1. A CAUCASIAN WOMAN:
First date: You get to kiss her goodnight. Second date: You get to grope all over and make out. Third date: You get to have sex but only in the missionary position.
2. IRISH WOMAN:
First Date: You both get blind drunk and have sex. Second Date: You both get blind drunk and have sex. 20th Anniversary: You both get blind drunk and have sex.
3. ITALIAN WOMAN:
First Date: You take her to a play and an expensive restaurant. Second Date: You meet her parents and her Mom makes spaghetti & meatballs. Third Date: You have sex, she wants to marry you & insists on a 3 carat ring. 5th Anniversary: You already have 5 kids together & hate the thought of having sex. 6th Anniversary: You find yourself a girlfriend.
4. JEWISH WOMAN:
First Date: You get dynamite head. Second Date: You get more great head. Third Date: You tell her you'll marry her and never get head again.
5. POLISH WOMAN:
First Date: You go to pick her up, and she isn't home. She gave you the wrong address. Second Date: You decide to meet at a restaurant. She gets lost getting to the restaurant and then again going home. Third Date: She's pregnant. She's not sure if its hers.
6. CHINESE WOMAN:
First date: You get to buy her an expensive dinner but nothing happens. Second date: You buy her an even more expensive dinner but nothing happens again. Third date: You don't even get to the third date and you have already realized nothing is going to happen.
7. INDIAN WOMAN:
First date: Meet her parents. Second date: Set the date of the wedding. Third date: Wedding night.
8. BLACK WOMAN:
First Date: You get to buy her a real expensive dinner. Second Date: You get to buy her and her girlfriends a real expensive dinner. Third Date: You get to pay her rent. Tenth Date: She's pregnant by someone other than you.
9. LATIN WOMAN:
First Date: You buy her an expensive dinner, get her drunk on Riunite, have sex in the back of her car. Second Date: She is pregnant. Third Date: Move in with her, her two cousins, her sister's boyfriend and live happily ever after eating rice and beans in the Bronx.
10. FSU WOMAN:
First Date: You send her money for air ticket and visa but she never shows up at the airport. Second Date: You meet her at a Social, have sex and pay her after you find out she is a call girl. Third Date: You start paying attention to all the advice this forum is giving you, play your cards right, meet the woman of your dreams and live happily ever after.
10. FSU WOMAN
First Date - You consider it to be anyway...after all you bought her address and have been writing countless letters to her. Second date - still haven't met her, but her letters are so sweet you could swear that you are "soul mates" (as she keeps telling you). You've sent her money for her mother's operation and you've tried calling her several times (she's never home). Third date - you tell her that you are going to come and see her - but you will never be able to - because "she" is actually a GUY writing letters to you and the pictures she sent were those of some Russian model (famous in the FSU - but unknown in the west).
Take advice on Socials from one who has actually been to one (and that would be only jmoluv and me). They are the way to go. Can you find a hooker there? Sure if you want to. But then again you can find a hooker at any bar or mall in America if you really want to. But you can also meet a great woman - who isn't necessarily computer literate or an internet user (but then again - is that a necessary prerequisit for your marital happiness?) and you get to meet a girl in the traditional way - face to face.
jet, come on "socials are the way to go", why's that? "But then again you can find a hooker at any bar or mall in America if you really try?", but in the socials apparently you don't have to try, they may come and find you, and "you get to meet a girl in the traditional way - face to face", what is traditional about a pre-arranged party where 150 women are sitting there waiting to be spoken to by 15 men?
I haven't been to a social because I chose not to because I reject the whole idea. I personally find the whole thing gross (no offense intended). I find it humiliating that some other man finds a bunch of women for me to choose for. I believe I have the ability to do this (if I were single I mean). I believe others who don't plan to attend socials do it as their choice, not because they're afraid to spend the money (it's actually cheaper) or are afraid the other dudes who are there. It is your right to believe whatever you want about socials, but don't reject others who don't embrace the concept.
Trav: I'm mearly standing up for my position. Socials tend to take a beating here with the common idea that the women who attend are all hookers. Let me tell you - 200 hookers are not going to show up to compete for 15 men. Very legitimate ladies go to these things. Trust me. I know. Not based on stories on the web - but from personal experience. You have no such experience as you admit. But I do.
You go to meet a girl in the traditional way, face-to-face. Why is that traditional? Let me ask you - do you suppose that through history - through our broad base of "tradtion: that the human race might share - do you suppose that more people met their perspective mates with face to face meeting or by starting a letter writing campaign based on a profile and a picture? I'm guessing the former.
There is also a common misconception that the women at these Socials are somehow herded together by some guy who owns an agency. Every women I have met so far is affiliated with an agency but she makes the choice to go to a Social - sometimes far out of her way - for the same reason that young women in America might go to a nightclub on a Friday night - to meet a man. What's wrong with that?
Is there a disproportionate number of women to men? Probably. But no one forces them to stay and some may never come back (just like on any given night at any neighborhood hightclub in America). But most do because they want to meet a guy.
Letter writing gets sufficient coverage here. Of course. This forum is affiliated with a letter writing dating service. But Social get an undeserved bad rap - espeically from people who have never been on one (almost ALL men who HAVE been on one thik that they are great - the "time of my life").
