ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusAmericans to lose right to adopt in Russia
I see on the news now that tens of thousands of Russians held a rally and marched protesting this stupid law! Awesome!
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-01-13 21:56:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRUB Mentality ?

No, Kefir is just buttermilk. Here: http://www.lifeway.n...tBlueberry.aspx

Yeah, my grocery bill went way down when Olya discovered that buttermilk was pretty much the same as kefir or ryazhenka! The 3 year-old still gets a liter every day! :wow:
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-01-13 22:05:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRUB Mentality ?

She won't ever give a straight answer because that might admit to me being right and lord knows we don't want that to ever happen. Everything around here that goes wrong is my fault...even the weather.

Yeah, I believe that is the RUB mentality! :rofl:
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-01-06 23:16:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusS novym godom!

The wife will be calling the family here in about 30 minutes--13 hour time difference between Denver and Almaty. She is going to make something for this evening, but not sure what. We will bring in the New Year and I am sure her family will call us and then we will find a channel that has Nazarbayev's year speach and listen to it. Then we will pack for our trip to Hawaii and leave for the airport--flight leaves at 0615. I will get to hear how boring the New Year is here in the US as we do not shoot off fireworks.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy new year.

Dave

We 'celebrated' on skype with the in-laws in Kazan at 3 PM here. Didn't listen to Putin but watched some of the other Russian programming. They do seem to celebrate more intensely than we do! No champagne for us tonight, I am at work now! :( Last year the in-laws were here and we set off a bunch of fireworks of our own. It was cold but sort of fun anyway.
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-01-01 02:32:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian shopping NW Chicago

I already told you about Garden Fresh Market, it's large. We go to the one in Naperville.

I will definitely have to find one next time we are in the area! Thanks! :thumbs:
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-01-22 07:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian shopping NW Chicago
Well, FWIW, I wound up at Inter Deli in a strip mall in Buffalo Grove. I filled the trunk of the car I had gone there to pick up, spent almost $600 but Olya is happy now so I am too! :D I still wonder if there is not a bigger shop somewhere there. Olya does want to see NYC soon but I don't anticipate doing much grocery shopping there.
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-01-19 23:43:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian shopping NW Chicago
Anybody in the Chicago area have good suggestions on Russian grocery shopping, particularly in the area around O'Hare?
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-01-15 15:12:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusSomehow, we did it, si man

Thanks to all, very much, si man. Your comments are especially appreciated because they come from my quality brothers & sisters here in the RUBforum, si man.

Gary-Bone, your words are particularly touching, gee man. I'm somewhat choked up and rather speechless, __ ___.

Not sure when I might post anything relating to the consulate. I need to consult some immigration attorneys (yes, now there is some use for them), and craft the complaint very carefully, and wait for it to work its way through the system, and see if they respond "personally" or with bedbug boilerplate. Most folks who complain almost certainly do so in a much more timely fashion, so it will be interesting to hear the attorneys' take on how to proceed. Of course, I wanted to wait until there could be no retribution.

Complicating the matter is that Mrs. T-B. does NOT want me to complain -- just wants me to "let it go." No, man. If nothing else, this would be petitioning my government for redress of grievances, a right that I should avail myself of before it's taken away. There are also too many others who were also hosed, and I owe them.

Ironically, the VJ ratings for the ####### Guayaquil consulate are rather good -- that's the downside to everyone's having followed my advice over the last several years, see man!

Edited to add: Not sure that I'll burn the USCIS stuff just yet, no man.

Might be a good idea to send copies of whatever letter you come up with to the State Department, your senators and congressman, and even to whatever media you think might be interested. And of course VJ!
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-01-29 00:51:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusTymoshenko reported quite ill

Sorry to hear that you believe a woman can only be beautiful or intelligent, but not both. So, which is your wife? :whistle:

Don

When did I say that?! In politicians I prefer brains to beauty! Olga has both! And much too intelligent to consider a career in politics! :D
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-02-02 12:06:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusTymoshenko reported quite ill

All you have to do is look at the women in the Democrat party for your answer. Almost all of them were severely beaten with the ugly stick.

