Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	I haven't seen any Russian women who are satisfied by a spineless man. I have seen quite a few spineless men who "got scammed." Me too	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-26 19:55:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	He does, however, have the Russian/RUB attitude of men toward women. He likes Alla but says "she talks too much" Alla likes his wife very much and it is probably her "best friend" here but says her husband is "too bossy". Sounds sort of like the couple I have been posting about around here lately. I think GF is a balloon head, Vika thinks her husband has no spine at all. All a matter of perspective I guess.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-25 20:10:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	Is there a noticeable difference between "Ukrainian Russians" and "Russian Russians?" I know you guys with more Ukraine experience have probably made some personal observations... what stands out for you? As for me, I have a little experience with Russians from Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Lithuania. I have seen a distinct difference between ethnic Russians (older, former FSU ethnic Russians) from Lithuania and Lithuanians from Lithuania. The folks from Kyrgyzstan seemed to be pretty Russified whether they were ethnic Russian or ethnic Kyrgyz. The Belarussian girls I got to know a little seemed just like the Russian girls I knew but I didn't get to know them well enough to spot differences. Lithuanians - what stood out most for me when I visited Lithuania was that the Lithuanians (not the ethnic Russians) seemed very hostile to Russia and Russians. Our tour guide on my first visit to Vilnius was an ethnic Russian, married to a Lithuanian guy. She said that her inlaws refused to speak to her in Russian, and refused to respond if she spoke to them in Russian. My ex sometimes couldn't get directions on the street if she asked in Russian. The cool thing was that I could ask most any one under thirty the same question in English and get a polite response. Same deal in Poland, although most Lithuanians apparently speak fluent Russian and not as many Polish do. Belarussians - look and behave the same as Russians I am told. Can't speak from any experience, as I have never been to Russia. What struck me while doing business in Minsk was the marked inferiority complex some of my partners had towards Russia. Everything Russian was understood to be better, and it was good to be considered ethnic Russian. My ex's father had been in the Soviet Air Force, and stayed in Lida after his service was up. She considered herself Russian, and never spoke Belarussian if she could help it. She was very disturbed that she couldn't lose her Belarussian accent, and felt like she was treated poorly whenever she went to Russia because of her accent.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-25 09:38:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	Let's just say we went east for a better woman than what was available at home. Not stirring at all, Noooooo! Awwwwwwwwwwww, I think they know I'm kidding. Liar	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-22 21:56:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	Brad, these are Ukrainian women we are talking about. Though related, they are not EXACTLY the same as Russians. You probably won't get anywhere with that. VV is on "hiatus"	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-21 10:50:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	Herpes is forever. That's what I was thinking. I had this image of the driver taking orders like a kid at McDonald's - "so that'll be an order of herpes, with a side of crotch crickets? - comin' up!!".	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-21 07:28:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	Renting a flat at the airport can be done, nearly any of the drivers know of places (and get "commissions" for bringing you there) It is as reliable as any other method, especially for short stays when they really won't reserve a particular apartment anyway. I never worried about internet, because...well, I just don't worry about internet, anything on the internet will be here when I get back...but internet in Ukraine is anything but reliable. we have ful service internet at our flat in Donetsk, paid a year in advance, and when Alla arrived there in May...no internet. It took her several days, and being told more than once that she "would probably not have internet ever again" Finally after about a week, and several vists by "service men" she got it turned back on. Hopefully it will work for you. Maybe so, but I still wouldn't rent that way. My rationale is this; why land at the airport and try to work out a rental when there are easily a half dozen companies (recommended by vjers who used them) that have everything you need? As to the internet, the internet cafes are everywhere in central Kiev, and cheap too. Last time I was there I went often to the cafe above the post office (across the street from that huge mall on Kruschatik). I managed to work from there and everything - although it got pretty hot in there.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-20 08:10:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	I wasn't fooling anyone in Moscow. Just standing there was bad enough, I didn't even have to open my mouth. Right. As soon as I got out of the car, she was sure that all price negotiations would fail. Oddly, Vika and I stop there every time we go back to Kherson, and the coffe cakes are still two hrvna!	