ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusCultural Differences
I am a bit late to the party here but I will add my two cents

"The steel front door", my god, my bank would be easier to break into; oh, and that is after getting into the front of the apartment bldg steel door, up the tiny "lift" and opening the bolt lock that must be turned three complete revolutions to open the lock

"Tea, Hot Tea", never been a tea drinker and never a hot tea drinker but that is changing

"Soup", before I lived in Russia I think I tried soup two or three times, in Russia-it's a "main dish", almost every meal

"Look Beautiful when leaving home", Americans can go outside looking like trash, never a Russian woman-always presents herself the best on the street, I love this habit.

"lift or elevators", I need to go outside the lift just to change my mind, they can be small

"wrap up for cold"; must wear a hat, scarf, gloves, boots, socks, long underwear, a jacket, sweater, undershirt, etc for cold weather; my personal body temp is great down to -25 C, after that I think about a jacket, at -37, I like a pair of gloves and a cap
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-08-29 16:21:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusGood Luck Turbo
great news Turbo, I am so happy for your both
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-11 03:05:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusGood Luck Turbo
QUOTE (Turboguy @ Sep 10 2007, 04:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thanks Slim, BluesFairy and CountCet. 8 hours and counting till the doors open at the embassy for them.


I, for one, will be watching for your answer; I think I will even set my alarm clock and get up later to see the results
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-10 15:25:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusGood Luck Turbo
NO worryies, Mate; It will be a cake walk for her.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-09 20:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusGood Luck Turbo
Turbo and fiancee has interview on 9/11; best of luck my friends
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-09 19:19:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusInterview
Bestof Luck
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-22 10:13:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusSee Ya after a week
Hello Russia forum VJ members; other members as well. I have heading to Russia today, left at 0745 from Tampa to NYC, then tonight leave for Moscow then tomorrow go to Mineralnye Voda to visit my fiancee again. We will complete our K1 visa paperwork this trip.

No questions, just sharing my excitement of heading back to see my girl.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-22 10:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusPrenups
QUOTE (slim @ Sep 18 2007, 01:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (John & Alla @ Sep 17 2007, 05:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Satellite @ Sep 16 2007, 10:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (John & Alla @ Sep 16 2007, 06:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
plus 2000 a month for five years. I will be getting married again and I have faith it will all work well, but if not, I will work tirelessly to make sure she is well taken care of.
Have the five years already passed? If not, does your future spouse know that all the income she "earns" and puts in your "joint" bank account can be seized by your ex-spouse? As well as all your separate property, including the home you might be living in and the car you are driving, in case things go sour financially.


yes, I paid her off in two years because I knew I wanted to start another life with someone new-someday.



Two years, $120,000. (Plus the house.)

And it's got more to do with kharma than business?


a bit more psychology than kharma or business; she was driving me nuts so to save my head-it was best to cut the cords
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-18 13:29:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusPrenups
QUOTE (Satellite @ Sep 16 2007, 10:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (John & Alla @ Sep 16 2007, 06:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
plus 2000 a month for five years. I will be getting married again and I have faith it will all work well, but if not, I will work tirelessly to make sure she is well taken care of.
Have the five years already passed? If not, does your future spouse know that all the income she "earns" and puts in your "joint" bank account can be seized by your ex-spouse? As well as all your separate property, including the home you might be living in and the car you are driving, in case things go sour financially.


yes, I paid her off in two years because I knew I wanted to start another life with someone new-someday.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-17 17:28:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusPrenups
I am with Jeffery on this topic; I have been through a divorce. In fact, in my divorce; we did not have an attorney because I gave her everything, the house, the cars, the furniture and the money; plus 2000 a month for five years. I will be getting married again and I have faith it will all work well, but if not, I will work tirelessly to make sure she is well taken care of.

Oh, no Slim, I will not marry you. dry.gif
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-16 20:08:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusJoining the wait for K1 Visa
QUOTE (Turboguy @ Oct 1 2007, 10:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Congratulations and we all hope you have a speedy journey. I have a feeling as the glut of applications to beat the fee increase get processed VT will speed up a bit and I hope yours gets through with all the speed possible.