Don

Yeah, just disgusting how those libruls prefer brains to beauty in their politicians! :lol:
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-02-02 09:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusTymoshenko reported quite ill

Woe to you if you happen to be an attractive female politician. The ugly ones have a much easier time of it.

Don

You think Palin would have ever gotten any of her 'success' as a politician and wannabe pundit if she were ugly?! :rofl:
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-02-01 00:14:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusTymoshenko reported quite ill

I guess we'll never see the Palin/Tymoshenko mud wrestling match for world domination.

In all seriousness, I talk with my wife about politics and the way things work here compared to over there and she's constantly telling me about how America is sliding toward Soviet-style policies. "If you not will be agree whis Obama, then he gonna just kill you."

Does she really believe this or just wishful thinking? :rofl:
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-01-29 00:44:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusIntroduction but not a newbie

A lot of classes plus a lot of research, approximately 4 years of work between masters and PhD. My research is Osteoarthritis of Moose, studying the causation, severity, body location, diet, etc.

You spend much time on Isle Royale?
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-02-09 15:32:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusIntroduction but not a newbie

I have had numerous encounters with wild animals. As a wildlife photographer, we become intimately involved and very close to the animals. Knowledge is key to understand the animal the the signs they exhibit. Occasionally, one misses the clues and the result is not pretty. Nevertheless, I have been kissed two times by a moose, once in Utah and the second time in Grand Teton. Moose have poor eyesight, if you are very still they will eventually come up to investigate you. They put their nose so close to you face it is like a kiss. Very tender.

I am sure Olga will kiss much better than a moose. My trip is planned for April 30 with arrival May 1 at DME Moscow 6 pm. I can almost feel my first hug and kiss.

I watched a video taken on a university campus in Canada. A moose had wandered onto the campus and was loitering near a sidewalk while he was being videotaped from a safe distance. A student tried to casually walk past the moose, giving it a space of 10-15 feet at least. The moose didn't like that and ran at this person and knocked him down. It turned away but then came back and stomped the victim. This happened several more times, all the while being filmed. When the moose was finished the victim was dead! :wow:

I have been very close to moose in the past also but no 'kissing'! Since seeing that video I will never again get that close!

Good luck on your Mayday in Moscow!
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-02-02 17:13:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusIntroduction but not a newbie

Welcome ! Do you have any great moose recipes?

Moose can be used just like beef. When I lived in Fairbanks I had moose often. Best tasting meat in my opinion! We have moose here in the UP, I even had one walk right up my boat launch after swimming across the lake! Not much opportunity to eat any moose here though, there are too few to have any legal hunting.
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-02-02 11:26:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusIntroduction but not a newbie

Hello all RUB members;

My name is john but friends call me moose. Even though my profile is new, I am not (on VJ or in life). This is not my first go with a K1. I have not successfully completed the K1 visa but have started three in the past. One stopped before interview (a joint decision after we were living together in Russia for three months) and two stopped before USCIS decision (one stopped my me and the second stopped by her because she was unable to move the USA). All girls are still my friends, one is in UK (married to a wonderful man) and the other two still in Russia. I have been involved on VJ since Slim and Neonred (I used to also live in Florida) stated their K1's and before Gary and Alla started.

After taking four years off to recover after my last failure, I am trying again. I have met (online, not in person) my sweetheart. I am trying to take it slow but the accelerator is stuck. She is everything I could ever hope for, sweet, kind, responsive and beautiful. We are currently planning my trip for a visit. This will not be my first trip to Russia. I have been over multiple times to visit my previous attempts and I went to live in Russia to work at a nature park as a wildlife photographer. This life changing experience instilled in me a desire to do more for animals and I have returned to school to earn a PhD in moose conservation (at age 56).

Oh, her name is Olga and she lives in Kirov. She has one son, about 23 years old.

I am not requesting any advice (yet), simply introducing myself in case you see my posts in response to other questions.

