New Start

[Bill]

Hi, my name is Bill.  I found my way here via a book called the 'Russian Bride Guide'. A friend bought a copy of the book at a yard sale and since I have a Russian wife he asked my opinion of the book.  My wife and I looked at the book and found that while much of the information about Russia was correct it really didn't apply to our situation.

I'm a retired US Army first sergeant, my wife, Natalia, is from Moscow.  We met while I was in Moscow teaching ESL. After retiring I decided I wanted to see parts of the world that an active duty soldier can't visit without a good, approved reason.  Russia was on my list because I had lived in Europe while in the army. I hadn't gone to Russia looking for a wife, like so many things in life it just happened.

After a number of months in Moscow and a series of so so dates, I was set up on a date with my future wife by an American expat and his Russian wife Svetlana. Svetlana mentioned to me that Nat had a minor physical defect that had restricted her dating chances in Moscow. What intrigued me about the date was that Svetlana mentioned Nat's physical defect with such a charming tone of voice and reassured me that I probably wouldn't even notice it. When I arrived at the meeting everyone stood up to greet me. For a good few seconds I looked for Nat's defect. No third eye. No hairy single unibrow.  Then I realized Nat was quite tall, as it turned out 6'1" without heels, I'm 5'11" so in heels she was at least 5 inches taller than me. 

Nat spoke excellent English which was good since my Russian was limited.  She was also charming and smiled, something Russians are not generally noted for especially with strangers. As the four of us talked Nat asked if I was intimidated by tall women.  My reply was simple, no I had spent the last few years of my military career in a country that did a good impression of Hell, with women that could just as easily have been suicide bombers.  A tall, beautiful woman in heels and a short skirt certainly wasn't intimidating. 

Nat had one more quirk that I discovered a few weeks later. I realized at our initial meeting that Nat was young, I realized a few weeks later just how young. A month after meeting me Nat celebrated her 25th birthday, Nat was more than 20 years younger than me.  I had originally thought she was about the same age as Svetlana, 31. Nat said she didn't mind the age difference, after all Svetlana had been married to an even older man for almost ten years and had a good marriage and children. 

Nat and I live in Vancouver, Canada, a benefit of dual citizenship. My mother and sister live here so if we do have children mom is ready to babysit. Vancouver isn't my hometown of Los Angeles it always seems to rain here but there is none of the gang violence or race riots that LA is known for.   

[Larry]

Welcome to RUAdventures, Bill. 

I'm surprised that her being 6'1" would restrict her dating chances in Russia.  There's nothing like an extremely tall, attractive RW.

[Manny]

Hi, my name is Bill.  I found my way here via a book called the 'Russian Bride Guide'. A friend bought a copy of the book at a yard sale

 

Welcome to the site Bill. 

[GreyScales]

Hi, my name is Bill.  I found my way here via a book called the 'Russian Bride Guide'. A friend bought a copy of the book at a yard sale

 

Welcome to the site Bill. 

But Manny...  Once a WM meets and marries his FSUW, *what* is he to do with the 'Russian Bride Guide'?  A great many books in my collection could easily be used as fire starters - but I suspect most book readers of the guide would never use the book for such a purpose.  For me, for example, I loaned my copy to a friend to help encourage him to meet a wonderful FSU girl.  After reading it, he returned it to me as he'd just met a girl from Vladivostok - lol

By the way...  Welcome to the site Bill!

GS

[Bill]

Welcome to RUAdventures, Bill. 

I'm surprised that her being 6'1" would restrict her dating chances in Russia.  There's nothing like an extremely tall, attractive RW.

Svetlana wasn't being serious. Nat is however very athletic. She was on the volleyball and basketball teams in university and tended to be far more athletic than any of her b/f. I like to run, 5 or 10 miles most days even in the pollution of Moscow.  As I found out later Svetlana is a successful matchmaker and has a reputation as such.  I guess she saw the potential.   

[Bill]

Thanks for the welcome Manny, GreyScales.

[Dudefella]

Cool, man! 

