Going to Russia soon and had some questions

[BlondeSeeker]

Hi All,

I am new to the whole dating a foreigner thing and after playing on EM, I have been talking to a pretty blonde girl for a couple months. I have several questions. I will be heading to the Tula region. I am going to go visit for a whole month which might be pretty stupid if she doesn't like me but I figured I could just grab a ticket to Paris or Kiev if this venture goes nowhere. I am only in my late 20's and after dropping $15k into my back teeth with an American dentist telling me "A couple more patients like you and I could retire", I am planning on getting some work done while in Russia. I was figuring the plane ticket would pay for itself this way also.

Has anyone had much experience with Russian dentistry? I know people say that they tend to have pretty bad teeth which I think you can imagine that unlike most Americans, mine have been pretty bad also but I am holding off for a month to get work done there. Am I crazy to do that? I know I am looking at a several thousand dollar bill if I have it done in the U.S. again and I am under the impression that I should be able to get decent enough work done there so then if I have any issues with it, I will have my dental insurance in the U.S. to fix it. (The girl claims she would arrange a "stomatologist" which apparently means dentist)

I am a bit worried that this girl has inflated expectations about what America is like also... I am pretty sure that she is what I am looking for (thus the full month trip to see if we are compatible where I will stay with her) but we talk about things like food and the results have been a bit entertaining... Apparently she was under the impression that we eat mostly fast food, we ship our bad food to other countries/ don't eat it here and that she lives in some sort of ghetto but I have looked on Google Street View and it looks normal enough. I told her to look around Tijuana on Google Street View if she wanted to see a ghetto... Is it common for these girls to get here and be super disappointed? I keep trying to tell her that it isn't that much better here but I guess that it could really be that much worse there also...

I know it sounds impossible to get her a visitor's visa but should inflated hopes be something I should be really worried about? I'm very direct with her about everything and she appears to be genuinely interested. She is working on her English very hard but most of our conversations are written even if she is on Skype since she isn't used to speaking it.

Do you have any recommendations of things to bring outside of the obvious or this list?
-unlocked iPhone to buy a sim card for
-laptop
-power convertor
-hidden wallet with RFID blocking for my passport/cards
-3 ATM/Debit cards with $2k in each account, 1 Credit worth $2k and another credit worth $9,500

And finally: Am I on crack to think I can get her here without a cosponsor if my 2012 Tax return only put me at around $24k? (I just graduated college and spent 5 months of the year unemployed/not collecting unemployment since I moved across California)

(I don't speak 1 lick of Russian also so hopefully this is not too bad of an idea... ha ha)

[Vaughn]

Has anyone had much experience with Russian dentistry?

My wife would caution you. As would I.
A young NYU-educated Russian dentist who practices here gave us some insight to the perils of dentistry there - especially in smaller cities. Save your money. Chances are, any work done there will have to be repaired here.

[YoungBuck]

Sounds like you are going to have fun. I'm 29, 2 months shy of 30, and I am also on EM to expand my dating pool. Also beginning to plan a trip to Russia with no expectations except to have fun with a local girl. Now whatever else happens is gravy.
Now, I have nothing to say about the rest, except I know for a fact that 24k for co-sponsoring is too little. I've done it for family members, and you need to clear 60k preferably 100k to be taken seriously. There's an interview process that's highly subjective. Plus there are poverty-level guidelines that need to be met (bare minimum). They cut you some slack if the person who is immigrating will be self-sufficient. Gone through that process twice so from experience you need 5k for lawyer + filing fees, plus show that you can support her until she can get on her two feet.

You came to the right place to ask this.

[BlondeSeeker]

Sounds like you are going to have fun. I'm 29, 2 months shy of 30, and I am also on EM to expand my dating pool. Also beginning to plan a trip to Russia with no expectations except to have fun with a local girl. Now whatever else happens is gravy.
Now, I have nothing to say about the rest, except I know for a fact that 24k for co-sponsoring is too little. I've done it for family members, and you need to clear 60k preferably 100k to be taken seriously. There's an interview process that's highly subjective. Plus there are poverty-level guidelines that need to be met (bare minimum). They cut you some slack if the person who is immigrating will be self-sufficient. Gone through that process twice so from experience you need 5k for lawyer + filing fees, plus show that you can support her until she can get on her two feet.

You came to the right place to ask this.