:thumbs:

Looks like we are almost neighbors! We are in Houghton for shopping all the time, my Russian step-daughter even attends pre-school there At MTU! There are a few Russian/American families here. If your sweetheart would like I am sure Olya would be happy to correspond with her about what life is like here in American Siberia! :D
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-02-02 09:43:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusSometimes it is all worth it
Congratulations Gary and family. I know exactly what you mean. I have a son and daughter that are reinforcing those same life lessons for me! Yes, life is good! :thumbs: :dance: :D
james&olyaMaleRussia2012-12-06 05:13:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussia's Flowers

I agree, flowers in US seems to stay fresh much longer than in Russia. Any flowers I got for my wife stayed fresh for at least 2 weeks if not a little longer, even any simple bouquet from Kroger for $10-15 never did look bad in at least 12 days, not speaking about flowers from special florist shops. In Russia you never know, flowers in my Russian city were MUCH more expensive than the same kinds of flowers here in the US (not speaking of roses - you barely could get 2-3 roses in my city for the price I can buy a whole dozen here in the US), and I'm not from Moscow. They always were a lottery in Russia - sometimes they wouldn't stay fresh even for a 5-7 days, you never know, and it was rare if they would stay fresh for 2 weeks. So yeah, I definitely don't see anything wrong with flowers here. In Russia they were often less fresh and always much more expensive.
- Victor

That surprises me. It is true that cheap flowers are available in supermarkets here but buying flowers at most florists in my experience can be ridiculous. When I was in Ukraine (it was in summer) I was able to purchase flowers very cheap from the sidewalk vendors. I don't know about what they cost in Russia or in winter though.
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-03-03 18:46:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussia's Flowers

so, i ordered some flowers to be delivered to my fiancee's place on valentine's....and i was wondering...where in that giant soviet refrigerator do they grow roses?

I do hope you did not order a dozen! Or any other 'even' number.
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-03-01 03:28:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusIR-5 petition approved

Siblings are direct filing, but on a specific priority date (about 2 - 2.5 years right now).

From USCIS website:

I-130 Petition for Alien Relative U.S. citizen filing for a brother or sister November 20, 2010

Really? Only 2 - 2.5 years? I had thought it much longer but never actually looked into it. I have a BIL that would be interested except that I guess his wife would be stuck there for a while.
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-03-01 03:39:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusYours. Mine and Ours

I am trying to understand, but honestly, I can not imagine how nervous I would be if I was taking my child and moving to another country and he didn't speak the language or understand the culture.. I remember my first trip to Russia.. Hell, I was nervous.!! but I trusted my heart, and put all my faith and trust in this woman, and it was just incredibly amazingly awesome.. so I know she feels the same about me...


I am sure they are feeling some stress but it isn't the same for them moving here as it would be for us going there. Think about it, how many movies and TV shows did you watch daily growing up depicting a positive aspect of life in Russia? They know a lot more about our culture than we do theirs, My wife knows American pop culture much better than I do. She has seen more American made movies than I have. I had never seen a movie made in Russia till I met her.

I do understand exactly how you felt going to Russia! I will never forget it, especially since I grew up during the peak of the Cold War. Do you remember ''duck and cover'? Not only that but I was an officer in the USAF in the 70's into the 80's. Knowing the plane was entering russian airspace was quite an experience!

You are doing all the right things. Good luck!
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-02-19 23:15:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusYours. Mine and Ours

I would not worry about shootings in schools. More kids are killed by falling off bicycles. As tragic as it is, it is very rare in terms of percentage of children. It is not a rational fear given such dangerous things as crossing streets.

That aside, I would NOT recommend home schooling for this child. AT ALL. That will NOT improve her English. Our son spoke very little English when he arrived, entered regular school the second day here and within 3 months was promoted from 8th grade to 10th grade, moved from an ESL class to an ELL class (a step up) and by the end of the first school year was out of special English teaching altogether. 4 years later he has a 3.998 GPA and an A+ on Creative Writing. Alla is an educator by training, and spent several years teaching junior high level Russian and English in Ukraine, beginning during the Soviet Union. She thinks home schooling is ridiculous and is appalled it is allowed to the degree that it is in this country. I know many people defend it and think it is great. I do not disagree with them, per se, but in this case I cannot see it would help this young woman.

