GD,
To back up what wtrav02 says I too never forked out $$$ for agencies nor translators nor interpreters nor have I bothered to as learn much of their language to chat up the ladies, I have found that it is not neccesary.
8 years ago, when I started out on this process, there were so many free sites, ladies swooning for western men, it wasn't neccesary to pay but commercialism has kicked in and now, as they say, you get what you pay for, or one hope so but one still needs to be careful with all the scam agency websites out there.
OK, you don't want to pay to source your lady but as soon as you take her out to wine and dine her, in Ukraine, you can kiss goodbye to USD100. Even if one subscribed to fiance.com one meal would pay for 100 days of writing unlimited online communications, not emails I hasten to add, to up to 15,000 ladies, kinda puts it into perspective don't you think, 3.33 months for 1 meal?
wtrav02 was very lucky to have found his intended literally on the first attempt, it took me some 5 years to find mine but you know I wouldn't change a thing, I experienced so much during the 5 years of searching that I am now in a position to fall back on those experiences to realise that now I have got something 'really good'.
I do not recommend communications via agencies, I only recommend direct email to email, phone to phone, contact and whilst it is preferable that she speaks English if 'kinda' direct commuications involve an interpreter, whether it be electronic or personal, then so be it.
If she declines to give her personal email address then take a step back, if she declines to give her postal address then another step back and, once the two of you have got to know each other, she declines to give her phone number then call her a comedian and walk away.
Bob,
Some of the girls I met on my trip, I didn't plan on before I departed. I happened to be in a particular agency, and while they make arrangements for one date, they had me look through their catalog for other possible dates. Two girls I went out with in Kiev were done this way. As a matter of fact, I already knew of these girls..... I had already had contact with one of the two through RLM months before, but for some reason never kept in contact. This particular date ended up being the best one, because this girl was very happy with me and wanted to go out again right away. So, I would say you may have better luck going to the agencies and looking through their catalogs. Of the girls thatI contacted beforehand, one girl I really liked considered seeing me a second time, but she backed out. I presume she was weary of me being their to meet "many" women and was turned off. I was honest with her that my first few days there was to go out with many ladies. And, after that, spend quality time with one or two that I had a connection with. This didn't fly.
I thought this process would have left more of the women wanting a second meeting with me, considering they didn't have to invest alot time with letters and chatting. I have changed my mind, and now believe the only true way to meet a quality woman and have the best chance to find out if there is a match , is to correspond with only one, and go visit her only... for at least a week. That is what I am in the process of doing now. I have stopped trying to stay in contact with 4-5 at a time on RLM. I still chat with a few because I have some good friends there. Many of the girls are curious about my relationship(s) eventhough we agree we don't have a romantic future together. One of them is actually helping me write certain lines in Russian for my new girl.
I will end by saying that my recent trip was priceless. I purchased a cell phone there in Kiev and was "on call" for the first 4 days from about 4 different agencies. I would be walking down the street on one end of town, and an agency would call and say "Elena has a break at 2pm from work and can meet you McDOnalds next to the Metro station....can you make it?" .......I would say "Sure, by my calcualtions, I can get back to the apartment, change clothes, and be there with 5 minutes to spare". I had 2, sometimes 3 dates per day. It was awesome. My trip was a success because I knew before hand that the only thing I had control over was planning the dates.....whatever happened after....was anybody's guess. So, if one of the girls and I had fallen in love, I would've considered myself very lucky.
I recommend doing this at least once if you ever have the chance.
BF
Certainly i have never heard of any decent reliable testimonies about Army of Brides. I have yet to see any one that has got married after using Army of brides.They do seem to use some unreliable contacts/affiliates. For example i was using army of brides a couple of months ago to contact a lady in Nikolaev.
Then suddenly i was contacted by an accommadation apartment agency stating that-
"the girl is interested in you what apartment you want we get you"
i got the distinct impression that the apartment agency owner were actually writing the letters.
Martin_UK you must be on a very good salary at Carpatair to pay 100usd for a meal in the ukraine. Must be a hell of a meal too. Any jobs goin at Carpatair? i could do with a lifestyle change.
Been to a lot of Restaurants and clubs and have found it difficult to blow 100USD/500UAH on a night with my wife. It isn't that expensive, and that's going to real nice restaurants and clubs.
Hey Bored, so what's your point here? I'm still a little mystified. We have enough people here stirring up crap.
