girlfriend and I to Sushi Park.
I think it was $25 for ALL YOU CAN EAT. Did I mention that I like sushi?!  Steve, Debbi, and I had all we could eat and then some more.  Huge tables of fresh sushi and some Chinese too. The point is- there are expensive sushi restaurants and there are cheaper deals out there to be had. Our local supermarket has a few basic sushi items too. Not bad. California rolls, etc. You gotta be careful with Sushi restaurants. Some are WAY over-priced. Actually my first sushi experience was at a restaurant in Malibu, on the coast with great ambience.  
Russian gal, do you like Sushi?
Yes, I agree about Trader Joe's. I only wish they were bigger. The best selection I've seen is at 'Whole Foods'. (Tempe, AZ)[/color][/size][/b]

[RussianGal]

Sure I like sushi and so does my husband. We eat it every once in a while.

 Food: I guess I was not clear.  When we buy food in the grocery store (meat, veggies, fruits) it is just not the same. Lack of taste to my opinion.
 I`ll give you just one example: when my husband came for the first time to Belarus I made him eat tomato salad. Before eating, he said he hates tomatoes but I was persistent. He tried and had not stopped until the bowl was empty, saying it has completely different taste then what he was used to back home.

 As for being reluctant to meet other RW I thought I already explained it: 'I figure why should I meet with some strangers just because we were born in the same country.'
 I do go out with RW, may be twice a month or so. But I`m not like some of ladies who seem to be dying to find Russian friends as soon as they arrive to the States.
  I wonder if it has anything to do with some of them speaking a little of English and therefore they need someone to interact with. In that case, yes, a RW friend could be ideal.

[BC]

As far as food and my wife's cooking: I'm 10kg heavier in 3 years.. need I say more?

As far as RU friends, early on my wife did not want contact at all.. maybe because she wanted to get settled in and familiar with the local environment first.  Unless there is an introduction by mutual friends made interaction with other RU folks is quite minimal.  If we hear someone speaking Russian near us when travelling she will not attempt to make contact.  Quite different than english speaking folks in another country who seem to act like magnets.

[catzenmouse]

If we hear someone speaking Russian near us when travelling she will not attempt to make contact.  Quite different than english speaking folks in another country who seem to act like magnets.

At first Elena's ears would perk up and she would say hi but she didn't end up liking the people she was meeting so she quit bothering to strike up a conversation. She has met a couple of people here that she likes but no one local that she has a close friend type of relationship with.

Ken

[RussianGal]

As far as food and my wife's cooking: I'm 10kg heavier in 3 years.. need I say more?...

 Same here with my husband! :-)
In our case I think it has to do with two people living together: we cook more and therefore there is more to eat.
 When I was single I was eating once a day or so, did not want to cook just for myself. And usually it was something light as opposed to roast beef/pork/chicken ... now. :-)
 However, I have not gained weight since I came. Quite the opposite! That`s a mistery to me, cause now I eat like a man! ;-)

[MandM]

Quite different than english speaking folks in another country who seem to act like magnets.

When we're in Russia Mark always manages to start conversation with anyone who happens to be from the UK or US. And in the beginning of our relationship every time when he heard Russian speech in England, he'd excitedly say to me 'C'mon say something to them in Russian !' Thank God he learned not to do it any more. As RussianGal said what is the point of making contact with someone only because they are from the same country? Being born in the same country doesn't guarantee we are going to have something in common, doesn't mean Im going to find them interesting, and it doesnt guarantee that they will be nice people.

In my job we investigate insurance claims and have to visit policyholders in their houses. Once my boss and I went into the house where the owner was some neurotic RW. To his total amusement I didn't let her know that I was too and because my accent is not very strong she didn't have any idea what country I was from. When she asked whether we would like a drink, my English boss asked for some tea with  lemon (its his fav drink) and she hysterically proclaimed 'Oh you must be Russian'! When her partner came in they started arguing in Russian and it became clear to me why she was so nervous. It helped our investigation, but it is totally different story...

Having said that I don't want to meet any RW here, I must admit that my best friends are Russians, friends that I made in school and University back home, and they are so fab they can never be replaced. The great thing about living in London is that you meet people of all nationalities and my friends here are Polish, French and Spanish.

As for food, I miss Russian food a lot and though we have a Russian shop near us, it never tastes the same. And I too love pickle juice, and pickled tomatoes, but not too keen on sushi. Its ok but only in small doses.

[ConnerVT]

 Once my boss and I went into the house where the owner was some neurotic RW. To his total amusement I didn't let her know that I was too ...

You're a neurotic RW?   

(sorry, I just couldn't resist!)

[525i]

Tigerpaws,

After 7 1/2 years here, two or three English composition classes at college and a multitude of term papers, Lena now corrects my English and finds typos on menues in restaurants.  Not to mention her spelling is better than mine.  (But that in itself is no huge accomplishment)

KenC

[/size]I wonder why native English speakers sometimes write following mistakes: "Their" in place of "They are", or "better then mine". Ken, you did it right (see above)!

[/color]Ken, is the correct plural form of menu "menues"? I thought it is menus. Pardon my French![/font]

[KenC]

OK 525,

You been talking to Lena?

KenC

[MandM]

ConnerVT,

ha ha I guess I can be sometimes!!;)

[Goombah]

Tonight hit me with a new one:  "Why is Mountain Dew Yellow?"...

Apparently in Russia it is clear!

Kevin

[Goombah]

On a serious note:  I've noted that the level of communication between my fiancee (wife in 6 days!) and I has dropped since her arrival here.

I suspect this is simply because when we were apart, I was the focus of her life.  Now I'm sharing that attention with all those left behind.  I know she spends a large part of her day writing real letters and e-mails to friends in Russia, and scanning Russian "special interest" boards she has found (she is into Russia movies, so reads and participates on associated discussion boards).

This has entered my "radar screen" as a concern.  Not a big one yet, but on the screen.

Oh well, no computers in Hawaii, so she is either going to be talking to me or staring at the jungle outside the windows during our honeymoon days.

Kevin

[catzenmouse]

Kevin,

 Perhaps there is some feeling of being overwhelmed with and not realizing how much the changes have botherd her. Talk to her about it and don't be surprised if you have to try multiple times to get the real feelings out.

Ken