ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusMoscow Interview

You sure it's not the other way around?

Both http://moscow.usemba...ivisas_doc.html and http://moscow.usemba...packet4-eng.pdf mention only DHL.

100% sure. My interview was in July - that's when they announced that there will be changes starting Sept. 1st. When I had my interview, it was still DHL, now it's Pony Express.
Those are old guides. Your wife should read the new guides, this guide in Russian has all the information about Pony Express: http://russian.mosco...packet4-rus.pdf
Go to http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ru/ for more information. Your wife will need to register on this website and provide the address for passport delivery.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-01-27 09:14:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusMoscow Interview

Pony Express? I thought it was strictly pre-addressed DHL at this point.

Since September 1st 2011 it's Pony Express in Russia.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-01-24 10:20:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusMoscow Interview

So it's unrealistic to think they would issue it on the same day?

In Moscow - yes.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-01-03 17:25:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusIs being 'hard headed' a RUB chick trait ?

MIPT had a highly competitive selection process for UKRAINIAN students to attend. In fact he had to win a regional math competition to qualify to apply. Alla took him to Moscow several times during the period we were processing the visa for exams and interviews. He got accepted that summer before we got our visa so obviously after all that, he was not going to just leave and hope he could go back the next year. Maybe not so competitive for Russians, I do not know, but I think yes. Sergey could not get a scholarship for a bachelor's degree, we had to pay cash in advance, though it was very reasonably priced, I am not complaining about that. He did get one of very few scholarships for a master's offered to "foreign" students and he is actually registered as a citizen of Ukraine but a resident of the USA. That complicated things a bit but we had to do so to protect his green card.

And they do assign a GPA there but it is based on a 5.0 scale rather than 4.0.

They don't assign GPA in most schools in Russia. They only have an "honor" diploma (a red one) or a regular one (blue).
MIPT is a state university too. It's not as competitive as the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, but it is a pretty good school (as most State universities in Russia are). Private Universities and Institutes in Russia are bad places to study in. A State University is a place to go.
ONAFemaleRussia2011-12-27 20:22:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusIs being 'hard headed' a RUB chick trait ?

You do not get a paid scholarship at MIPT with a 3.5 average, it is true. You won't even get a scholarship at State U with that. You MAY get admitted.

You do get a scholarship in Russia if you was admitted to a STATE funded program (you should score well in admissions tests for that) and if you don't get any C's. That's it. You don't have to have strait A's. Plus in Russia the whole concept of a State University is different - State Universities are the best schools in the country like Moscow State University and many others.
I have no idea what my GPA is (we don't have GPAs in Russia), shouldn't be that high at all - about 3.3 or 3.4. My bad - I skipped classes to be able to work (it was impossible otherwise, because we usually had classes from 9.30-11 am to 5-7 pm - usual working hours). That was entirely my decision - high GPA and an honor diploma by itself doesn't mean anything, I chose a lower GPA + work experience.
ONAFemaleRussia2011-12-27 11:37:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusIs being 'hard headed' a RUB chick trait ?

I think this is a valid point... Most of my Russian friends are around my age and weren't even in school yet when the Soviet Union fell, grew up with the same movies and TV shows I did, etc. I don't see much difference in talking with them versus talking with my American friends, except that my Russian friends are less PC. And even if you're dealing with someone older who did grow up under the Soviet regime, if you have someone like Gary's Alla, who is well-educated, sophisticated, well-traveled, etc., I think that makes a huge difference.

travelling definitely makes anybody more open-minded. It's true about Americans too.
And yeah... I was 2 years old when USSR collapsed.
I think people, who grew up in 1980-s are different too. My parents finished school in 80-s, they differ a lot from my friends' parents, who went to school in 70-s.
ONAFemaleRussia2011-12-24 14:41:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusIs being 'hard headed' a RUB chick trait ?

I know what your saying. RUB people tend to speak a lot louder than we do in general. I thought the same thing at first...that they were arguing a lot until I found out later they just tend to speak loud, and use a lot of expression during a convo that we don't use.

Really? I always thought Americans were a lot louder than Russians. Actually I think that Americans are louder than most Europeans and Asians.

Who said we won?

Frankly, the world seemed better with one enemy...rather than dozens. The USSR kept the smaller rogue countries in check. These little countries figured we wouldn't nuke em...but the USSR was another story...better not test them. China remained second fiddle behind the Kremlin too.

I don't know... There are some enemies you created yourself... Like Afghanistan...
And now there is a huge China debt and everything is "made in China"... So the USA is sponsoring China, while China supports the regime in North Korea. That's kind of sad.
ONAFemaleRussia2011-12-22 14:45:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusIs being 'hard headed' a RUB chick trait ?

