ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusLetter from bank officer
QUOTE (mox @ Mar 7 2008, 12:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I know this question has been asked before, and I know the prevailing answer for my situation is "you don't need a bank statement if your income exceeds 125% of the poverty guidelines." However, I have not yet seen an answer that satisfies me completely, due to the wording of the I-134 instructions. I've pasted the relevant portion of the instructions below:


I didn't send the letter, or 12 months of statements. It was fine.

I sent 2 pay stubs, one bank statement, and 2 tax returns.

Don't worry about it that much, the absolute worst case is that they ask for more.
russMaleRussia2008-03-07 14:58:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusNeed some help in the Russian language
QUOTE (Satellite @ Mar 7 2008, 11:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
We just filled out the forms over the phone. I asked the question in Russian, she answered in Russian, and I translated it into English. Simple as that. Then I saved the form. Emailed it to my wife. She printed it out at home. Signed it and sent it back via regular mail.


Given the 50% delivery rate from Russia we have seen over the years, I'd invest an extra 80 cents and mail two copies on different days. Everything we send there always arrives in about 10 days. Letters we get from Russia average about a month.
russMaleRussia2008-03-07 15:12:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusGerman Visa
QUOTE (eekee @ Mar 9 2008, 03:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
it's probably easier than dealing with getting the documentation from your insurance company. smile.gif


The policy number was good enough last time, but given how cheap travel insurance is, it is worth the $10.
russMaleRussia2008-03-09 17:23:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusGerman Visa
QUOTE (Satellite @ Mar 9 2008, 11:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Jason-Sasha @ Mar 8 2008, 05:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (eekee @ Mar 8 2008, 01:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
She'll probably have to buy travel insurance as well.
I've heard of this before. I wonder why it's mandatory in some cases... huh.gif
It's usually mandatory for one of two reasons:
1. Reciprocity, Russia requires it of German citizens; or
2. Some nationals, are viewed to poor to afford German heath care in case of an accident.




Fortunately, our insurance (health, disability, etc) all have worldwide coverage. Travel policies are cheap though, I may get one to be safe.
russMaleRussia2008-03-09 12:18:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusGerman Visa
One of my friends from college is getting married this summer. Does anyone have any experience getting a German Visa here in the US for a Russian National? Galina has gotten Schengen visas before, so this should not be a big deal. I think we do need to go to the consulate for an interview though.

Any idea how long this will take (the wedding is in about 90 days).
russMaleRussia2008-03-08 11:28:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusShe Dumped Me!!
QUOTE (Kazan @ Mar 9 2008, 07:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
While, I see what you are saying, I object to what I bolded. I would have never found or met my Alla if I considered a convenience factor. Hell, it is pretty easy to go to local bar and find someone. laughing.gif


Hey - I met my wife at a local bar, in Chicago... There is nothing wrong with that.

The thought that somehow people are different because of where they are living bothers me a bit.
russMaleRussia2008-03-09 23:46:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusShe Dumped Me!!
QUOTE (kd4uvc @ Mar 9 2008, 08:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
just give her the damn ring now. I will move on.


Was this really just about a ring? Perhaps you should talk to her again, we are just speculating here. A ring can be a big deal - my wife loves hers...
russMaleRussia2008-03-09 23:43:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusShe Dumped Me!!
QUOTE (mox @ Mar 9 2008, 06:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I don't agree with russ's advice not to meet on websites (I know several successful relationships here that started on websites), but I do agree that you simply have to be careful. You have to lead with your head, not your heart, because for every honest woman


Just pointing out that there is no reason that you need such websites, and avoiding them avoids most of these issues entirely.

I know plenty of single Russians here in the US, it is far more convenient to date someone here.
russMaleRussia2008-03-09 19:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusShe Dumped Me!!
QUOTE (kd4uvc @ Mar 9 2008, 04:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Update, she used the excuse of me not buying her a ring immediately for the excuse.


Whatever, get away from this and put it behind you as soon as you can.

If a ring means that much to anyone (American, Russian, whatever) it is clearly more important to them than you are. Be glad you found out now.

My wife would love to have had a bigger engagement ring, but so would everyone. I am sorry this happened to you. It sucks for someone to waste a year of their life.

