That's OK ID I'm going to be rolled and left with no money,passport, ID, credit card, thousands of miles from home, in a stange country were I can hardly say good day much less I've been robbed.Is this as funny to you as it is to me. Just listen to yourself. Fear is paralyzing so I need faith and courage. I will ask everyone for the faith and courage. Or I will rely on one. You are not alone. I feel the same way when fear draws its power. My plan is in september to Ukraine, I tried to do it myself and it got very difficult, so know I have an agent. I was going in august. See how well I was doing making the arrangements. I learned alot. Just like, Get a sheet metal man to do sheet metal and an electrician to do electrical. We are professional at what we do, aren't we? I got over 20 years vested here in Atlanta. We have everything to be afraid of in our work and we let something like this scare the h'll out of us. Go figure. Take a little of everything and buy what you don't have. I will take some for cool and warm. I will have to buy a parka. Besides we don't have anything like that. It's going to be fun no matter the outcome, Repeat after me, it's going to be fun, it's going to be fun.
I consider ID a sesoned vet. Says he's been there 3 times already. It is you and I who will be getting freaky when the day comes. We'll be neryous as hell and can't smoke on a plane trip that will last hours and hours and more hours!
I think you should calm down. Ptichka described it well, that electricians havn´t the best reputation al over the former ussr. But it is much more important, what you know and who you are, right?
If a lady asks to often about money it tastes a little bit suspicious. But having heard about your profession, probably she was worried if you could afford a future life together with family. Better to explain her in such a situation your financial situation.
In generaly: it is a big mistake to compare the quality of professions being the same in the west and in the former ussr. There are sometimes enormous differences. For example once I hired a high graduated interpreter for german language with many diplomas and so on. It turned out later, that she bought the most marks in University and the quality of german language was the same as a "gastarbeiter" working in my country since half a year. But the opposite also happened to me also.
It is correct, that persons, working in banks, have one of the highest salaries. Much more than doctors or teachers. On the other side (the real side) every doctor earns much more than officially declared, because for every little treatment they ask and expect some cash from the ill persons. Also teachers earn more, becasue it is a widespread system to take bribes for giving higher marks.
ID: All in all, you should be selfassured enough to understand, that your qualification is much more higher than that of an, let´s say, ukrainian electrician, o.k.?
World traveller,
yes I understand, I only told this story here so people can have the knowledge from my mistake. My work is quite good and if it were not, how could I even afford to go to Fsu, that part puzzled me about there thinking. The is that before I did not understand, maybe others did not either
South,
I am not worried about being robbed or lossing my passport. Nor am I pralised with fear, jsut a little nervice. As Dale said this is not my first trip, it is not my first arranged meeting. Letters, photos even phone calls are fine, but face to face all the ground work adds up to jack. The girl I am going to meet is very beautiful to me, and although I understand that it may come to nothing, of coarse we all hope things work out. Not so much because of that single girl, but we are hoping to walk into a room and meet the person we will share the rest of our lives with. There is some expectation from both man and woman. I have done it before and I know how it works, this to me dose not make it easier, possably more difficult because I know how hard it can be.
More on the work thing, my x had a friend who lived in the same city, not realy a friend, more an aquantance I guess. She meet an Australian man maybe 12months previous to me going to Russia. I returned 2 more times to see my x and this other girl had only meet her dream man as she put it one time for a periode of 2 weeks. Her was a part time model and owned a resturant with his father. He was always saying that he could not afford to come back to visit her and they all could not understand how I, an electrician could make 3 trips but he was a model an owned a resturant but had not the money nor the time to come to see her. Now I thought that they were thinking that because this man owned a resturant he would be well to do perhaps, compared to me, a tradesman. The point of the statement I later understand is not how he could not afford it, but how could I afford it. So again my point, be careful to everything these girls say and think hard about it, because I did not think so much about a lot of things. I read someones post here long ago who said, whats the problem, go meet a beautiful girl, talk, get married and work the rest out latter. Attention to detail, because the truth is, it is realy easy to have complete misunderstandings over anything and form the incorrect opinion about your situation with these girls.
Somehow the responses got off the subject. This is not about you being an electrician, but I suspect your anxiety is common for this is an unusual way to initiate a lifelong (hopefully) relationship. I will be leaving for two weeks to meet a woman in Perm at the end of September and I have has all kinds of feelings. Sometimes I feel like I just kidding myself about what I’m doing and other times I feel like I am onto a good thing here. I’ve been anxious wondering if I’m being led down a fool’s path too. I’m also guessing the anxious feelings is instinctual in that until you meet the woman the relationship is a fantasy and meeting someone face-to-face for a few weeks is not enough time to make such an important decision. After all, if you met a woman in your local town or city you would most likely date for at least a year before you seriously considered marriage. How is one to know in just two weeks? Your supposed to feel this way! It’s normal.
Frank, I hear you and two weeks is not enough. I have a 2 year plan for this one includeing some holiday time in Australia. We have the rest of our lives so whats 2 years.
Since you now know that the Russian word for electrician does not describe you ID, I think you should find another word to use to avoid confusion. ie; electrical engineer
wiring specialist
director of voltage
power management
shock therapist
I think you get the idea!!
Dont worry ID your not alone. I am gettin nervious too, I fly to Moscow Monday night to meet my Lady for the second time. I think now i am more nervous than the first time. Perhaps because this time i shall meet with her farther..
Anyway from one dum stupid sparky to another. Good Luck
The first day I arrive it is my ladies mothers birthday and I will meet her and then everyone about 1 hour after, family, friends. Talk about pressure.
I am not worried about her wearing the pants trad, It is just a real turn around from her previous attitude. As it turns out its much cheaper to stay in this city by the black sea. I will see how it goes but I am not going to do anything that I feel uncomfortable with and if pressure is applied, well I guess shes not for me but I will begin to understand better on Sunday
I can just imagine ID meeting his lady's family wearing an superhero outfit made out of colorful christmas lights and the word ZAP written across his 'electric blue' cape, lol....
Scott obiously knows something about electricity. As for a superhero, electro was actually a real lonely guy who got zapped and took revenge on all the bullies at uni, spidermen had to sort him out although he did not enjoy it. :o)