Summer is almost over and a lot of men got back from visiting their fiances in FSU. We receive interesting stories every day. I encourage everybody who had positive experience or succes stories to share it with those who are still doubting
And how about Baltic girls and wumen (espedially over 35)? Are they traditional enough? Does anybody find out?
And seriously Im really admire you, Olga, you are very PATIENT and good in your moderator job!
Annika77,
I don't know whether Baltic girls are traditional enough...
It probably to a great degree depends on how one sees 'traditional'...
However, with respect to the Baltic states, a number of issues are now (because of EU) different from the FSU proper.
One of these is the expected increased communication with Europe.
This will probably change Baltic girls very fast...
(Men, you only have a short time !!!)
I'm not sure yet but will let you know in about 4 weeks when I return from my vacation to Ukraine and Panama City beach Florida. ETA(expected time of arrival) september 4th. Good Lord willing!!! Have a wonderful day!! Olga you are doing a great job for us!!!! Thank you!!
his is going to be fairly long so be warned. I tend to write alot and my girl always tells me this, so here goes. My travels were around the beginning of May to Kiev, Ukraine. Very start of the tourist season. I covered most of my trip report in another thread if anyone wants to dig way back. I went to Kiev to see the woman that I had been writing to for almost 5 months at that time. We had been writing almost daily and for the two months or so leading up to my departure we were speaking on the phone 3 or more times per week. I was lucky enough to have a girl that speaks very good and understandable english - so other than those horrible Ukraine phone connections we were fine. I switched to Vonage so I can call the Ukraine for a decent 9 cents or so per minute. So talking wasn't bad at all and sometimes we would talk for an hour or more just catching up and sharing things about each other. It really made things easier when we first met.
She was listed with the Katrin Agency there in Kiev. They helped to arrange things such as my apartment, pickup at the airport and car transportation, etc. Prices were very reasonable and fair and they went out of their way to try and make things comfortable and convenient for me.
When I arrived in Kiev my girl was there at the airport. Very nice to see each other for the first time. We hugged very briefly. Then my girl grabbed my hand and led me through the barrage of taxi drivers hawking for fares like some little schoolboy in tow to our private car. We got everything loaded up and got into the car. She rested her body against mine and I felt so comfortable. I just ran my fingers through her hair and stared into her beautiful eyes. Then we kissed for the first time. It truly was amazing and she really is the most amazing woman that I could believe and hope for. It was like we had been together forever. From that point on I was mostly dependant on her for things since I was a dumb American fish out of his natural waters. We stopped at the "Deep Pockets" and bought enough groceries to keep me fed for a week. Then we dropped them off at my apartment. It was already 1am so I just walked her home afterwards (Katrin arranged for me to have an apartment in the same part of town where my girl lived) and we kissed goodnight.
The next day I received a call that a private driver was going to pick me up for lunch and I was to have lunch with my girl. The driver arrived promptly on time and were off. On the way to Miami Blues we ran into a huge traffic jam. So I think I was delayed about 45 minutes before the police finally managed to clear it up. We didn't have much time left so we ate very quickly and she had to head back to work. She arranged for a taxi and I was taken back to my apartment. Once back I explored the area around me on foot for the rest of the afternoon. Then that evening I had a traditional Ukrainian dinner at my girl's apartment. It was different but very nice to say the least. :-) I never knew there were so many ways to prepare beets and cabbage.
The next day was almost a repeat of the previous day. Only this time I met my girl near her office building. We had a nice lunch. She then proceeded to train me on the use of the Metro and some of the basics on how to get around Kiev (sorry, Los Angeles has a terrible public transportation system so I never really used a subway before). She had to return to work again until that evening and I met her at her office as she was getting ready to go home. We kissed and then walked hand in hand down the streets of Kiev and looked at some of the sights briefly before heading home.
