Shosty makes his move: 10 days in Sumy

[Shostakovich]

To Sumy/Ukraine I came and went – here’s my exhausting report.

A little background: This is my third trip, the first two concentrating on a lady from Donetsk.  We met in SPB for round one which for me was more about tourism than the girl but as we blossomed nicely as a couple I took it to the next level and went to Donetsk/Crimea for round two, which had its ups and downs and after some refection decided to bag it.  Nevertheless I’ve always remained intrigued with the notion of an alliance with a lady from the FSU and for many reasons the time is again right to test these waters.

The approach: It worked out being a WMVO deal – thought I’d V3 but I winnowed the field through the letters.  VO suits me – I could not imagine getting kissy with one girl and then the next, on the other hand I cannot imagine why anyone would WO.  I used GlobalLadies mostly.   There is far too much rabble on Mamba for me.   I’m certain there are some insincere ladies on GL but they are pretty easy to detect – generally if something is too good to be true it is because it is.  On GL I found ladies who were attractive, real and sincere – that you must pay $4-5/letter does get tedious but many ladies still don’t have internet access.  There is still a good case for the agency.  Anyway it is about the girl not the method.  If the girl works with the agency that is where you go.

Why Sumy?:  Because the girl was there.

The girl: A fine lady indeed, in fact really great and all is well – and that is all you tawdry voyeurs will get from me.

Sumy – the general picture:  My main purpose in posting this is to convey some impressions about Sumy.  In this nutty international dating game Sumy seems to have been overlooked which is unfortunate as the town offers not a little to Western Gentlemen ambitious for Ukrainian beauty.   Sumy is a in the Eastern part of the Ukraine, not too far South of the Russian boarder and about a 4 ˝ hour taxi ride from Kiev.  The ride takes one through largely agrarian territory – indeed the Ukraine was the breadbasket for the FSU and as my Russian colleague says – “If you put a stick in the ground in the Ukraine, it is bound to grow”: one sees vast fields of corn, wheat and sunflowers, used to produce oil.  The landscape reminded me of the Midwestern US with a climate to match – hot and humid.  One passes through a few small cities on the way in, all very fascinating to the eyes of a traveler, but I am certain unremarkable to a Ukrainian.  Sumy itself has a population of about 300,000, with 4 Universities and 2 technical training institutes.  One thinks of Iowa City as the closest US analogue, which, in fact, is not very close at all.  The city has a long history, dating from the 17th century.  In the day it was a Cossack stronghold, but alas the character of the city was largely destroyed by the Nazis in WWII, presumably as they marched onto the Donbass region to shut down one of the main engines of Soviet industry.  A few sections of old Sumy remain but standard issue apartment complexes were plopped down hither and yon in the Soviet days.  Their construction seemed to be a hasty affair, as it probably needed to be, to give shelter to the homeless millions after WWII.  Landscaping was not a priority in the construction and these days the things sit in fields of weeds with a few dirt paths cut through, decorated with broken glass and bottle caps.  They are not big on ambient lighting in Sumy.  Going into one of these buildings felt like entering some devil’s maw.  I wondered if I would ever return.  But as reported elsewhere here, the apartments I entered were cheerful and tidy.  I cooked a meal one day and found the kitchen well equipped, albeit a bit small.  Who knew – it seems maybe the folks in some of these buildings could organize a bit to tidy up the outside but perhaps they’ve grown weary of collective efforts.  Back in the Soviet day you’d earn a bullet in the head if you harvested your crops for sale.  Completing my architectural survey, Shosty  cannot fail to also mention the very nice new homes just outside one of the hotels I stayed in – they’d fit right in the best neighborhoods in the US; very well made buildings I’d say, with excellent metal work on the staircases and all the comforts of a the 21st century – someone is making money in Sumy.  Turn the other direction from my hotel and you walk through dirt roads and observe single family homes that are perhaps 100 years old.  Ensconced in ancient verge, these are either in the process of restoration or about to collapse, with rotted fences and roofs, walls with barely enough mortar to hold the bricks in place.  One feels the squalor and back there you see figures out of some story book, deeply unconscious and superstitious I suppose – I was careful with my camera as I did not want to imprison anyone’s spirits in my flash memory.  The ancient mentality coexists with the modern in Sumy and that is a fascinating thing.  There are a few buildings of note also, including the Spaso-Preobrazhensky cathedral and the Atlanka.  For your viewing pleasure, though Sumy is hardly a tourist destination:

http://ukrainetrek.com/Sumy_city.shtml   

Sumy – accommodations: I began my stay at the Zdybanka hotel on the banks of the Psel river between the Orwellian nightmare of soul less soviet era buildings on one bank of the river and the crumbling older section of town on the other.  A bridge joined the two near the hotel and that too made for good spectacle – one night whilst walking over some Ukraininan fellow decided to break from the crowd and crash into me, a reward to the obvious American in Sumy to steal another one of their best; always a surprise in the Ukraine.  There was a nice beach nearby and a couple good restaurants offering Shashlik and other Russian specialties – all the food was yummy.  The Hotel itself had a restaurant, café, Russian Banya(sauna) and billiards room.  There were a few rooms up on the top floor where I stayed.  The entire hotel was decorated with brilliant metal craft in the railings and lighting and with paintings of nude women.  Indeed with the restaurants nearby and outdoor discos drew the nightlife from the apartments – it made for a fine intro to Sumy flora and fauna, in fact at all times as the beach too drew the fitness swimmers in the morning and sunbathers in the afternoon.  Unlike the Crimea I saw no topless ladies but several thong clad bottoms.  Entertaining too was the staff as they knew no English.  The cleaning lady asked me all manner of questions and tried to teach me some Russian and, I’m certain, was snooping about in my things.  This was not the cheerful, professional and yet impersonal Hyatt sort of experience – the place positively reeked of sex and I’m certain many a fine gentlemen put a few notches on their belt in those rooms – if they could only talk.  I’d recommend the place except that, one day, spontaneously, they decided to stick the boot in and made me reside elsewhere – I know not why.  Far be it from me to argue my case with those brusque Natashas – I scurried off with my tail between my legs, happy to still have one.   Next was the Shalyman, done up in Islamic style, much more Hyattesque, the staff did quite well with English.  The place was a bit sterile compared to the Zdybanka, but restful, and a good time had by all.  The hotel was just off a main drag that went to one of the Universities in one direction and the center part of town in the other, both within walking distance.

Sumy – a few surprises:  Experiencing Sumy was a little like looking at the US through a prism; the whole thing seemed to be turned and smeared around at the edges – it seemed like everything would work like in the US, but it didn’t.  Surprising things I saw: the boy getting a sharp slap across the chops for showing emotion.  The people are generally stoical and unsmiling, unless you know them, thus people do not know how to act friendly to strangers and the service comes off being disingenuous, and often just plain surly.  On the other hand, contrary to the experience expressed here, I found the drivers to be quite courteous.  They stop if you are in the crosswalk, just like Seattle, much better than Chicago, but then again there are not that many cars on the road and I think drivers, while they must contend with roads that are not in great repair, at least are spared the trouble of traffic jams.  The people wear the Christian symbol around their neck but don’t seem to be religious but there is an old middle ages sort of feel about the place:  superstitions cling more or less.  That is the fascinating thing, the time machine effect.   Ukraine is not like the U.S.  Increasingly, the U.S. is the place you can’t get away from.  Blessed poverty in the Ukraine – I saw one McDonalds and the radio played mostly Ukrainian dance-pop.   Corporate America has largely overlooked the Ukraine.  I heard a piece by Sting and a few international-trash hits, highly forgettable.  There were a few US references on T-shirts and the T.V. played some dramas modeled after tiresome U.S. sit-coms, complete with laugh-track, but I did not see too many pot-bellies walking about in cargo shorts and Nike shoes, unless they were there to woo some lady with visions of McMansions and strip malls back in, who knows, Orange county.   The Americans/Europeans were very easy to spot.  The food was great and different from anything I’ve had ever before – nicely prepared and traditional, but then again I went to good places to dine.  The people were attentive to dress and quality of press and generally in good shape, owing, I am certain to a great deal of walking, though they liked their vodkas with lunch and ciggies.   In fact I did see some dead drunks at mid-day, trying their best to walk a straight line.  This was all quite a bit different from Amsterdam where I laid-over reroute to the US.  They speak better English there than in the U.S.  and our rock and roll played in their cafes.  Vive-la difference – hard to do when they act all the same.