If she has special needs, then get her into some alternative schooling appropriate for her. Check it out in your community. Go to your regular school, get a meeting with a counselor, NOW, and get started on this. A 15 year old needs to GET AWAY from home, and get away from Russian language as much as possible and immersed in English as much as possible. Keeping her in home schooling is probably the worst thing I could imagine for her. Take her 6000 miles away and bottle her up in the house? At least the educational professionals can evaluate her and give you the best alternatives.

This is not just my opinion (which would be worth little in this matter) but it is a well accepted approach to teaching children a new language and culture. Immersion.

I would also make plans on her going to college and not accept any thoughts of NOT going to college. Simply not acceptable thinking to limit their future.

Rather look on the bright side...this girl will be a dual citizen of two very important countries in world affairs, she will be bi-lingual Russian/English, she will have an education in both languages. Play your cards right and this "developmently delayed" child can have a world class education and have employers embarrasing themselves with the offers they give her.

It will be important for YOU, the native English speaker, to spend time with her and help her with the language. It will be an every day thing, plan on it. That can be your "home schooling" I worked with Pasha 2-3 hours every night for months. You just have to do it and you may as well enjoy it. For us, the weather was still pretty good and we sat on the big front porch every night. Did his homework, worked on our English lessons (assigned by Alla, conducted by me as Alla worked on HER homework from her college) He helped me, I helped him.

I also have no doubt that this period increased our bond and has made me the "go to guy" for anything he needs. I mean, look, you are taking this girl from her life and friends and there is nothing in it for her (in her opinion). You just dropped a grenade in her entire world! So you have to be the good guy, you have to be the guy that she admires. She has to think "no wonder Mom wanted to marry this guy!" You can NEVER lose your cool and NEVER say things like "go back to Russia if you don't like it!" No matter what she says or how she acts, she is scared to death right now(at best) and you simply cannot be anything BUT a good guy or this is all going to blow up in your face. And do not forget that YOUR relationship with her mother can live or die by the relationship you have with her daughter.

Being a good guy for her daughter will make you GOLD in her eyes as well, there is nothing better you can do for HER than be a good father/father figure to her daughter.

In the essay Pasha wrote for his college applications, he was quite blunt about his feelings about being hauled off at age 13, but he also described how he has come around, learned new things and now has a better future and that now he sees his mother did the right thing for him, even though at age 13 he only thought he was losing his friends. Nothing much more than that matters to a 15 year old.

Having raised four children (all boys) I can offer my own opinion, and it is just that, that your fiancee should expect more from her daughter and not make excuses for her. Be demanding, insist on the best, insist on the hard path. Not the easy way out. "This is going to be hard and you can do it!"

Let the boys bring home a report card with a 3.93 GPA and she wants to know why it is not 3.95! At 3.998 there was little she could say! :whistle: Now he is being to accepted to any US university he has applied to. Imagine if we had doubted his ability to go to college when he arrived here.

I hope you two will consider other alternatives for her daughter. I wish her the best also. Aim high and even if she does not achieve that goal, she will do well.

I was going to post a long reply but Gary has said it all so well. I will just add a :thumbs:
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-02-17 21:09:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusYours. Mine and Ours

I am a parent. I'm proudly smiling all the time as you should be with all the accomplishments of your step children.
-I was just wondering why you don't talk about your other sons. I wasn't even aware you had other sons until yesterday, and yet I know every detail about your step children. (quote, TMMA)

Thank you TMMA. Unfortunately some people felt they did not want a thread discussing immigrant children and families at an immigration site and muddled things until the thread had to be closed. :wacko: We will try again

I have FOUR wonderful sons and photos of ALL of them are at my profile and always have been. I also have two incredible grandchildren (both boys) and they are featured there as well. So far 3 out of 4 have masters degrees. The oldest is a Superintendent of Parks and Recreation for a large Chicago suburb. Son number 2 has a Master's in English and is a university English teacher. Number 3, Sergey, I have spoken about and also Number 4, Pasha (high school senior)

I certainly have nothing to hide, however the main part of my discussion regarding children has been about Sergey and Pasha for a number of reasons. We are a "blended family" as are a lot of others here at VJ and we have sons, children, who were relocated to a new country/language/culture. I just feel that their accomplishments will be of most interest to other VJ members as opposed to native speaking, native born US citizen children.