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-19 08:08:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	If you do it, let her do all the talking. Don't let your accent give you away. Right! On my first trip to Ukraine, my buddy's wife asked me not to get out of the car at our stop mid-way between Odessa and Kherson. She said to give her ten minutes to buy us food and coffee. The stop was one of those raodside truck stops with a kind of FSU food courts inside, but fish and produce vendors outside. She said "as soon as they see you all the prices will double". I can imagine what trying to rent an apartment would be like.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-17 05:46:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	I am headed to Kyiv this weekend also. I have used kievrent.net about 10 times over the past five years. They have always treated me well. Their driver is picking me up at the airport on Sunday and taking me to my apartment. Check out their website and contact them. We used Kievrent.net too. Good company, decent rates and good locations. I like that there are English speakers on staff, so I can call them if I have questions or problems, and don't have to try and get Vika to do it.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-16 14:25:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Article on Russian marriage fraud:		Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-05 10:30:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Article on Russian marriage fraud:	Are those questions for our FSU female counterparts? If so, I see almost most of them being yesses...	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-02 19:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Article on Russian marriage fraud:	No harm done, I can understand all of you being frustrated with people putting you down for your choice of spouse. In the end it is your choice and if you two are happy it isn't for anyone to judge. I also get tired of people questioning my choice in marrying a woman from the U.S. when they know nothing about my wife. I didn't marry her because of where she is from, it just happened, I saw her and said this is who I will marry. As for Lebanon, the only thing I can tell you about it is that it is more like a European country than a middle eastern country, the people just happen to speak Arabic. Even though there are religious fanatics most of the people aren't that way. Like any country in the east (or old world) it is full of contradictions, hate, weird traditions, and ancient grudges. Appreciate the response. There are some fairly sharp critical comments made about American gals on this forum at times. Personally I have no beef with American women (no pun), and believe there are good people everywhere. My match just happens to hail from Ukraine, and I won't get into all the cultural and other things that I find attractive about her or her country. As you can see, some of us are irritated with the entire female population of Ukraine or Eastern Europe being put down. If you have a problem with any one in particular, why not direct your posts at them?	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-01 20:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Article on Russian marriage fraud:	Funky Solar Underwear	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-01 20:25:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Article on Russian marriage fraud:	play nice - and it might be a good idea to stop using the word hijacking. Charles! Stop ruining our internet, you foul villian	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-31 22:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Article on Russian marriage fraud:	Not one person, they are all over Lebanon, UAE, and New York. They have very bad reputations. And why are you so defensive all of the sudden and accusing me of hijacking planes in other threads? I have plenty of money to buy a ticket grow up AW - I haven't read the other posts you mention, but what you are seeing here is years worth of irritation. Some of us have been reading drive-by posts about the temperment, motivation, etc. of Eastern Europeans for too long not to call the poster out. Nothing personal, but it is the same I think as some one calling you a terrorist because you are from the Middle East. I know next to nothing about Lebanon, except what my dad's grouchy neighbor Esam tells me. I do know not to judge your entire national culture on the behavior of a 65 year old immigrant.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-31 13:16:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Article on Russian marriage fraud:	Yes I did read the article and my comment was not about the article, it was towards the previous poster talking about the life sentence with American woman. I don't like when people are all generalized into one stereotype because of where they are from. I am Arab from Lebanon, does being Arab mean I am a suicide bomber or terrorist? My uncle in Lebanon is married to a woman from Ukraine and she has done nothing but cause his immediate family and extended family grief and anxiety, but I know not all women from Ukraine are this way. On the other hand my wife is American, I met her while on business in Shenzhen. I was at a trade show and she was working as an English teacher. Much to everyones surprise she is a beautiful caring woman, wife to me, and mother to our 2 year old daughter. I don't like generalization either. Would feeling sorry for "all Russian women who married the American men" be a generalization? You are correct that not all Ukrainian women bring grief to their families, just like not all Lebanese belong to Hezbollah. Thanks for acknowledging that. And for the record I do not feel bad for American women who marry Lebanese men. Your wife apparently found something in you that called out to her - and she chose to listen to the call. Our Ukrainian wives might have found the same. Brad's comment about a drive-by hit the nail on the head. Anyone that visit's the RUB is always in for a rough going. I guess my didn't sink in. But then, his personal family experience with a Ukrainian woman probably clouds his judgment. If you can't handle generalizations, get out of the RUB. Maybe we need more guns and pies again. A pleasure to be understood. On the other hand, blessed be the peace makers, right?	