My usual advice stands - do not meet foreigners on websites. You are asking for trouble. If for some reason you want to marry someone from Russia, move there. You will find someone before too long. You won't have to worry about any of this scam BS. And you will probably get paid more in Russia than you make now in the US. (Depending on what you do, the market for Western Expats in Russia is very strong, since no one wants to go there, and no one speaks the language.) It also costs next to nothing to study Russian in a university there, which is also a good idea.
russMaleRussia2008-03-09 17:09:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusMy wife left me!
QUOTE (slim @ Mar 4 2008, 04:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
He's right in the sense that you don't actually need Russian in the U.S. and your new life together. You can get by on 100% English because, after all, she's going to have to learn it one way or another.


Depends where you live. Most of the neighbors here speak Russian. Mrs. Russ has studied the English language far longer than I - she is in grad school now, learning English was never an issue.

Communicating with the dog seems to be a bigger problem. He doesn't listen to us in Russian or English.
russMaleRussia2008-03-05 09:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusMy wife left me!
QUOTE (akdiver @ Mar 3 2008, 09:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I took two semesters of Russian at the local university. My wife will not let me take any more Russian classes - she says it's too much work for her.


I did Russian III and Russian IV last year. It is not that hard, you just need to put in the time. I agree with Sat - having someone explain the grammar and cases is important - you can't get far without that.

I'll be back in school this fall. Work got in the way of the Russian hobby, and with the wife in grad school full time, someone does have to work.
russMaleRussia2008-03-04 16:16:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian computer for USA?
QUOTE (shikarnov @ Mar 28 2008, 10:05 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
As for the topic at hand: I'd recommend getting your wife a Mac. Putting a novice user on a Windows machine is going to have you working all the time fixing things. And OSX can operate in Russian just fine, although you might to buy some Russian keyboard stickers or a Russian keyboard cover so she can have her Cyrillic letters. Some software may not translate -- but that's not uncommon on the Russian Windows side either (although it'll be more common on the Mac side, admittedly).


I'm not a big fan of the Russian typewriter layout. With a mac, you can use use a transliterated QWERTY layout (A=A, S=?, D=?, etc) No stickers, and it reinforces qwerty in your mind, which is kind of useful to know well in the US.
russMaleRussia2008-03-28 09:47:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian software for computers
QUOTE (Chris & Olya @ Apr 16 2008, 11:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
THANKS ! My computer was already set up for this smile.gif I guess I just assumed that it was not...Should have looked first. ! I appreciate your help everyone !


My wife and I both use a "phonetic" transliteration for typing in Russian. Macs do this by default. For Windows,

http://ourworld.comp...ulgor/kbd_e.htm

Personally, I think this way is easier to learn, and you don't need stickers.
russMaleRussia2008-04-23 09:23:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFavorite Pictures in Russia
QUOTE (eekee @ Feb 4 2008, 10:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Maybe it's because I was also raised with this notion of indoor/outdoor clothes, or maybe i have just spent too much time in Russia, but whenever i see girls wearing uggs/flip flops


We live in Florida. Flip flops are appropriate in most circumstances. Otherwise, no shoes at all. Most other clothing is optional as well, particularly on the boat.
russMaleRussia2008-02-05 00:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFavorite Pictures in Russia
QUOTE (slim @ Jan 21 2008, 09:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
In all actuality, if I were going to lug 12 pounds of ####### around all day, there would be some pretty cool $#!T in that bag. Can you imagine if we, as guys, had the freedom to carry a big bag around all day long and get away with it?


We do. They are called briefcases. I carry one.

The main reason I don't mind wearing a suit to work is that I have so many more pockets to stuff things into.

The laptop bag/backpack combo is useful as well.
russMaleRussia2008-01-21 20:23:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFavorite Pictures in Russia
QUOTE (Danno @ Nov 24 2007, 11:34 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
While Natasha waits in the never ending line to get tickets, I wandered out to the platform area and took a pic.
It came out too dark but with "light adjustment" feature on my computer it took a worthless shot and salvaged it a little.


The "Curves" adjustment tool (in Photoshop or Gimp) is the best way to handle this. It will allow you to lighten the shadows without blowing everything else out. Gimp is free and works on Windows, and is almost as capable as photoshop.
http://www.gimp.org/

The "exposure" or "levels" adjustment tools usually aren't what you want to use.

The B&W with the red scarf above was done with gimp using a layer mask.
russMaleRussia2007-11-24 12:29:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFavorite Pictures in Russia
QUOTE (Igor&Elina @ Nov 23 2007, 09:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Here's one from near Moscow:


My favorite so far - Thanks!
russMaleRussia2007-11-24 02:13:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFavorite Pictures in Russia
Two more, the first obviously in Moscow.