We also had the fairly unique situation of having Sergey complete his masters degree in Russia while he was a US permanent resident. THAT has been of interest to many members, not only that, but both Alla and Sergey walked into US advanced degree educations with private scholarships to pay for it as permanent residents. YES, it can be done. All of this has been useful to other VJ members and their children. It will NOT get done by checking case status reports and "Igor's list"

There are a lot of Ukrainian women (and this is the RUB forum) who are apprehensive about relocating their children. Like other mothers, I am sure yourself, they do not concern themselves with timelines and case status too much, but worry about preparing for their children's new life. They have met a guy they want to marry, but they do not want to destroy their children's opportunities...and educational opportunities in Ukraine are very good. Of course what I talk about affects families from other countries, but Alla and the boys are Ukrainian and this is where other Ukrainian women will look. They like to compare notes in their native language sometimes and Alla has spoken to many other VJ members wives and even met some of them in Ukraine or Russia. Even helped one with her interview (she was there at the same time as Sergey for his K-2) and she flew back with another one.

We feel like our marriage has been a valuable asset to our family, to both Alla and I and to the boys. She would like to help other people and so would I. VJ guided me through this process, so why not? And any of the other wives that have talked to her will tell you, she is "no nonsense, direct and to the point" like many FSU people/women. She will give them all the "pluses and minuses" and would never get a job for the US Chamber of Commerce :lol:

In addition to thinking children are the best thing in life (maybe grandchildren, you can wind them up and give them back :thumbs: ) It is always my hope that other members from Ukraine, Russia or anywhere, but especially where they come from different language and culture, will see that YES, my children CAN do well. There is no guaranteee, of course, here, there or anywhere.

In fact, all of us, Alla, Sergey and I, believe that Sergey's combination of both US and Russian education will be a major advantage to him in the future. In his field of science that is true. Pasha has just excelled and there is no other way to describe it, though Alla always worries because he is not a "geek" like Sergey. He scares her with his interests in sports and cars and such. He is the typical American teenager, not a studious bookworm, but he has a 3.998 cumulative GPA so far! He is efficient. He won the Governor's Math Olympiad when just a sophmore and received a $1000 scholarship for that. He has already collected more than $10,000 in scholarships. Believe me, it is worth the time to search them out and apply to them. There is no job or investment that can return as much. He was just awared $4,500 from a private scholarship fund for which we spent perhaps 8 hours preapring the application. Who is going to pay you $4500 for 8 hours work? There are thousands of scholarships available, search them out and dig for them. We will apply for more over the nextcouple of months (most have April 1 deadlines, latest)

Every college Pasha has applied to has accepted him. Yet, he spoke little English when he arrived just over 4 years ago and I worked with him every night to improve his English and translate his homework (he improved my Russian in the process)

All four boys are doing well, two own their own homes, two have very good careers and another is well on his way. Pasha is only beginning but he has an excellent start. We are proud of all of them. We consider ourselves pretty lucky.

I really believe that for most of us, the best thing we can do in life is to affect the lives of our children. They are a big responsibility and a 24/7 job. But if you make them the greatest pleasure in your life, you will always be happy because they will always need you. As they get older they still need you, but for different stuff, and at any age the parents are, or should be, the role model for what they will do on the future. It is easy to grasp that when they are 9, but it is important when they are 30 also.

We love and value our children all the same. 2 of them have had experiences that are relevent to VJ members.