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-30 16:55:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Article on Russian marriage fraud:	I feel sorry for the poor Russian women who married the American men. Thanks for the drive-by. Was your comment about the article at all, or just a general statement? Did you READ the article?	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-30 10:58:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Belarus (Polish embassy) Questions K-1 visa	My fiance's interview is soon and I had just a few questions: 1. I-134 question: I have a co-sponser (my father) and was wondering about his tax returns.... he had only the one from last year. Is this bad? Do I need to have more than one year's return or I could be denied? 2. For anyone who travelled to Poland with their fiance: I was just wondering how difficult it is to get to the Polish Embassy in Warsaw from the airport. I am planning on meeting her there and spending a week with her.. The place we will stay is near the embassy. My recolection is that the embassy isn't at all close to the airport. The good news is that the embassy is (again, my memory is a little fuzzy) closer to old town and the city center. Good Luck!	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-05 07:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Customs Question	In any case, I wouldn't get a transformer unless I was worried about the quality of my power supply. Even though your power supply efficiency will be better at 220, your system efficiency will be less considering loss in the transformer. If you are worried about surges, get a surge protector. I have a $15 multizone adapter from Radioshack that has lasted me for eight years traveling all over the place. Vika uses a $5 adapter to charge her Ukrainian cell here. Two years, no problems.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-08 16:44:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview at Kiev	The times when I pay for tickets to Ukraine, I will be mumbling,"WHY don't we live on the east coast?" Speaking of tickets. I am meeting Liana in New York(JFK) on Sept. 3 and spending the night there. We will be stopping by the "city of lights", not Paris, Las Vegas for 2 nights on our way back to Hawaii. No, we are not getting married there. Just want her to see it. Congrats Liana will love Vegas.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-13 06:11:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	please advice	If you are traveling from America to Belarus, and only transfer in Warsaw (less than 24 hours in the terminal I think), you won't need a visa. Now the new International Terminal is complete, and you move through a security check and down one floor to your next flight. At no point should you have to even see a passport control officer. My wife has transferred with a Ukrainian passport in Warsaw (with and without a green card) several times with no visa. A transit visa is typically required when your connection is late enough that you need a day or night in the country where you are making your transfer. Incidentially I don't think a transit visa is difficult for an American green card holder to get in Poland either, so long as your flight out is 24 hours after your arrival. I saw a member here post that his wife was able to get a transit visa and spend a day shopping when her flight was delayed - putting her over the time limit.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-10 08:21:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	She's here!	Yeah, the concept of a 40 hour work week is very foreign to our wives for the most part. But then, we Americans are working fools. My wife had a job for about a year but quit 1 1/2 years ago. I was okay with that, but now it would help to have her bringing in money instead of spending it. I'm still fighting the stereo type of "Rich American". If I'm rich, why am I still working? But as so many others here have said, why have a normal time schedule when you have nothing to do all day except watch TV, talk on the phone (usually outside this country), spend the day doing one load of laundry and then make dinner. What I don't understand is why I end up eating alone so much? I come home from work about the regular time each day but lots of time the dinner is ready and I'm eating alone. She already ate and so did her son or he's off doing something with friends or maybe working. Okay, that's my b#tch for the day. Vika wanted to work some temp job her BFF suggested. I went to war over it because it was in one of the worst areas in the city and she had just started driving. I look forward to her starting school again after her next trip to Ukraine. There is something to be said for having something to occupy your time during the day. As to eating, I often find myself the only one eating, primarily because she is dieting like crazy before the trip to Ukraine. If she wants to eat salty fish and garlic eggplant, it is better that I have my beef and potatoes later.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-11 16:38:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	She's here!	Our discussions usually kick up around 11pm. Doesn't help that her sister is with us and is job hunting and my 2 kids are with us as well for another week. I think the syndrome we're suffering from is too-much-to-doism. wedding, car, job, kids, parents coming, cooking, shopping, curtains. Hard to fit beer time in an appropriate spot. Seems drinking in the shower isn't ok in Russia either. (yes I'm kidding) ...