Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	MIL visa application	They could look at your wives new baby as a reason to overstay the visa. I am sure this is not what you wanted to hear but I would suggest you go in with very exact travel dates. The nice thing is once you get one if it has been expired for less than a year you can get another without an interview and it is almost automatic. My MIL just got her second visa and is coming in a few months. Good information, thanks!	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-03-12 06:53:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	MIL visa application	My MIL came last summer, I think she has a five year visa.... and expects to take up half my summer this year too. SHe listed her job at a pre-K type place and I think I included a letter taking full responsibility for her. Good luck with that Brad. MIL now seems to be changing her mind like a wind sock. One day she is upset that Vika is pushing her to visit, the next day she is "almost ready to get visa". In all fairness, she does have an pretty ill father and FIL to deal with, but she also cites issues like taking care of her dacha as reasons to delay. She gets my wife all wound up, and we all know who gets fallout Last week she started complaining to Vika's dad about all of it and he apparently chewed her pretty good (I think Vika got to him first ). The next day she seemed very willing to start gathering the proofs. Two days later she was all worried about earthquakes or something and hadn't actually done anything. I generally just try to keep out of it - easy to do since my Russian isn't really good enough to have a conversation with MIL.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-03-11 07:41:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	MIL visa application	We have been through this circus 3 times already with denials each time. We are heading back on the 24th for 3 weeks and the MIL will interview again while we are there. I scheduled the appointment and mentioned that I would like to attend the interview as well but was told it is not possible even if I am a USC and inviting the MIL for a visit. We have tried using our State Senators, and Congressman as well.....to no avail. The MIL is retired, owns a house (not just a flat), helps care for her 84 year old mother, has her son & his wife, brother and others there to return to. She has traveled abroad before (Schengen Visa) and returned home. We just do not know what the hell they are expecting. It is a very unfair system that relies on the subjective opinion of one person to approve/deny the request. It is sad that any corrupt Oligarch with blood on his hands can come here at will. Hell, we even have friends here who have somehow managed to have their parent(s) visit even though they themselves are here on work or student visas and not LPR's. Good luck. I hope she gets one. In the mean time we will keep trying until they are sick of seeing her at the consulate. Please keep us informed. Vika and I read so much on VJ about how easy this is, and although scary, it is good to hear a balancing opinion.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-03-07 11:54:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	MIL visa application	.... she can call her mom. Don't get me started on the phone-a-thons. Stress is not required for that.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-03-06 07:42:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	MIL visa application	And why is that a problem? Her problem, not mine But as you know, when the wife experiences stress.....	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-03-05 08:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	MIL visa application	Cam. In all seriousness, I'm a firm believer that you "sponsor" your visitor here by completing all the paperwork for them and explaining that you're going to take care of your guest for whatever amount of time and then ship their @$$ home. They support that at the interview by saying, "Yeah, my rich new SIL is going to support me for a few weeks then I'm coming right back here to my husband, job, kids, and all the other stuff I really love in my life. I'm just going there for a visit to check on my daughter then coming right back here. There's no way I could stay there." Paint the picture. It also probably wouldn't hurt that if you're going to go the job route, pay the "penalty" to get some documents made showing some pretty good income. Paint it! The problem is not painting the picture, it is MIL dragging her feet. I think she is nervous about the travel and a bit stubborn. Our main worry is that Vika will get to the point where she needs her mom here and mom can't get in.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-03-04 06:54:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	MIL visa application	OK - here's an update. MIL now has most of the proofs she needs translated, but is resisting going to the service to have it done. It is frustrating my wife no end. She gets several varieties of "you don't understand how busy we are", and "stop pushing me, I will apply for a visa and come as soon as I can". Any one else hearing this?	