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Hey, if no one minds... why don't we talk about Russian Women for a bit...?

Specifically, I wanted to jot a few notes about my wife's first month here.

This is kind of random. I think a little later, my Mrs. will chime in also. She has been entertaining a guest this weekend, so hasn't had much time.

So, random thoughts:

Russian Woman vs. Ukrainian Woman:
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My wife has no problem with being referred to as a Russian woman. (Which is nice, since it's easier to write than Ukrainian Woman...)

I had someone ask me: "How is a Russian woman different than an American Woman?" The answer is, of course: "Impossible to say." Because all Russian Women are different from each OTHER, so there is no set comparison that can be made.

So, my comments are not about Russian women... they are about my wife.

Russian Woman and dogs:
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Someone asked once if Russian Women take to pets. Well, my wife has completely stolen my dog from me. Not that I minded too much, but it was amazing how fast that dog forgot about me when he learned my wife did things in the kitchen besides use the phone there to order pizza. (My dog the Traitor!)

She has spoiled him rotten. One thing is that she feeds him from the table, so now there is no chance that he won't be there for the family meals. The only thing that she has followed is when I told her that chocolate was bad for him. She spoils him, but she is careful about it. No chocolate for him!

One day I was in the bedroom typing, and she comes rushing in, closing the door behind her. She is holding a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. “What are you doing?” I asked. “It is terrible!” she tells me. “I cannot eat downstairs. The cat and dog keep watching me!”

The amazing thing about her closeness with him is that the first day she was here, he chewed up an expensive mink hat that she brought all of the way from Kherson with her. (Her reaction: "Oh well, I will not need it in Texas...")

Russian Woman on Household appliances:
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Washer she likes. The Dryer took some getting used to. (Every now and then she will point out to me that we have many trees in our yard, and we COULD have a clothesline there.) I think she likes it now, though. The dishwasher was a non-event for her. It took her a week before she would even try it. Even now she views it with some skepticism. ("You know," she told me "I do a better job washing the dishes than the dishwasher." Who would argue with her?) The electric can-opener made her laugh, but she uses it (mainly because I don't have a back-up option).  I bought her a hand mixer which she is interested in, but I don't think she sees much use for it.

Russian Women on American Women:
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We were walking out of church last week, and she turned to me and said: "There are many beautiful women in this church." And I agreed with her. (There are.) "Probably you could have found a beautiful woman without going to Ukraine." And, I told her that I didn't go to Ukraine just to find a beautiful woman. I asked her if she thought there were more beautiful women in Kiev. And she looked around the church and said. "Not so many, no." Which was what I thought too, and which is why I said (a long time ago) guys going to Kiev expecting super models walking the streets will be disappointed.

However, on the flip side, she also noted to me that many American women are over-weight. This is not a contradiction. In my area, a woman seems to be one or the other. In our church there are knockouts, and knocked outs. Pretty much the same for the city I live in. If you go out to the dance club, the women look (mostly) great. You go to a PTA function, and they are mainly 25 pounds over-weight and wearing sweats.

A couple of weeks ago, we went out to dinner with several couples from our church. We met at the restaurant, which was a nice Mexican place. My wife wanted to know what she should wear. I tried to tell her that she could wear almost anything she wanted to. Noting some of the dress she had seen on Sunday, she decided on a nice black suit/dress. Classy, but the dress was suitably short to be feminine. (She looked like a sexy NY lawyer on Ally McBeal or something.)

Every other woman there from the group was wearing a sweater and jeans. (one in a sweatshirt.) Big, bulky (albiet comfortable) clothes.

My wife saw what everyone else was wearing, leaned in close to me and said: "Probably I should have worn something else." she looked around again. "Maybe I should have worn a tent."

Russian Woman on the importance of the Green Card:
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My wife could not possibly care less that she lives in America now, except that it means that we are together. If I told her tomorrow that I have taken a good job in Kiev, she would dance upstairs and start packing, while dancing up and down and singing with joy.

She was an upper professional where she was. When she was married before, she lived in a big apartment, she and her husband had a Jeep, and she was considered very well off by local standards. She chose to divorce rather than live in a bad marriage. (Long story, and I won't get into those details.) The point is that she left one marriage that was bad, even though she had a many nice things... she wasn't about to enter another one just to improve her lifestyle.

She likes America well enough. She likes the people, who have all been very nice. She likes the school here. She has even grown to like Kroger's.

But if she could go home, and have her family, her friends, and my daughter and I (OK... and probably the dog) all together, she would trade America for that in a second.