I can probably find someone to cosponsor but I was hoping it would be avoidable. I would make around $50k/year if I had worked non-stop but I just graduated college. I drive an 07 Corvette with a highly modified 01 Mustang in the driveway so I wouldn't think I am poverty status...

[lonedrake]

 I am also a newbie so I will refrain from giving advice...but I do have a question. How do you get one months vacation after just working 7 months or so? 

[YoungBuck]

OP, doesnt matter if you have a Ferrari in the driveway, your tax return + assets are used to determine economic status. Take advice graciously and look up the immigration requirements online.

I'm pretty sure that many posters here own faster cars that top yours. No need to compare di*k size on this forum.

[BlondeSeeker]

I am also a newbie so I will refrain from giving advice...but I do have a question. How do you get one months vacation after just working 7 months or so?

I am a Temp who works in IT in the Silicon Valley. My contract ended for my current assignment so I told them I wanted a month until they assign me my next position. I am good at what I do and I am flexible with locations so they work with me. (I currently drive 2 hours each direction to/from work to give you an idea of how flexible)

[BlondeSeeker]

OP, doesnt matter if you have a Ferrari in the driveway, your tax return + assets are used to determine economic status. Take advice graciously and look up the immigration requirements online.

I'm pretty sure that many posters here own faster cars that top yours. No need to compare di*k size on this forum.

I was under the impression that ~$18-22k was around all that was needed. I wasn't whipping out my ding-a-ling... Was just saying that it is odd I would be considered in poverty. Never collected unemployment or any form of government help in my life...

[mendeleyev]

Ditto with Vaughn on the quality of dental work outside the major cities.  There are many fine dentists in Russia but most can earn a much better living in one of the largest cities.  Also, even if a dentist were excellent, with no Russian language skills how will you find one?  What your lady in a small city considers to be good dental work may not meet your expectations of what constitutes the same.

Тула (T-u-l-a), and there was your first Russian lesson, is a historic city about 800 years old and roughly the size of a Charleston, South Carolina or Omaha, Nebraska.  Great places to live, but again, neither is probably the Mecca of dental professionals however.

At your age, don't go for the girl but rather go for the experience.  Stick it out for a month if you can, it might be harder than you think, and use the time to learn about the country, the language and the people.  If the girl works out, great.  If not, great.  Go have a good time, be smart and you should be fine.

Make sure the unlocked phone is Quad but you probably already knew that given your age and comfort with technology.  You can also purchase a phone there easily.  Most purchases you make like phones and SIM cards will require your passport.

I like the Bestek MRJ301A Universal Travel Adapter with Voltage Step Down converter shown below because it has all the attachments built in and you can charge more than one thing at once.  It has a USB plug on the side.  Find it at Amazon, etc.

[YoungBuck]

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=720b0a5659083210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=720b0a5659083210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

I hope the link works but it is called the affidavit of support. You must earn 125% of household poverty level, but again, it makes your petition stronger and more likely to be heard if they suspect that you will not invite immigrants who would drain the system.

Anyhow, it's bare minimum but subjective. When I was making 55k, I had to get my uncle to file a joint-sponsorship. Later on, I was able to do it by myself.

[mendeleyev]

Blonde, a first trip is seldom a good time to make a marriage decision.  You are in a foreign country with many different traditions and a very different language. Save yourself the future divorce attorney expenses and make this first visit exactly what it is--a first visit.

[BlondeSeeker]

Blonde, a first trip is seldom a good time to make a marriage decision.  You are in a foreign country with many different traditions and a very different language. Save yourself the future divorce attorney expenses and make this first visit exactly what it is--a first visit.

I would love to just date the normal way but if they don't let me bring her here to visit then it doesn't leave much other option than doing a K1. Not trying to chat forever and I have known several Russians which is actually what got me entertaining the idea of a Russian girl.

[YoungBuck]

Dude, I dont think there are shortcuts that lead to anywhere well. Try suggesting that she come here on a student visa. I also feel that it is unfortunate that you must sacrifice face-time but I think you're lucky in the sense that you can go for a month at a time, while building up the relationship via skype/phone in between.

So, what does your family and friends think about your decision? I havent told mine, and dont plan on doing so until she's on a plane here, but I am pretty sure they are not going to like it. My money is on the fact that the girl that I chose will simply be so awesome that it wont be an issue once they meet her.