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-03-03 19:21:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Dual Citizenship and surrendering Ukrainian one	Alla does not try to maintain a seprate identity. Or anything like that (sounds nefarious). She just wants to keep her options open if something happens to me, since we had a medical "scare" in December, I do not blame her. Alla never changed her name and I am glad she did not. Her green card and passport match, so there is never a question, but that is a personal decision. Gary, nothing personal here, but your statement above is a perfect example of the sort of thing I do not undestand. Taking or leaving a husbands last name is a personal choice imo, no right or wrong. The tradition was big in my family, so Vika did it (and she said that the same is true in Ukraine). I understand that changing a name in a Ukrainian passport, especially the internal one, can be a hassle and cause tax problems too. What I don't get is how some one has any more or less opportunity or options with one last name as opposed to another. Do "options" include presenting herself to the government or any one else in Ukraine as an unmarried person? As I said - no offense intended, but I just do not get it. And the names can be matched up at any time with the appropriate documents.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-05 17:09:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Dual Citizenship and surrendering Ukrainian one	Alla intends to be a US citizen and keep her Ukrainian passport current. She will not have any need to use the Ukrainian passport except when we go to Russia. Using that she will not need a visa. Other than that, their is absolutely no benefit to traveling on a Ukrainian passport and it will stay in the sock drawer. I read about this situation quite a bit here, and have to say that I don't entirely get it. Many Ukrainian women seem to want to maintain a separate identity in Ukraine. It seems a little strange to me. By the way, when we boarded a plane at Heathrow yesterday, there was a problem with Vika traveling under her Ukrainian passport with a GC. The ticket agent had to take a copy of her marraige certificate (we traveled with a certified copy), and see a supervisor before issuing a boarding pass. He said it was necessary to "link A to B" with names. If she is departing for the USA, she will need to show that she has the proper permission to seek entry into the USA. Her Ukrainian passport alone without a visa does not work. So she will have to try and leave Ukraine on her US passport .... the problem is that it was never stamped for entry into Ukraine.... I assume they look for the entry stamp, but don't know for sure... If they do look for an entry stamp, how will she explain how she entered? If that is questioned, then she will have to produce her Ukrainian passport and then all of a sudden something is known. Will they inquire or do something? I don't know. They always look for my entry stamp	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-05 07:40:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Please correct me if I am wrong!!!!	As usual, I am the contrarian I do not care for the trains, although they are the most dependable way to get around. I took a train with Vika to Lvov, and really hated it. I also took a cheap-seat ride from Minsk to Vilnius once, and didn't like it much. Personal preference I suppose, but I would rather take a car if possible	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-05 13:58:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Seeking couples for friendship	Thank you all for replies and good advice. Of course I want to spend as much time with my fiancee and of course we are best friends! and true, of course, it doesn't have to be a Russian or Ukrainian couple for friendship. So, I understand all that! I was just hoping to find a female friend or friends that Tatiana can spend some time with while I am at work during the day. Unfortunately, I commute to my job about 75 minutes one way (I leave at 5:10 in the morning and return at 7pm). There will be some days I will try to get home earlier and I am going to ask about working from home a few days a month. I realize a lot of the guys on VJ have plenty of money and free time but that is not my situation at this time. Anyway, it seems this will be a much more difficult goal. There are many Ukrainians and Russians in the tri-state area but that doesn't mean they all would make "good" friends (as someone noted earlier). There is an eastern Ukrainian Meetup group in Eastern Pennsylvania I think I will also try. The work time (and so time spent apart) is going to be tough. Hook up the skype, buy some phone cards, and talk together every day about how she is doing. I know you get that last bit Tim, but for the record... The more contact she keeps back home, the less lonely she will feel, and early on she will have days where she feels lost. Call us any time.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-16 14:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Seeking couples for friendship	I will restate a word of caution here about seeking Russian speaking friends. We have talked here before about how the Russian speakers who did not arrive via K visas can sometimes bear a little animosity towards those who did. Just be careful of the folks you run into at the Russian store, or the ever popular "I know a Russian guy who will do that work for less". Sometimes a shared language is not an indication of friendship or shared interests, especially if there is a big age difference, or money involved. The problem is that regardless of the issue, for a new immigrant from the FSU, the opinion or advice of another Russian speaker seems to have instant credibility. We are past that stuff now, but had some lively discussions early on. After all, why would I know anything about how my country works, right? Be patient, and be cautious.