I think it's ALL RUBbers, not just the women. They are "always right," even when everything else you can find on the internet or in books says they are wrong. All of the internet and printed media is wrong, not them.

:lol: Yes, that's true.

Yes, the yelling was there too at times...mainly from her. My poor neighbors.

Yelling is not a Russian thing though. I never yell. I never heard my parents yelling. I usually have enough arguments to prove my point without getting loud.

I get tired of arguing though, I'd rather be like "You can think what you want, nothing is going to change my opinion and I don't want to talk about it anymore".
ONAFemaleRussia2011-12-22 13:11:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusMy Medical at IOM
Thank you for sharing your experience! I'm sure it will be helpful for some VJ users.
I had my medical in IOM a little over half a year ago and it was also very easy and smooth.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-01 12:32:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian Tvorog / ?????? ??????
The easiest way is to find a Russian store in your area, they'll have tvorog there.
Or you can look for farmer's cheese in regular stores. You can also buy cottage cheese or ricotta - it's close, but not exactly the same.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-01-31 04:27:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarusnat geo

I also am a bit dismayed at your lack of respect for women from 3rd world countries. I do not consider RUB as such but still, you think a woman can be enslaved for a green card? Seriously? You have a much higher regard for the value of a green card than my wife.

I don't think that Mrs. Brock was trying to say that it's OK, when a women gets treated like that over a green card. I think she was trying to say that some men think that if they "saved" a woman from one of "poor" countries, they have a right to treat her in any way they want or "send her back" if they don't like something. It's not OK, when a woman left her job, her family and friends to be with her man and maybe just adjusted to the new way of life. But it happens sometimes, unfortunately.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-06 05:32:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarusnat geo

It would be interesting to know the percentage of RUB women who return home in the first 90 days.

More, than you might think.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-03 21:21:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarusnat geo

Slim, you need to define "jackpot" for me to judge your anecdotal views. But, anyway, I don't think there is a clear correlation between money and marital success...excluding scams and ridiculously short courtships for guys with more money than good sense.

Sometimes the issue is the woman is too successful or happy with her life back in Russia...so when they come here and have to work at the Sears Vacuum Department, and/or live in some boring town, they want out. My wife was used to calling the shots and being independent of men. She had a big business with quite a few employees. She comes here and works at the PX for $8.00 an hour or helps some old lady for $12.00 an hour.

I have a friend who lives in Portland Oregon. He brings his successful Russian accountant wife over. She can't get a job and hates Portland. She went back to Russia for 6 months. Their future is not clear. I think disappointment and homesickness are big problems...more than money.

My truth is this whole deal with Russians is complicated. No one answer...but a matrix of issues. The younger the husband the better...to have a good job (versus a fixed income) and the physical and emotional energy to deal with the equivalent of a 14 year-old girl. I ran out of energy from all that she required of me. The money thing was a factor but not key.

A lot of it is very true. That's why in my case I'm glad that I live right next to Baltimore and DC - I mean living in either of them is probably not a very good idea, but we can go there every day just to have fun if we want to, so it's not so bad. I can't imagine living in a small town in the middle of nowhere, when there's absolutely nothing to do there.
Work situation depends on the area too, I guess. I see a lot of Russian people here and they don't work for minimum wage, but make a good living.
Also, age matters. I think it's easier for somebody of my age to get used to something new than it is for somebody in their 40s. Although, some women seem to be pretty good at it regardless of age - Gary's Alla aka Mrs.G-Boneva :) is a good example. There are still more opportunities when you're younger though - you have nothing but time to make something good out of yourself.

Edited by ONA, 01 February 2012 - 12:51 PM.

ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-01 12:50:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarusnat geo

Let ne tell you about Louisiana. There is a show on TV about Louisiana, Swamp something or 'nother, anyway they use English subtitles for people speaking English! Get it.

They wouldn't know a foreign accent if it hit them on the head

The show is called "Swamp People", I've seen it when I was still in Russia.
They get offended, when you mention it to them though. Even our Swamp Tour guide got offended, when somebody said "Choot 'em!"
And it doesn't mean that everybody there talks like that, especially in the city.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-01-31 04:32:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarusnat geo

When people ask her where she is from, she says "The Islands" :lol: ("The Islands" here refers to the Lake Champlain islands and everyone takes it to mean that)

When I went to New Orleans, I was telling almost everybody that I was from Maryland or New York (I went there with a girl, who is a Giants' fan, so a lot of times it was easier just to tell people that we were from New York - plus she used to live there) - nobody even suspected that I was a foreigner.
When I did tell people that I was from Russia, they were like
- :blink: You don't even have an accent
- Yes, i do. You must be deaf :P

Here, in Maryland, people stopped asking me questions about my accent. Sometimes, when I mention that I'm from Russia, they say that they could hear a slight accent, but they decided not to ask, because they didn't want to make a fool of themselves :lol:
ONAFemaleRussia2012-01-30 10:53:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarusnat geo

The funny part is...it worked! Has anyone ever heard your wife's accent and started talking REAL LOUD to her?