As an example, at O'Briens Irish Pub in Zaporozhye, a starter of 4 grilled shrimps (king prawns/crevettes) is priced at UAH104, $20 ish for one starter!
Nasfan i reackon in a country where they earn $200/ $400 a month that $100 a night for a meal is absolutely outragous in the way of expence -over the top !
As guests in a dangerous sometimes arrogant country and doing them, a favour taking thier woman from ''rags to ritches '' no sorry but we western folk should really be riding near for free over there .( at least respected in a way of graduer )
it always annoys me the only basterds in the world ever alighted the plane with a QUID in russia was a westerner about to rescue the damsell from distress . look what we spend !!! you take all western folks / spending / invests outa russia result is your left with ''cave man style living '' and they would all be quatering a spud to eat in 14 days .
we certainly should be cadillac whisked away at the airport i reackon - hey without us they have a big percentage on fugg all .
we should be greeted with the
my god westerner arriving ---break out the silverware ! get the slaves tidied up , polish the boots ----------stand in line chest out / guts in --drum, roll but instead the unaprieciative basterds try to ripp you off ----------cheek ay no respect for the upper crust at all ay .
its all the insight they have this ''beggers can be choosers thing ! and bite the hand that feeds em jeses it makes me wild '' how friggin inconsiderate ay 100 a meal bullshit 100 a meal in russia man id want a tart in the deal too and for all night .
all tad rude .
God Martin, live little is that the only restaurant you eat in? The same thing in "Our Meeting Place" or the "Acropolis" restaurant in Mariupol is about 35 grivnas. That's the thing I found unique about Ukraine. There food costs in the supermarket were on the level of here in the states, but their restaurants where much cheaper. Go figure. The only place I thought a meal was outrageous was a chinese restaurant in Kiev where it cost close to 600 grivnas for the two of us. Everywhere else I found the restaurants to be rather inexpensive. Though, entertainment like the Patricia Kaas concert we went to in Kiev was a bit over the top price wise at $200 for us to attend. Hell I sat main floor for Clapton for 75 bucks.
I fed four people with drinks in Our meeting Place in Mariupol for 210 grivnas plus tip.
Martin I figured you for a smart Brit, you just can't trust us Micks anywhere, even in Ukraine.
mikoo
i am just trying to understand what you were saying.i thought they speak English in Australia. i understand my cousin in palermo better than you and he speak punjabi.
From what I have been reading I tend to find this to be very helpful. To be honest with you I have check out a few of these sites & from what I can gather, they seem to want your money first & not deliver the goods. Eventhough I haven't give a dime to any of these sites such as an army of brides or others I can't help but to be very cautious indeed. As we say here in the south (USA) if it looks like a skunk, smells like a skunk, it's a skunk. If you ask me after checking out a few of these sites I smell a skunk BIG TIME.
Army of brides are a well established crooks. 90 per cent of their ladies letters are written by some body else in their regional offices. There are some real ladies on their site though-real stunners,- BUT they on that web site with no intention of getting married.
These type of ladies are just there to get themselves an endless supply of nice food restaurants, and nightclubing purchased for them by a never ending supply of gullible western european and american men.
I also have had some bad experience with army of brides with the particular agecny writing letters on the girls behalf. Also the glamour shots of the girls listed do not look anyhting like them. The only way to find out what they really look like is to oder a box of candies or flowers and ask the agency to get a regular photo of the delivery. If you like how they loook then, corresponnd with them. If they do not give you a telephone number of either them or their interperter, get rid of them right away!! My two cents....
ay I put my 5 c that lovely forum and.. please, don't judge me hard or be ironic. I am opened in my thoughts, I have nothing to lose and nothing to win.I do have those great experince of living in US, being married/devorse to US man also.I am not ready for another gutsy move to be on the market.. too much stress.. time will show any way.
but i am for different reason on the forum, i just want to present my point of view, I want to talk in general and don't go in details as much, I want to talk about all of us.
I've read a lot of posts from forum, I noticed you use expresion "FSU women" a lot.There is no USSR ( unfortunetely) and there is no FSU any more. Today is 2007, but you are talking about 1991. Almost 17 years difference.. a big term.There is another generation with totally different behavior, attitude, values, morality, mentality and etc.The parents of present generation were SU people, who had stable life, job, future, free medical, education and much more. We were relatively happy people, but we didn't realize it in those time, we realize it now. After such a distruction of our country a lot of people had got so frustrated, they lost hopes, future, jobs, friends . It became a social problem, but who cares?We had to accept the new rules, but there was no rules..Guess, in one day US become a Mexico, for instance, or China. Doesn't matter, but something close.:) We know, we are all different people, even in family two kids get the same attitude from parents, and in fact - one in the prison, another one - doctor. So, some people "took a bit between the teeth" and began to learn how to survive, but another people failed ( alcohol, stress, illness, depression).
