New to the game

[I/O]

Where is I/O???

Waiting.

a few year ago you'd have been placed in a sack and thrown into the river during sign-up...  just to see if you'd be worthy of the clue bat.

As former General Secretary of the Clue Bat Club (IIRC JB was President) it's worthy of reminding ourselves that the organisation, helpful though its intentions were, was asked to recess and hitherto the polite request has been duly complied with. Nevertheless..........................
 
sdsurf: I wouldn't take a bit of coal raking too seriously - they're a pretty good lot and to be honest, play at being far more cashed up than I'd wager most of them actually are. $30 - $50K? maybe but over a period of time. If I was to take all my travels into account and lump that against Mrs I/O, she'd have racked up well over $200K. Is that the real issue? Nope.........stick around.
 
 

[cc3]

op left the building yes, getting racked of the hot coals for asking a simple question. im back reading posts. But the responses to my post, seriously overboard.

I have only been on this, or any similar, forum for 6 months. Interspersed with dating AW's, I have been in the search in eastern Europe (EE) and the FSU for 6 and1/2 years, with 4 relationships, 2 of which were/are long lasting. If you are skillful (and confident) in researching, establishing cyber contacts, developing those contacts into relationships that motivate visits, and traveling to, and living in, foreign locales with very different cultures than the US, then your need for input from forum members is minimal. If, however, you are the typical, relatively clueless, insular AM, with minimum social interaction skills/experience and minimum foreign travel background, then this forum, and others like it, can be an invaluable resource in your quest for a FSU and EE partner (don't limit yourself to the FSU).

To term the reaction to your original post as "getting racked [sic] of [sic] the hot coals for asking a simple question"  and as "seriously overboard" displays a naive hyper-sensitivity on your part that indicates you would be eaten alive in the FSU environment. In my limited reading of this board for the last 6 months, I judge the membership responses to your post to be relatively mild. Believe me, there is much more critical appraisal capability here, that has not been unleashed upon you.   

[Muzh]

I guess we are mellowing with age.