Turbo, I was thinking the same but they first need to get the old stuff processed, currently they seems to be processing nothing for I-129F
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-03 15:21:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusJoining the wait for K1 Visa
QUOTE (moxcamel @ Oct 1 2007, 11:30 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Congratulations on taking this huge step!

Now...assume the Lotus position and breeeeeaaaaaatthhheee!!! You're going to need it! wink.gif


I thought everyone else was holding their breath, good to know it is okay to breeeeeth
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-01 10:43:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusJoining the wait for K1 Visa
QUOTE (slim @ Oct 1 2007, 10:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Congrats on getting that sucker mailed out. Feels good, doesn't it?

Now you can breath a little sigh of relief. You're done for a while... and the ball is rolling! Good luck on a fast approval!!!


Yes, it is a relief to mail it but now the real wait begins. At least I can have a few days of good anticipation waiting for the package to be received from FedEx, the NOA1, the check to be cashed, receipt of the hard copy of the NOA1 then the long wait for the NOA2

Here is hoping VSC goes into overdrive and get back on schedule; even picksup the pace and gets back to doing K1 approvalsin 90 days or less.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-01 10:18:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusJoining the wait for K1 Visa
Hello all my friends in the Russian forum and all folks on VJ

I have officially joined the wait for a K1 visa; we mailed our application (all two inches of it) to Vermont today via FedEx.

I will be watching for approvals for many others because I know as they get approved, my waiting time will be decreased. I wish all of us a fast approval.

kicking.gif
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-01 08:26:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarustime to receive visa after interview
Gosh, I wish I could trade places with all of you with visa in hand; I have just started this process, expect the check to be cashed next week, maybe NOA1 by end of week and NOA2 maybe in Jan or Feb 2008. God, that is so far away and she is so far away.

But on the brighter side, I have purchased a new "old house" and plenty to do; need to build a fence for her dog, find some used furniture so the house looks nice but not empty (we will get new when she is ready), get a refrigerator, washer and dryer, hang some pictures on the walls so the place looks nice (to be changed when she arrives), etc. The place is newly remodeled so it is pretty clean, need to keep it that way.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-07 08:15:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarustime to receive visa after interview
Super news Turbo and Novotul; you are done with this and I am just starting; Gosh I hope mine is faster
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-18 13:51:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian Trains
QUOTE (slim @ Oct 16 2007, 09:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (seanconneryii @ Oct 11 2007, 06:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Aside from saving money, the train eliminates the hassles of going through airports and might actually be more comfortable than a coach seat on a plane. But...given my experiences with Russian buses and cable cars...I'm skeptical about train travel. And it will take around 2 days to get to Moscow.


So you want to save a few hundred dollars to:

- Avoid the "hassles" of the airport in exchange for the "ease" of the train station
- Add appx. 44 hours onto the time of your commute
- Avoid the "discomfort" of an airplane seat for 4 hours as opposed to the "comfort" of a train seat for 44



I'd sell the airplane idea a little harder if I were you. Use the "but baby, we get Partner Miles on the plane tickets so it's like not really paying as much in the long run." However, being cooped up with your S/O for the extra 44 hours may sound like a lot of fun too!



Partner Miles, that is really good; Russian airlines (except Aeroflot) do not know what frequent flyer miles are.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-16 09:38:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian Trains
I would not recommend the first class cabin; you will not need the privacy as most watch the scenes from the hallway windows. Get the lower bunks in a coupe cabin, two lower bunks. I am sure your girl wants to save money; the plane from Krasnoyard will be about $4-600 each for a Tupelo 154 Puddle Jumper; the train will be about $230 each; get the option with food and you will be put in a newer coupe near the restaurant car. With the food option, the ticket should be about $270.00
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-11 20:10:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian Trains
I would think the trip will be longer than 2 days, maybe closer to three days to Moscow. The trip is nothing like the local trains or the buses; you can get a ticket with food, not a bad deal for two meals a day but there are plenty of stops and you can get food on the platforms or in the restaurant car
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-11 19:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian Trains
I have taken the trans-siberian two times from Moscow to Far Eastern Russia; both times in a 4 person coupe. It is a wonderful experience. Trip was six days each way. Yes, you can sleep. The trains usually stops every 3-4 hours for 10-20 minutes at a station where you can get off and stretch your legs, buy some food, and see some of the locals. I recommend getting the book Trans-siberian Rail. no need to go the expense of first class, go coupe, it is a four person cabin and less expensive.