[Patagonie]

I would love to just date the normal way but if they don't let me bring her here to visit then it doesn't leave much other option than doing a K1. Not trying to chat forever and I have known several Russians which is actually what got me entertaining the idea of a Russian girl.

You are working at this backwards IMHO.
Like usual, men are looking all the lovely butts on internet and focus on this one or this one depending, mainly of physical preferences.
Being here on RWD, you should first ask to find a good dentist, only by recommandation, because if you try to find him by yourself, not speaking russian, it will be impossible.
When you have the good dentist, probably in a big city, THEN you start to chase all the lovely butts of THIS city.

With international dating, think strategically, and not in which direction your flag pole is oriented today.

[Faux Pas]

My wife would caution you. As would I.
A young NYU-educated Russian dentist who practices here gave us some insight to the perils of dentistry there - especially in smaller cities. Save your money. Chances are, any work done there will have to be repaired here.

Choose wisely Blondeseeker, I agree with Vaughn here. I have about 7K invested so far in getting some of my wife's dental work "undone". Although, the US dentist that worked on her did compliment the veneer work which was done by a different dentist than the one that did some pretty wicked root canals

[Belvis]

  Chances are, any work done there will have to be repaired here.

Sure, any normal dentist will try to redo the work of his colleague  I heard terrible stories about american dentists too
Dental work of high quality in Russia could be bargain (Moscow prices are close to american ones), however the dentist must have a good reputation among patients. Materials and technologies in good clinics are pretty the same, but responsibility of doctors in Russia is rather  blurred. Actually, they have no responsibility as legal persecution  is kind  of troublesome for victims. So only ethical obligations and reputation of a dentist are counted.
Qualification of a dentist can be examined by how thoroughly he makes the root channels plugging. He needs some equipment to control the depth so if he has none better to skip him.

[alex330]

I am only in my late 20's and after dropping $15k into my back teeth with an American dentist telling me "A couple more patients like you and I could retire", I am planning on getting some work done while in Russia. I was figuring the plane ticket would pay for itself this way also.

I am a bit worried that this girl has inflated expectations about what America is like also...

Is it common for these girls to get here and be super disappointed? I keep trying to tell her that it isn't that much better here but I guess that it could really be that much worse there also...

For the dental I would go to one of dentists that cater to expats in Costa Rica. Many dental offices have in house labs and the work is much less, better quality and quicker than here in the US from my experience. Cheaper ticket down there and you can make a nice vacation of it while you are there.

Yes, there can be some disappointments about certain things when the women arrive. Some things are perceived as better, some worse. Just try to be as honest and upfront as possible before she arrives.

[Faux Pas]

Sure, any normal dentist will try to redo the work of his colleague  I heard terrible stories about american dentists too
Dental work of high quality in Russia could be bargain (Moscow prices are close to american ones), however the dentist must have a good reputation among patients. Materials and technologies in good clinics are pretty the same, but responsibility of doctors in Russia is rather  blurred. Actually, they have no responsibility as legal persecution  is kind  of troublesome for victims. So only ethical obligations and reputation of a dentist are counted.
Qualification of a dentist can be examined by how thoroughly he makes the root channels plugging. He needs some equipment to control the depth so if he has none better to skip him.

Therein lies the rub. No doubt there are bargains to be had in the area of dentistry Russia vs US. I've checked the prices to compare. It has been a number of years and I don't recollect now what they were then. The materials and technologies are not even close to the same for many dentists in Russia. Nor is the technique. Russia is woefully short but, not that there isn't dentists with the technology and technique in Russia. Just by in-large many, are not up to US standard of care. After the incidents with my wife's teeth, I decided to not attempt to save that money.

Two root canals my wife had in Russia had to be redone with a US oral surgeon. He was very critical of that work. My wife also had veneers done in Russia and he was very complimentary of that job and floored at the price she paid for such quality work and in the same mouth had to train wrecks for root canals.

Yes there are bad dentists in the US but generally, they don't stay in practice very long

[Belvis]

The materials and technologies are not even close to the same for many dentists in Russia. Nor is the technique.