Best of luck to you and your children, TMMA

:thumbs:
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-02-10 03:36:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusSeeing auroras in Moscow
The problem with seeing them from Moscow would be the problem of air and light pollution. You need to be where it is dark and with clean air to really see very much. Moscow is definitely far enough north so if you were away from the city you should see them often.
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-03-16 21:28:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusVisa for family to visit USA

So I was wondering how successful people have been getting their wifes/husbands family out to the US on a tourist visa for their weddings or just to visit. We are in the process of helping my wifes family get a visa here. Any good examples on invitation letters and advice to help get the approval. I know it can be difficult to obtain the visa. Thanks.

I have heard it is getting a lot easier than in the past to get FSU relatives here for a visit. I have had my MIL here 3 times already and my BIL and his wife once. They had never even had schengen visas before (visa to European Union countries). They did emphasize their jobs and homes and other relatives staying in Russia that they needed to return to. Unless the relative is a single marriage age female you have a really good chance for success. If you want to maximize your chances have them get visas to visit Europe first(I hear Greece is especially easy) and be sure to not overstay those visits. Good luck.
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-03-28 20:26:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusClimate
We have 2-3 feet of snow on the ground still. Today it got up to mid 20's. We are running a little under the average snowfall for the season, only around 200 inches, average is 250. Olya has felt very much at home relative to weather with the exception that our proximity to Lake Superior, the greatest of the great lakes, keeps the winters warmer and the summers cooler than back home in Kazan, several hundred miles due east of Moscow. I think we probably get more snow but Olya says it seems the same as in Russia. We also have better snow removal than back in Russia, it is rare for things to get cancelled due to snow. The local ski hill will be open again this weekend. With the base we have this year they could probably stay open till almost May! :D
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-04-02 15:28:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarusthinking on moving to the Ukraine

 

 

Forgive me if I'm mistaken but I thought it was the other way around??  Ukraine in Russian literally translates as 'at the edge' so I thought Ukrainians prefer 'the Ukraine' since it shows their independence following the USSR collapse?  I always thought that otherwise it looks like the Russians possess Ukraine as their own territory - it's not an independent country but rather the place 'at the edge of' Russia.

 

 

The issue is what the grammar implies in the English language. Russian does not use 'articles' like 'the'. If you refer to 'the south' or the 'mid-atlantic', etc, you imply it is a region, not a country. Ukraine is the English name for the country. They do not like being thought of as just a region of greater Russia.


james&olyaMaleRussia2013-05-03 22:50:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarusthinking on moving to the Ukraine
a minor issue to us but maybe a real sore spot for them, drop your 'the' as in 'the Ukraine'! It is simply Ukraine. I think we should be forgiven adding that useless article since we use it in front of 'United States'. But when you reflect on it there is a grammatically correct reason for doing that which does not apply to Ukraine (or Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, etc. It can apply to places like the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom.)
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-04-24 23:38:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusParental Consent Form for a Minor Immigrating to the US

My wife insisted she did not need any such letters but I pushed her to get one anyway for her teenage son, just turned 14 when they traveled here. Her daughter, 2 at the time of moving, had no father listed on the birth certificate and so no letter was gotten. I don't know if it was ever asked for at the airport but nobody else seemed to want it.


james&olyaMaleRussia2013-05-18 22:54:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusMedical Exam how far advance

We did ours months before we got our NOA-2. It was no problem to do it then (january 2011). I was there so I could help with the kids. The bureaucracy was crazy, I could not believe how patient everyone was with the process. We were told by those who did not necessarily know that we could not do it early. The embassy assured us it was OK. E-mail them and ask if it is still OK.


james&olyaMaleRussia2013-05-31 00:34:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusOne way or Connection Flights from Rus to US

Regarding needing or not needing the schengen visa for connections in Europe, it may generally be true that it is not needed in most airports but there is at least one exception, Copenhagen! My BIL and SIL found out this the hard way when they were refused boarding in Chicago for their return trip on SAS going through Denmark. Their flight coming here had used a different connecting city. They had to rebook the flight and pay for hotel room in Chicago while they waited. They were told that because they were Russian they had to have a schengen visa to transit through Copenhagen, even though they were not planning on leaving the airport.


