Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Any Doctor Will Tell You...	QUOTE (eekee @ Aug 13 2008, 10:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> All of the above could be solved by hormonal birth control, which Russians also are scared of. Don't even get me started about the the whole "pill" thing... It baffled me, the stringent resistance to taking the pill. The pill remains unpopular in Russia and Ukraine. Abortion is free and readily available. Researching the topic, I read that the "average" 40 year-old Russian / Ukrainian woman has had at least 2 abortions. I started asking around... "what do you or your family use for birth control?" Some replied "condoms", but most replied "luck and a prayer"... Yet none admitted to ever having an abortion. When I asked why there was so much resistance to the pill, to my surprise the most common response was "because it causes weight gain!"	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2008-08-13 10:10:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Any Doctor Will Tell You...	Although this doesn't deal with health... When in Ukraine, my girlfriend will not allow me to whistle. She tells me that I will bring horrible financial hardship to the owner of the home or business. Yikes! Are you kidding me?? And if she blushes, she says it is because someone is thinking about her. At first, I just thought it was a cute saying, but then our Interpreter corrected me, and told me that it is the TRUTH! "Everyone one knows it to be true", I was told...	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2008-08-11 11:41:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Any Doctor Will Tell You...	QUOTE (1HappyGuy @ Aug 7 2008, 12:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I can understand your partner now wishing to fully engage in sex every time, but a more mild form of relief (other than a cold shower) might still be available. Consider her manipulation of the male organ using olive oil as a lubricant. It can be quite pleasurable while avoiding possibility of pregnancy or constant complete sexual experience. Just a suggestion. No wonder you are "1HappyGuy"...	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2008-08-07 16:21:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Best Value Way to Call Russia?	QUOTE (Ilya R. @ May 6 2008, 05:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (eekee @ May 6 2008, 05:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> strange... maybe i'm just lucky QUOTE (Ilya R. @ May 6 2008, 05:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> skype to skype skype to cell skype to landline probably Are you wearing a headset on both ends? I noticed that when Iryna does not uses the built-in speakers and microphone, the quality is not bad, but so-so. I shipped her a nice headset, and now the quality is tremendous. We love Skype, we can talk, see each other on the web cam, and also just chat with instant messages. We send pictures to each other by just dragging and dropping, very simple. I also use it to send SMS messages to her phone in Russian. I can see why eBay payed 2 billion bucks for Skype! Of course I'm a little worried about the future, as eBay will certainly find a way to charge more to make more... I wish it had built-in language translation for text messages, that would be handy and save me time... but what do you want FOR FREE?	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2008-05-07 03:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Best Value Way to Call Russia?	Irina and I will IM every single day, but only speak via Skype occasionally. When we talk, we use the Web Cam, and that is great to be able to see each other, it really helps with the distance apart. We have also found the Web Camera to be VERY useful for, uhm, other things...	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2008-04-02 10:29:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Best Value Way to Call Russia?	I know Skype is out for this OP, but for others who will find this thread, I wanted to throw in my Skype 2 cents also... During my last visit, I bought my Ira a laptop and web cam. So now we can instant message each other every day, and we regularly use it to talk to each other, both audio and video. And it's completely free! Because of the language barrier, if a topic becomes too complex, we can even video conference with our Interpreter, and she lives in yet a another city in Ukraine! When Ira's visa is finally approved and she moves to the US, she will leave the laptop behind for her parents. This way she will use Skype to video conference often with her parents, and it will never cost me a dime! Hard to beat that!	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2008-03-24 17:22:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Official Translations	I have had very good luck with Nevesta. They are very nice, thorough, and reasonably priced. They did all my certified translations for all my documents, including legal contracts.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2008-12-18 17:11:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	The foods they made you eat... just once.	How about the Salo? It's smoked pork fat. Yuck! My wife loves the stuff, and they all tell me it's healthy. It's pure fat! Disgusting...	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-05-15 17:09:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Aeroflot becomes Aeroflirt.......	Suit yourself mox... I think I'll fly Aeroflot next time.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-07-28 22:20:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	WebCam with limited Russian connection speed	QUOTE (Dave-n-Oksana @ Aug 17 2009, 04:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Geez Scott, if you're still doing webcam after almost a year of marriage, you're doing something wrong. Did I mention she went back to Ukraine to visit her family for the first time in a year, and won't be back for another month?!? I must admit, the first few weeks were really nice - I really enjoyed the peace and quiet. But now it's time to fire up the web cam!!	