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-11 12:31:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Seeking couples for friendship	Someone who wants a little peace and quiet? There you go	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-05 19:40:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Belarus/Warsaw Interview Warning	Are they? I may be confused about the situation but I thought we were talking about getting a visa to Poland. Visas to Poland are issued by Polish government officials, not US officials. I thought you were talking about the employees inside the US embassy in Warsaw.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-19 08:05:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Belarus/Warsaw Interview Warning	That sounds like a lot of the problems that Ukraine had before the U.S. embassy started issuing visas out of the embassy in Kiev in 2003. I think the Polish government officials just enjoy hassling some of their neighbors, especially if they are for K-1 visas. Just another example of government bureaucracy not doing the complete job that they are assigned to do. But those are US Dept. of State employees, not Polish government emplopyees. The OP and belarus1 are correct though, about being able to get into Poland pretty easily and allowing plenty of time. Five years ago, K visas could be picked up the same day at the embassy, but I understand that may have changed.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-05-25 12:52:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	My consumption generally is limited to 3 shots as that seems to be the minimum required to satisfy any Ukrainian. You haven't met my wife's uncle	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-26 19:52:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	Slim and others, It took me a bit to find a suitable representation of the Honey Pepper Vodka I like. It is Khortytsa. Where did you find it? Liquor Store? Russian store?	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-25 09:45:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	I've had both and can't say I dislike either... just prefer Cap'n'Crunch. Fish eggs, whether morning or night, aren't high on my list of things to eat. When I hear all those rap songs about sippin champagne and eatin caviar, I actually feel sorry for them a little. The first time I tried the fish eggs on buttered bread was in the airport in Minsk. They were pre-prepared, under one of those cake domes on a pedestal. My ex got all excited, and insisted we have them for breakfast. Looked odd, smelled worse, but tasted OK. Live and learn.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-22 11:27:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	I did. I can't believe you combined the words "fish, eggs", and "in the morning" in one sentence.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-21 15:37:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	See pictures above	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-21 09:23:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	You've just made my wife's day. (And subsequently required me to go shopping.) Thanks. (On both counts.) Just make sure you try 'em. Both dishes are pretty good, although fish eggs in the morning don't really appeal to me.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-21 07:24:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	Hello everyone with ties to Eastern Europe. I usually am able to avoid the temptation to respond to these strings, but I could not avoid this topic. I love food, good food that is. Reading this string made me salivate. I think I need to make another trip to Kiev. First of all, I saw that salty fish stuff in the grocery stores, I just plugged my nose and picked up the pace. Catch a fresh Walleye to fry. My vote is for Borsch. My mother make the best, with chunks of beef in it, and dill. I have not had my wife’s yet, she claims she make it often. Someday, but probably not very soon, it seems we may never get through this visa journey. My ancestors are Germans from Russia. (Odessa Area) They did bring to North Dakota some very good recipes. I was impressed by the selection of breads in the grocery stores in Kiev, the meats are big time thumbs down, but very good sausages, I guess that is what you can do with poor quality meats. The Vareniki is very good, love it with cherries inside. Here in North Dakota Vareniki is known as cheese buttons. Here in North Dakota there is a group of Ukraine women that mass produce it and sell it in the grocery stores, as Vareniki, stuffed with cottage cheese, cabbage or potatoes. It has been fun reading this post. I hape I responed to this post in the proper way? birdnest Doing fine birdnest. Keep posting. As it is breakfast time, these are for you! You can actually caste a vote up top by clicking on the borsch selection. Edited by Brad and Vika, 20 July 2010 - 07:04 AM.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-20 07:03:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	Some is due to my bad translation of the cookbook and the recipe calls for beef, so I assumed...anyway, the recipe also states, roughly translated, "unlike pel'mini vareniki are not frozen before cooking" I suppose this is some purist Ukrainian thing... Vika cooks enough to feed a hungry family of four, so some of the vareniki get frozen. Doesn't seem to hurt 'em though.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-17 09:13:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	Vika reports that vareniki can have meat, cheese, or sweet stuff inside. Also that pilmeni do in fact have thin dough because they are smaller. We normally eat blini with sweets or fruit in them, and the pilmeni and vareniki have meat or cheese.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-14 13:40:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	I was in Detroit once and we visited a "Mexican" restaurant, and oh wow it was bad Not as bad as the "Ukrainian" joint in Chicago. Yech!!	