james&olyaMaleRussia2013-05-31 01:09:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusTourist Visa For Mother-In-Law - Requirements For Interview

They want to know one thing most of all, that the visitor will be leaving. So make that the most certain thing in the interview, more important and more definite than everything else. Say you absolutely must be back by xx date because of work, school, family responsibilities, planned activities, whatever. The more reasons mentioned the better. My MIL had never traveled outside Russia except one trip to Egypt. She was widowed but helped take care of her mother. She owned her apt and had a regular job. She got approved on the first try and is here again now on her 4th trip in 2 years!


james&olyaMaleRussia2013-05-31 00:59:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian Cuisine?

The dog will also eat anything Alla eats. If I take a piece of orange or banana, for example and put it in the dog's bowl...forget it. If Alla eats an orange or banana the dog is right there looking up at her for a share of it. Alla peels off a slice of orange and drops it...the dog gobbles it up! Not really on topic is it. :lol: Russian dog cuisine.

Incidentally, I speak only Russian to the dog. SHE understands me. :lol:

:lol: Same exact thing here. The dog is not interested in anything unless a human or feline wants to eat it! And the dog hears and knows Russian more than English.
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-03-27 21:37:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian Cuisine?

Tvorog is THE cheese that they say you should never watch being made. :rofl:

Alla makes all the food for our dog also, she hates canned food even for the DOG! and Thinks dry food is some sort of torture.

The dog eats "Kasha" (buckwheat) purchased at the Russian store (the owner knows the type Alla prefers..."the expensive good kind") mixed with either boiled beef or chicken(not ground beef, but the same beef she puts in Borscht)finely chopped up and mixed with the buckwheat. She makes a big bowl of it every week and that is the dog's food for the week. Alla makes soup for us from the broth.

After 5 years (the dog is now 8 years old) I can report that the dog is alive and well. The dog is a pekinese so it does not eat much. I am not sure we could afford to feed this to a Labrador retriever. :lol:

Tell me about it! We got a yellow lab puppy last summer and Olya spoils it ridiculously. The dog eats at least as well as any human in the house. I don't even want to think about how much the dog is costing us in increased grocery bills!
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-03-25 23:16:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusMVA frustration

 Oh, and they are all sub-contractors now, very few state employees so yes you are dealing with the lowest bidder.

Wait a minute. I thought that the private sector was always more efficient and professional than those hated government employees. Doesn't this kind of story tend to contradict that oft repeated RWN canard? The truth is that idiots and stupid bureaucracy exist everywhere, private and public.


james&olyaMaleRussia2013-07-10 22:27:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusMVA frustration
Michigan also allows someone to drive as long as their foreign license and International 'license' remain valid.
james&olyaMaleRussia2012-02-04 16:02:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusWhy would a Russian be denied K1 visa at interview?

James. I brought evidence of meeting 6 times, and a stack of phone logs, email logs, dozens and dozens of photos, maybe 100, I do not remember. I had every form of back u for the I-134 possible and a couple extra. I brought every document that had ever been mailed to anyone. I carried it with me on my lap on the plane and brought it by hand delivery to the interview myself. I basically killed a fly with a thermonuclear warhead!

There is no one that says "use enough gun" more than me. Better to be slightly over-gunned than be trampled by an elephant. :blush:

But it simply is not true that meeting one time or 10 times in a third country is "weaker" than meeting one time or 10 times in their home country.

I met with Alla 6 times because that was the best I could with my work schedule and because I wanted to meet with her that many times...more if I could have. It was not to generate evidence, but of course it did. I encourage people, always, to meet as many times as possible and to d=go to the interview and make it a priority to go to the interview (not because it is better evidence, but because I believe you do things together in this process)

there is no one more conservative than I on this matter...but I admit it is not required and that it gets ridiculous when people start saying..."well it is weaker if you meet somewhere else." Maybe it is weaker if you meet in summer because you were not willing to endure winter weather for your fiancee? C'mon, how silly can we get? Is it stronger evidence if I wear poor fitting shoes so my feet hurt?

