Quote: (10-03-2010 11:55 PM)iknowexactly Wrote:
This has been quite an educational WWII thread.
And I'm wounded, WOUNDED you didn't seem to like my poetic construction of "inexorable Slavic opacity" or similar. I should get the Florid Prose award!! Well, at least you quoted it.
To answer Nemesis's earlier questions about prepping the girl for coming here beforehand-- I did try to do that; and I was bringing her to Minneapolis, which I think is one of the top cities in the US for livability with the exception of if you hate cold weather. We were right downtown amid the glittering, clean skyscrapers, Minneapolis is a extremely educated and progressive city with a fine symphony, opera, ballet and world class university. Also a lot of cool hipster culture, coffee shops, live music. The city area is Democratic governments, the Upper Midwest is the home of farm cooperatives, liberal, and doesn't have the more narrow views of places like Iowa and Oklahoma. Adjacent Wisconsin was actually he first state to outlaw capital punishment in the US. They've made a show of reviving it to placate the yahoos but actually go through with it hardly ever if at all.
So if Minneapolis wasn't good enough for her, there was some other problem. I think she just got homesick, missing her brother (who cried when she left) and her adoring parents. I was a lot older and not a god to her.
I also really tried to pound the lifestyle luxury level home to her-- or LACK of it. Even sent a photo of my small apartment in Minnesota.
I had already for the most part not bought her stuff when I was in Ukraine except some token presents, but I might have fallen down on that, I did buy her a $100 handbag.
I think you should refuse to do ANY of that stuff there, it will help to weed out golddiggers. Just because most Russians are poor, a lot still have a lot of pride about needing/taking handouts. A higher class family I visited there would painfully reciprocate when I bought them something, and I felt like hell because they'd spend a week's salary because I'd bought something for their house that was only a couple hours' salary for me. They did NOT like me spending money on them. They were real high class intellectually, the family of doctors although quite poor.
Exe and nemesis obviously know Russian history better than me, so I'll remain neutral and try to relate this back to the original poster's question- remember this guy is considering a very serious risk in trying to quickly judge a Russian woman's sincerity.
Now one thing I think anyone with eyes and a measuring tape can agree on-- Russian ( or FSU/ former soviet union) women provide the highest ratio of :
(level of hotness +intelligence of FSU girl) / (Looks+Age+Status of American she'll go for)
-- if you are into Caucasian women. If you like Asians, maybe a different story.
As far as the tenacity of Russians, whether for better for worse, I do feel if they are on your side you are in good shape.
As far as capitalism 'beating" the Soviet Union-- Well, who else was even challenging us? They remain for good and bad a formidable people.
The Klingons would like Russians.
I kind of like the language - it's exotic but not hopeless, I have some chance of learning the alphabet and speaking fairly well, unlike Japanese/Chinese; although you'll never really learn the treacherous grammar, the art (music and novels) is deep and romantic, overall it's
really an impressive culture except in the area of economics, which is exactly what gives us Americans a chance to get a good woman there!
I don't ask this rhetorically, I actually don't know, but can any South American country match the creations of Stravinsky, Dostoyevsky, Nijinsky, Baryshnikov? I tell you, I sat in the front row at the Minneapolis Symphony when the Joffrey Ballet did "The Rite of Spring", and it was truly unsurpassed and magnificent. And I don't think even Charles Ives and Aaron Copeland can match that, although we did have John Coltrane and Jimi Hendrix.
Exe mentioned the harshness of the Russian winter as a factor in WWII; and granting that's true one could argue that the Russians have adapted to that, showing certain signs of sturdiness and perseverance.
But the K1 (Fiancee visa) route is inherently uncertain, if you don't have independent financial means it's very hard to spend enough time in FSU to get the know the woman enough. I think they also limit you to one K1 every two years, but that's about how long it takes to find out if the one you've been working on is not going to work.
I'm lucky in a way because I've saved enough money that I can just go and live in the FSU off investments, I'm telling them I'm not coming back to the USA. I might, but I don't want women hanging on because of that. I don't mind giving someone a better lifestyle WHILE SHE'S WITH ME, but I need the flexibility to quickly get another one should she not meet my standards or vice versa.
So if you are hot for a beautiful, smart, white girl, I advocate going after Russian women. I just also advocate covering your bets, that winter is cold if you get caught in it. But-- no guts, no glory.
Or as I think the Brits put it, "Who dares, wins."
My apologies for hijacking the thread with WWII material, and getting you 'wounded' in the process.
Ok, back to the main topic:
As I recommended in my other post:
1. Do not bring them to the US on a fiance visa (or whatever other means) so you two could settle down into the married life. The soul of this board is travel & WOMEN (plural). If I'm planning to do something long term with them, I would bring them to the US on a tourist visa, show them the good life, and they go back home. Or I'll take the Tica, Peruana, or Brasileira to Buenos Aires or to Europe; I'll take the Russian or EE girl to the Caribbean or Latin America to show them my international lifestyle and to enjoy their company in a romantic place. I'll tell them I can do this twice a year or so but if they get out of line, I'll take this away or just drop them for another. Since I travel and meet girls, there will always be girls getting added to the roster/rotation; this keeps them in line and me in control by having options. As you said, "I don't mind giving someone a better lifestyle WHILE SHE'S WITH ME". You need to do this over time so she internalizes the 'you = good times/feelings' that will help give you more control over her instead of the other way around.
2. Never totally trust women - ever. And not just with Russian women - all women have the capability of being cunning & crafty. You can prep the girl all you want, but you can never fully trust her. And don't give them much control over your affairs either, if at all. If you have to, trust a little, but stick to your guns. As Clint Eastwood said in 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly' - 'There are two types of men in this world: those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.' Ok, this may not be the best analogy, but you get what I mean.