There is much more. But I will have to post it later.

... in response to My Wife's First Month, posted by MarkInTx on Jan 21, 2003

Funny little stories there, Mark. Thanks!

My ex tried the "sly" moves, similar to what you've described, on my Boxer (Panzer).

So, here's a little tip:

BEEF JERKY -hidden throughout the entire house. It really had a hypnotic effect on the little guy. He never knew where treats could come from next. He still looks in the oddest places for... *smile*

I remember your story about your GS, prior to my posting here. I lost one of my Danes to "bloat," a couple of years back. Came home from work, dead "horse" in my bed. Perfectly healthy, 18 month old dog, no mas...

Sorry to babble... I just recalled your story was rather touching, and a buddy of mine just lost his dog to a stray Pit Bull.

So...  

... in response to Re: Traitorous canines, posted by BURKE89 on Jan 23, 2003

Those that ain't dog people will never understand.

Those that are understand instantly.

If your interested in some heavy reading, drop me a line and I will send you the essay I wrote after my GS's passing...

You know, I still miss that dog...

... in response to My Wife's First Month, posted by MarkInTx on Jan 21, 2003

sdf

... in response to My Wife's First Month, posted by MarkInTx on Jan 21, 2003

nice Mark and right on the money! My UA wife is nearly the same.
Cheers

... in response to Hmm..haven't seen a Kroger's in a long t..., posted by cherokee on Jan 22, 2003

Closed all of them in PA where I am from.

But they have a huge one here.

All of the grocery stores around here make you join their club. Well... they don't MAKE you... but if you don't, that gallon of milk costs you $2.39 instead of $1.89.

Their evil plan worked. I joined the first one, and do most of my shopping there now. I just hate carrying around a wallet full of those price cards, so we just use the one.

We also joined CostCo here.

Man, Victoria LOVES that place. She can already tell that things are cheaper there. She doesn't have a full understanding yet of what costs what here, and what is considered expensive... but she knows some things.

Her contact lens solution was twice as much at Kroger's. Now she MUCH prefers going to Costco.

Only problem is the size of some of the containers.

I bought a box of Leggo Waffles there, and it almost completely fills my freezer! And that is a problem, because as my wife points out to me: "We *NEED* ice cream!" (Milk is optional... but we NEED ice cream!)

... in response to My Wife's First Month, posted by MarkInTx on Jan 21, 2003

If you had rubbed your dog's tummy after meals and fed him something better than dog food he might have remained more loyal. You don't deserve those animals loyalty.

... in response to So you lost your best friend...., posted by BubbaGump on Jan 22, 2003

I guess the trolls are right... I can't even keep a dog happy ;-)

Actually, this was a stray we took in, and I like him and everything... but the betrayal didn't hurt as much as if my German Shepherd had abdicated. However, my GSD died a year before she came, so we'll never know...

... in response to My Wife's First Month, posted by MarkInTx on Jan 21, 2003

Mark,

Sounds like bliss :)

Your post made me laugh :)

I hope all continues to go well for both of you (and for the dog lol)

Deckard

P.S. oh yeah, Victoria, welcome to the USA, and to this crazy board :)

... in response to Re: My Wife's First Month, posted by Deckard on Jan 22, 2003

The dog is very happy today, because over the weekend I let the "Chef" have a day off, and I took everyone out to my favorite BBQ place.

ALL you can eat beef ribs!

So, he's had a few beef rib bones every day since, and he is starting to look at me in a new light!

... in response to My Wife's First Month, posted by MarkInTx on Jan 21, 2003

I enjoyed reading it. I agree about the overweight people. I'm 34 years old & graduated high school in 86. I went to a local club here called Graham Central Station. They have like 7 clubs in one. Anyways I went to the one that had 70's & 80's music, well I felt BAD!!!! There were people I went to school with on the floor like we were STILL in high school only they were about 40 pound overweight! SiCK! I even saw one girl I was TOTALLY in love with man she looked like a hippo!!! I almost did NOT recognize if it werent for the fact she kept staring at me. Reminds me of the Garth Brooks song "Unanswered Prayers"! I'm still same weight as in high school but EVEN longer hair! LO!L! Most girls think I'm 24 not 34 so that's cool. Anyways interesting post. Also the first thing I told Ukrainian girls was there are MANY beautiful girls in the US just not enough LADIES.

... in response to Great post!..., posted by Frank O on Jan 21, 2003

BTW, I liked Garth's early stuff... before he became so self-important.

Unanswered prayers was great... (Though I don't think he meant to thank God that he passed on a hippo ;-)