Sumy – the girls: Oh!  Almost forgot to mention – the girls.  Rash wantons now have their reward.  Yes, the girls – you can guess, that, as a university town that Sumy has more than its share of young people and as I toured about, to the beaches, walking the park and downtown,  a surprising fact gradually dawned on me – most of the people I was seeing were woman.  I’ve always been a skeptic of the ideas of huge M/F ratios put about on the MOB sites as I could not see how a society could function with 5-10:1 F:M.  But the evidence was all around me.  O put the figure at 10:1 F:M.  None of O’s female friends, old or young, were married which was astonishing as her youthful friends,  ~22, would all have their pick of the boys in the US.  But what was more astonishing yet is that the Sumy men can’t find ladies either as the girls are unwilling to throw in their lot with some fellow who makes the average $200/month.   It means that many of the ladies are holding out: good news for the fellow who can put some coin on the table and show that he can offer a stable family life far from the Sumy grind.  I think the girls will overlook some things but too, based on my limited experience, the girls aren’t going to sell their soul to some dweeb either.  Unless you are looking for a sex-pot, and there are those, the girls are motivated to leave but cannot be regarded as low-hanging fruit to be plucked by humpty-dumpty.  Yes those Sumy girls: 30- and in high heels they walked, model thin and sometimes dressed like a prostitute, but most often quite tastefully, albeit within a limited budget.   But the life in the Ukraine takes its toll.  30+ and they often have some junk in the trunk –  weighing less than their US counterparts, by in large, but it’s not beauty central – they have hard lives, probably it’s not Pilates with the personal trainer in the morning and off for an $18 salad with the girls at the mall during the afternoon for them.  I have the vauge idea that the Ukraine is more emotional than the US and the rest of the FSU.  It goes for the girls too and that has its positive and negative aspect.  They are materialistic but want to feel your emotion as well.  On the other hand emotion goes this way and that – great if you are on the right side of the tracks – if not, good luck to you. 

So there you have it – Sumy in a nutshell.  If I think up anything else brilliant to post I’ll add later, otherwise I’ll be happy to entertain Qs and may post some pics.

[Seeker]

Wow...

That is all I can think to say.  I will have to read it three more times before I get it all. 

I knew a Trip Report from you was going to be different when I saw you posted one.  Articulate, intelligent, classy (with an edge), and a distorted sense of humor that I can relate to.  So where is the music to go with it? 

I look forward to hearing more (and reading all of it four times to let it all sink in).   

[acctBill]

Sumy is one of the places that I've missed in the travels around the FSU.  You and Vinny seem to have the same opinion of the infrastructure although if I remember correctly Vinny said there were a lot of fat women in the city, your opinion seems to differ.  I guess he didn't drop by any of the city's universities.

Did a lot of these women have some command of English or would an interpreter be needed for someone who didn't speak Russian/Ukrainian? Well written trip report, great read.

[Patagonie]

I'm totally surprised when you said that you're using Global Ladies (with success). I received at least two or three letters per day after my registration from this site. My name MONEY, my surname on the site : SCAM, no photo, no text.
And i continue to receive regulary a lot of mail of these "girls". In five or six weeks i think i have receive many dozens of letters. Even if i avoid all these fake who contact me, how many chances may i have to contact a real one ? At your opinion ?
I'm happy for you that you had met a girl by GL. Help me to change my point of view !