I'm just defending the idea and putting things into perspective.
jet, you're right in a few things: (a) people who go to socials say good things after they had the experience of the social, (b) it kind of sounds like a typical setting for a singles party, (c) none forces either the men or the women to participate, and (d) I believe they cannot be all hookers (200 hookers going after 15 men would be unproductive, they would go out of business quickly unless you guys could be taking 2-3 at a time :)
What this tells me is: (a) people who go to socials are fit for the experience of the social. In fact, maybe you have realized it already but here in America third parties arranging dates for singles (especially singles worth a lot of money) is a booming business. These people commit 5-25K to a company to find them a few dates and guide them through the process of finding the right one through a series of actually dating these people. So, I guess the FSU social companies are offering good value. (b) The ratio of 10 women for 1 man as delightful as it can be for male particpants, it is not the "traditional" ratio that you would see in club in America or West Erupope. Aside from this, the whole purpose of having someone manage the "date finding" process is to avoid the bar scenes, and the cattle market type environment. So, I am not sure what purpose would serve making such a long trip to go to a bar where there is a guaranteed ratio of women to men. (c) It's true none forces the women to be there, but many testify that there is a selection process done by the organizers, so it's not exactly like anyone who wants to be there can go there. It's a private singles party. (d) Finally, I don't know how many hookers go there but what I heard from a woman who had been in a few of these is that men who go there are typically very old men looking for very young women. That woman and her sister were sponsored type girls. Maybe she is wrong. As you said unless you've been in a few of these with a few different companies, you can't really know.
Trav:
We like to brush over a very obvious economic fact - and that is that the west is still doing much better than any of the FSU countries. While none of us interested in finding a Russian woman would want to think that economic factors paly a principal role - or even a major role in defining our relative attractiveness to Russian women - only a fool would not realize that it is a part of the equation.
When two people consider each other for the possibility of being a couple, they bring to the table a host of factors including, looks, personality, religion, education AND (along with other factors) earning power or the ability to provide a nice lifestyle. In any potential coupling situation of course some of these factors are more heavily weighted than others. And I would venture to say that when FSU women considers meeting a western man - the appeal of living in a country with a GNP per capita of $35,040 per year (2000 figure) like the US may weigh heavily compared to living in a country with a GNP per capita of $840 per year (again 2000 figure) like Ukraine.
I never claimed that the ratio of men to women at thesse functions was comparable to that found at a western nightclub - yet of their own free will they go. Perhaps (and lets admit, obviously) the appeal of finding a man from a country that can offer greate economic benefits has some appeal.
Does that make the woman inherently BAD for being attracted to a guy from a richer country? Of course not. Not anymore than any woman would be "bad" for looking for a professional, like a doctor or a laywer in our own country. Of course it increases the liklihood of less than honest intentions - but it would certainly be unfait to accuse them of that carte blanch - jsut as it would be unfair to accuse an American woman who seeks a successful man of having anything but honorable intentions.
Single women and single men look for each other in various ways in every country. This is no different except that the balances are tilted - as the result of simple equations. There are MORE women present because the guys are likely to be more "ecomonically able". And the women are willing to consider older men for several cutural reasons, plus the same reason listed above. another factor to consider is the fact that these men have shown a certain level of determination by the fact that they have actually traveled to a foreign country to find what they were looking for. (Many men will not.)
I am somewhat appalled that the fact that it would make poor economic sense to have 200 hookers to 15 men - is the only reason that you believe that these women are NOT in fact all hookers. And though I am well aware of the concept of "sponsored women" and they are certainly likely to be found at socials as well (it even occurs with the FSU) that you would beleive that these women are necessarily that is appalling too.
These women are beautiful and intelligent. they have access to western media (movies and television) and many have not been treated very well by the men in their culture. They know that women are not treated the same way all over the world (the cat is out of the bag). THAT is ALSO a major factor to many of the Russian women I have met in their attraction to western men.
So what is wrong with them using this avenue as a way to find the man they are looking for? If the numbers are scewed at these events, trav, you figure something dishonest is going on. I maintain that you are simply wrong.
This IS one thing that in order to speak authoritatively about you really should experience it. Or stop maintaining simply predjudiced rumors.
I've BEEN there. I wasn't looking for a hooker - nor did I find one.
But having participated in a Social, it seems as ludicrous for me to be debating someone who has never attended one - as it would be for me to having visited the FSU, to be now debating someone who only once heard about the FSU - or read an magazine artical about it.
Trav:
Whether we deserve it or not, whether it is fair or not, the US has a higher economic standard of livin than Ukraine has. Its a simple fact.
Just like doctors have a definitely higher income than the rest of the population as a whole.
Do me a favor - host and publicise a "Single Male Doctors Looking For Wives" event at some local establishment. And make sure that 15 or 20 real single male doctors (looking for wives) show up. I bet more than 15 or 20 available women will show up. I bet something like 200 women will show up - or even more so maybe they will have to be selected from tha available interested women.
Would you say that all of these women will be hookers? Unlikely - though possibly a few might be hookers (realistically).
