Hello All. New here.

[mendeleyev]

Trauma, if you are still here, welcome to RWD.

Looks are subjective so I never worry about them. Most Western men appear a tad younger to FSU women, simply due to the alcohol factor which is deeply embedded into the cultural fabric here. Not being a heavy drinker will make you an attractive candidate to many ladies.

I do wish to make a brief comment about language expectations, and from the perspective of real advice, not a criticism.  Perhaps you already realize that there are plenty of misunderstandings even for those who have been together for a long time. Until someone has lived in your culture and environment for a long time, they may have the ability to speak English words, but they don't speak English in the same way as a native. They simply don't have the cultural understanding that is part of any language.  That will take her years, and this will bring miscommunications between you both for a while as she acclimates to the culture in which the language is spoken. Keep that in mind, as a little grace along the way will help ease over those bumps.

I like your realistic expectations.  Like others, I think that you will do fine traveling on your own. I hope that you will enjoy the experience!

[BillyB]

Trauma_RN, don't worry what others think about your age. The only thing you should worry about is whether or not you're attracting the ladies. If they can accept your looks on the outside, they will begin to look on the inside.


Here's a tip. Do not wear the clothes you're wearing on your fishing trip. It's best to get hooked up with a professional to dress you in stylish clothing. Your jeans aren't a perfect fit and those shoes should be left home when you visit a lady. It's okay to send that photo with casual clothing to the ladies your communicating with but mix it up so you don't give the ladies the impression that is what you wear everyday.


Many of the ladies in the FSU look sharp as you probably notice on the websites. When it comes to style, they are better at it than us men. After marrying, she told me one thing she didn't like on my visits and that was my choice in clothes. I wasn't even wearing casual clothing as most Americans do. It wasn't a deal breaker and although I was appealing to lots of ladies, she was right. I could make more improvements. She is much better judge than I when it comes to clothes. She even convinced me to shave off my mustache. It took a lot for me to do that but I eventually trusted her advice. Female friends, my sisters and mother said I looked better. My wife was right again on what I could do to improve my looks.


I didn't look as bad as the average American tourist in Ukraine but I didn't get professional advice either so could've turned off some ladies. For all the newbies soon to make a journey to the FSU, get advice from professional on how to dress and improve your looks. You will make ladies proud and they are more likely to take your arm when you offer it when going for a walk down the street.

[LAman]

We've had dozens if not 100's on this board in their late 40's-mid 50's declare they look 10-15 years younger than their age. In almost every case they were in denial. There may have been one or two exceptions and that is probably over shooting it by at least half

 
I always look at it as not how someone looks.....it is how one feels. If you feel younger, maybe still jumping walls and running marathons, you think you look younger.
With me I feel a lot younger than I am or look.........speaking of looks I make Shadow look like Brad Pitt!!!! Of course, without the glasses!!

[Faux Pas]

Dude, you, like most ALL 50 year old plus men do look your age. You are not the first to make that claim and if you stay around long enough you can start counting them off like the rest of us.

Now, get your nose out of joint and quit taking everything so personal. If you just can't help yourself then leave. Nobody is begging you to stay. Remember it is you that came here looking for information and there is plenty here. If you are that thin skinned and easily insulted I would recommend you not toy with the idea of FSUW.

BTW, that's not bad bait. What to you hope to catch with it? 

[Shadow]

speaking of looks I make Shadow look like Brad Pitt!!!! Of course, without the glasses!!

The last guy who told me that was Herman Munster....

[AC]

I would not worry about how old you look since you are willing to date a woman with a kid already and since your target age is about 35 (and you are 50) you won't have any problem getting lots of attention.  More important than how old you look is how you feel about yourself and if you project confidence. 


Good luck and  to the forum.  It is important to have a thick skin, so don't worry too much about what other posters say.

[Jumper]

Welcome,
You'll get all kinds of advice here, some good, some bad, some ugly.
Up to you to use what bits of it you find useful!!!

You seem to have realistic expectations and should do well. good luck!

We have no dress code in the forum..
  and for what it's worth..I dress like your fishing  pic daily, granted I clean up pretty good for dates which it's assumed you and most men do.
 When sharing photo's I did not try to only make the best impression
 as I wanted her to know what my daily life was like, and what she could expect.Heck, I don't even shave all the time either, all the classic things to turn RW off. Somehow my wife still loves me.(but she does prefer I shave lol)

Stick around, we can  get off on a tangent , and like a pit bull sometimes wont let go..lol but mostly you'll get decent input.


By the way, was it bull shark? or could you tell?
Nice catch either way!

[RoboCop]

Ok. it is pretty obvious most of the people on this site are lacking in reading comprehension or perhaps the  First I gave my age as a justification as to why I am NOT looking for a 25 yr old. Yes, everyone, including men are astonished when they learn I am 51 when they assume I am closer to 40. I never abused my body so my face lacks the fine lines caused by smoking, also since I don't smoke my teeth are white and not that nasty Land O Lakes butter hue. I never made a bar my second home so I don't have that yellow tint that comes with a failing liver. I never was a a sun worshipper so I am not leathery, I have less gray hair than many 40 year olds, I am not overweight so I don't waddle, my gait is swift and steady. Second, where in the crap did I state I don't like kids? I said I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE MORE. Sue me because I don't want to be 70 years old watching a step child graduating from high school.

After my only experience here it is obvious this site has nothing to offer.

This photo was taken Jan. 11, 2015, so eat it.

You're comparing yourself to the worst possible scenario, i.e., men following an abusive diet and lifestyle, so of course if you compare your good habits to them, things look brighter. I mean, hey, I'm 33, and if I compared myself to a 25 yer old crystal meth user, I dare say I'd look better than them. (I'd hope at least) Now, if I compared myself to some raw food bio-dynamic vegan that was the same age as me...

I'm waiting for the day some 55 year old comes on here and declares he looks 30.

[ML]

Hey Trauma Guy,

Look you just happened to hit a sore point with many guys and gals here because you are only the 1000 and one guy who made the claim.

But truth be known, I am the only one who looks younger than his age.

However, I take a different tack with the gals.

Rather than claiming I  look younger than my age . . . I tell them that I look older than my age.

So it plays out like this:

I look 75, but I tell them I am 55.  They buy into it since I have already told them I look older than my age.

However, the real truth is I do look younger than my actual age of 89.

[Faux Pas]

You're comparing yourself to the worst possible scenario, i.e., men following an abusive diet and lifestyle, so of course if you compare your good habits to them, things look brighter. I mean, hey, I'm 33, and if I compared myself to a 25 yer old crystal meth user, I dare say I'd look better than them. (I'd hope at least) Now, if I compared myself to some raw food bio-dynamic vegan that was the same age as me...

I'm waiting for the day some 55 year old comes on here and declares he looks 30.

[/b]

It's happened. I remember one guy in his late 60's was adamant that he looked 40. He didn't