Hi all,

Funny to see this msg board has become way  more realistic than 3 years ago when i was flamed because of my 1st bad russian experience.(i don't post much but i have been following the discussions those last years).
Actually when i read lp 's posts from the discussion below(i've always enjoyed his cold way but so true to see things in this business) and also tim's i feel it's very accurate, but in my experience it's not that bad if you think with your head. Also i-m 28 not bad looking , far from stupid(ahh i just love myself:)) and i-m still a student, so i guess it helps to avoid the gold diggers. And actually i might have had some chance to have been burnt from the beginning. I went back because i liked Russia. Then i have met some RWs and if i agree puttting them on a piedestal is ridiculous, they have something you can't find anywhere else. They also have awful features you won't find anywhere else, but in all i think the mix can be very interesting anyway.

so i have better things to do than ranting here(gosh, i-m in Russia after all!!!) so here goes my report (already posted on another list)

hi all,

almost no trip reports on this list so i figured i would add mine. Right now it's around midnight and i was stunned to find the Volgograd post office still opened. Anyway...

1st agency impressions : i went there with AloveinRussia, and although i haven't used their services much(i like to do stuff by myself) i have to say that the staff was really friendly and helpful. This was my firs time using an agency and i wasn't disappointed.

2nd Volgograd itself : again a pleasant surprise : for example i was once in Yoshkar-Ola and i was expecting Vol. to be a bit the same, like a small and a little boring russian city. But actually it is not the case at all. It feels like a city, and although the center is not that big, the city i shuge and there are quite a few possibilities to keep one busy. The waterfront is escpecially fun. I was there alone on my frist evening, and after sitting for 20 minutes at a table, i was picked up(yes yes, did absolutely nothing) by 2 girls to go to the club nearby. The club was also a good surprise as again i was expecting sth along Y-O clubs. In fact it is pretty big, vodka with apple juice was 30 pyb and the music was good hardhouse, basically like at home:). I got home completely drunk(i drank like after spending 2 months in MOscow, but i forgot i had no training this time:) and thus i had to spend like 30 minutes with the militsia. After they had managed to steal me 100 rubles they let me go.

Now the main thing : the ladies:)
This was my first time doing the WMVM method, and i have to say that even if it seems tricky at times(esp when you have 2 meetings the same day and one of them is taking way more time than scheduled) this seems like the way to go. IF i had been writing only to the girl i thought i would have thoe most things in common with i would be at the agency browsing pics right now(ok tomorrow but anyway).
For those who speak a bit of russian, and want to improve their skills(was my case) : don't mix your russian classes with the meetings. My first meeting was with such a hottie, but it seems i blew it away because of many misunderstandings. So take an interpreter instead of your dictionary.
I again made the same mistake yesterday, but this time i understood enough to see that even with  an interpreter we wouldn't have much in common.
Anyway, after 5 meetings(2 with the same girl) i think i m starting to have sth growing. I just come back from an evening with her in Volzhky right now and i have lot of trouble to get her out of my head. Time will tell if she thinks the same and if she's the one.

and what else... AH yes : Volzhky is not near from the center of Volgograd at all. So if you live in Volg. try to keep that in mind when you prepare your meetings : With the bus it's like 90 min to get there, if not more. I guess Taxi is a must-do. ( about 200 pyb, so worth it!!)

so that's about it, i'll certainly add more during the next few days if i have the time.
Hope it was helpful.

till later,
Patrick

... in response to on site trip report, posted by genoramix on Aug 11, 2003

Nice to hear about different places.  I only see the small town of Zhitomir whenever I go to Ukraine anymore.  Needless to say, I mostly find Ukraine boring when I'm over there.  It keeps the inlaws happy when I visit though...

... in response to Re: What do you find boring ?, posted by wsbill on Aug 12, 2003

For me, the annual trip to Zhitomir is not my favorite way to spend time.  Marina's family doesn't have a dacha, and if they did, she wouldn't want to go there.  (Too boring for a city girl).

Imagine if you will a small efficiency apartment.  There are two beds that are each a little smaller than a single, which double as sofas.  There's a table and chairs in this room, cabinets to store things, and a TV.  Add in a very cramped kitchen and a small, but adequate bathroom.  This is where I stay for a little over a week.  Oh, did I mention that I, Marina, her mother and grandmother are all in this apartment at the same time?

Usually the first few days of vacation are spent walking around the town to familiarize Marina with what's new and what has closed.  Then we make daily trips to the bazaar and shops to pick up things for me to take home, primarily books. (I bring home the bigger suitcase).  Getting out, even in a small town is like a breath of fresh air for me, even when we travel in the wintertime.

Also, when in Ukraine, we have to be extra careful.  As an American, I stick out like a sore thumb.  This last trip, the thugs looked a lot hungrier than previous trips, so we were finding ourselves heading home earlier and earlier from restaurants and bars.  We spent most of our time cooped up in the apartment.

If I could avoid it, I wouldn't travel to Ukraine at all.  Unfortunately, Marina's family want to see me whenever she comes over to visit.  I am their darling and they're crazy about me.  So, to keep Marina and her family happy, I make the trek over there annually and endure cabin fever for a week or so.

... in response to Can't you get your own apt?...n/t, posted by ChrisNJ on Aug 15, 2003

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