I'm betting that they will mostly be real single women who just find greater economic drawing power to be a factor in what they are looking for in a man.
Nothing is wrong with that - or Socials in the FSU.
Whats the trip here anyways? I mean if you dont like socials dont go, but dont try and pass judgement on the guys that do use them. (Note... just like A bride you can find hookers on the net even before you arrive... so why bother paying money for A social if you just want A hooker?? Do the math man. )
I personally would not prefer to do A social. I would feel A bit intimidated by being under the scrutiny of so many women, but if your not shy then why not?
If your going to pass judgement on people for using socials then do it to guys writing girls in A 3rd world country because we have an advantage. We do have an advantage but at the same time we have something real to offer... not just money we obviously want women with the values FSU women have and they want us. Your method , whether it be social or letter writing or whatever.... renders the same result, for the same exact reasons.
As you pointed it all boils down to personality and preferences. I have been among large groups of men and women mingled and have no issues with this. My idea of meeting the ideal woman for me was always excactly this, idealistic. I could never imagine myself finding my ideal woman in a bar, club, social, etc. There is a certain type of woman who would frequent these gatherings often enough so that there would be a chance for me to meet her. This type of woman would not appeal to me, but that does not mean there is something wrong with this type of woman. I am not passing judgement or mistating facts rather explaining my own point of view. Like with most other things in life, people have options and can achieve the same outcome in a number of different ways. As long as people are happy with each other, the outcome has been accomplished.
Trav:
I know that you are married now. And I am glad that you are happily so. So now would not exactly be a good time for me to advise you to actually attend a Social - as doing so make necessary further action in finding ANOTHER Russian (or Ukrainian) wife. (If you get my attepted humorous drift....)
But really - I still don't think you understand what they are all about.
I drew on a comparison between perfectly legitimate women (nonhookers) attending such affairs just as perfectly legitimate women go to nightclubs in the US to meet men. But that does not mean that the atmosphere at such events are similar.
I have heard that Anastasia puts on a more "party-ish" Social than AFA. I attended one put on by European Connections (two actually) and if anything they were more like job-interview type situations than parties.
I don't have a pick-up line that could be used in a bar on ANY continent. I am not a party person - or perhaps even a people-person.
Sure there was music playing in the background - a deejay was present. There was dancing (girl with girl) near the stage. And there were small glasses of some generic white wine and small cakes or something on the tables. The room was well lit with the girls just mingling among themselves, seemingly disinterested (until you actually spoke to them - then they were enthusiastic).
You would call the girl over (or have your interpretor do it) and sit with her - taking notes on a small pad of paper. I gave her pictures of myself - tried to find common interests - showed her pictures of my hometown. Then the interview would be over as we shot Poloroids of her and I standing together. (I guess in anticipation of a possible fute fiance visa.) Two shots were taken - one for her, one for you.
The Socials went from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm and it was suggested that by that time you pick someone and get contact information so that you would at least have a dinner companion for that night. I did. And I gave another woman (who is now actually my fiance) a small amount of money to take a hotel room for the night so that I could meet her the next day.
Far from any party-party-party or Caligula type orgies - that is what happened.
I was not especially impressed with the woman I went out with that night so on returning to the hotel I gave her taxi fare to ride home. Bright and early the next day - my Moldovan lady (the one I had given money to to spend the night in a hotel) called me from the lobby - we met for dinner, along with her friend (and traveling companion from Moldova) and a buddy of mine who happened to meet the friend - and the rest is history.
No hookers. No wild dance bar scene. Sorry to disappoint.
I've never been a big one for writing letters. And for me physical attraction is only really evident in person. A single picture (or even a few) doesn't do it.
I am ALWAYS amazed that the harshest critics of Social are those who have never been to one. Attendees and converts are pretty much one-in-the-same.
jet, thank you for the nice description. I actually read something of a similar description on another forum more than two years ago by someone who had been to a social by European Connections. He described it also like an interview. The interpeter would set up some time for every girl to meet the man and would be somewhat strict about the time to give the opportunity to the man to meet as many women as possible. I recall that post because it was a very interesting one. That guy got married with a girl he met at that social. Actually he said that the one he ended up marrying was not one of the girls he interviewed that night. He rather met her while standing somewhere in the room where the social was held.
Of course physical attraction and chemistry is only evident in person. It is a shame to find someone attractive in person during a gathering and then discover that there is no connection of hearts and minds. It seems that you combined both and I congratulate you. For my part, I tend to be slow in personal conversations and I wouldn't see myself finishing more then 2-3 interviews in the five hours of a social, so if I chose to go to a social tour back then it had better been one of these very long ones where they spend two months and they visit many cities. That way maybe I would have fared a chance :)
Once again a perfectly humorous thread makes way to polarized opposite views that cause humorless serious and unbearingly long posts...
There is NOTHING wrong with meeting women at socials, much in the same way that there is nothing wrong with meeting women at a bar, a church or even at a family reunion (for those of you, incestuous rednecks out there.)
And most importantly, there is nothing wrong with making fun of it all for the sacred purpose of adding to the daily dose of laughter the doctor recommended.