[Shostakovich]

I'm totally surprised when you said that you're using Global Ladies (with success). I received at least two or three letters per day after my registration from this site. My name MONEY, my surname on the site : SCAM, no photo, no text.
And i continue to receive regulary a lot of mail of these "girls". In five or six weeks i think i have receive many dozens of letters. Even if i avoid all these fake who contact me, how many chances may i have to contact a real one ? At your opinion ?
I'm happy for you that you had met a girl by GL. Help me to change my point of view !

Ya, GL seems to earn general disdain here.  My experience does not confirm it.  I've met two ladies through GL now, both very sincere and exceptional ladies.  Both these ladies contacted me first through their own deliberation -- their letters were not sent by a robot.  On the other hand I've written to several other ladies and, with the exception of one gal who was clearly making a sex for passage play, I've had not a scammer in my sights.  But keep in mind, I shoot for 7s/8s, university educations, excellent English, non-Capricorns, with ladies photographed in modest dress -- all the others are not of interest or have too much attitude.  Thus only about 10% of the population attracts my initial attention and of those I'll only send a letter to maybe 1/5 of those based on other exclusions, so that leaves about 2% that I may contact.  In this group I've not found anything remotely approaching a scammer, though, at the same time, everyone has a bit of larceny in them.  You'll not find Cinderella on GL either.  As I read the forums there seems to be quite a bit of scammer paranoia.

As for your experience - who knows.  My sense is the most of the GL girls are real, though many not very desirable.  I receive many letters from undesirable ladies.  Perhaps the site auto-sends some introductory letters from girls that are not getting much traffic.  There are many ladies who are not having success locating a man in the Ukraine and I think that many may not understand that your profile was a joke.  So they send out a letter perhaps with some shotgun strategy in mind.  I've posted but not-filled out a profile on Mamba and got a bunch of letters too.  It seems common when posting a new profile that you get more attention initially -- happens this way on Match.com also.  Maybe some of it is fake, it doesn't matter -- ignore it, avoid the tarts and pick some ladies whose stats reflect a serious life to write to.  If your experience is like mine your sincere letter will be rewarded by a sincere response.       

[Shostakovich]

Sumy is one of the places that I've missed in the travels around the FSU.  You and Vinny seem to have the same opinion of the infrastructure although if I remember correctly Vinny said there were a lot of fat women in the city, your opinion seems to differ.  I guess he didn't drop by any of the city's universities.

Did a lot of these women have some command of English or would an interpreter be needed for someone who didn't speak Russian/Ukrainian? Well written trip report, great read.

So I take it, Bill, that you are an accountant?

Fat girls in Sumy?  No-no.  The 20-30 set were in fine form, model thin and trotting about on daily errands in heels - the best looking ones were about in the city's center section.  30+?  I think there are quite a few single ladies in Sumy and eventually they give up the ghost and forget about finding a man, good or bad - perhaps they take a bit too much pleasure in ice cream then and, indeed, on the beaches and streets I saw some junk in the trunk.  By American standards they are not fat, just not in best form.  There is an earthy element in Sumy, as in many communities ensconced in an agrarian setting.  If it were Iowa the girls would barely be able to waddle, in Sumy they don't obsess about an extra 5 lbs.  Much of it stems from a too busy life.  The girls just don't have time or the resources for power yoga. 

Many people 25 and younger seemed to know some English and maybe about 20-30% were conversational.  Interpreters are needed for many ladies. 

