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GoodWife / Planet-Love Archives => Threads started in 2003 => Topic started by: Rando on February 04, 2003, 05:00:00 AM



Title: Some help for a newbee please
Post by: Rando on February 04, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
Hi everyone,

My name is Randy. I live in PA. I just recently found this board and am learning how it works.

I am at the point where I am actually writing to a girl from Kharkov. I bought the address from AFA. So far I have sent a letter by regular post and then about 4 or 5 more with email forwarding. She apparently cant speak or read much english. I have been using an email forwarding service that also translates for us. This works fine except that it is quite expensive...(about $15.00 per page)

I like her, and I want to get to know her, so I was wondering if anyone could help me with a more cost effective idea in this matter.

Im not poor...but Im not rich either and so I want to use the most cost effictive method with this situation. Any help or advice would be great. Thanks.

The newest guy.

Randy



Title: Re: Some help for a newbee please
Post by: russiangirl on February 07, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Some help for a newbee please, posted by Rando on Feb 4, 2003

hi


Title: Some help for a newbee
Post by: Rags on February 06, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Some help for a newbee please, posted by Rando on Feb 4, 2003

[This message has been edited by Rags]

Hey Randy. Welcome to the Board and best wishes in your Quest to find a good woman. If you are careful, honest, and PATIENT you will be rewarded hansomely. If not...you will get one heck of an education, real quick.

I'll echo what several have said below and suggest that you talk to Jack. Whether you use his services or not, he will give you some good insights as to what to be wary of and how to best get things done. BTW, I do recomend using his services when you get to the point of going over as his people are first rate.

I would be careful dealing with AFA as they kept inviting my fiancee (and later my wife) to attend their socials even after repeated e-mails telling them that she was no longer interested or available.

$15/page for translation and forwarding is way out of line. Get her phone number if you can. My wife can call and talk her through getting an e-mail account set up if you like so you can at least write each other directly and cut out the agency middlemen.

You can use a shareware translation program but sometimes it's pretty strange what comes out the other end or just start learning Russian by doing the translation yourself. You'll have to learn it sooner or later.

Another option (abeit more expensive) is to use a three way conference call with a translator. Or maybe she has a friend who speaks enough English to get your ideas across. You will need to get a phone card and not try doing this with AT&T. ($0.11/min vs. $1.50/min)

Stick around, there's a lot of guys here willing to help out and by all means give Jack a call or drop him an e-mail.



Title: Re: Some help for a newbee please
Post by: Rando on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Some help for a newbee please, posted by Rando on Feb 4, 2003

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the replys and advice. I am going to check into it all.

Burned by last wife???? Haaaa yes..but that was two years ago...Im much wiser now...although the best advice I got so far on seeking another marriage is as follows..."Don't get married...just find someone that you hate, and give her a house!"

I have read about the scammers and I am a cynic by nature, so I do have my eyes open. The girl Im writing to now is 33. She has a nine year old son.

It is really great to have this forum. And everyone has been very helpful so far.

I live about 90 miles from Erie, PA. If you draw a line from Buffalo to Pittsburgh and then look in the middle of that line you will find St. Marys....which is a fairly small city.

Thanks for the help so far. I'll be back as soon as I digest the info you have all provided so far.

Randy



Title: Re: Some help for a newbee please
Post by: thesearch on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Some help for a newbee please, posted by Rando on Feb 4, 2003

Randy,

You went through a pretty tough time with what you x did to you.

You need to be careful with these FSU women. Read archives here. Also, guys here are a good sounding board for any questions you might have.

The first thing that you have to do is understand that some of these women have ulterior motives. For these ladies it is either parting you with your money, they have no intentions  of leaving their homeland.

Then there are ladies who that is all they want and they will tell a guy they love him to make it happen. Then, when they arrive things start to not go as intended.

The general rule is the younger and more beautiful the woman is as compared to what you can attract in your own back yard, the greater the chance for things to not work out.  Do not get me wrong, almost everyone here is going to the FSU because we can get more beautiful, younger, as well as a attitude that is more like women used to be in the USA. Just be careful about pushing the limits. Although there are those that did who are still married after the two year probation period so to speak.

It is supposed to be that they have to stay with you for two years before they can leave you and still remain in the country. However, the INS because of the feminist movement it seems, represent the women more than they do you - the citizen of the USA.

There have been guys who have brought a woman over here, she claimed physical abuse when no such thing occurred (they have learned that this is an excellent way to dump a guy and stay if it works) and the guy is in this situation considered guilty until he proves his innocence. The courts have forced some men out of their house so that she has a place to stay in. Sometimes the women move other men more attractive to them into the guys house to live in your home with them and there is nothing that you can do in the short run.

It has happened. The guy ends up supporting the lady for sometimes several years just because he brought a woman over who had an agenda. This is pretty much a worst case scenario with some exceptions that have hit the news periodically in the past few years.