My trips saved me about $600 each way over the cost of air travel. It is a good option if you have the extra time.

Good Luck and ask any other questions
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-11 19:29:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusSetting up the household before she arrives
Turbo

I wish you the very best; it will be fun the first couple weeks but also shocking.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-14 07:37:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusSetting up the household before she arrives
QUOTE (dagobert2 @ Oct 10 2007, 02:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
The absolute most important preparation has been - consult, consult, consult. She wants to be involved in the details, no matter how small. By doing this one thing it has enabled her to play a huge part in shaping the environment that we can truly call "ours".


for our new life, I have purchased a house; I sent her photos of many of the houses I looked at and we selected one together.

during my last visit with Alla, I took along some home magazines to get an idea of what she likes; from the magazines I learned she liked open spaces, lots of light, views out the window, cozy comfortable spaces, fireplaces, etc.

Alla has a dog, the house has a fence but it is old and looks like hell; I am working with Alla to plan a new fence; I sent her some photos of different designs and once we agree I will build the fence. I will send her progress photos to share the process together.

I have purchased some cheap used furniture; this will help the house not look empty until we can go together and pick out new furniture.

This process makes us closer and gives me something to work on during the long wait process.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-11 19:55:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusSetting up the household before she arrives
I have been think of other ways to make the house nice for her. I think I will install one of those removable showers that you can hand hold. All the showers I saw in Russia had them connected to the main faucet.

I will get one that is long enough to use while taking a bath or a shower. Also good for giving the dog a bath.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-07 20:12:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusSetting up the household before she arrives
QUOTE (slim @ Oct 5 2007, 05:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (John & Alla @ Oct 4 2007, 08:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I just purchased a house for my fiancee and I today; first thing I will get is a small long table to put by the front door; under it will go shoes and on top some flowers, in the small drawers will go our keys and other items used every day.


If I were you, I wouldn't buy too much stuff just yet. Let your fiancee help you choose everything. It will be fun for the two of you to do together, and it will ensure you don't mess up and buy the wrong things!


Slim

Not a problem, I only have a simple twin bed and no furniture; I had sold everything before I went to live in Russia. Maybe I will get a new queen bed and some used furniture but then we will get all new when she arrives.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-05 04:14:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusSetting up the household before she arrives
I just purchased a house for my fiancee and I today; first thing I will get is a small long table to put by the front door; under it will go shoes and on top some flowers, in the small drawers will go our keys and other items used every day.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-04 20:31:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusGetting married in Russia
Good Luck my friend
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-16 16:44:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusAleksandr has arrived
Wow, that is awesome
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-03 04:43:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusK1 approved!
super news; another Russia success story, home my girl fairs as well iin a few months.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-24 23:19:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusNeed help with a other Russian word
well; got it downloaded but it is some type of torrent file and can not open; back to square one
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-11-02 08:12:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusNeed help with a other Russian word
QUOTE (russ @ Oct 30 2007, 12:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (slim @ Aug 20 2007, 01:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
You've almost got me sold on your "proper" learning. Each time you add a little bit, I see it's probably the part that I'm lacking to take me to the next level. This post has illuminated to me why I've been thinking to myself "You don't need grammar. Grammar is useless without knowing the other stuff first." I realize up to this point, I haven't needed grammar because all (or the significant part) of the Russian language I've learned and used has been learned/used in context, not in a formal study setting.

I've picked up a little here and there from chitayu moi slovar (which isn't all the way right but it works for communication purposes.... now I need some endings!) because my goal has only been to be understood in an informal setting and to bridge the gap in communications between non-fluent speakers of either language. Now that I'm among fluent speakers of both languages (my wife is so much better than me!) it's time for me to step my game up. Guess I'm going to Princeton!


There was a question a while back about where the Princeton course went. Apparently the guy who wrote it is no longer at Princeton, so it too is gone.