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-12 16:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	I am with Slim, NO WAY, she is a fake Russian girl. ALL Russian/Ukrainian girls like onions, they have to! It is the national food, how does she eat anything without onion? Send her back to Dr. Finetush for an adjustment! Don't forget the garlic!	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-12 05:35:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	I'd say it's not so much that my wife dislikes most of the food here it's just that she knows it's so bad for her so she refuses to eat it. She won't eat fried or greasy foods except on very rare occasions and fast food is appalling to her as a daily meal. She's also very concerned about "balanced" meals and has to have a salad or some other vegetables with lunch and dinner. Me, I threw that pyramid right out the window when I was old enough to buy my own food. You guys must be doing something wrong. You have to use the cheap taco kit from the store. Old El Paso is probably the best. Let her "Russify" it by adding all those veggies and stuff, but keep it greasy and spicy and she'll love it! Or tell her it's low-fat turkey farsh, organic salsa and veggies and fat-free soy cheese. Do what you have to do. Remember, the end result is to develop a Pavlovian response to that big Bell on the Taco Bell so whenever you pass she screams "STOP! I want tacos!" My wife already likes tacos, but refuses to eat them most of the time because they are sooooo bad. Also, she is seven weeks from going back to the mothership for an Eastern European coolaid injection, so lots of rabbit food and starvation. I mena, for her - she still feeds me like a horse (but healthy and balanced). Food doesn't seem to be a problem, but she is really hard on appliances. Today I bought $120 worth of new table lamps, replacing three of the five she destroyed over the past eighteen months. She continually turns the switch the wrong way, and eventually strips it out so the lamp won't turn off. I fixed that by only letting her buy the kind with switches that click back and forth - no turning. I told her we are Vika-proofing the house Two weeks ago I bought a new manual can opener, after she managed to break that. The electric one only lasted a week after she arrived. I still can't figure out how to go lower-tech than a manual can opener.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-11 12:20:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	My wife and I rarely eat together and even if we do it's typical that she'll eat her food and I'll eat my food. I told her a few days ago I would cook some fettucine and when I was selecting the sauce (in the spaghetti sauce aisle, of course) she was saying the same thing, "fooo. Why you eat so bad food. It's so nasty from this can. You must make from fresh." Uh.... welcome to America. It's fresh in the can! There are a few packaged foods she absolutely loves. Mac & Cheese shells get her every time. And I have yet to meet the Russian who dislikes a nice Taco Dinner Kit. My culinary expertise only ranges so far. Thankfully, she likes more of it than she dislikes. However, I'm still not eating borsht for dinner. I think Vika likes more of our food than she dislikes. The list of things she doesn't mind keeps growing too, as she adapts. I doubt she will ever get over her urge to buy, cook, and eat fresh though. Good for me too!	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-10 15:46:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	That's like drinking vodka for anything that ails you. If you keep a permananent buzz... you won't feel a thing! Right!	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-05 14:11:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	I got a craving for good ol' cow meat one time and got a "gamburger" in the middle of the night at some street vendor. It was really just slabs of fatty pork or something topped with a pile of carrot slaw on a bun. I don't like fatty meat, so I tossed it and just sat on the apartment building stairs and ate my carrot-burger. That won me a lot of friends, though, as the neighboorhood cats enjoyed the pork. It's funny that people have mentioned the fish salad stuff. My wife and I used to get the salad bar at a local restaurant now and then, and they had several types of nasty fish stuff, including whole fish in a bowl and various types of salads. Then there was the salty jello with some kind of meat in it. I try to be open-minded, but it turned my stomach. Just goes to show how much influence learned behavior has on food preferences, I guess. The jello stuff is what Vika calls jellied meat. My MIL plopped a big blob of that ####### in front of me on my birthday two years ago (insert puking icon here). I choked down a few bites, then continued to eat the many delicious dishes set out. She asked me directly, in front of the whole clan, why I wasn't eating more of it. When I responded that it really wasn't my favorite thing, they all laughed like hell. I prefer stuffed peppers to golubtsi, actually Vika's stuffed peppers are awesome. One more dish I forgot to mention. I love vareniki with cottage cheese or with potatoes. I love them boiled or fried. i put yogurt on them sometimes butter as well. my most favourite meal is so called "kotlety" with mashed potatoes. yummm Oh, I love grechku. It is very healthy especially for women. Who doesn't love a good cutlet. I am not familiar with grechku **sound of scribbling** Brad, This is a good thread. I chose vareniki for reasons I can't