One guy did that to Alla and she said "Sir! Please! I am Ukrainian, I am not deaf!"

Yesterday I went to a Guatemalan baby shower with my MIL and sisters-in-law and my MIL can't speak Spanish, so she was talking really loud and slow to everybody there :rofl: When we came back home and told my husband about that, he was like "Ohh, she always does that" :lol: I'm surprised she never tried talking to me like that :)

So that brings us to method #2. Facebook. Used to be Myspace, now it's Facebook. You find one RUB chick...Belarus gal for example off of "Minsk Linguistics Univeristy FB page"...just an example. You tab out the 50 hottest single chicks you find on there...try not to use "Friends List" on a page because you never know if they talk to each other much. If Julia tells Natasha she got a message from some American dude and Natasha compares notes with her and they find out you sent them both the same message...well that's a no go.

So you type something like; "I came by your profile by accident while looking for a friend and I just have to say you have by far the best looking profile/pics I have ever seen. Feel free to say hello anytime." Along with a smiley emoticon. <---- You paste that message to the 50 chicks you picked out. It's called "the shotgun effect". Out of 50 you might get back 5-10 positive hits. Then you narrow it down from there.

btw this lesson was on the house. :)

I get annoyed by those messages :bonk: I keep receiving them even when I'm married.
It gets worse though - when somebody types something like "I'm going to Russia soon. I need a translator and a friend to spend time with... blah-blah-blah..." #######??? Are you kidding me? :bonk:
ONAFemaleRussia2012-01-29 12:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusMoscow just came unglued
The most creative riot signs, Moscow.

http://www.ridus.ru/news/20877/
ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-06 08:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusMoscow just came unglued

maybe she thinks her phone is tapped....

meh... who cares... Navalny only spent 15 days in prison and took part in the rallies afterwards.
eekee is right - a lot of retired people tend to like Putin. Young/middle-aged people - not so much.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-01-03 00:06:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusEnd of the Journey

Still trying to decide if we should Russify it and add "-eva" on the end. :whistle:

Add "-ko" and make it Ukrainian! :yes:
ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-02 22:42:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusEnd of the Journey
Congrats! :dance:
ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-01 12:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian visas
They are trying to come to a mutual agreement - Russian visas will be extended to 3 years when Russian citizens will be able to receive 3 year visas to the USA (currently it's a 1 or 2 year visa).
I don't see that happening any time soon, and yes, they've been talking about it for a while, but nothing has happened yet.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-14 04:23:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus5th anniversary
Congratulations! :thumbs:
ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-18 09:10:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusB-2 Visa documentation

(required for the Schengen visa she just got)

Her Schengen visa will be much more helpful than any bank statement :thumbs:
ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-24 07:28:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusB-2 Visa documentation

Thanks again folks. I guess I hadn't thought about emailing the consular section. It also seems to be about MIL's records rather than anything we send. Good to know, and Vika was asking me to do an employemnt letter, bank letter, send tax returns, etc. I couldn't figure out what my tax situation last year might have to do with anything.

Your tax situation has nothing to do with it. Your income has nothing to do with it. Your MIL's income might be helpful, since a decent stable income proves strong ties to Ukraine (and there are questions about occupation and income on DS-160).
All that your MIL has to do is to prove strong ties to Ukraine, that's why most of the additional papers should be about her.

Edited by ONA, 23 February 2012 - 11:43 AM.

ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-23 11:42:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusB-2 Visa documentation
My parents' visas were approved last summer in Moscow (before even my K-1 was approved), my husband (fiance at that time) sent invitation letters for each of them, stating the purpose of their visit (our wedding) etc. and a copy of his passport - page with the picture and bio information (proof of citizenship).
My parents had:
letters from work for each of them, including income statements.
copy of my brother's birth certificate (my brother wasn't coming for the wedding, so he was one of my parents' ties to Russia - and the CO DID ask some questions about him).
copies of papers, which proved that they own an apartment, a car etc.
my dad's old passport with a Lithuanian visa.
a copy of NOA-2 (since I didn't have my visa at that point)

They didn't look at the papers. The CO asked a couple of questions about me and my husband (age, whether my husband had been to Russia or not and whether he could speak Russian or not), about my brother (where he lived and stuff like that), also the CO asked if my parents had been to any other countries (they only travelled to Ukraine (which doesn't count :)) and my dad went to Lithuania once, more than 10 years ago).

