TR to Moscow

[Sculpto]

Sometimes I get the feeling she is creating obstacles to see how I will respond to them.  Today when we spoke after I mentioned I wanted to come and after she called me crazy she also asked if I was afraid to lose her.  I didn't answer her on the phone but sent her an email.. I said.. I am not at all afraid I will lose her.. just I simply miss her and want to be with her as soon as possible.  She wrote back with a smile and a kiss and confirming she will discuss the schedule with her Mom tomorrow. 

I am now surely convinced more face time is required.  She needs it more than I do... I just remembered one conversation we had late at night I think on the third or fourth night.. we were talking about trust and I mentioned I was someone she could believe in... she responded.. "I believe in nothing".  I told her over time she will see it through my actions.. I think I am being tested.  I am going for a very intelligent, high self esteem, attractive young woman.  I do not believe I should expect anything less than to have to prove my reliability and sincerity.  I am being vetted the same as she is.

As cold as Russia must be in the winter I do not think it can be any colder than my junior year in art school when Kansas City froze over, my only real winter coat had expired the winter before and I had only a torn pair of Chuck Taylors to my name.  Walking from home to the sculpture department across the massive lawn of the Nelson Atkins museum in two feet of snow was reeeeaaallly cooollllddd.  Wow, art school was awesome  LOL.

[UTRO]

Mishenka.. where are you seeing $600 deals?  Delta.com is showing the same 1200 bucks round trip I just had...

vayama.com ............. $921, with Lufthansa from San Fransisco to Moscow return. Taxes in. Sixteen hour flight each way. :-D

[Sculpto]

Thanks Utro.. I will check it out tomorrow after I talk to my GF and we can confirm dates.  I know my boss is going to hate it if I am gone two weeks so soon after this trip but he will deal...

[OlgaH]

When I was with her she mentioned more than once that she has "cold Siberian heart".  Love for her is not simple or something she takes lightly.

Sculpto, she is joking about Siberian heart  Siberians have a very fervent heart. It helps them to be warm during Siberian winters and valenkis help too. Because of fervent heart Siberians can not take love lightly - it is like "don't play with fire and don't add oil in the fire rashly and incautiously or... you can burn your heart to ashes..."  even if it will happen the Siberian heart will rise like Phoenix... but it is too painful...

Sculpto, it is a secret, don't tell her that you know the secret of Siberian heart     

[Sculpto]

Olga,
Thank you for confirming what I thought.  In the same minute she would say she has a "cold siberian heart" she would do something that was so sweet that i could not believe she has anything but warmth in her heart.  Simple things like filling my tea without me asking and kissing me on the cheek.  Or, rubbing my bowling ball tummy and saying "malinky malinky" which she never would tell the translation and just laugh and say "I not tell you".  She is a great girl.

And.. today we confirmed my next trip.  Her birthday is in February and she wants me in Tomsk for it so I can meet her Mom, sister and brother.  I can not believe I am going to Siberia in the dead of winter.  It also turns out her Mom and my Mom have the same hobby.. collecting dolls.. and her Mom has bought a doll for my Mom and will soon send it.  I am sure my Mom will reciprocate with no delay as she loves that kind of nicety, and, when I told her that the Moms share the hobby my Mom got very emotional.  God I am going to have a bunch of crying women on my hands!!!  SAVE ME SOS SOS SOS 

There is another interesting psychological detail on my part regarding a February trip.  I will be there for St. Valentines Day.  I know it is not as a big a holiday in Russia as in the USA, but, in my history the two longest and most serious relationships I have had, both ended permanently on Valentines Day.  I have refused to celebrate this holiday in more than ten years.  Knowing that things this year will most likely be very different I am not sure if I should discuss this little detail with her and explain the significance to my rapidly opening heart to a restored reputation for February 14th.  Any thoughts?

[kievstar]

Celebrate Valetines day.  Many women know about it.  Do not worry about the past.

[OlgaH]

Sculpto,

Make for her a bunch of flowers. The number of roses should be equal to the number of years without Valentines Day in your life and plus one rose  and tell her how mush the roses in her hands mean for you 

[Sculpto]

Olga, you are a gem.. thanks for the fabulous idea.  I will do it. 

[docetae]

Olga, you are a gem.. thanks for the fabulous idea.  I will do it. 

Sculpto, this is the last thing to do to talk about ex .... Or you will say too much or you will say not enough and she will ask questions until you say too much...

[OlgaH]

Sculpto, this is the last thing to do to talk about ex .... Or you will say too much or you will say not enough and she will ask questions until you say too much...

There is no need to talk about ex and she as an intelligent lady even will not ask about it at that moment. 

[Sculpto]

Oddly we have discussed x's.  She brought up her x and told me a lot of details and then asked me about my history which was offered in the same level of detail she gave me.  This happened half a year ago when we were still in the chatting every day on yahoo phase.  She even asked to see a photo of my x, which I resisted  but she persisted and I finally gave in.  She said my X was very beautiful, which she was. Also interesting.. it was at this point that her opposition to even visiting the USA, let alone living here began to change.

She did ask me again in Moscow why I was never married.  I told her simply I never found the right girl which was consistent with what I had told her in chat.  Then I changed the subject... to how beautiful her hair is and how does she manage it.. she has a LOT of hair.  LOL  The subject of x's never came up again.

[ScottinCrimea]

Or, rubbing my bowling ball tummy and saying "malinky malinky" which she never would tell the translation and just laugh and say "I not tell you".  She is a great girl.

As long as you're sure it was your tummy she was talking about, it's a good thing. 

[OlgaH]

Then I changed the subject...