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-08-17 15:55:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	WebCam with limited Russian connection speed	Wait... I'm confused. Why does it matter what WE look like? Wait! You dudes turn on YOUR web cam too?!?! I thought she was supposed to do all the "sexing", and I was supposed to do all the watching! Sheesh, I've been doing it wrong all along... Edited by Scott and Iryna, 17 August 2009 - 01:58 PM.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-08-17 13:57:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	WebCam with limited Russian connection speed	QUOTE (baron555 @ Aug 16 2009, 12:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Haven't tried webcam sex yet! At least I wasn't the one that mentioned it! (phew) But while we're on the subject... it's kinda fun...	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-08-16 11:35:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	WebCam with limited Russian connection speed	QUOTE (johnj @ Aug 16 2009, 11:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> What have been your experiences with webcams? Other than chats, what other uses (related to our SO's) are there for webcams? Uhm... well... uhm... Nope, can't say it publicly, my SO would kill me...	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-08-16 10:53:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Long AOs wait	#######? You should have received your GC within about 2 weeks of the interview. Did the interviewer tell you he approved it? Ours told us before we left that it should be in the mail within a couple of weeks. I would travel back to the local office where she was interviewed, go to reception, and tell them that the GC must have been lost in the mail, and ask that they resend it right away. Maybe that will get them to at least pull up your account and give you a status...	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-09-28 09:25:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Help with Eastern European Saying?	My wife says your girl is simply a romantic...	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-10-22 23:43:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Help with Eastern European Saying?	You say you are using online translation. Can you post what she really said prior to the translation (or PM it to me)? I will have my Ukrainian wife look at it and give you her opinion.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-10-22 22:37:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Help with Eastern European Saying?	Sounds like a keeper!	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-10-22 22:34:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	How do people do it?	Yes, as everybody is saying, do the courthouse. Then, after she has her 2-year Green Card, you can "Honeymoon" in Russia, and have a full ceremony in her church, with her family and friends.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-11-03 10:25:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Waiting for Interview	At least now you have a date. You know when the interview will happen, even though it's a long time from now. The problem with waiting for NOA2 is that there is no date, and you have no idea how long the wait will be. Never knowing how much longer was excruciating for me... especially as I watched couples being approved who filed after me. Waiting for the interview was a piece of cake...	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-11-05 12:54:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Wonders of the new World	Darn... I was afraid it was just my crazy wife that doesn't like pancakes and syrup... Another thing she finds new and amazing... skunks. Unsurprisingly, she is not impressed.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-12-23 14:08:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Wonders of the new World	I feel strange posting an on-topic reply, after this thread has gone so horribly awry. Nevertheless, here goes... As discussed earlier in the thread (when it was actually on topic), my wife has also discovered many new things, wonderful and amazing. However, there were a couple of things I really thought she WOULD find amazing, yet she DOES NOT. For instance, peanut butter. I really thought she would love it, but she could care less. More astonishing, she hates pancakes and maple syrup! What?? How is this possible? She not only dislikes it, but seems offended by the taste and smell of the syrup. Has this happened to anyone else, or is it just my crazy wife?? Edited by Scott and Iryna, 23 December 2009 - 01:39 PM.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-12-23 13:38:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Wonders of the new World	Yes, the electric can opener... My wife has been here over a year now, and she still can not work the electric can opener correctly. I don't get it. I don't specifically see what she's doing wrong, yet it still doesn't work for her. I walk over, put the can in, works every time... what's up with that?? And she refuses to use the peeler. She uses a knife to peel potatoes and carrots. Even when she watches me next to her, peeling in half the time, she continues to say she doesn't like it, and the "quality" of my peeled potatoes is below hers... oh well.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-12-18 11:31:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Driving? What did you do?	I spent a significant amount of time teaching her (she also had never been behind the wheel of a car), and it was quite scary! Private lessons or classes were out of the question because her English was very poor. She is much better now (almost a year later), and has had 3 or 4 private lessons. New Hampshire does not have a Russian version of the drivers manual, but California does. Obviously it's not the same, but there is enough in common for her to learn. I downloaded it from here: www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/foreign_hdbk/dl600R.pdf She reads each section, and then we practice. Hopefully by the spring she'll be ready to take her tests. I sure hope so!!	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2009-12-19 13:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Have you been lableled yet?	... People leave because they have completed their visa journeys and have better or more important things to do. Good point. I'm outta here.