(last time I did that I had soap in my eyes and tried chugging a bottle of Sauve) I'm looking forward to couple of months down the road when it'll be just her and I and a little more peace and quiet. And I don't mean to sound like I'm b*tching about anything, just color commentating! Also commenting generally - not on your situation at all. And it doesn't sound at all like complaining, just life-stuff that comes along with the territory. Except for shampoo drinking	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-10 14:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	She's here!	What's with going to bed at 3 or 4 in the morning? I feel like I've been up all night partying by the time I drag my ####### into work. "Damn man, you go out drinking?" No! I was cooking! Or cleaning! Or shopping for cars online. "You think we can call and look at it?" At 2 am? No, no I don't think that would be a good idea baby. I get that occasionally, usually when Vika has down time and is bored. Since she will sleep 'till lunch, I get sucked into the "let's compare the price of that on the internet" discussion at 11:00 sometimes. The busier she is, the better I sleep One thing I read here and talk about with vjers sometimes is the tendency of their SO or spouse to try to stay on Ukraine time (or PI time, China time, etc.) to communicate with friends and relatives there. Vika doesn't do that, but it sounds like another syptom of don't-have-enough-to-do syndrome.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-10 13:52:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	She's here!	As for the Ukrainian coffee pot, that sounds a lot like the old percolators from years ago. Buy some filters and put one in the bottom where the coffee goes in before brewing. If she complains, ask her to try it first. If that doesn't work, start drinking instant coffee. A turka isn't big enough for a filter. Think of a large metal cup with a long handle on it. And i don't drink coffee brewed that way, although I did try it once (yech).	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-09 21:49:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	She's here!	OMG Alla says that also. Or just "And...what?" She also uses the Ukrainian contraption, a little copper pot shaped like a beaker, to boil coffee with the grounds and all. She also calls it "natural coffee" Begging the question "why do coffee grounds in your teeth make the coffee natural?"	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-08 18:35:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	She's here!	LOL. I love the way you put that, "some Ukrainian contraption." Best laugh I've had all week. The contraption is called a "?????????" or "?????". It is a big metal cup with a long handle that rests on the stove directly. Coffee is "cooked" with the water and then strained through a metal filter. Since the filter is much less fine than the paper ones we use, there will be about two inches of grounds at the bottom of the cup. OK as a man who is about to have his Ukrainian bride move 7000 miles across the Atlantic you ppl have oficially scared the S**t out of me LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As it should be Be afraid..... be VERY afraid!	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-08 16:32:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	She's here!	Ira felt the same way at first, but quickly adjusted to the convenience factor -- and the preservation powers couldn't be argued with. "Look - eets steel not molding!" Vika would sa "and so what?"	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-08 13:14:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	She's here!	I've been listening to that same stuff for almost five years. It seems that all of the products here in America are just not as good as what was available in the FSU. I was really beginning to think that us poor Americans would soon die of food poisoning. What it looks like is we are all going to die from heart disease because of the excess we eat and of course, junk food. Now I just let it roll off my back. "Yeah, sure honey, whatever you say." Our sour cream is just not good enough but she does buy the light sour cream since we can't make the trip to the Russian stores as often as she would like. I think I'll mention that we should buy cmatana next time and mix it with light sour cream and store as much as possible (does it freeze well?). What I really don't understand is this salty fish baloney. If this is so good for us, why is she (and others) always telling to stop using so much salt on our food. I will agree, we do use too much salt, but the comparison seems to fall on deaf ears. I believe that salty fish is a total blind spot in Vika's perception of healthy menu options. Kind of like when I say that gamburgers taste so good I don't want to know how bad they are. She still leaves it on the counter sometimes, and left me a present of stinky fish remains in the kitchen can two days ago. Imagine me standing in the kitchen before work talking to myself "why does the whole place smell like a spoiled trash heap? Oh #######, that smell is coming from the kitchen.... and what was Vika eating on the patio yesterday.... Got it!". She does fine with the cold drinks now after eighteen months here, but she still leaves everything out on the counter. She also eats meat etc. (even pork sausage) that has been exposed for days after the serve by date. Right now she is eating toast with butter and fish eggs for breakfast, with coffee brewed in some Ukrainian contraption that leaves the grounds at the bottom of the cup. Natural coffee she says. For the fridge, we compromised and bought glass bowls with rubber lids to store food, and she mostly uses them. Getting her to actually seal the lids every time is a different thing. Turns out she was sure that all my plastic containers were poisoning us with chemicals when we put food in them.