ML and Ukrainian Women.

[Gator]

Am just wondering how many of the rest of the guys here have ever gotten a sincere thanks and words of appreciation!!

Every day (well almost every day). 
 
At Thanksgiving dinner, we went around the table, and my stepdaughter, who is rather reserved if not shy,  thanked me for bringing happiness to her mama.  The stepson was theatrical in his thanks but it was sincere.  Mama expressed her gratitude about much (health, family, .....and me).   Only I expressed thanks for the food among my many other blessings.

[ML]

We just watched the movie Birthday Girl on DVD.

We both were very depressed by the movie but for different reasons.

As a man, I was depressed seeing another man treated so terribly . . . and all for a woman as usual.

Gal was depressed because she thinks viewers will assume that many (most) FSUW would do what the gal played by Nicole did.

I only got it because it was on sale at WalMart for $3 and I thought I had heard some good reviews about it; maybe I was mistaken.

[Patagonie]

In my experience it is very rare.  Just not part of their culture.  I should add that usually the thanks and appreciation is expressed in actions rather than words.  It is also rare to hear an apology.  Nevertheless, once you get to undestand the culture you can sense or see the appreciation in other ways.

You are very fortunate.  I seems that your gal has adopted much of the American culuture while she is here.

Visilisa........... I suspect that her ex husband was working for a multinational corporation with normal life insurance benefits rather than the customary Ukraine benefits.  ML can answer your question if he wishes.  But this is one explanation.

CallMissile, thank you for this post.
It bring me more information about my present story.
More thanks by action rather than by words, it is the culture. But for our culture it is sometimes frustrating.

[ML]

Visilisa........... I suspect that her ex husband was working for a multinational corporation with normal life insurance benefits rather than the customary Ukraine benefits.  ML can answer your question if he wishes.  But this is one explanation.

This is all covered  thoroughly earlier in this same thread.
Her deceased husband was a business colleague of mine working as a senior executive for the Ukrainian branch of a large Belgium firm.  Several hundred thousand dollar life insurance payout from company policy.

[ML]

Gal and I went to 'Lincoln' movie this afternoon.

Can't really recommend it for FSU gals and, despite it's rave reviews, can't even recommend it to native USA folks.

The whole movie was just about the manipulations leading up to House of Representative passing of 13th Amendment.  I think it is really of interest only to those really into political science, and those interested in the behind the scenes look at how political deals are made; which was just as sickening then as it is now.

I would  much rather see a movie that covers the broad spectrum of Lincoln's life from childhood on to the presidency.  I will  have to try to dig up those 3 or so movies made  last century that were along those lines.

[ML]

Earlier I wrote some comments about my Gal's graduate math courses; Real Analysis, Modern Algebra and Linear Algebra, and  I noted how Real Analysis (and the others as well) are actually unreal.

One of our neighbors was asking Gal if she could use calculators in exams.
The neighbor was mystified when she answered; No, because there aren't even any numbers.

And even my Engineering Professor friend (who had tons of Calculus courses) had no idea what was involved in these graduate math courses.

I doubt more than 1-2 persons here know any of this stuff, as shown below.

First is the entire Exam 2 for Real Analysis, and second is the solution to Question 3 of this exam.

[Ranetka]

Earlier I wrote some comments about my Gal's graduate math courses; Real Analysis, Modern Algebra and Linear Algebra, and  I noted how Real Analysis (and the others as well) are actually unreal.

One of our neighbors was asking Gal if she could use calculators in exams.
The neighbor was mystified when she answered; No, because there aren't even any numbers.

And even my Engineering Professor friend (who had tons of Calculus courses) had no idea what was involved in these graduate math courses.

I doubt more than 1-2 persons here know any of this stuff, as shown below.

First is the entire Exam 2 for Real Analysis, and second is the solution to Question 3 of this exam.

These are typical higher math questions for engineering students in Russia. (and math students, obviously) if your Gal graduated in any Engineering subject she has studied this already .


(Trust me, I have done that)

[Ranetka]

The worst thing EVER is theoretical physics (not to be confused with any applied physics). Do you know if  she is going to study that too?

[ML]

The worst thing EVER is theoretical physics (not to be confused with any applied physics). Do you know if she is going to study that too?

No plans that I know of . . . hopefully.

And, she was not a math or engineering major for first degree in Ukraine,  so I  have no idea how she is able to survive in these graduate math courses.

[Hammer2722]

No plans that I know of . . . hopefully.

And, she was not a math or engineering major for first degree in Ukraine,  so I  have no idea how she is able to survive in these graduate math courses.

To some people, math comes quite naturally. They pick it up very quickly. I remeber a Lebanese gal in my Algebra 2 class in high school. She was an absolute wizard at math.