disclose here but borscht would be second for me. It depends on how it is prepared, since everyone's borscht is just a little different. As for the salty fish thing, eating it by itself is just a bit much. One should at least have some peva (beer) to help wash it down. I have found that a couple of shots of vodka works well to prepare the palate for salty fish. Regarding vodka, we found this Ukrainian type that is honey pepper flavored. It has a bit of a bite on the tongue from the pepper. You have to be sure it's Ukrainian honey pepper vodka as the Russian versions just are quite there. My last trip to the Russian stores included a visit to a liquor store across the street that carries lots of foreign brands of liquor and beer. It took me a while to get used to sour cream (cmtana) on everything, but that's one of the things we all love about our new spouse, the variety of life. Have you tried pizza with mayo instead of tomato sauce ? I absolutely cannot choke down the stinky fish Vika buys here, but I am to the point where I can be in the room while she eats it without too much nausea. As I mentioned earlier, the fresh stuff served at cafes in Ukraine seems to taste better. I have also enjoyed the flavored vodkas. The herbal ones are supposed to help with a variety of illnesses, but I think the logic is sort of like "Guiness is a meal". If you drink enough beer, you aren't hungry, or don't care that you're hungry. If you drink herbal gorelka, you just don't care that your head is stuffy any more.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-05 06:39:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	Maybe they're thinking some of the "we're still in the building stages of my fourth K-1" guys will "accidentally" click on their site and start talking to one of their clients. There are also a few of us who've been married for a while. Maybe it's about time to "trade 'em back in for the new model." - Or at least that's what they're thinking. (I would never think that. No. Not at all.)	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-24 16:40:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	If you were married to someone from... well, certain countries, which shall remain nameless...you may do just about anything! Seems someone has decided it was a good investment Yep. Ewok sold some one on the idea	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-24 06:32:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	Not all of us are married yet! True - but that is even more strange. Why would any one come to a family visa site to find a marraige agent?	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-23 15:29:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	In honor of this thread and just good Ukrainian/Eastern European food in general, I put a new photo at our gallery, mostly because I have no idea how to add it to my post. You didn't name the dish	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-23 15:10:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	That and....hey, there is a banner ad on my screen for hot Russian/Ukrainian women. Holy cow! They have pretty women there, anyone ever notice? Too late to be advertising for us, but maybe someone from the Canadian forums will see it...eh? They should include photos of food with the girls. Anyway, yeah, if one was to read the ingredient list for borscht, I do not think it would seem to appetizing, but it sure tastes good. I wondered about that too. Seems a waste of advertising space - preaching to the choir like that Edited by Brad and Vika, 23 June 2010 - 06:21 AM.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-23 06:20:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	It was close for me, between the fried potato vareniki with zelen and the hot steaming Borsch with smetana, zelen', tender beef and a slice of black bread! On a freezing, blindingly sunny winter day with a brisk wind, nothing beats a hot bowel of Borsch at home with the missus after a long day at work! ...and THAT is why borscht is the winner (so far) in the survey!	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-22 19:53:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	I love pelmeni and varenyky a lot. Borscht too. So, I have a serious question about the stinky salty fish When I was in college, my Russian roommate used to visit family in NYC and then bring back items from the deli. She always brought back this whole smoked fish and we would basically tear it open and then just eat strips of it. Is that the salty fish or is it something different? Smoked fish is a different thing. I do occasionally share some freshly smoked salmon bits with Vika. She could eat it every day. Salty fish is a much stronger smelling/tasting thing.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-21 16:59:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	This time next month I will have the opportunity to comment a lot more on the food subject! Guys, I have to tell you, I'm committed to eating the salted fish. Tanya is convinced that if I eat it a few times, I will realize how "tasty" it is! I wouldn't bet any serious money on that, if I were you There are some kinds of salty fish that aren't too bad though. Try the stuff they sell in good restaurants. It is usually pretty fresh (I mean recently salted) - so it is easier to take.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-20 06:09:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	On????	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-18 21:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	Wait. Is he talking about the salty fish? Depends	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-17 17:04:00