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