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-08 10:37:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	She's here!	Yep, go live your life of leisure! Now that she is here, she will cook and clean and do all that stuff so you can rest and watch TV, go fishing, go shooting, etc. Good luck with that Congratulations	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-20 19:51:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Record Moscow Heat	Those are the crazy ones, though. When you want to stop practicing, they sit outside your apartment all night watching you. True - not to mention keying cars, etc.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-13 20:20:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Record Moscow Heat	Church girls aren't nice. They either practice abstinence (which doesn't typically hold the interest of young men) or they go the exact opposite route and practice as much as they can. Sounds like lots of opportunity for a young guy to practice then.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-12 21:05:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Record Moscow Heat	two bait posts removed. play nice, please. i've got a sick kiddo to watch. Ruined. Again. Dude... seriously	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-03 04:44:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Record Moscow Heat		Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-28 20:26:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Removal of Conditions Problem	Yep, I save a lot of that. And, go get a library card, both of you. Even if you don't plan to use it. And sign up for a joint bank account, even if you don't use it. All of this is "normal" evidence that a US couple would normally have; so it's "valid". We have a couple of credit cards, a car loan, and a flex debit card just for that reason. Well, it builds her credit too.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-05 19:45:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Removal of Conditions Problem	Not true. As the wife of a USC she is authorized to stay indefinitely. In order for her to be deported they'd have to determine the marriage to be a sham marriage and as such, her immigration status fraudulent. As long as she entered legally and you are married, they can't deport her without a determination. Not enough evidence doesn't necessarily do that. To complicate things, I agree with the second statement, but disagree with the first (as I understand it). If she were to exit the border while not having a valid GC I think she would be stuck. If you mean by "stay", never leave the country at all, I think that USCIS probably won't waste time trying to chase or file. Not sure about work problems though. I point out the border issue because I think VV lives in Alaska, but I'm not sure as I type this. So travel to the rest of the US would be impossible too, theoretically without a GC. It seems to me that "stay indefinitely" and "can't deport without a ruling" are different things. If it were me, I would bury 'em with all that ####### most of us take to our interviews and let 'em sort it out. Photo albums, email, phone bills showing calls from the house they both live in to Russia, logs, letters, everything. Even if the letters are to just one of them, the fact that they go to the same address would qualify as evidence. The RFE is bullsh1t, so bury the USCIS with more bullsh1t. Bring a truckload of paper and rely on the government employees to be too lazy to examine it.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-04 18:34:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	2 down, 1 to go	Advance congrats to the wife slim. No doubt the new passport is in the bag.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-15 08:46:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	2 down, 1 to go	Well... yesterday, after almost getting into an accident we had a "talk" where I basically said I'm not teaching her to drive anymore. To which she responded: "yeah, you are just scared I'll damage your f-ing car" lalala, so yeah..... gotta go get a permit (she's driving with her Ukrainian license) and then off to driving lessons with a professional. I can't argue the "no you didn't break, you hit the accelerator" ever again. She drives fine, but the moment that I point out something she's doing wrong she gets into a crazy pi$$ed-off mood and stops noticing anything and anyone on the road. We'll see how that goes, of course, but I'd rather drive the car myself at this point. I hired some one to teach Vika and save my blood pressure. Seemed to work OK, and no problems or blame cast yet. Edited by Brad and Vika, 12 August 2010 - 09:10 PM.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-12 21:09:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	1 full day to go :)	The time has come ppl. On Tuesday morning I leave the states to continue to follow my heart and go to get my fieance(e). Her interview is on Thursday the 12th and we expect all good things. 6 months and 1 day from filing petition we never need say goodbye again. No more skype and email in our relationship, we are so excited that we will share the same home, same life and same dinner table every day. Thanks fellow VJ's for the wisdom and support. Alesya and Dallas Vika and I both wish you a fast and easy approval! After reading your comments above I would say "never say never", and leave the skype on the computer. As Vika is preparing to leave for a five week stay in Ukraine (then two weeks somewhere with me), we will probably use skype if she can get the in-laws set up with web access. She also taks to her girlfriends in Ukraine on skype often.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-08-08 16:37:00