[Patagonie]

Ya, GL seems to earn general disdain here.  My experience does not confirm it.  I've met two ladies through GL now, both very sincere and exceptional ladies.  Both these ladies contacted me first through their own deliberation -- their letters were not sent by a robot.  On the other hand I've written to several other ladies and, with the exception of one gal who was clearly making a sex for passage play, I've had not a scammer in my sights.  But keep in mind, I shoot for 7s/8s, university educations, excellent English, non-Capricorns, with ladies photographed in modest dress -- all the others are not of interest or have too much attitude.  Thus only about 10% of the population attracts my initial attention and of those I'll only send a letter to maybe 1/5 of those based on other exclusions, so that leaves about 2% that I may contact.  In this group I've not found anything remotely approaching a scammer, though, at the same time, everyone has a bit of larceny in them.  You'll not find Cinderella on GL either.  As I read the forums there seems to be quite a bit of scammer paranoia.

As for your experience - who knows.  My sense is the most of the GL girls are real, though many not very desirable.  I receive many letters from undesirable ladies.  Perhaps the site auto-sends some introductory letters from girls that are not getting much traffic.  There are many ladies who are not having success locating a man in the Ukraine and I think that many may not understand that your profile was a joke.  So they send out a letter perhaps with some shotgun strategy in mind.  I've posted but not-filled out a profile on Mamba and got a bunch of letters too.  It seems common when posting a new profile that you get more attention initially -- happens this way on Match.com also.  Maybe some of it is fake, it doesn't matter -- ignore it, avoid the tarts and pick some ladies whose stats reflect a serious life to write to.  If your experience is like mine your sincere letter will be rewarded by a sincere response.       

Thank you for you detailed explanation. I don't know if the forum here is quite a bit of scammer paranoia. But for what i  know the real scammers i met and those i smelt is that they are not waiting their expectations will be fulfill with paranoia, but with true $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
May you tell us of how many $ you expense with GL ?
Great TR

[kievstar]

Fat is fat whether your 10 pounds or 100 pounds over.  Either way not attractive.  But for many men they will settle for the 10 pounds.

Weight is easy to lose I gained 25 pounds recently (wife is good cook) and lost it all in 10 days.  I just need to keep my wife away from the kitchen for some reason she enjoys cooking all day.  So I sent her to Ukraine for a month to see family. 

[Faux Pas]

Fat is fat whether your 10 pounds or 100 pounds over.  Either way not attractive.  But for many men they will settle for the 10 pounds.

Weight is easy to lose I gained 25 pounds recently (wife is good cook) and lost it all in 10 days.  I just need to keep my wife away from the kitchen for some reason she enjoys cooking all day.  So I sent her to Ukraine for a month to see family. 

I disagree with you here Kiev. 10 or 100 pounds over what? Someone else's idea of an ideal weight? I don't particularly care for the anorexic looking skinny women. I actually prefer some meat on dem bones but, I am repulsed at obesity. What you are venturing into here it seems is preference. Are my standards lower because I actually prefer a woman a bit heavier than you prefer? By the same token other men might actually prefer women 20, 50, 100 lbs more than I.

[kievstar]

Faux Paus your making assumptions again.  Stay to the facts - 10 pounds based on medical definition of over weight. 

Do you really prefer a woman heavier than me?  What is your ideal height and kilogram range?  If you do not have one than how do you know.  Post an answer and not some smarty comment.  My wife is same measurements as Giselle.  Not all like her but many men consider Giselle to have a good body.  She is called the body.  My wife can not put weight on like other women she has very small bones like Giselle.  There are many models with big bones who starve themselves to look thin and I agree are nasty but they never end up in swimsuit catalogs.  They are usually covered with clothes and hair painted orange or blue.  Short girls do look better with more weight on and a big rack. 

 A woman 165 cm and 65 kilograms is fat or very muscular.  Do you agree?  A woman who is 165 cm and 40 kilograms is a crack whore body do you agree?  Between 44 and 58 kilograms at 165 cm (5 foot 5) a woman is not going to be called fat or crack whore skinny.  That is a 31 pound range.  This is based on several internet sites saying a 5 foot 5 woman should be 97 to 128 pounds. 