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-01-05 20:27:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Any fiancee visa documents I can bring with me when I see my girlfriend???	Hi Chris, My reply may cause some flack, because this site is set up to help you do everything yourself, and of course, you can. However, I chose to hire a service to help me through the process, and I am so glad that I did. It only cost me around 500 bucks or so, and they helped me through the whole process, from start to finish. First, they sent me a kit to take with me on my visit to see her, in preparation for the K-1 Visa. It included detailed instructions (such as precise specifications for the passport-style photos you will both need) and even a questionnaire, written in the Russian language, for your girl to fill out that will provide information to be used when filing. They also include a sample Intent to Marry for her to write and sign, as well as detailed instructions on what evidence you should acquire during your trip. Then, they will fill out all the forms for you, and will translate all of the necessary documents. All you do is sign them and take them to the Post Office. They will answer all your questions while you wait for approval, and will tell you what comes next. Most importantly, they will contact your girl directly and, speaking to her in Russian, they will explain the process to her. When you finally get your NOA2, they will discuss the Medical Exam and prep her for her Interview. This step saved me so much stress and worry. The service I used is called "Nevesta" (Russian for "bride"): Fiancee-Visa-K1.net They are a married couple (he is American, she is Russian), and they are very helpful and knowledgeable. They were recommended to me by another couple, and I will strongly recommend them to anyone going through this process. I even used them to provide me with a certified translation of my Prenup Agreement (which is another subject that will cause a LOT of flack on this site)... In any case, best of luck on your journey! - Scott Edited by Scott and Iryna, 19 February 2010 - 06:26 PM.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-02-19 18:25:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	English Teacher Needed	Your best bet is to enroll her in your local ESL classes. They are free. In addition, I would recommend a tutor. If you have Skype, she can do it over the computer. If you have Skype, and are interested in this, I would be happy to recommend someone for you. She is very good (my Iryna says she is wonderful), and she lives in Ukraine. It's only $10 per 1-hour Skype lesson, and she accepts credit cards via PayPal.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-03-20 16:52:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	hotel close to kiev embisy	I completely agree, usually... I almost always rent an apartment during my visits. But for only 3-5 days, I much prefer the convenience of a hotel. And he wants to be close to the Embassy. I think a hotel is a better choice in this case.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-03-28 14:36:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	hotel close to kiev embisy	The RUS hotel. Cheap, clean, very near the embassy. Hotel Rus	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-03-28 13:27:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	The Win-Win of using the "Ignore" figure	I would post a reply, but I'm ignoring you.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-05-09 20:12:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	My First Visit To Ukraine!	You have an attitude problem that's very clear to see by your snide comments that add nothing to your posts. If you're genuinely displeased, find the nearest exit. If you want to challenge somebody, act like a man and speak up. I would like to be a man and speak up. I would like to challenge you. I have an attitude problem?? Gimme a break. You mean snide comments like "Disingenuous" and "You talk sideways"? Gimme another break. Or, as another poster did, use the ignore feature. No one's forcing you to read this stuff. Great idea! I just added you to my ignore list. Thanks for the suggestion. I'm sure you'll come up with great retort but, alas, I won't see it...	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-05-16 21:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	My First Visit To Ukraine!	Disingenuous. If you were afraid, you'd use common sense and avoid the topic. You talk sideways. Nice. As always, a useful and informative post. Edited by Scott and Iryna, 16 May 2010 - 07:47 PM.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-05-16 19:47:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	My First Visit To Ukraine!	Um, ok. Just for the record. I never said anything about a pre-nup... And I would never. Sorry, dude. I was afraid this would happen, as it happens all the time here. And also just for the record, I never suggested you get a pre-nup. I simply said that I had used Nevesta to translate my pre-nup, to imply I trusted them greatly.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-05-16 18:56:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	My First Visit To Ukraine!	... and they have nothing to do with dieath, that is what WILLS are for. You are joking, right? A pre-nup has nothing to do with death? A pre-nup determines how property is divided in the event a marriage is dissolved. Death doesn't dissolve a marriage? Dude, you can not WILL away what isn't yours... Let's say some divorced guy has a $700,000 net worth, and has a few kids. He gets married, and dies 6 months later. Without a pre-nup, that guy CAN'T will $600,000 to his kids (divided equally) and $100,000 to his wife. It's not his to give away!	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-05-16 18:18:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	My First Visit To Ukraine!	