[Millaa]

Hi, my name is Bill.  I found my way here via a book called the 'Russian Bride Guide'. A friend bought a copy of the book at a yard sale

 

Welcome to the site Bill. 

But Manny...  Once a WM meets and marries his FSUW, *what* is he to do with the 'Russian Bride Guide'?  A great many books in my collection could easily be used as fire starters - but I suspect most book readers of the guide would never use the book for such a purpose.  For me, for example, I loaned my copy to a friend to help encourage him to meet a wonderful FSU girl.  After reading it, he returned it to me as he'd just met a girl from Vladivostok - lol

By the way...  Welcome to the site Bill!

GS

Probably it's a reason why I'm still alone  anybody who don't need Manny's book anymore, send it to Vladivostok, please


Bill, welcome to RUA   

[welder]

Welcome to the site Bill. 

As for riots, just don't loose the cup and all is good.

[MBS01]

Welcome Bill and wife.
Glad you found your way north.  I guess you must get paid well in the USA services to afford $1 to $2 million it takes to find a starter home in Vancouver as it is Canada's most expensive real estate market.  However, I hear prices are slowing a little as ours here in Toronto continue to increase.

As we have friends in a similer situtation as yourselves he being a retired Harvard Professor and she a Russian lady now living for a time in the USA so she can qualify time wise to obtain her American Citizenship instead of in his Canadian townhouse in the GTA here.  I expect this is something your wife too will need in order to one day qualify for her own American Citizenship as well.  Just something for you to consider for your own future together too. 

So welcome to RUA and enjoy sharing too.  Wes.

[Muzh_1]

Bill, I can tell already she is a great lady. She is a volleyball player. 

Welcome. 

[Chris]

Welcome Bill, nice to hear about your adventures.

[Bill]

Welcome Bill and wife.
Glad you found your way north.  I guess you must get paid well in the USA services to afford $1 to $2 million it takes to find a starter home in Vancouver as it is Canada's most expensive real estate market.  However, I hear prices are slowing a little as ours here in Toronto continue to increase.

As we have friends in a similer situtation as yourselves he being a retired Harvard Professor and she a Russian lady now living for a time in the USA so she can qualify time wise to obtain her American Citizenship instead of in his Canadian townhouse in the GTA here.  I expect this is something your wife too will need in order to one day qualify for her own American Citizenship as well.  Just something for you to consider for your own future together too. 

So welcome to RUA and enjoy sharing too.  Wes.

My pension's Ok fortunately I never really spent wildly while in the Army tended to save, so I have some investment income too but I think we're going to be renting for a long while.  MBS01 you're right about the housing market. The local realtors say that there really isn't a real estate bubble in Vancouver because much of the housing market sales are generated by offshore interests.

When I was growing up in the US, Canada if Americans knew about it at all was referred to as 'America's poorer cousin', how times have changed.  For the price of an entry level detached 3bd 2 bath house in Vancouver I could buy a larger house on a larger lot in a nice area of Los Angeles.  If I went farther east or south away from the Pacific I could buy a much larger house and lot in a good area.  In places like Rancho Mirage or La Quinto (well inland from the Pacific) I could probably get a nice 4,000 sq. ft. house and really large lot.

We were discussing the issue of dual citizenship for my wife a couple of weeks ago. My mother, sister and nieces all have dual citizenship so it seems fair that my wife and future children also have it.  Fortunately we live close to the US border and my mother has a vacation home in Washington state, where real estate prices are about 1/3 or less of Vancouver's. So when the time comes it should be easier enough to move across the border and commute as needed. 

I'm told there are a number of people in BC who work in jobs in Canada yet live in US border communities where the cost of living is far lower.  The best of both worlds.

[Bill]

Welcome Bill, nice to hear about your adventures.

Take my word for it Chris, my last few years in the Army you don't want to hear about, it was either boring as h#ll or hell itself.  My time in Russia was interesting and I have some different opinions about women and life in Russia then some of the others on RUA.

[SoldierNurse]

Oh, and by the way, Top... Welcome!