This is actually in Lipetsk


Edited by russ, 23 November 2007 - 05:32 PM.

russMaleRussia2007-11-23 17:31:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFavorite Pictures in Russia
I love taking pictures, and I've taken quite a few in Russia. Share your favorites!



russMaleRussia2007-11-21 14:35:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusPotential Problem??
I highly doubt it will be a problem. I never registered my visa (for a month) the first time I was in Russia (paid one 1000 rub fine when I tried to register it -- we don't do that at this office, blah blah). Wasn't an issue last summer (2000 rub fine this time though, for registering 2 hours late).

QUOTE (MarkandLada @ Jun 9 2008, 12:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hey all, as I am getting ever so closer to going to pick up my fiancee, I had a troublesome thought. I had my Russian visa registered as per procedure, but as I went to leave Volgograd I did not have it with me. Well, we had it with us, but didn't know it. Anyway, I had to go to this little office, sign a form, then I was allowed to leave. I am now applying for my next visa, and is this going to come back and bite me in the butt? I am planning to go on 7/9.

russMaleRussia2008-06-09 11:14:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusGetting visa to Russia for my husband
QUOTE (Maga @ Jul 9 2008, 03:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thank you everybody for great advice!!We were getting confused with so many web sites and different information..)
2 Slim: we are going to moscow first, will stay there for a week or so and then go to Kazan(my native city). in both cities we'll be staying at my relatives houses..we dont want any hotels...i know you have to give the information like what adress are you gonna stay at and how long. We are planning to leave late sept and be back late oct. What do you think?
Is it possible to get a visa without a hotel?


You can get a visa without a hotel, not a problem. The "invitation" should cost you about $20-$30. You will also need to register it both in Moscow and wherever you are going afterwards. It can be a real pain to do so in Moscow. When registering the visa, be careful what you say. Do not mention that you will be leaving Moscow - they will insist that you don't need to register the visa there (you do), and you will end up paying a fine when you register it in the next city. Also, as of last year, it was taking hotels more than 3 days to register a visa (you have 72 hours to do so). While the visa is being registered, you are subject to fines/bribes.

In any case, it is best to avoid train stations, bus stations, and the Kremlin, where the police generally go looking for bribes and fines.
russMaleRussia2008-07-09 15:02:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarusinflation
Historically, OPEC has not been very good at cutting production when prices drop. Record prices are about the only thing that will prod OPEC members to develop or exploit fields. When prices drop, the reaction is typically to produce more oil, since the petro-states are addicted to money, as much as we are addicted to oil.

After the oil shocks in the 70's, oil was very cheap for a long time.

QUOTE (Satellite @ Jul 8 2008, 10:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I wish this was true. But in reality, when demand drops so will production both in oil producing and refining thus artificially maintaining a high price as demand falls. The oil folks aren't idiots and have now grown accustomed to the high profits.

russMaleRussia2008-08-02 09:21:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarusinflation
Trans Atlantic tickets are usually cheapest October to May, as fewer people want to go. Airlines lower the prices to fill the seats (your $1400 loses less money than an empty seat does). On long haul flights, they don't have the option of using smaller equipment to cut costs during the off season.

Inflation adjusted, tickets are about where they were 20 years ago. Which is expensive. 4 years ago, the first time I was in Russia, I managed to go roundtrip on BA for $700. About $700 for us on Delta last year too. This year, I guess it will be frequent flier miles. (50,000 Delta miles is still a good deal, even though you get nickel and dimed - $50 booking fee, $200 in taxes, $25 telephone fee, etc)

Jet A was 34 CENTS a gallon 8 years ago, and about 4 DOLLARS a gallon now. The airport across the street from my house is charging almost $7! Ouch! Long Haul flights (like Russia) are inherently less fuel efficient, since the extra weight from the fuel means carrying yet more fuel. When oil gets to $200 a barrel, at least it should start cutting demand, and boosting output - which should in theory start to lower prices...



QUOTE (bruc @ Jul 2 2008, 11:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I called Delta this morning to make reservations for August to fly back to my girls and was a little surprised to find the tickets were only a little over $1400 from Atlanta to Moscow. I remember paying $1200.00 this time last year. My last trip a couple of months ago was about the same price of $1400.00. I went ahead and made more reservations for October and the tickets were $1200.00. This could be the end of that fare and it could explode even higher.

russMaleRussia2008-07-07 06:50:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusScammed by my wife!!!!

