how different are these girls? there aren't many girls in newcastle upon tyne who don't drink, smoke, take drugs or would seriously consider marriage. i can't work out whether they're telling the truth or not. consequently, and as a young chap of some means and large and unhealthy curiosity, i'm going to go and see for myself. do you think these girls really don't smoke or drink? i'd actually prefer it if they did. do you think an 18/19/20 yr old girl is going to be wanting a real relationship? also, is it a reasonably fun place for a twenty something single guy to go by himself? i have visions of waking in an ice bath with a large operation scar and a hole where my kidney has been. also, i think if a policeman tries to scam me for some lame reason i might end up in a jail. what are the people like? i've been to poland, czech republic and hungary and loved it and genuinely loved the people. mostly. are ukrainians a nice and friendly bunch?
and finally, i have only 5 days and i plan to split it between nikolaev and odessa - nikolaev first for logistical (aiport) reasons. i have 3 girls in mind and i plan to ditch as i go along if we're not getting on. is this sensible or cynical?
You'll be fine. You've been around enough to get the general gist of things. I doubt you'll wake up with that scar. The Ukrainians and Russians are perhaps a little more standoffish than those in the countries you have visited, but Odessa can be a really fun place to visit. You'll be fine if you can think on your feet a bit.
While some of your questions might indeed seem somewhat cynical to the naked eye, the are nonetheless legitimate questions. I will also add that you cynicism is not entirely without foundation.
Regarding smoking, I was similarly curious. I downloaded the entire fiance.com database and queried it. I determined that only 6% of the women in Moldova admitted to smoking. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization estimates that 40% of all the people in Moldova smoke. Given a roughly equal distribution of men and women, in order for the 6% smoking rate to be correct among women, the smoking rate among men would have to equal 74% (more than 12 times the occurrence rate of women). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that someone isn't exactly telling the truth, either the women or the WHO. You be the judge.
Regarding Police scams and shakedowns, they still exist although they are not as prevelent as they were 30 years ago. Take it from me, I spent two days in the Prague City Jail back in 1978, for "J-Walking." Mind you, this was in the days when the Czech Republic was "behind the Iron Curtain." and all the police really wanted was some "hard" currency. 50 US Dollars, 25 Pounds Sterling or 100 Deutch Marks would have done the trick; sort of like the "Get Out of Jail Free" card in Monoply. But don't worry, they don't had out the death penalty for J-Walking. And if you end up in jail, you'll have a great experience to share with your children and grandchildren.
Go ! Go out and see the world ! It's enlightening ! It's educational !! The expreience will add to and deepen your understanding of what is going on at home and abroad. You can't read about a place in a book and come away with the same understand you gain by actually visiting. There is absolutely no substitute for international travel. It should be made mandatory for all young men and women !!!
In regard to the smoking.....I have yet to meet a girl that have said that they smoke. But when you are with them
it is a different story. After dinner and a drink..Oh I just smoke very rarly, sometimes after a drink. Or how is
this...after I went out for a walk, the girl was sitting on window ledge smoking away until she saw me and quickly went back inside apt. When asked about smoking she said, I was nervous and I smoke only when I get nervous.
Enough said!!! :)))