Edited by ONA, 21 February 2012 - 04:08 PM.

ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-21 16:06:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusHappy Russian Fighter's Day!

Alla bought her first gun yesterday! FOR ME! She calls it "men's day" and bought me an appropriate Russian made Over/Under shotgun I had admired the other day in the gun shop. 20 ga. really nice Sporting Clays gun, ported barrels, knurled tubes, nickle plated receiver, made by Baikal Remarkably good quality for the price.

And NOW you tell me I shouldn't celebrate? No way, I am keeping the gun! Now I got her buying me guns for gifts, I'M CELEBRATING!

Thanks to ALL who serve their country!

My 1st paycheck (or several paychecks, depending on how much I make) - I'm buying my husband a new bow (shhhhh... :)).
It doesn't have to be a "men's day" or an "army day" or whatever.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-24 20:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusHappy Russian Fighter's Day!

That's a school of thought.There are others. One would be called total emersion...which is now a popular way to learn language quickly.

Beginning to teach and acculturate someone while minimizing the old cultural ways is a good distraction from homesickness and fear of something new and different...and IMO excellerates adaptation. This is kind of like starting public school...you've got to let go of mom's hand and deal with the new teacher. I would support honoring Russian Christmas and New Years Day, etc. Honoring anything to do the Soviet evil empire is a different story.

Speaking as a linguist, I should say again that keeping some ties with your own culture helps a new immigrant to live through the stress of culture shock and that, once you're older than 12 (+/-2 years), total immersion is only helpful if accompanied by language classes, where you will learn language structure, grammar, phonetics and learn the difference between your native language and the language you're trying to study.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-24 15:06:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusHappy Russian Fighter's Day!
While I don't quite like the idea of celebrating RFD by people, who are not Russian fighters, I think that if a family is multicultural, traditions of both cultures should be respected. It doesn't delay the adaptation, a lot of times it helps people through culture shock (something that any immigrant experiences) - it's good to have something that is familiar and talk to somebody in your native language once in a while.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-24 12:23:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusHappy Russian Fighter's Day!
I agree with mantra.
I never even congratulate Russian/Ukrainian guys unless they served in the army. It's not men's day, it's more about military people. My aunt from Ukraine used to be in the military - it makes more sense if she receives presents on Feb. 23, than a person, who was never in the military, but just happened to be a man.
My husband knows this holiday as "Russian Army Day".
ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-24 06:52:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFlying to Ira Tomorrow
Have a great time! I wish I could fly to Russia for the holidays!
No "?????? ??????" on TV here - how messed up is that? :unsure: (JK) But seriously, I miss Russian style New Years celebration. Have fun!

How about free clothes from Walmart?

That's a "no-no"... First, Russian people usually won't wear clothes of that quality... and they never have small sizes there anyway.
ONAFemaleRussia2011-12-21 21:54:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusThe Medical Exam

Wow seven days to get the interview scheduled once the embassy has the petition? Is that correct?

Ever since they changed interview appointments and delivery system, and the applicants can pick the date themselves - yes, it's been taking 1-2 weeks.
A year ago people had to wait for 1,5-2 months, because the applicant couldn't pick a date, the embassy was scheduling "the closest possible date".
ONAFemaleRussia2012-03-01 12:09:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusThe Medical Exam

So, would my fiancee call the embassy in Moscow to find out if she can go before the NOA2?

I think it will make more sense if she calls one of the medical centers, rather than the embassy.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-02-27 08:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusHappy International Women's Day, Ladies!
Wow, my husband brought me flowers yesterday, even though I never even told him that International Women's Day was big in Russia :)
He won't tell how he found out about it, but I guess the guy at his work, who dates a woman from Ukraine told him :)
ONAFemaleRussia2012-03-09 05:45:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusHappy International Women's Day, Ladies!
Happy women's day to all the women of VJ and wives of VJ members!

The hardest thing for me today is: every time when a guy says "Happy women's day!" to me, not to say "Thanks, you too" back :lol:
ONAFemaleRussia2012-03-08 12:46:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusBiggest surprises

Yes, I think when you are looking for someone who doesn't fit the "norm" for your culture, you widen your search. Perhaps there was a woman in America who would have met my standards, but I happened to find mine in Russia.