Fortunately, he got permission to put it up on BitTorrent. Here: http://www.mininova.org/tor/904728
Masterrussian.net has links to just about anything else you might want.

I also still recommend the ?????? series as well (what I used in class). Less suited to self-study, but the exercises are very good.

If anyone remembers who was asking about the, PM me or them.



it was me and thank you; now if I can just open the file I will be good
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-11-02 08:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusWhat Are Your Experiences With Language Issues
QUOTE (slim @ Sep 1 2007, 10:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
"Kak vas zavout?"



john, ah vi devil.gif
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-01 10:23:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusWhat Are Your Experiences With Language Issues
Very good information and opinions in this thread; enjoyed reading it much; I agree with most of the feelings of Kevin but see the opinions of Slim as valid.

I lived in Russia for 8 months but learned very little language. My biggest motivation was during my last visit and Alla said "I love it when you speak Russian". The first time I said "I love you" I did it in Russian, it was important for me to communicate important concepts to her in her language. Of course, I also said it in English so she could understand my broken Russian.

I have always wanted to learn more Russian but I have great difficulty learning if I can not see the written words and hear the words at the same time. Pimsleur is good but nothing in writing so it was difficult for me-nothing written to go with the CD's.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-01 07:37:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus6 WKS FROM CSC TO NVC?
In Florida, they used to have a state run insurance plan for those of us that could not get insurance; because of previous medical conditions and such. It was supposed to be guaranteed insurance; they turned me and my ex-wife down. Me because of depression and hypothyroidism and her because of arthritis; so much for guaranteed insurance; and we were willing to pay the premiums but could not get insurance. I have been self-insured for over 20 years now, but not by my choice.

PS My depression is under stable treatment for 9 years and hypothyroidism under stable treatment for over 30 years; her arthritis was untreatable and she did not take medication or seek doctor care. Stable treatment is defined as seeing the doctor once a year and getting a prescription for a year of medication.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-11-02 08:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusCancelling K1
Thanks my friends; situations change and life throws curves; but we love each other and we are committed to a life together. she wants to come to america but there are other problems I can not discuss; so we will find other ways to be together. We are now planning our wedding for this spring in Russia and I am studying the visa regulations in Holland.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-11-16 16:38:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusCancelling K1
I will be cancelling my K1 application; my fiancee will not be able to come to America for private reasons I prefer not to discuss; but we are still committed to each other. I am discussing with her the prospect of my moving to Russia or maybe getting married in Russia and looking for an acceptable country (spain, germany, england, etc) to move on a work visa.

anyone have any knowledge how hard it is for a married Russian citizen to an American to move to other countries outside Russia. I would get a work visa and I would want her to go with me as my wife.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-11-14 19:34:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures129F NOA1 to NOA2 recent backlog
I am hoping it will get better; there were many who filed to beat the price increase and I am sure that is part of the reason for the backlog of application.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-09 11:06:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionNOT true!
QUOTE (dylan.evans @ Oct 16 2007, 10:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Im British,have a good job and just wants to marry my American fiancee which also has a good job

A big laughing joke it is

IM Pi**ed.Ridicilous.....

She does'nt have to support me,,,,,I am a proffesional IT computer technician


It is important to protect Americans from "Mad Cow Disease" devil.gif
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-17 06:52:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussionlet's add timeline for Vermont who file in Sep
K1 Visa
Filed Sept 31 (okay, really that is Oct 1)
Received Oct. 2
No NOA1 yet; check not cashed yet as of Oct. 7
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-10-07 08:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsGoodbye and Thanks!!
I am so sorry for you; I can only imagine how hard this is; does he just have cold feet or has he move on to other things.
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-09-21 21:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsWaiting for a NOA2 from VSC for your I-129F?
just a reminder; remember what the guy that used to an adjudicator said; many of these folks work from home and may only come to the office once or twice a week; you petition could be approved but be at home with an adjudicator; when entered into the system it will show as approved.

another point, I think some of the fast approvals were because these folks came back with spotless criminal records, no previous marriages, etc and might have been easier to approve than some of us with divorces, previous K1 applications, previous criminal records-no matter how minor, etc
visceral imageMaleRussia2007-11-06 18:48:00