Annika posted this elsewhere, and I thought I'd start a new link:
"In the other hand isnt it too ambitious look for intelligent girl in the agency? Intelligent russian girls are in ICQ and such places. What do you think Ptichka? I got impression intelligent young students, like you, who speak english dont use "mail order brides" agencies and find other ways to meet people. Can I get your opinion here?"
That makes me curious about how people in FSU countries look at the women who join FSU websites. Is there a big social stigma against it? I would say that in the West people love to snigger about it, and will also warn you of pending doom. How does the average FSU citizen look at the women who enlist on these websites? And what about the men? Does the average Russian, Estonian, Ukrainian… think we’re all a freak show?
In Estonia its common people (men and women, old and young) meet in the NET, local or international sites, but such things like "romance tours" and "mail-order" brides agencies we havent. Its pretty common couple met in the Internet here, and if one part is forigner it doesnt matter. Maybe some local russians advertize in Russian "mail-order" sites though.
What about Russia, Vova Putin will close that business one day :):)
curmudgeon, at least in my city there is no big problem of a woman getting married with a foreigner, if they love each other of course:) Though as in any provincial city, marriage based only on money interest, or on anything like that, are judged very much...at least among friends and neighbors:)
It is very hard to tell you what an average Ukrainian man thinks...because there is no such a thing "an average Ukrainian man":)))
For example, my aunt is a professor and she went to different countries to scientific conferences, so she and her husband wouldn't mind their daughter (my cousin) to get married with any man she will love, no matter from which country:)
Well, Belarus... A difficult clinical situation.:-) Every second girl from 18 to 45 either is listed at some agency or wouldn't mind. But the paradox is that since July 2005 there is still no a single dating agency in here! A new law of our "dear" president asked all the companies dealing with such "slave trading" industries like model business. dating business and international employment agencies to get new licence. And the officials don't hurry to give them. So I guess soon according to Annika's thoughts all Belarussian girls will become "smart", read using individual listings, ICQ and other stuff.
I cna't totally agree that girls with best "consumption qualities" do not use agencies. We have enough of young linguists who simply don't have a computer (Annika, your dear Estonia is far from being an "average" FSU country, agree) and just want to make it all in a secure way not getting on some really criminal web-site and so on.
As I've written once, men here don't care just as the Saudi guys wouldn't care if we'd try to sneak a bottle of oil out of the country. They have this shit up to their eyeballs!:-)
Some women, usually really not smart and over 37 are shy to use dating agencies and begin to play spies "Will somebody able to see me ON Internet".
That's it.
People mignt have really strange ideas of so called FSU, dont you find Ptichka? What they think girls are thrown death by rocks if they marry forgners? Or as we discussed some days ago here some guys think girls are sold by parents in romance tours?
I dont think such thing as average FSU citizen excist. Soviet Union was mix of different nationalities, religions and traditions. You cant compare estonian and uzbek (as Martin UK mentioned very well in one in hes posts, because they are in different continents).You cant compare ukrainian and armenian. You cant compare lithuanian and kazah. Even russian from Estonia and russian from Siberia are like different nationalities.You cant compare Moldova, what is poorest country in Europe and Estonia what is dynamic new EU country.
Felicidate...very interesting post! So I wasnt wrong about that Putin idea:):)But I think people are so smart, they can find ways to broke stupid laws!
Annika, yes some ideas seam strange to me, but I think that they come to life because people who think that way, don't live here and just have no idea about what a life here is:))
And you're completely right, different nationalities can't be compared, because of different national background, culture, traditions and so on and so forth....
Annika, how cound you mix them?:-) Vovka is an angel on Earth in comparisson with our "Big DAD"!:-)
As for the smart people who are able to break the stupid laws... Well, there is no internet connection in prison to communicate with these smart guys!:-)