A woman who is 60 kilograms at 5 foot 5 is not 10 pounds fat (5 foot 5 and 132 pounds).  This is 5 foot 5 even and not half inch.  A woman who is 5 foot 5 even and 145 pounds is fat.  Not obese but fat.


I used 5 foot 5 as that is a typical height of a RW. 

[Boethius]

In my experience, Ukrainian men from rural backgrounds prefer women who are heavier.  They tease those who have thin wives.  It's considered normal, and usually, preferred.  That may change with the pervasive influence of Western culture.



 

[ML]

In my experience, Ukrainian men from rural backgrounds prefer women who are heavier.  They tease those who have thin wives.  It's considered normal, and usually, preferred.  That may change with the pervasive influence of Western culture.

Not to degrade the situation in any way, but rural women actually 'need' to be a bit on the husky side in order to do the work.  Farming is strenuous work, even you have tractors, etc., which many in Ukraine do not have.

Farmer men know this (probably even subconsciously without thinking about it) and thus prefer the huskier women.  It is inbred as probably in the past grandfathers, etc., have seen farms fail where the wife could not keep up with the work.  Of course all this applies to the men folk also.

[Faux Pas]

Faux Paus your making assumptions again.  Stay to the facts - 10 pounds based on medical definition of over weight. 

Do you really prefer a woman heavier than me?  What is your ideal height and kilogram range?  If you do not have one than how do you know.  Post an answer and not some smarty comment.  My wife is same measurements as Giselle. 

Kiev, don't get your dander up. You seem to take offense anytime I post to you disagreement. I wasn't eluding to your wife or anyone in particular, just the differences in preference. There's skinny women and then there's crack whore skinny. Neither appeal to me personally.

10 pounds can look much different on a woman of 5 ft in height as opposed to a woman 5'5-6" or even 6' tall. I never had a height requirement for a woman and I dated many very short and quite tall women. A healthy woman of 6 ft will not even show 10 pounds in most instances while a woman of 5' tall can look pudgy with 10 extra pounds.

I've never had an "ideal" body type in women. I've never had height and weight parameters that must be met. I've always preferred my women a bit on the curvy side. "Filled out" so to speak but heavy women are a turn off to me. Can't help it, just what gets my motor running and it has nothing to do with medical definitions.

[tim 360]

Some guys like their women larger
and some like them smaller.
  vive la difference!

[ML]

Some guys like their women larger
and some like them smaller.
  vive la difference!

When speaking about current day western men, it is probably safe to change this to:

Some guys like their women larger (heavier), but most guys like their women smaller (lighter).

[Seeker]

For me it is brains and heart...  Some would say soul.  The rest is just exterior differences.  No matter what she or I look like we have to be able to relate intellectually as friends or there is no point in trying to have a relationship.

That is the problem with falling for the pictures and short profiles.  The real person inside is the one you will have to live and love with if you want to be together.

I know I am a bit strange this way... but I look for a woman to be my friend first and foremost.  The bedroom part will take care of itself.

[ML]

  The bedroom part will take care of itself.

Absolutely not true.

[Shostakovich]

May you tell us of how many $ you expense with GL ?
Great TR

I've been on and off for the last 7 years, during which time I've probably dropped about $4K.  It gets expensive when you send daily letters which I was doing for awhile.  The girl has a laptop now.

[Shostakovich]

Not to degrade the situation in any way, but rural women actually 'need' to be a bit on the husky side in order to do the work.  Farming is strenuous work, even you have tractors, etc., which many in Ukraine do not have.

What you say is true but Sumy, though in farm country, is not a farm town -- there may be some agricultural support derived from the city but, by in large, they do office work, etc., there.  Nevertheless the city seems to be influenced by an agrarian style of life - they like big meals with desert and, if they were not about walking and working long hours they would become, like the residents of US sister cities, like Rockford, IL, Des Moines IA, etc., quite enormous.  Also, while Sumy is certainly no Moscow or Kiev, it is a more Euro-influenced attitudes regarding appearance that holds sway there countering a possible trend towards agrarian girth.  I saw some pot-bellied men and some babuskas but none of the morbidly obese women that one finds in towns in the rural Midwestern US or South. 