[Ranetka]

No plans that I know of . . . hopefully.

And, she was not a math or engineering major for first degree in Ukraine,  so I  have no idea how she is able to survive in these graduate math courses.

She is clearly a very intelligent and determined woman. And tolerant (easy going?)  too since she can cope in no bread/folgers  cofee environment lol

[ML]

She is clearly a very intelligent and determined woman. And tolerant (easy going?)  too since she can cope in no bread/folgers cofee environment lol

Just to show you how tolerant 'I' am;   
I picked up some crescent rolls for our home cooked Thanksgiving meal on the Sunday after Thanksgiving (we had gone to a restaurant on Thanksgiving day.)

OK sure, I show signs of weakness once in a while.
I need to work on that.

[Hammer2722]

Just to show you how tolerant 'I' am;   
I picked up some crescent rolls for our home cooked Thanksgiving meal on the Sunday after Thanksgiving (we had gone to a restaurant on Thanksgiving day.)

OK sure, I show signs of weakness once in a while.
I need to work on that.

Don't make a habit of this!!!    you know the saying "give an inch...." 

[jone]

Pretty soon she'll have you up to Starbucks Premium.

[CDW]

We just watched the movie Birthday Girl on DVD.

We both were very depressed by the movie but for different reasons.

As a man, I was depressed seeing another man treated so terribly . . . and all for a woman as usual.

Gal was depressed because she thinks viewers will assume that many (most) FSUW would do what the gal played by Nicole did.

I only got it because it was on sale at WalMart for $3 and I thought I had heard some good reviews about it; maybe I was mistaken.

Are you a giraffe?

[ML]

Are you a giraffe?

Not as far as I am able to discern.

But, if I were asked this question in  Russian . . . I might say 'yes'; as the gal did when asked in English.

[ML]

After a month of tragedy; scammers here, scammers there, scammers everywhere; weird newcomers here, and other unpleasant happenings;
how about some good news??

My Gal just received her grades from first semester in graduate math program:

All A's or 4.0 GPA !!      

She really had to work super hard, and even started out with a C--- on the first exam in one course.  She followed that up with a 100 on the second exam in that course.  That made it 'touch and go' as to whether she could pull out an A in that course.  She did; but it must have been just barely.

And more good news:  She informed me she doesn't want to leave town this Christmas . . . instead staying home and having sex in every room of the house.

When I was gone one day, she even wheel barrowed in 5 loads of firewood.
When I pulled into garage, she pointed to it and said:  I guess you know what we will use that for!!

[calmissile]

After a month of tragedy; scammers here, scammers there, scammers everywhere; weird newcomers here, and other unpleasant happenings;
how about some good news??

My Gal just received her grades from first semester in graduate math program:

All A's or 4.0 GPA !!      

She really had to work super hard, and even started out with a C--- on the first exam in one course.  She followed that up with a 100 on the second exam in that course.  That made it 'touch and go' as to whether she could pull out an A in that course.  She did; but it must have been just barely.

And more good news:  She informed me she doesn't want to leave town this Christmas . . . instead staying home and having sex in every room of the house.

When I was gone one day, she even wheel barrowed in 5 loads of firewood.
When I pulled into garage, she pointed to it and said:  I guess you know what we will use that for!!

I envy you.  When my Gal gets here I will have to put her through the firewood test.   LOL

[ML]

I reported earlier (similar to some  other guys) that my Gal is in the habit of asking me what I want to eat and then, after I suggest something, she tells me what we are actually going to eat.

Note:  This doesn't cause friction because I mostly don't care, and we even joke around about  this.

Yesterday, she raised the bar.  She said what do you want; and even before I could say one word, she said, "Doesn't matter, we are going to have X."

I was on opposite  side of a  large room at the time.  I got a shocked look on my face and started hurriedly toward her.  She screamed and ran toward the opposite end house with her scream changing to giggles and laughter, as I caught her, lifted her off her feet and swung her around. 

A good time was had by all.

[ML]

7 Degrees of Freedom or whatever.

Gal and I went to big New Years Eve bash at major hotel.

Meal, drinks, live band, dancing, horns, hats, special activities at midnight, etc.

We were the first to sit at 10 person table.

There by ourselves for 10 minutes or so.

Then a group of 8 arrived.

Man and wife (late 50s) from Lvov and their early 30s something daughter and her Ukrainian husband, and 4 other neighbors of theirs.

Yes, I know it is not uncommon to meet people from Ukraine . . . but to have them appear at our table from a random seating . . . .    And this is not a large city.

The Ukrainians (the younger man with his parents also) had all gotten immigration visas back in the 1990s based on claims of religious persecution.

But based on their drinking and dancing, their religion didn't prohibit either.