Well, my dentist told about the research when stem cells are implanted in the gum to raise a brand new tooth. If they do it in US we are still far behind 

[Faux Pas]

Well, my dentist told about the research when stem cells are implanted in the gum to raise a brand new tooth. If they do it in US we are still far behind 

Do you know of anyone who's grown new teeth?  They are not using that particular technology in the US that I am aware of. However, I have seen for myself a patient that entered the dentists without teeth and out in the same day with a full set of implants

[mendeleyev]

I would love to just date the normal way but if they don't let me bring her here to visit then it doesn't leave much other option than doing a K1. Not trying to chat forever and I have known several Russians which is actually what got me entertaining the idea of a Russian girl.

Who would expect you to chat forever?

Taking time to do more than one trip is a far different thing than just betting the farm on one single trip. You can do a K1 at any point after you really know what you're getting into. When she arrives in your country if you've not committed to each other and both have established that your relationship if so much more important than simply hoping things work out, all you'll have accomplished is to bring her to a much wider potential dating pool.  Married or not, there will be guys in your hometown who will be interested in her and the fact that you were the one who did the discovery, you bore the expense of that discovery, you were the man who paid the freight, you navigated through the legal process, you got her on her feet and established, you paid for her dental work as well, etc, will never cross their minds.

I suspect that if you lived in California and met a gal online in Maine that you'd be wiser than to plan to propose on the first visit just because something held her back from visiting you, like her job, etc.  There are so many things that you don't know about her, the way she lives, her ideals on family and money and children, etc, that many first trip proposals end in expensive disasters.  There are some who've done so and been successful, but they aren't necessarily the majority.

But it is up to you and I wish you the best. 

[BlondeSeeker]

Dude, I dont think there are shortcuts that lead to anywhere well. Try suggesting that she come here on a student visa. I also feel that it is unfortunate that you must sacrifice face-time but I think you're lucky in the sense that you can go for a month at a time, while building up the relationship via skype/phone in between.

So, what does your family and friends think about your decision? I havent told mine, and dont plan on doing so until she's on a plane here, but I am pretty sure they are not going to like it. My money is on the fact that the girl that I chose will simply be so awesome that it wont be an issue once they meet her.

So you think you will commit visa fraud by bringing her on the wrong type of visa? Very bad idea. I might try to pull the "my grandpa worked in Embassies his whole life so I know better" card to see if they will let her visit but she would be immigrating the correct way. (and with a student visa she would have to do a 2 year home stay so it would be fraud to bring her here on a student visa knowing that you'd marry her to stop her from having to leave.)

I will likely just drop the $ to try for the impossible visitor visa and try to attend the interview with her.

My family is extremely negative about other countries. I expect a massive amount of issues with them. (And if you doubt me then know that my parents threatened to report my brother's truck stolen if he didn't come back from living on the beach in Mexico.) My mom grew up in Embassies and says "those girls only want citizenship and will ruin your credit before they leave you". I very might well get disowned over it but they can either respect my decision or not be a part of their grandchildren's life.

[Jumper]

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=720b0a5659083210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=720b0a5659083210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

I hope the link works but it is called the affidavit of support. You must earn 125% of household poverty level, but again, it makes your petition stronger and more likely to be heard if they suspect that you will not invite immigrants who would drain the system.

Anyhow, it's bare minimum but subjective. When I was making 55k, I had to get my uncle to file a joint-sponsorship. Later on, I was able to do it by myself.

co-sposoring her as an immigrant on an employement,tourist ,student ,  or other visa is one thing?




For this forum ,mostly it is family based visa's..?
*If* he files as a K1,  and the AOS that goes with it..that part is not subjective.
He either meets the standard, or doesn't.
(he would, by what he posted)


 http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-864p.pdf




but that's the cart way ahead of the horse.since they havnt met yet.

[YoungBuck]

co-sposoring her as an immigrant on an employement,tourist ,student ,  or other visa is one thing?




For this forum ,mostly it is family based visa's..?
*If* he files as a K1,  and the AOS that goes with it..that part is not subjective.
He either meets the standard, or doesn't.
(he would, by what he posted)


 http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-864p.pdf




but that's the cart way ahead of the horse.since they havnt met yet.

True, but like I said, my lawyer suggested to include more, because he saw petitions declined because of it. I went through the process and I'm just relaying my experience. It's different because it was for Mexico, family member (not spouse) and the backlog on those goes into the years. Did I want to risk a denial because of it?
Anyhow, the US immigration system is broken. For those that want to do it legally, it costs a terribly large amount of money, and takes a significant amount of time. Even for spousal visas, it takes upwards of a year according to the timetables. Terrible to not see or hold your new bride for that long.