[Vinnvinny]

Come in Shosty! We want more ....  

[Shostakovich]

Come in Shosty! We want more ....  
[/quote

Ya, it was a pretty boring report.  I should have probably hoaked up some kissy affair, and spread the tale out in Day 1 through X, told of some whips and chains ordeal and entitled it 'The story of O', after that naughty French erotica. 

In fact, at the birthday party of one of O's friends, a friend of a friend, plied with a glass or two too much of champagne began inquires which soon centered on the wages of porno directors in LA.  Her friend then declaring, to my astonishment that: "You can probably guess that she has had some experience".  Ukrainian men will tell without reserve of their adventures with prostitutes said she, inviting me to spill the tawdry secrets of a miss-spent youth.  All I had was a boy-scout salute to offer, however, and to her astonishment did declare that, indeed I was the last person on earth who did not know nor did visit the best whore houses on planet earth.  Little Lord Fauntelroy - and I thought SPB was famous for the Hermitage.

I think I missed an adventure -- they wanted me to join them at the disco.  I could only imagine getting trapped there for an eternity, drawn down by those succubi, only allowed to build enough strength to make it to the ATM.  The one was quite cute too, a less earthly Bardot, if you can believe it. 

[easyukraine]

I have made oh 6 trips to Sumy in the last few years and as you can see by my photo I know where the banking institute is. I have spent some time making a few friends in that city and have always returned, Mostly to deliver crap my friends have ordered from here. have you noticed how the color of Altanka changes every few years? Next time visit the museum across from it if they have an interesting exhibit. they had a ww II exhibit in July. If you are there again and like to try some interesting beer (not my thing) go to Port Royal if you want some interesting food there is a fairly new Italian place (not cheap but dam good) close to the new library. I haven't stayed in any of the hotels mostly rent apartments. one observation about the girls even in Kiev those girls can put some food away, I guess they don't eat out much. well I guess I should mention a little more about the girls. first I will tell you I prefer the ones from 30-41 and prefer around 35-39 in most cases. I have dated a few younger say 26-28 but just didn't feel right. The girls I have met in that city seem to be a little more serious than say Kiev girls. I have a few qualities I look for and one is positive attitude then comes thin ( not crack whore thin) and easy on the eyes I guess that is subjective depending on the owner of the eyes, I have a lot more I look for but that's just a few. My experience was quite different I had a few I have written to but as you can see I'm not much of a writer besides you start from the beginning when you meet in person. I had one or two of the five I have met in Sumy I would consider a good match for lack of a better word. until my last trip, since girl 4 decided the time and distance was to much for her I had a few days to kill so my interpreter decided I should meet a girl. she worked for one of the local agency's so I said what the heck I'm here might as well. she wanted me to go to the agency and look at some pictures to choose since I was feeling adventurous I said you know these girls you choose one, I gave her my criteria and she called me later to say its all arranged to meet her at Altanka at the appointed time. well after meeting the girl she chose I was quite impressed and we had a great time, best part was she even spoke some English. the bad part was the agency owner had also set up a meeting with another girl on the same day. the interpreter made up some excuse why I had to go then was off to see girl 2. she looked fantastic but we just didn't shall i say click. so after eating and getting invited to see her again when i was in Sumy we said good night. here is where the fun began, I called girl 1 to see of she wanted to come over for some sushi ( keep take out menu handy) she excitedly said dah. I forget to mention I was traveling with a friend from Kiev he hadn't eaten and loves sushi. so interpreter, girl 1, P and me all had sushi vodka and juice for a late night snack. well since I had to be back in Kiev the next day she came by early to say goodbye and gave me her email skype and oh yah she has facebook.