I really think you are both right. On the narrow issue of where, specifically, the meeting occurs, who cares? But on the larger issue of whether you have met each other's family and friends as well, and can document all that with photos, etc., it will go far in helping to establish you have a bona-fide relationship when you need to prove that later on. From what I have seen personally though, I don't believe that most people who actually do have that bona-fide relationship will have any significant problem in demonstrating that to the officials involved. Most of this advice is probably only needed by those trying to prove something that is not as real as it should be. So I guess I am pretty close to your position on this but I can see the point SMR was making.
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-04-02 13:29:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusWhy would a Russian be denied K1 visa at interview?

To be honest, I'm a little bit curious as to why my comments have hit such a nerve. No, of course the question about what country you met in never comes up as a condition of approval. But there are very real reasons, some of which I have mentioned, why meeting in a home country makes the story better and more solid. Gary, you met 6 times, including where Alla lived. That's an entirely different story from someone who met once while vacationing in Mexico. That's not meant as a jab at the OP, but rather a point that he needs to understand that further evidence is probably a good idea.

We all understand that there are basic minimum requirements that have to be met in addition to a bunch of squishy requirements. You're correct that exactly what those squishy requirements are is a matter of speculation, rumor, and imagination. If there was something more concrete then they would cease to be squishy requirements. The OP came with the intention of trying to understand those requirements. I believe that as visits go the OPs visit is on the weaker side for establishing proof of a relationship. Obviously it wouldn't instantly become better just because they met in one of the home countries, but it would give it more potential. I can't really understand why you would disagree that if he had the opportunity to visit her at home and meet her family and friends that would show stronger evidence of an ongoing relationship. That doesn't mean he has to do it. He just needs to consider that evidence of an ongoing relationship will probably be required at some level and that he should be actively trying to generate and save said proof.

Getting approval of the I-129 probably does not require any more than meeting minimum requirements and passing the background checks. The battle, if there is to be one, is at the consulate interview. All of this is of greater importance when dealing with tougher consulates. Fortunately Kyiv and Moscow are relatively easy. You are right, of course, that it makes sense to give them more than the bare minimum whenever possible. After all, you are dealing with people and you never know when somebody at USCIS or the consulate might be having a hard day and decides to take it out on some poor, unsuspecting K-1 applicant/beneficiary. Sometimes the process can seem quite arbitrary. Why not do everything possible to assure a positive outcome? I have to agree with you on this even though I am sure, as Gary tells us, that it is quite possible to get approval with a single meeting somewhere far from the homes of both petitioner and beneficiary.
james&olyaMaleRussia2013-03-31 01:13:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusChicago POE without speaking English

Maybe it's something new over the Polar Ice Cap ?

That is a second reason I would like to see a direct Chicago or Minneapolis to Moscow flight. I once got to fly over northern Iceland and Greenland right at sunset coming back from Russia but it was on a Munich to Chicago flight. The scenery was spectacular and we actually watched the sun rise ahead of us in the west as we flew crossing time zones faster than the sun at that far northern latitude.


james&olyaMaleRussia2013-10-30 20:55:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusChicago POE without speaking English

Delta connects from Chicago to Moscow via JFK.  My wife has always been able to find help in JFK.....but she also speaksEnglish.

In that case the POE is not Chicago but JFK. There are innumerable ways to connect from Chicago (or anywhere there is a commercial airport) to Moscow 'via' another hub. Of course it is then no longer a direct flight and the probability of other Russian speaking passengers deplaning simultaneously at the Chicago POE (which was the point here) goes way, way down. But maybe you have another point to make, that it might have been advantageous to choose JFK as the POE to afford him the advantage of that direct connection from Moscow and the fellow travelers (!) able to speak Russian and translate for him.


james&olyaMaleRussia2013-10-29 19:57:00