Who are those people? They are the parents of those young girls what you are looking for over there.Got it?
In early 90's when the borders were little bit opened, a lot of women from FSU went to work in US, Europe ( educated ) to do unqualified job in your countries. In one word - West!Do you know why? To help them boys and girls ( who are grown now) to get education ( nothing for free any more), cloth, food and etc. We have to help to our kids and parents, this is a custom.And everybody know what kind attitude they met on the West. West treat them as a slaves and do that till now. I know what I am talking about. Radiculous!Information about this issue had got spreaded all over our separated small countries with Russia included.
You think, those grown boys and girls don't know about that? they know everything, we just don't like to talk about it on public here, but the people talk about it there for sure.
But you are, guys, looking for truly genuine girls?!!!They know everything about you, guys. You say, they are materialistic, it came from the West, believe it or no, take or leave it!Well such a point of view didn't have a place in USSR, not that much as now.Actually, you are, guys, looking for yesterday days.You talk about agencies, scam, fraud - it came from West also.What do you expect to get there?
SO MANY PRETTY YOUNG GIRLS THERE LET THEMSELVES BE SEDUCED BY ILLUSION OF EASY MONEY(?) AND SO MANY WESTERN MEN SEDUCED BY ILLUSION OF EASY GIRLS (?).THAT'S THE FIRST ANSWER.
You say, so many attractive girls are wolking around in those countries. Well, much more nice girls I saw here, than there, without even make up, natural. I see, there is not too many places in US , exeption NY,Boston and some another decent places here where you amy see them walking on the streets, in bars , whatever.But , this is a different story, you cann't get them that easy as you can get them there. Another thing, they prefer the boys of them age and level. The level means a lot here, in US. I am talking in general and I know there is another girls also, but you, guys, don't want to spend your time with them for some reasons.I want to get the best from there. I understand.
There are also a lot of girls, who are not on the inet market, they get good education,manners somewhere in Europe , in Russia, Ukraine and they want the same things as the girls here, in US. They have a good perspective with the boys with the same level there. They don't have to change the language, mentality, culture, customs, lose the friends and etc.They travel a lot, there is a lot to see oversea. Trust me.
What is your's idea, guys? Ok, you've got one, truly genuine, pretty and so on. You bring het in your's suburbs, towns in the middle on nowhere, pretend to fall in love with it's ok for a while.. and then?Then she goes crazy without communication, poor english, stupid TV with 300 programms, different food ( mostly junk and GM, exept "Whole Food" store), style of life, buggy clothe... you know.... bored, the grass grow... I am talking about easy girls, in general. She will wait till you give her money to go back or she will try to find another adventure for a while. Got it? Good.
Sometimes you want the company, because you stuck with your life and you want somebody to recharge your batteries... sometimes you want the nurse, because falling appart...Everything might happened in your age, guys.
And, if you want the good one, you have to meet the requirements from every beginning and don't hesitate to give her chance to have a worthy style of life, similar to yours and you HAVE to have money to do that. You have to have a strong motivation to do that but not to take an advantage. Don't test her how deep she fall in love with you for years, because you will fail again.
You are, guys, so practical.. I don't charge you... this is a system of life here...it's so fuuny for us some things here. Instead to buy some product from the store in town, where the people live, they go 30 miles away to get the same product on 50 c cheapper in another store.. hm... what do the people save?... gas is over 3 $ for gallon now...
The answer is - little adventure and some kind of amusement. I thin
Alena,
interesting post. One comment. You say materialism came from the West. Very questionable. I read in a profile, recently published on this site: "Search For...man...who has his own business and rich enough to provide a beautiful and bright life for me and my kid." Suspension points stand for the usual BS :-) I found the same kind of EXTREME and UNASHAMED materialism in some - not all - women I met in Ukraine. I am not sure about the US, but such extreme and unashamed materialism, applied to relationships, has little to do with the widespread culture and mentality in the western European country where I live.
Anyway, I agree that all this "FSU" (sorry) dating thing is widely - not completely - based on the girls' illusion about easy money (easier than it really is), and the men's illusion about easy girls (easier than they really are).