[mies]

Hi All,

I am new to the whole dating a foreigner thing and after playing on EM, I have been talking to a pretty blonde girl for a couple months. I have several questions. I will be heading to the Tula region. I am going to go visit for a whole month which might be pretty stupid if she doesn't like me but I figured I could just grab a ticket to Paris or Kiev if this venture goes nowhere. I am only in my late 20's and after dropping $15k into my back teeth with an American dentist telling me "A couple more patients like you and I could retire", I am planning on getting some work done while in Russia. I was figuring the plane ticket would pay for itself this way also.

Has anyone had much experience with Russian dentistry? I know people say that they tend to have pretty bad teeth which I think you can imagine that unlike most Americans, mine have been pretty bad also but I am holding off for a month to get work done there. Am I crazy to do that? I know I am looking at a several thousand dollar bill if I have it done in the U.S. again and I am under the impression that I should be able to get decent enough work done there so then if I have any issues with it, I will have my dental insurance in the U.S. to fix it. (The girl claims she would arrange a "stomatologist" which apparently means dentist)

I am a bit worried that this girl has inflated expectations about what America is like also... I am pretty sure that she is what I am looking for (thus the full month trip to see if we are compatible where I will stay with her) but we talk about things like food and the results have been a bit entertaining... Apparently she was under the impression that we eat mostly fast food, we ship our bad food to other countries/ don't eat it here and that she lives in some sort of ghetto but I have looked on Google Street View and it looks normal enough. I told her to look around Tijuana on Google Street View if she wanted to see a ghetto... Is it common for these girls to get here and be super disappointed? I keep trying to tell her that it isn't that much better here but I guess that it could really be that much worse there also...

I know it sounds impossible to get her a visitor's visa but should inflated hopes be something I should be really worried about? I'm very direct with her about everything and she appears to be genuinely interested. She is working on her English very hard but most of our conversations are written even if she is on Skype since she isn't used to speaking it.

Do you have any recommendations of things to bring outside of the obvious or this list?
-unlocked iPhone to buy a sim card for
-laptop
-power convertor
-hidden wallet with RFID blocking for my passport/cards
-3 ATM/Debit cards with $2k in each account, 1 Credit worth $2k and another credit worth $9,500

And finally: Am I on crack to think I can get her here without a cosponsor if my 2012 Tax return only put me at around $24k? (I just graduated college and spent 5 months of the year unemployed/not collecting unemployment since I moved across California)

(I don't speak 1 lick of Russian also so hopefully this is not too bad of an idea... ha ha)

I would caution you against trying to fit major dental work in just 1 month in a foreign country. You will have jet lag for at least few days - maybe a week, may pick up a local bug, have fever or otherwise fit not very well, your immune system will be definitely affected by change of climate (California to Tula - big change!), the food will be different, your body may be acting weird at times, this all may affect how well you will be adjusting to dental work. And if something will appear to be wrong after you return to USA - you'll need to go to the US dentist and pay him in US prices. To me it looks like a very high risk. With that said, I am not a dentist. But this was the advice I received from a good Ukrainian dentist.

Also, Patagonie is absolutely right: it is essential to find a good dentist. Preferably in a large city - to make sure he isn't just talented dentist, but also has the newest equipment and materials. Many Ukrainian dentists do not have Xray machine in their offices. Some do have the Xray machines, but they are so old and outdated that the quality of the image is very poor, so poor that the dentist cannot say with certainty how many root canals a particular tooth has.
My American dentist redid (over several years) most of Ukrainian dental work. On the other hand, he refused to redo some dental work which was done in Ukraine, saying "it looks good to me, it doesn't bother you, I think we shouldn't do anything there until it starts bothering you."
He also changed some of the fillings which were done by his American predecessor (my first dentist in USA). My first dentist in USA dislocated my jaw while working on my teeth, and did extremely crude and what turned out to be a very short-lived work, also "polished off" a big chunk of my tooth making it visibly smaller. Because it is a back tooth, no one now agrees to do the reconstruction work on it because it won't hold in place. I paid for this "high quality American dentistry" an average on the market price (approximately $250-300 for the small filling). Nothing like that ever happened to me back in Ukraine.