The older woman a typical chunky babushka.  The  younger about 5 feet 10, 125 pounds and a real looker with her boobs just barely stashed away.  Her husband had a bad leg or some such; so I was 'forced' to dance a few rounds with the tall slender gal.  Luckily she possessed my favorite body style, or else I would have refused.

My Gal looked super great in short black sleeveless dress, tall high heeled boots, and pearls.  She worried the dress might be too short (mid thigh); but then several other gals showed up with dresses just barely covering their crotches.

[ML]

Forgot to mention; the older woman told that she was a teacher of English and Russian while living in Ukraine.

In my 'happy state,' I sought to impress her by saying:  "Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro."

She looked at me slightly bewildered and said:  "What is that?"

Another person at the table said: "That sounds like Spanish."

And so it was.

Me:  "Seems like it's time for another drink."

My Gal was probably thinking:  "Is this the time to announce that I really don't know this guy."
 

[ML]

In Jone's latest thread, I wrote that I would not spend much time with a volatile woman.

However, sometimes a person can be a little too calm and not tell about something that bothered them.

My Gal is the ultimate opposite of volatile . . . which is great for me, except if it can lead to more serious problems from keeping things 'bottled up.'

A couple of days ago, my Gal was looking in the grocery store for a kind of herring for the holidays.

I told her that many in USA (let's don't quarrel about  how many) looked at herring with some disdain and considered it a 'trash' fish; and that I wouldn't be eating it.

We finally saw the herring she wanted.  Another man was nearby and looking at us intently as we viewed the various brands.

I said to him:  "She is from Ukraine and needs this for some special holiday dish."

I meant nothing about what I had told her earlier about our (my) view of it as trash fish; but rather just trying to satisfy his curiosity about why it was being purchased.

But just today, she and I were doing our exercise Mall walk with a couple of other people and the special Orthodox Christmas dishes came up for discussion.

My Gal told the above story and how I was indicating to the man that she was from some 3rd world country inhabited by savages who ate inferior food.

I was totally shocked because that was not my intent at all; and I felt terrible that she had been thinking this for 2-3 days without telling me of her hurt feelings.

I immediately told that it was an incorrect interpretation; and then waited until she and I were alone to further express my regret and my sincere apologies.

It was pretty hard for her to buy into I suspect:  The idea that I had said we viewed it as trash fish . . . then told the man that she wanted it because she was from Ukraine . . . and still not mean that I was denigrating her and the people in her country.

Anyway, she said OK. 

And I asked her to please ask for further clarification in the future when it seemed to her I had implied anything bad, so that I could try to set the record straight.

[Daveman]

My Gal told the above story and how I was indicating to the man that she was from some 3rd world country inhabited by savages who ate inferior food.

Welcome to the fun...

I was totally shocked because that was not my intent at all; and I felt terrible that she had been thinking this for 2-3 days without telling me of her hurt feelings.

I immediately told that it was an incorrect interpretation; and then waited until she and I were alone to further express my regret and my sincere apologies.

It was pretty hard for her to buy into I suspect:  The idea that I had said we viewed it as trash fish . . . then told the man that she wanted it because she was from Ukraine . . . and still not mean that I was denigrating her and the people in her country.

Anyway, she said OK. 

Bwahahahah....

And I asked her to please ask for further clarification in the future when it seemed to her I had implied anything bad, so that I could try to set the record straight.

You'll have better luck with the Patented Vulcan Neck Grab...    apply liberally for a healthy relationship.

[Gator]

And I asked her to please ask for further clarification in the future when it seemed to her I had implied anything bad, so that I could try to set the record straight.

Did I read "....set the record straight" ?!

 

First, she was annoyed about not readily finding salty fish equal to the quality she enjoys in Ukraine.  Second, she probably is an intuitive rather than analytical thinker even though she can analyze.     Third, you have a history with her.    Fourth, you were talking with a stranger.  The effect of the four factors prompted the impression that you were insulting her country and her traditions.   Do you really believe that an explanation will change her mind?
 
At best you can create some doubt about your intentions.  FSUW have much pride, hence their concern with how they look.  So next time be more careful. 
 
I have had the similar experience many times, insulting her even though that was neither my intention nor belief.   I explain, and then ask her to give me the benefit of the doubt,   yet I know I have FUed, so I ask her to forgive me.  Then I promise to try to be better.   However, you and I will do it again.
 
 

[Belvis]

I immediately told that it was an incorrect interpretation; and then waited until she and I were alone to further express my regret and my sincere apologies.

The best apology would be the promise to eat the whole herring in public She will not believe in it, of course, but appreciate for sure. 
Herring was a trash fish in SU, actually, because it was the cheapest. Nevertheless, many FSUW like it, just like kids like the trash fast food from MacDonald.