Have fun, russ. I would assume after a summer in Russia, you'll be able to TEACH the Russian class!


My goals are a bit more humble, being prepared for conversational Russian class in the fall will be enough for me.

AK, it is time consuming and frustration (I only managed a B+), but I also skipped the first year of classes. I'm young and have my whole life to learn, so I might as well make time to do it now.
russMaleRussia2007-04-01 08:39:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusScammed by my wife!!!!

We just finished the second class in our grad program. We were conditionally admitted, with the GMAT waived, provided we got at least a B in the first two classes (12 credits). I'm happy to report we succeeded. Which is good, because I recently learned the GMAT costs $250 to take, so that saved us 500 smackers, not to mention the time, hassle, and stress of preparing for and taking the GMAT. Ugh. Glad we avoided that.


GRE is a bargain at $130 then!
russMaleRussia2007-03-31 11:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusScammed by my wife!!!!

Well, much to my surprise, we got a notice via e-mail that "production of card has been ordered" for my wife's 10-year (unconditional) permanent resident card (we were not expecting such a notice until maybe June or so). It should be here in a week or so.


Great news! Hopefully we have some coming, our new interview is April 11th. I'm optimistic that it will be better than the last time around. This is truly the month of Galina (April), as she is getting her driver's license, taking the GRE, and finally getting a green card.

Similar to Sat's debate, we have finally agreed to our travel plans this summer. I guess I won, we are spending the summer in Russia. (Galina wanted to stay here an work, what a party pooper).

So, I should be well prepared for Russian class in the fall. Starting in the fall, no English allowed in class....
russMaleRussia2007-03-30 19:14:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusLess and less people in russian forum
QUOTE (NYGirl @ Aug 20 2008, 03:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Has anyone noticed that we're loosing our russian members of VJ?
Haven't seen Jeff in a while. ( Kazan tiger....i think that was his nick)


I too am still here. Just working too much, not enough time to waste here.

Slim - I've actually been up in Ohio quite a bit (Cleveland). And Atlanta when not there.
San Fran, Austin, Atlanta, Boston, and London are next up on this year's travel schedule.

Sat - I guess you really have disappeared. How is the law treating you?

It is again that special time of year when we plan our trip to Russia, probably 2 weeks for me,
2 months for Mrs. Russ this time around. Her best friend from University has been back there
for 3 months now, I think she is getting jealous. I get 2 months of vacation a year, Mrs. Russ
gets none... I foresee some arguments here...

Galina has also reminded me that all paperwork for removing conditions will be ready the day it is to be
mailed. Which gives me 5 days to do the taxes come February -- (typically an 8 month ordeal for me).

So, what are the old timers (from '04-'05) up to these days? Haven't seen anything from Med since I
don't know when. (FYI - calling my wife baby bear is not very smart - baby bears are clumsy, ugly
things. Who knew? )
russMaleRussia2008-08-29 00:08:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusPutin: Ph34r Sarah Palin
QUOTE (akdiver @ Sep 2 2008, 06:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I used to like McCain, before he buddied up to Jerry Falwell and company and stuck his head so far up Bush's ### that he can lick Bush's teeth. Now I think he is just a dirt bag.


I still like McCain, and always have. He's doing what he needs to do to get elected - such is politics. You are a fool if you think anything he is saying now will translate into policy later on.

AK - you are totally correct about the 'hot-button' issues. The reality is, none will ever change in any meaningful way. The produce too much money and support from the base of the parties.

Abortion: Republicans have won 5 presidential elections since Row v Wade, nothing has changed. Even if they somehow get the Supreme Court stacked in their favor, and the justices voted as they though they would (they rarely do), nothing would change. It would go back to the States. Nothing would change in the Blue States, and nothing would really change in the Red states either. And this has never been a priority for McCain in the Senate, I doubt that would change.

Guns: Again, nothing will change - Presidents have no control here. The (expired) Assault Weapons Band and the Brady Bill are the only real Federal gun laws I have seen in my lifetime. Neither had any effect on actual gun owners (we stocked up on "banned" weapons before the ban, and already owned on average 8 guns - a 3 day waiting period means nothing). This is really controlled by the States.

Religion: Why people vote on this baffles me.