That's about right :yes:
That's why it's great to be able to speak foreign languages - you increase your chances to find friends or SO.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-03-14 14:21:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusBiggest surprises

I'm sure it's just my luck or my "wimp" generation, but the I'd never in my life dated an American guy who possessed a backbone or wasn't a "mamma's boy". Only one of them knew how to fix a few things around the house. They feared guns. Never touched a gym. I gave up after a while. I think I'm with the most un-Russian Russian around.

That sounds very funny to me, since I hear a lot of Russian women complaining about Russian men for the same reasons that you did not like American men.
That's exactly why I hate all kinds of generalization by national origin. While there are certain differences in mentality and mindset, it's completely different when it comes to who is more marriage material. There are decent Russian guys and there are decent American guys. And there are worthless guys anywhere as well.
ONAFemaleRussia2012-03-14 10:14:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarususage of pronouns?

And I think for learning to speak, English just seems much easier. Which is easier for a baby to say, "Toy" or "Igrushka" ? "Milk" or "moloko"? We'll keep teaching her russian though, she's only three months...

For a baby there is no language that is harder or easier to learn. In fact, they had an experiment, where they had adults from different countries listen to a baby, who couldn't talk yet - and each of those adults claimed that they heard sounds from their native language.
But, of course, when babies start putting words together, short words are easier. Looking at my little American niece and babies in Russia, I thought, probably, since one of the first words of an American kid is "please" and one of the first words of a Russian kid is "???", English-speaking babies grow up to be stereotypically happy and polite, while Russian kids grow up into stereotypically "mean, gloomy and cold" Russians :rofl: Just a thought.
Teach your daughter both languages, native proficiency in both English and Russian might be very useful for her in future :thumbs:

I sat here for ten minutes today trying to figure out how the hell I'd translate "? ?? ??? ???" into English.

"but why not?" :)

Edited by ONA, 14 March 2012 - 02:37 PM.

ONAFemaleRussia2012-03-14 14:36:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarususage of pronouns?

And here's the problem with "formal" language learning. Nobody really talks like that!

There are some really good language learning tools out there with software, books, etc., but at the end of the day, they're way too formal. I remember the first time telling a babooshka in Moscow "Zdrastvuite! Dobre Ootra." And she just kind of grunted. Same with "Spasiba bolshoi!" Or, even better, "Bolshoi Spasiba!"

The man's got a point!
BUT
The reason why the babushka grunted at you was not because you used the phrases we never use (both "Zdravstvuite" and "dobroe utro" are very widely used), but because people in big cities don't tend to say "hello" to any stranger in the street. If you make an eye-contact with somebody in the street you just turn away and keep walking, you don't smile and say "hello", like people do in the States. So that's not a case of a language usage error, it's more of a cultural awareness issue.
It would have been different if you'd went to a tiny village in Ukraine - I promise :)
"Bolshoe spasibo" is also widely used. You just should know the context for that. It's not exactly the same as "thanks a lot", although it might seem as it is.
The issues you described fall right into my research area, which is linguistic pragmatics, so I can tell you a lot about it, if you're interested, of course :lol:
ONAFemaleRussia2012-03-14 12:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarususage of pronouns?

Yeah but that example I have to deem 'formal' vs. 'spoken' Russian, the kind of thing Slim was talking about; to be honest, I'd never say 'kotoriy tsvet tvoy lyubimiy?' that's hardly correct, even. You'd say 'Kakoy tvoy lyubimiy tsvet?' --> Which colour is your favourite vs What's your favourite colour is a big difference, imo.. saying 'what's your favourite' colour is far preferable I think, right?

yes, it is. That's my point exactly. And that's why I insist that "kotoriy" should be used as "which" and "kakoy" should be used as "what".
They might be interchangeable in some cases, but not in all cases. That's why to avoid any confusion, I said that it's easier just to use "kotoriy", meaning "which".
There are exceptions, of course, like "What time is it?" is "Kotoriy chas?" (can't be "kakoy chas?"), but in that case we can always say "skol'ko vremeni?" instead, so it works :)
ONAFemaleRussia2012-03-14 11:54:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarususage of pronouns?

Hmm, I always thought of Kakaya is kind of like "which one" or something like that.

Actually "kakoy/kakaya" are typically used for asking about qualitative characteristics, i.e. "what is he/she/it like?"
Kakoy/kakaya might be used in the meaning of "which one" also, but it is not always correct. I would advise to use the word "kotoriy/kotoraya" (???????/???????) in that meaning, just to avoid confusion.

Speaking of the original post, I also don't understand why your wife is getting confused... And I am a native Russian speaker too, so it must be a personal characteristic.

Also, I was impressed by the fact that you'd learned Russian for your woman. I wish my husband would learn Russian :) He lacks motivation though...
ONAFemaleRussia2012-03-14 09:06:00