The third day to me was mostly a blur. It went by too fast and I think my head was reeling. I had decided that my Kate was the girl for me and I was going to propose. So I contacted the agency and decided on a nice place for a date that evening. We went to some park overlooking Kiev. It is just above the soccer stadium. I forget the name right now since I was too nervous and everything was just a rapid blur. The only things I remember were walking up the hill with my girl hand in hand and walking along the path. We passed the Museum of Water and a palace or something that was there. It was already getting dark though so I couldn't make out all of the details since it was closed. We went to the "bridge of love" and stood for a while looking at Kiev and the river. Then I held my girl very tightly and then got down and proposed. We were both weeping like little babies as she accepted and I placed her ring on her finger. Then we just hugged and held each other for a while and kissed.
The next two days were filled with many activities. One important event was me meeting her mother. Her father wasn't available since he didn't know the meeting was "that important" but I had a very long talk with her mother. Ok, it was more like a 2hr interrogation about everything from my thoughts and beliefs to how many children I wanted to have and my complete family history back to pre-World War I. I managed to survive it however and her mother gave us her blessing. Her father was absent but I think Kate didn't mind that one bit. But I did get past Mom ok. ;-)
We headed back to Kiev mostly unscathed and I was still in one piece at least physically. We made some travel arrangements since we were to take a vacation together so went to the bank and travel agency to finish up the details. On Friday morning we left to take a tour through Egypt. So I was in the air again for the 3 hour or so trip to Sharm el Shek. A full tour package for both of us including a four star resort, transportation, airfare and food came to be about $400. Our resort was right on the Red Sea and the water and weather was gorgeous. We opted for Egypt since it was warmer than the Crimea at that time and prices were comparable from what I was told. W
We opted for Egypt since it was warmer than the Crimea at that time and prices were comparable from what I was told. We spent the full week there traveling throughout Egypt (Cairo, Giza Plateau, Sinai Peninsula, St. Katherine's Monastery, snorkling in the Red Sea, etc.) It truly was a week in paradise for both of us.
We finally went back to Kiev and I think both of us were having really mixed emotions. In a few hours I would be arriving in Kiev and then almost immediately transferring to Moscow for my return flight to Los Angeles. We held each other very closely and tenderly in our last hours together. When we arrived in Kiev I was stopped at the passport control since I only had a one entry Visa. So I couldn't even go to baggage claim. Kate was a little shocked and came to me after managing to get past security. With tear filled eyes we said our goodbyes and had our final farewell kiss. It was one of the hardest moments of my life.
Nearly 23hrs later I was finally back in Los Angeles. Weary, tired, sunburned and ready to collapse. But never happier. I think the hardest part right now is every day since then. You cannot anticipate how hard the wait really is as you go through the data collection and visa process until you do it. I still hope and pray we manage to be together in America for the Holidays but now I don't know. So it will be tough for both of you during this time. Fill it anyway you can with Instant Messaging, emails, phone calls, flowers for special occasions, etc. It will all help.
My final words of advice are that from what I can tell alot of you guys are just green. You see a pretty face and read a few letters then think she is the one. Well, I sent and received close to 300 emails back and forth between Kate and I alone. (This isn't including the 20 or so other girls I wrote before I met Kate so is just the tip of the iceberg as far as letters go.) She and I exchanged close to 150 photos of each other. Even after all that we still didn't know it would even work until we met in person. We didn't know if we would have chemistry or not. Lucky for us we DID have amazing chemistry and fit together like we were stuck with glue. So my advice is to get to know your girl well. Not just one call or even 10 or 20 letters. Don't be a stranger coming to visit. Learn something of her soul and what makes her really tick. What makes her laugh and cry. Listen with an understanding ear and an open heart and it will do wonders. Then treat her like an equal and let her know the wonderful woman that she is. Let her know it to by telling her constantly. She may have lived a hard life and never been told that. So you can never tell her too much it really means to her to hear it. Don't be afraid to let her know how special she is any way you can. Then see what happens. It worked for me.
I belive Brian that you both made an emotional investment with each other by finding common ground through communication, The reason the chemistry was there was because you manufactured it before you met her. People meet and if the chemistry is not there they move on. When they meet someone and the chemistry is there it sticks, but usually it is the physical chemistry and soon that wears off and if by then you have not invested in the emotional connection the relationship is doomed. Letters, photos, and calls, bind peoples emotions, and create the real love that fuse two hearts together. That was a very helpful thread no a very hopeful thread thanks. Wess