The Economy: Again, thinking the President has anything to do with it baffles me. Congress controls spending. The Fed controls the money supply. Regulators control everything else. The president is largely symbolic. This is not communism here - the market is the economy.

The 10% of us who understand this stuff don't vote on "hot-button" issues. A "smart" politician like McCain neutralizes these issues by having a "pro-life" VP and a "quasi pro-choice" wife - knowing that people will hear what they want either way.

I'm a small government, cut taxes, civil liberties, foreign policy voter (like AK). That usually leaves me with a choice of Republicans or Libertarians (who won't win). Since I live in Florida, that usually means voting for Republicans, understanding that much of the platform is just talk.
russMaleRussia2008-09-10 21:39:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusBest Value Way to Call Russia?
QUOTE (Fettman @ Mar 11 2008, 02:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
What services are people here using and which ones have good quality? I am looking for something inexpensive, but at the same time I am trying to find a service that has pretty good voice quality.


I use one of the many VOIP trunk providers to connect a SIP telephone. I've had good luck with vitelity.net - calls are routed over XO - good quality. About 1 cent/minute to Moscow, 5 cents / minute to the rest of Russia.

EDIT: The quality of your telephone has as much to do with sound quality as anything else. Polycom and Cisco are both good, but pricey ($300 or so)

Edited by russ, 11 March 2008 - 02:07 PM.

russMaleRussia2008-03-11 14:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusSo.... how are the driving lessons going?
QUOTE (slim @ Mar 7 2008, 10:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'm still amazed that it's possible for an adult person to not be able to drive a car after a few hours of practice.


Well, most of us grow up her spending time in cars every day. If you don't grow up in a "car culture," there are some difficult concepts to grasp.

Most people can fly an airplane after a few hours of practice as well. (I think my first solo was after 9 hours of instruction). And airplanes more knobs and buttons than cars do.
russMaleRussia2008-03-08 11:35:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusSo.... how are the driving lessons going?
QUOTE (Chuckles @ Mar 2 2008, 03:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Each time she failed she had a female instructor, she had a male instructor the time she passed. Don't know what that means, draw your own conclusions...


Third time was the charm here. Though to be fair, the first two times were in a stick shift, and the failure was for "improper shifting." Passing was easy in an automatic.

Good reminder - we need to go to the DMV to renew her license this week.

The debate over the new car has been going on for a while. Key issue is stick shift vs. automatic (I hate automatics). I'm not a big fan of car payments either, so the debate may go on for a bit longer.

We have the S4 Audi, that mainly sits in the garage, and the 92 Celica, the fuel efficient beach wagon. Living downtown, across the street from the university, we never drive. Which is nice. Gas prices don't bother us much, haven't bought a tank of gas in 3 months.
russMaleRussia2008-03-05 10:03:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusHouse prices in Russia
QUOTE (dufflebag @ Sep 30 2008, 05:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I was wit Elena in St Petersburg and we were discussing the affordability of homes in Russia. She is presently renting, but she told me it is almost impossible to purchase a flat with present Russian wages.


From people I know, prices in Moscow or St Petersburg are higher than what you pay in San Francisco, Boston, or NYC. You get a bit more for your money in the US.

Over the next 5 years, prices will certainly drop in Russia. The fundamentals of the economy do not support such prices.
russMaleRussia2008-09-30 18:52:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusWhich Candidate Is Better For Your Spouse's/Fiancee's Country?
QUOTE (mox @ Nov 3 2008, 06:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
In speaking with a Russian friend, she believe that neither candidate has Russia's best interests in mind.


I would kind of hope that anyone running for the Presidency of the United States would have America's best interests in mind, not Russia.

US Foreign Policy for at least the last 20 years has been the support of pro-western governments in the Baltics, Ukraine and Georgia. That is unlikely to change under any administration.
russMaleRussia2008-11-03 11:43:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusOT: Russian Language Lessons
QUOTE (eekee @ Mar 9 2008, 09:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
so my situation is different--we don't work on the basics but focus on making my russian more idiomatic. It seems like most of the people here who are serious about learning Russian don't expect their SO to teach them everything, but take classes/have a private tutor/etc.


No one's situation is the same. In our case, my wife has no time to teach me Russian. She hates it. Both of us speak English fluently, her Russian is native while mine is good enough, my French is good, her German could use some help.

It comes down to this: If you have learned another language, another is not a big deal (you know what is involved, and it doesn't bother you.) If not, don't bother. You probably won't like what you need to do.