On the other hand there are guys who have brought back a wonderful woman who is just happy to be with you, she has no agenda. These women can make the most incredible wives. Other guys will simply envy you plain and simple.

Also, I would not discuss with anyone you know about your seeking a woman from the FSU. Not a good idea IMHO

As for your question, keep seeking solutions. Those mentioned are good. I used a lady who lives in Ukraine and I paid $50 per month regardless of the number of letters. I have lost track of her but, the point is, always remain open for options.

Good luck to you. BTW, how old is this lady that you are interested in if I might ask?

Greg



Title: Re: Some help for a newbee please
Post by: Zink on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Some help for a newbee please, posted by Rando on Feb 4, 2003

If you can get her to go to an internet cafe I have a translation program that I could give you. It's far from perfect but it helps. You'll need windows xp or a Russian version of windows to use the program though. The most cost effective method I found was to study Russian myself. I don't like using an interpretor even if they are honest. E-mail me at the adress in my profile if you are interested.


Title: Re: Some help for a newbee please
Post by: tim360z on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Some help for a newbee please, posted by Rando on Feb 4, 2003

@ $15.00 per letter I think you are getting gouged,  whether you can afford it or not.  You should consider taking Cherokee up on his wife doing it.  Or Jack.

Anyway,  if you are really interested in communicating with this girl....its best to do as others mentioned and this stuff is in the archives.  Have her use an internet cafe,  there are many and almost everywhere.  The more direct the communication the better.  Its about $1 to $1.75 per hour depending upon the location.



Title: Email forwarding
Post by: Philb on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Some help for a newbee please, posted by Rando on Feb 4, 2003

I can vouche for Jack's service (see post below).  They have gone the extra mile to deliver a letter for me.  Once they even rerouted a letter through a second country to get it delivered.  All for the low price mentioned below.

Also, I will be spending some time this March/April in the Kharkiv area.



Title: Hey I'm from PA
Post by: cherokee on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Some help for a newbee please, posted by Rando on Feb 4, 2003

Randy,
My wife can translate for you for way less than that, but you would need to set up your friends with an email address like yahoo or something and they could go to an internet cafe if they don't have access at home or work. you can send my wife an email at plfoote@ij.net
Good Luck to you!

Ps. I'm from the Erie, PA area



Title: Re: Some help for a newbee please
Post by: BubbaGump on February 04, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Some help for a newbee please, posted by Rando on Feb 4, 2003

Ask if you can get a better rate by prepaying for a bunch of letters.  E700 allows you to do that if that's who you're using.


Title: Re: Re: Some help for a newbee please
Post by: petem on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Re: Some help for a newbee please, posted by BubbaGump on Feb 4, 2003

E700 is a ripoff, stay away


Title: Re: Re: Re: Some help for a newbee please
Post by: BubbaGump on February 06, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Re: Re: Some help for a newbee please, posted by petem on Feb 5, 2003

AFA might have the same arrangement.  E700 is risky all right.


Title: Where in PA?
Post by: MarkInTx on February 04, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Some help for a newbee please, posted by Rando on Feb 4, 2003

Which part of the Keystone State are ya from?

As for Advice, I would say that, in general, you could start with the archives here, as well as at RWG.

Speficially... hard to say. Tell us a little more about your lady. Where is she from? Does she speak/write English? How many addresses did you buy, btw?

If you don't want to make it all so public, drop me a line at: markjoel60@hotmail.com



Title: Re: Where in PA?
Post by: Rando on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Where in PA?, posted by MarkInTx on Feb 4, 2003

I live in St. Marys, PA....about 90 miles NE of Pittsburg.

In the mountains I beleive you folks call it. Its in ELK county. And yep, I got Elk in my backyard.

Thanks for the help.

Randy



Title: Re: Re: Where in PA?
Post by: MarkInTx on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Re: Where in PA?, posted by Rando on Feb 5, 2003

Not to bust your chops... but it's Pittsburgh... not Pittsburg...

That H is important, because in German, it tells you how big the city is. Pittsburg is just a small town.

BTW, I was born not far from St. Marys... I know where it is...



Title: Re: Re: Re: Where in PA?
Post by: Rando on February 06, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Re: Re: Where in PA?, posted by MarkInTx on Feb 5, 2003

Haaaaa,

You will get plenty of chances to bust my chops when it comes to spelling. I IM a friend in VA and she says it takes about two full weeks to learn "Randy Speak...or Spell" as it were.

What are you doing in Texas? I lived there while in the service (Air Force) for about a year. If I ever have to describe Wichita Falls, Texas to anyone I explain as follows....If the world needed an enema..Wichita Falls is where they would stick the hose.