To my knowledge there is no state that requires a prenup or translation for an immigrant to be signed in the country of that immigrants origin (not saying it isn't true, just that I don't know), but arguably signatures, notarization, and witnesses that presumably cannot be examined at depth would be an easy way to blow up an agreement. No, it's not that it is a requirement by state law. The issue is that many, many pre-nups have been deemed invalid by divorce courts because the immigrant claimed either misunderstanding (because it wasn't made clear in their native language), or duress (because the pre-nup was presented AFTER arriving in the States, and therefor seemed to become a condition of the marriage). The first is addressed by having an attorney in their country meet with them to discuss it in detail, and document such a meeting. The second one is addressed by doing all this BEFORE they enter this country, and LONG before the actual wedding. In my case, my pre-nup was to protect my children. If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, my grown children still deserve the bulk of my estate, just as they did prior to my wedding. So, my pre-nup simply protects my assets prior to the marriage. Anything acquired after the wedding is normal joint marital property. A pre-nup can be an attempt to protect future assets as well, but I don't think that's fair and I opted not to do so, even though my lawyer stressed that I should protect myself in the future. But again, this was not a matter of trust for me, it was a matter of protecting my children. Edited by Scott and Iryna, 16 May 2010 - 05:01 PM.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-05-16 17:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	My First Visit To Ukraine!	"... can marry anyone you want, even someone you don't trust..." Not flack, eh? Look, being naive and unrealistic is also an option for some men. I get it. Now that we've both offered our opinions, let it rest. We don't need to degrade yet another thread into useless bashing.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-05-16 15:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	My First Visit To Ukraine!	Personally, I would call off an engagement if I even once had a thought a pre-nup was necessary. Just sayin'. Here comes that flack I was talking about...	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-05-16 13:02:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	My First Visit To Ukraine!	There is nothing wrong with making her sign a pre-nup, but... ... if it has not been reviewed and amended by an attorney on her behalf, it will be like signing toilet paper because it can easily be thrown out in court during divorce proceedings in any state. Moreover, her attorney cannot be paid by you. So, you'll have a very tough time drawing a pre-nup that will stand the test of court during a nasty divorce. A better solution is to make sure that you will not need one ... or a post-nup, when she can find and pay for own representation. Good luck! This is a good point. A "standard" prenup is useless. It is very important that you use an attorney who is versed in International prenups. There is a special prenup required in these cases. I had a certified translation made of the prenup, and sent to her. She then needed to find her own lawyer locally who explained it in detail to her in Russian, and then the attorney signed the actual prenup, stating that it was explained and fully understood. This must take place BEFORE she comes to the US on her visa. Then in the US, we both sign before the notary. Without these steps, the pre-nup will most likely not hold up...	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-05-16 12:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	My First Visit To Ukraine!	As everyone has said, forget the attorney. It will cost you over 2 grand (not including the costs of the actual filing), and they do very little for you. However, if you are like me, and you don't have a lot of time, and you want somebody to personally help you through the journey and give you immediate advice, then there are some very good services out there. I chose to hire a service to help me through the process, and I am so glad that I did. It only cost me around 500 bucks or so, and they helped me through the whole process, from start to finish. First, they sent me a kit to take with me on my visit to see her, in preparation for the K-1 Visa. It included detailed instructions (such as precise specifications for the passport-style photos you will both need) and even a questionnaire, written in the Russian language, for your girl to fill out that will provide information to be used when filing. They also include a sample Intent to Marry for her to write and sign, as well as detailed instructions on what evidence you should acquire during your trip. Then, they will fill out all the forms for you, and will translate all of the necessary documents. All you do is sign them and take them to the Post Office. They will answer all your questions while you wait for approval, and will tell you what comes next. Most importantly, they will contact your girl directly and, speaking to her in Russian, they will explain the process to her. When you finally get your NOA2, they will discuss the Medical Exam and prep her for her Interview. This step saved me so much stress and worry. The service I used is called "Nevesta" (Russian for "bride"): Fiancee-Visa-K1.net They are a married couple (he is American, she is Russian), and they are very helpful and knowledgeable. They were recommended to me by another couple, and I will strongly recommend them to anyone going through this process. I even used them to provide me with a certified translation of my Prenup Agreement (which is a subject that will cause a LOT of flack on this site)... In any case, best of luck on your journey! - Scott	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-05-14 10:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Sending Flowers In Kiev	I've had good luck with FlowersToUkraine. You can also have them take a photo of the delivery, or even take a video.	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-06-21 00:26:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	We had good luck with Stay In Ukraine. On our last trip, we rented this flat, and it was very nice. It's large, and we shared it with another couple. These guys also offer transfers to/from the airport for a very good rate. I will use them again my next trip. Here we are enjoying this apartment: Attached Files  Ukraine - May 108_Vga.jpg   50.75KB   34 downloads  Ukraine - May 159_Vga.jpg   43.54KB   31 downloads	Scott and Iryna	Not Telling	Ukraine	2010-07-15 09:58:00