At this point, my Russian is horrible. It improves when I'm actually there, since I will be speaking it all of the time. In that way, it is about the same as my French - it gets better when I actually use it. I can understand 95% of what people say, and read with decent comprehension. I understand what my wife is saying on the phone (drives her crazy), but at the same time it bothered her when I spoke French and she couldn't understand what I was saying.

Expecting your spouse to teach you is a tall order. It probably won't happen.
russMaleRussia2008-03-09 23:38:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusOT: Russian Language Lessons
QUOTE (mox @ Feb 28 2008, 05:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Rosetta Stone might be good to augment books and instruction, but for that function it is way over-priced.


Rosetta stone is an overpriced rip off. Use this course http://languagegeek....ussian-courses/

It is free, and covers grammar correctly early on. Plenty of audio.
russMaleRussia2008-03-07 15:20:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusOT: Russian Language Lessons
QUOTE (Satellite @ Jan 28 2008, 11:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
(2) My wife charges just $15 an hour for in person lessons if you are in the Davis, CA area, yeah, we moved a few months ago. If that helps any in terms of comparison.


I pay about $300/semester for 4 hour courses at the University. This is for 4 hours a week with a PhD in teaching Russian as a foreign language from Moscow State University, for 16 weeks. I think that this is the most cost effective way to go.

Private tutors are great, but they don't generally have the time to prepare lesson plans, go over homework, etc. I would look at tutors as something in addition to a classroom environment, which tends to be most effective.
russMaleRussia2008-03-05 17:06:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussia considers devaluing the Ruble!
QUOTE (mox @ Nov 21 2008, 05:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
And when she withdraws the money, have her be careful. I just heard a story on NPR last week that Russians were tripping over themselves to get their money out of the banks, only to be followed and robbed on the street.


Bigger issue is the exchange rate, where the dollar is trading higher on the street than it is in banks. The ruble will almost certainly weaken further, as the government will run out of money to be buying rubles to support the exchange rate. The drop in oil prices will worsen this pressure.

The ruble is managed against a basket of 55% dollars/45% Euros. The weak dollar made things easier on the bankers last year. With the Euro trading at more historically normal levels now ($1.19 when the euro started, it is $1.25 today), ruble weaknesses will be harder to hide.

I would not want assets priced in rubles now - the high interest rates are telling you that inflation and devaluation are being priced into the market here.

USD assets are a bargain though. I would expect an exchange of 35 rbl/dollar by next year.
russMaleRussia2008-11-21 17:45:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusDoes signature mtter???
QUOTE (tanyaru @ Nov 21 2008, 06:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
But here is another question... On my AOS papers I used my married name and new sigature wich reflects my married name. My pasport is going to be on my maiden name because I didn`t change my last name yet (I don`t have EAD to chnge name on SS csrd or DL). So, what signature should I use to sign papers for passport and actual passport when I receive it??? Is it a big deal???

Thanks.


My wife still signs everything in Cyrillic script. My signature looks nothing like my name (though it is always roughly the same pattern).
russMaleRussia2008-11-21 17:54:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusCurrent USCIS Status
QUOTE (shikarnov @ Dec 12 2008, 11:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hi All,

I asked on the AOS forum, but got some conflicting answers, and I sent a note to the USCIS but haven't heard back. So, I figured I'd ask here since you guys always seem to be a knowledgeable group:


It would be either "c9", or "overstay."

I filed it as "c9" -- more than a year after we were married in the US. The only thing we were asked was whether we married in the 90 days required. I would put "©9," as it makes it clear you are adjusting based on a valid K-1, and no I-130 is required.

I even asked an immigration lawyer about this. You are still within the letter of the law, no matter when you file the I-485, so long as you married within the 90 days for the K-1. You can file as many I-485s as you want, forever, until USCIS approves one.

In practice, I doubt it would matter what you put there. And it isn't a K-1 overstay (it became void the second she entered the US), it is an overstay of the I-94.

Edited by russ, 12 December 2008 - 10:57 AM.

russMaleRussia2008-12-12 10:57:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusBuying airfare for the summer trip

Be patient, you should be able to find a flight for $700 (what we paid June last year).

Fuel prices are dropping, this will be reflected in prices soon. We just bought a ticket from Tampa to Moscow for $750 on Delta.

Why no Aeroflot? They operate US built aircraft (B767s) to the US. I would consider that "safe." (I'm a pilot).
russMaleRussia2008-12-12 11:03:00