Where where you born? St Marys is an old German Catholic town...we're pretty anal retentive about everything, so being corrected for misspelled words is only one of the many things I can get hammered with here...and thats by the best of my friends.

So its Pittsburgh..guess I was thinking of Philipsburg or maybe Gettysburg...BTW Im running Windows 95 and somehow lost spell check a couple years ago, but the good thing is that if I am able to find a beautiful wife from FSU...she will most likely be unable to recognize my spelling errors ...so that works out really good...:-)

Thanks for making me feel welcome and for your help.

Later,

Randy



Title: Re: Re: Re: Re: Where in PA?
Post by: MarkInTx on February 06, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Re: Re: Re: Where in PA?, posted by Rando on Feb 6, 2003

I came to Texas for the job. Wasn't much demand for white collar workers in Pittsburgh when I left.

They still don't pay computer people very much...

I was born in small town between Eirie and Pittsburgh... north of Slippery Rock college, if that helps...

As for Wichita Falls... heck, if you think that is that bad, you need to get out more ;-)

It's not the garden spot of the world, but I can think of better places to "stick the hose". Hell, Harrisbrg comes to mind ;-)

I'll compare Austin to Harrisburg any day....

But, I don't mean to trash the Keystone state. I still do love it. And I miss it terribly every fall.

But now it is February, and I don't miss it at all! It was 72 degrees here two days ago...



Title: Re: Where in PA?
Post by: Stan B on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Where in PA?, posted by MarkInTx on Feb 4, 2003

I grew up in PA, in Wayne, a suburb of Philly. How about you?


Title: Re: Re: Where in PA?
Post by: MarkInTx on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Re: Where in PA?, posted by Stan B on Feb 5, 2003

I'm from the other side of the state from Ya'...

I grew up in a suburb of Pittsburgh.

Wow... Philly to Maui... you must miss the winters, huh?



Title: nope
Post by: Stan B on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Re: Re: Where in PA?, posted by MarkInTx on Feb 5, 2003

thats what drove me here, I got tired of risking my life trying to get home in the valley I lived in, as my car thought it was a sled in its past life.


Title: Yeah But
Post by: MarkInTx on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to nope, posted by Stan B on Feb 5, 2003

I hear the hockey in Maui sucks!

Actually, I do like your lil island, the few times I've been there... and I haven't like Philly much... so, I think you made the right choice ;-)

(The fact that the last time I was in Philly, I was wearing a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey may have had something to do with my experience, though...)



Title: Re: Yeah But
Post by: Stan B on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Yeah But, posted by MarkInTx on Feb 5, 2003

I do follow the team and get to see a few games on cable, but they have been so disappointing the last few years that I don't expect anything more than a 1st or 2nd round play-off elimination. Plus I made a deal with my wife that I'd only watch 1 sport full-time, and that is pro football.


Title: Re: Re: Yeah But
Post by: MarkInTx on February 05, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Re: Yeah But, posted by Stan B on Feb 5, 2003

Pro football -- Not the Eagles???

BTW.. my wife says I pulled a fast one on that.

When she was here watching me screaming at my Steelers, she shook her head in disbelief and I said: "Hey, I warned you about this. I told you that I don't watch all sports. But I do watch the Penguins, and the Steelers... I wrote you about that. Before we even met, I confessed that to you."

"Yes, but by then it was too late. I was already in love with you by then!"

Ooops ;-) How did that happen...? I meant to tell her sooner... honest....



Title: Re: Re: Re: Yeah But
Post by: Stan B on February 06, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Re: Re: Yeah But, posted by MarkInTx on Feb 5, 2003

Same here. I told Maryna that I was an avid Eagles fan and that I watched football on Sunday mornings (the games start earlier here), but I did forget about Monday nite. But the funniest thing is listening to my 5 yr old daughter tell people that the Eagles are cool and that the Raiders suck. She is also learning how to play Madden computer football.


Title: Teach them right
Post by: MarkInTx on February 06, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Re: Re: Re: Yeah But, posted by Stan B on Feb 6, 2003


"... Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it. "
                 Proverbs 22:6

Raiders suck. Amen.



Title: Re: Some help for a newbee please
Post by: Zoidberg on February 04, 2003, 05:00:00 AM
... in response to Some help for a newbee please, posted by Rando on Feb 4, 2003

Hi Randy,

Sounds like I was in your shoes a few months back. I was paying similar to you but I found Jack at First Dream (firstdream.com). Turned out if I pre paid for 10 letters it came out to $8 each and that included translation of your letter plus the translation of her letter coming back to you. It was also a little faster then using the $15 a page service... And as far as paying, as soon as I told him the "check's in the mail" he let me start using the service.

He encourages you to send a check as it will save you 10% you have to pay when using a credit card... So go to his page and send him email. He's very easy to work with.

Good luck to the both of you!

Z.