Its a given that you are going to spend some money pursuing an FSU woman, especially if you are an American man (Europeans can travel there for less). Just because the economy over there stinks and people may be making $90 to $150 per month - don't think that this is the bargain basement.
These are top quality, intelligent beautiful girls. And if it was all that easy (and cheap) to win a genuine one - thaen it would have been done already by the countless frustrated western men who thought of it before you did.
One way or another this is going to cost you some big money (more than a few thousand dollars anyway) and even then, if you are not wary, do not project the things that she wants, or fall for an idiot trap (and trust me - they are more clever than we are). There are a MILLION games played over there, by agencies, girls, guys posing as girls, etc. And you must realize that up until now you are completely inexperienced in any of the games they play. The games American women play are entirely different.
If you can speak the language - or have a trusted translator, and can get out to where the real women are - you might have an advantage. But again you have to project the right image and personality. And even then you only have a short time, maybe two weeks? (for most of us). Not much time to waste in getting it right.
Agencies are there to make money for themselves, not neccessarily to help you. If they can give you the run around while setting you up with agency girls, who's pockets will be lined as well as their own - they will gladly lead you on.
In NO event will beautiful women just fall over themselves at the knowledge that you are American. SCAMMERS might appear to do that "Oh I just met you but already I LOVE YOU!" as they set themselves for you wallet extraction, but no girl you really want will.
My plan is a little controversial even by the standrads of this forum. I happen to like Romance Socials - and I will tell you why.
First off - I don't need for someone to plan my trip. I did the first time. But I am well beyond that now. I also do not want to go to a place where the Romance Social is an industry, meaning that they have had too many of them (Odessa, beautiful city that it is, seems to fit that description) so I will probably go a little off the beaten path as Odessa SEEMED to be in 2003. But a well publicized Social seems to me to be the best way to meet REAL women in a short amount of time. They are there and they are interested. What more can I say?
If I had my "d'ruthers" I would rather spend six months in Eastern Europe and be a proficient Russian speaker. How wonderful would that be?! I could meet the same number of women that are avaialable at a Romance Social and I could get all of the information to really get to know them and pick the right one!
But I can't do that. I don't trust the multiple scams of letter writing 0nly to get there and discover that the lady doesn't exist, that the agency or her MOTHER was writing the letters. I don't trust agencies who are ultimately there for themselves. I don't know any trustworth translators to bring with me and don't want to waste time on my trip getting to find one. And I HAVE tried going to a country and just meeting women on my own - I wasted a week that way in Latvia before I met someone special for the second week.
So my plan now is to go on either a full-fledged Romance Social OR to arrange to be in a place where the Romance Social is going on and to pay the $600 or so to attend two of the Socials themselves (nobody really needs a third). Its not a cheap way - but none of this process is cheap.
But this is the most efficient way toi take advantage of the time constraint I will face.
I believe in meeting people face to face to cut the potential crap. I've made cracks before here about not looking for an Emily Dickenson (a great female writer) so I don't want a long letter writing campaign. A lot of terrific women don't have the persoanlity types to write endless letters to men (who may or may not ever show up) either. I don't want to miss those.
That's my plan. Stay tuned for details - which will come forth either before or AFTER I go.
Just one point to add regarding western Europeans occupying time in FSU for less:
As a ballpark figure, and at current exchange rates, round-trip tickets to my destination Zaporozhye/Dnepropetrovsk cost circa USD650.00 but it still costs us the same for living & accommodation once we get there so if a week including air fares there costs, let us say, USD3000 then we've only saved a few hundred dollars on the air fares.
We have the 'convenience' factor though and if it were all down to cost saving then every guy would go for a lady in somewhere like Kiev where it's cheaper to get to.
There are ways to save money though like drinking Ukraine tap water but that's another fukka story :)
I am not trying to say anything. I AM saying exactly that. BTW we've all done that on some subject or another in life. Sometimes we wake up after a while and sometimes we "Dream On".
Jetmba:
I'll make a couple of comments, merely from observation, later when I have some time to put a few things together regarding systems of meeting, but the bottom line is in all this, you MUST choose a style that suits your own particular style. The biggest mistake on the ground I have seen is guys put themselves in situations which simply don't suit their own style.
I think women are women all over the world but there are circumstances that make some women seek fortune or "fun" more than others. In Australia the rules for bringing over a Filipino and some other Asian women has become more and more restrictive as a result of the gold-digging by many and also the sex-slave/maid attitudes of some men using the opportunities.
To say that 80% of the profiles here and then to excaserbate this folly by generalizing to the same degree about Russian etc. women is Absolute rubbish. I believe most women in FSU. love their beautiful country in a way many western ppl. do not feel about their own countries. Most do not live in poverty and the economy altho sluggish is getting better, as apposed to many of the Asian countries from whence most seeking men are from.
The main and most attractive difference between the two groups is easily seen in their profiles, and in both groups not many have their own computers and so are bound to use either internet cafes or an agency. This doesn't make them all fake.