These roses in your hands are all my words,
That have been hidden deep inside my heart
For endless years and kept from winter frost…

And now... let it be... Please, take them all…
Seal their fate under Sibirsky snowfall…

Sorry, Sculpto, I'm not so good in English, but I guess you caught an idea 

[SANDRO43]

ODE TO OLGA
We have just discovered in Olga
An accomplished poetess from the Volga.
The fact does remain,
RWD can contain
Just about any type of odd fellah.
 

[OlgaH]

Thanks Sandro 

we will continue to plough up and cultivate reason, kindness and eternal values 

[SANDRO43]

we will continue to plough up and cultivate reason, kindness and eternal values 

CHALLENGE TO OLGA
Just to prove that it wasn't a fluke,
Fron now on you must write like a book!
Only iambic verse,
Fully rhymed and terse
Will be accepted. If not, back to cook!
 

[msmoby_ru]

Olga,
Thank you for confirming what I thought. 

Sculpto

Sorry, but I believe OlgaH misty description of what makes a Siberian woman "tick" is  a generalisation.

Yes, there is an unfortunate  "history" between us - a disagreement over Georgia, and I KNOW Olga means well.

But her notion ( IMHO) shouldn't be used to put your lady "in a box."


My Wife is Siberian and NEVER talked in the manner your lady does...

Sure, ladies from Siberia get less visits from WM, but they might live in a city of a million  people and they aren't all hopeless romantics !

Your lady sounded very cynical... only you can decide is that her just teasing you, testing you, or a sign her feelings aren't so strong..

What I will say is that a man that excludes a woman because she is located in Siberia..may be he is thinking with his wallet, not his heart

Good luck !

[Fashionista]

This is really solid advice from someone whom I wish would post more. 

  Thank you.  I would if I had more time 

[Olga_Mouse]

 Or, rubbing my bowling ball tummy and saying "malinky malinky" which she never would tell the translation and just laugh and say "I not tell you".  She is a great girl.

"Malinki malinki" is a pop song, recorded by Жанна Фриске + "Дискотека Авария".

http://www.muzvideo.com/DiskotekaAvariya/MalinkiMalinki.html

[Fashionista]

These scumbags just don't dress as well as Russian mafia. 

THEY DON'T?  I didn't realize people can sink this low.

Take your time.  Long distance relationships are frustrating, uncertain and frightening at times, nobody said it was easy.  If you can't move, visit.  I am thinking what I would do if my husband proposed to me right after we met.  I'd probably laugh for a few days which would be interpreted as a display of my cheerful optimistic life-assuring personality  .  Good luck to you, I have a feeling, given proper time everything will be great!  

[OlgaH]

Sculpto, did I miss something in your posts? If you are going to make proposal... maybe Sandro will help me with a book in iambic verse  Sandro, just let me have my first cup of coffee 

[possum]

Her birthday is in February and she wants me in Tomsk for it so I can meet her Mom, sister and brother.

It's nice to know that foreigners actually visit this hellhole, even if it's out of necessity..

[Olga_Mouse]

 I read on some site yesterday that clearing customs in Sheremetevo will take 2 hours.  Is that really true?

Well... if you bring with you some equipment on a 37-pages ATA carnet, and have to write the translated list of items straight there... then YES, clearing customs in that case can take 2 hours, indeed!

Well, speaking only for myself I've never been more than 40 minutes.

That includes clearing the Customs Official at the booth who will stamp your Visa and Immigration Card, waiting for my luggage, and then 'officially' walking out of Customs Control into Terminal 2.

I think you're mixing up two diferent control types: PASSPORT CONTROL (where there are long lines quite often, indeed!) - which inserts your data in the system, and really stamps your visa & Immigration card - and CUSTOMS CONTROL, which deals ONLY with the luggage.

I've been through roughly 10 times with work and pleasure. Come to think of it, that 40 minutes was coming back from Greece with a plane full of Ruskies. Usually it's only taken 20 minutes. Just walk through the Green Zone after claiming your baggage. Don't line up for the Red Zone. The Red Zone is only if you have something to declare. Remember, you have nothing to declare!

Cash over $10K (or equivalent sum in any other currency) has to be declared as well.

Departing for home at SVO 2 takes way longer to go through Customs, not Arriving. Something I've noticed lately and confirmed by another member here, is that upon leaving Russia, Customs at SVO 2 is going through all baggage of every USA destined flier. This includes non-carry on luggage. I don't know why?

Not customs, but security control. This is the demand of the American side (after 9\11).

[Sculpto]

I will know for sure
if my heart has achieved a cure
when the words flow
my eyes glow
and I will not feel lonely anymore

[Sculpto]

Sculpto

Sorry, but I believe OlgaH misty description of what makes a Siberian woman "tick" is  a generalisation.

Yes, there is an unfortunate  "history" between us - a disagreement over Georgia, and I KNOW Olga means well.

But her notion ( IMHO) shouldn't be used to put your lady "in a box."


My Wife is Siberian and NEVER talked in the manner your lady does...

Sure, ladies from Siberia get less visits from WM, but they might live in a city of a million  people and they aren't all hopeless romantics !

Your lady sounded very cynical... only you can decide is that her just teasing you, testing you, or a sign her feelings aren't so strong..

What I will say is that a man that excludes a woman because she is located in Siberia..may be he is thinking with his wallet, not his heart

Good luck !

I suspected she was teasing because her actions didn't match her words. 

My girl is Siberian, but she is also Armenian.  I don't know if you have had much contact with Armenians but they are hot blooded intense people.  I know many Armenians here in SF.  Great people.  Much of what I see in my girl mirrors the personality traits and cultural values of the Armenians I know.  She has demonstrated numerous times a duality between some kind of dark fatalism and a bright shining optimism.  I tend towards optimism in everything so I wouldn't be suprised if she is showing the darkness as a subconcious reaction to my constant "all will be good" comments, especially since she doesn't stay dark for long.