How much of the info here is still valid?

[cufflinks]

Ignore most of the old wrinkle necked trouts here - below is a YT Channel by a 43yo Irishman who has lived in FSU for 10 years now and runs a lifestyle consultancy and is a former Lawyer who worked both in the EU and USA. 

He is more and more assisting men who want to live in UA (Or RU or Belarus) for 3 to 12 months out of the year and DOES not run dating or marriage tours and teaches men how to do business in UA, Slavic Mindset for success and How to completely avoid Scammers and any sort of marriage introductions scam agency.

Remarkably when UA ladies discover you actually see UA as a Plan B against the Covid Tyranny of OZ/NZ/UK/EU and USA - quite a few of his clients get put on lock down by serious UA/RU/BY women looking for a good husband.

Since he is anti scammer anti marriage agency and pro UA Biz and Investment and actually living there a portion of the year learning Russian and the Culture success usually follows unless you are a Hideous Nuclear Sea-Beast like me - but Modern Beauties like Silver Back Beasts who can keep them safe so go figure:

Connor Clyne:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TsarExperience/videos

Why you need to MOVE to UKRAINE to find a BEAUTIFUL girl | Vodka Vodkast 101

OBTW his favorite country for hot sexy beautiful women is Brazil ironically UA has more opportunity and freedom!

As for all the old Wrinkle Necked Trout Connor Haters here you can all preemptively go bugger yourselves off with your Daughters New Taliban buggering boyfriends...

Have a nice Day 

[matador22]

Ignore most of the old wrinkle necked trouts here - below is a YT Channel by a 43yo Irishman who has lived in FSU for 10 years now and runs a lifestyle consultancy and is a former Lawyer who worked both in the EU and USA. 

He is more and more assisting men who want to live in UA (Or RU or Belarus) for 3 to 12 months out of the year and DOES not run dating or marriage tours and teaches men how to do business in UA, Slavic Mindset for success and How to completely avoid Scammers and any sort of marriage introductions scam agency.

Remarkably when UA ladies discover you actually see UA as a Plan B against the Covid Tyranny of OZ/NZ/UK/EU and USA - quite a few of his clients get put on lock down by serious UA/RU/BY women looking for a good husband.

Since he is anti scammer anti marriage agency and pro UA Biz and Investment and actually living there a portion of the year learning Russian and the Culture success usually follows unless you are a Hideous Nuclear Sea-Beast like me - but Modern Beauties like Silver Back Beasts who can keep them safe so go figure:

Connor Clyne:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TsarExperience/videos

Why you need to MOVE to UKRAINE to find a BEAUTIFUL girl | Vodka Vodkast 101

OBTW his favorite country for hot sexy beautiful women is Brazil ironically UA has more opportunity and freedom!

As for all the old Wrinkle Necked Trout Connor Haters here you can all preemptively go bugger yourselves off with your Daughters New Taliban buggering boyfriends...

Have a nice Day 

Never heard of this guy but I watched a bit of the videos. This is the real deal. Def will watch more later.  Thanks ! And yes the consensus is once again MOVE abroad for a significant period if you want this dream to happen.

[NS1]

I agree with much of what is said by most, but maybe with a bit of a twist.
Why not search in the FSU? But I would not stop looking local.
In other words if your single,  then your single. look everywhere.
Difference is you opened up your search radius and possibly increased your
costs depending on where you meet women.
If your city or country or another country, if you can why have a limit?

I agree with Manny on meeting local people from your old country.
Becareful, some love to wind up new women and will make life difficult.
And yes they have to learn English in Canada or French if in Quebec.
No different than girl going to guy in Germany, learning local language
opens up opportunity. They will make friends based on them not language.

[andrewfi]

Given that I moved overseas and made a go of it, I should be the last one to say 'don't do it' but moving country is a tough row to hoe.
The first question to ask and answer is: How rich are you?

The days of pulling a well-paid job in Russia by walking off the street with a foreign passport and a degree are two decades in the past.

You could become an itinerant teacher of English (a common course for the unsuited and under-qualified) it is still a popular choice. But that means working on the black, without proper residency. Acquiring the qualifications to gain status is not easy.

That means you need to be wealthy enough to be able to afford to take years out of your life and live well enough to be able to provide justification to a woman that you are not just another broke foreigner.

So, we're back to 'How rich are you?'

And what when you snag your woman?

Where are you going to live? Is she going to be the long-term breadwinner while you live in the poverty of bread, tea and plum jam in an 8-floor apartment block that permanently smells of piss and vomit?

If you're planning to go back to your home country, what's there for you now after several years away? Career permanently bolloxed. No money, no home, no assets.

So, we're back to 'How rich are you?'

And your new darling. She met you in her home country, in her home environment. Now you're going to pull a fast one and try to drag her back to your country - to a no job, no home, away from her friends and family future? She fell in love (we hope) with a bloke who was willing to give it all up to come to her country to find love. That's the deal you made, even if you told her you planned to move back to Canada, your actions told her something else.

So, we're back to 'How rich are you?'

Women are the same everywhere. It is normal. They don't want to settle down with a pauper with no options in life apart from the brand of plum jam he puts in his tea. So, there's you the 'man on a budget'. What can you offer to a woman? No job, no language, no money. Yup, you're a great catch.

So, we're back to 'How rich are you?'

There's pretty much only one way to make this work. You have to have, or acquire, a skillset that enables you to earn 'rich country money' in a relatively poor country. But Russia on a decent standard of living is not so inexpensive.

Every single one of the people I know who have managed to live long-term in Russia, Ukraine, Czechia, or here have all had one thing in common: They could earn money at rich country rates while living in a relatively cheap country (or they had a decent pension before they made the change). All bar one of the itinerant teachers of English I have met all jacked it in. Only one is still at it - and frankly, I have no idea as to how well he is doing. I hope he is doing as well as he'd like people to believe.

Oh, I forgot for a moment. One guy made a deal of money for a time running a cam-whoring studio in his apartment. But he was still earning rich country money from (mainly) American onanists. His cam-whores worked for a pittance and a place to have a shower.

So, do you want to balls up your life for something that can be done better where you already are?

Watching videos made by blokes who make their money by tricking poor old fantasists like cufflinks and his younger peers is not going to show you anything useful. Those videos are wank fodder for dreamers.

Moving to another country is not something you do for a shag.
Moving to another country is not something you do without good intelligence, carefully acquired with good desk research followed by good on the ground reconnaissance.
Moving to another country is not something you do without adequate resources.
Moving to another country is not something you do without a plan.
Moving to another country without having everything sorted, including your exit strategy, does only one thing: it makes you a refugee - with all the status and pulling power that role carries.

[andrewfi]

By the way, I DIDN'T do all the right things right.

I came over for a job, it looked decent, it was the kind of thing I wanted. I never got paid.

Before I figured out the rules I lived on around €150 per month. It took me a year or so to bootstrap myself. I ingratiated myself with the British Embassy to pull in clients. A couple of years later I was, by any objective standard, doing very well, living the Internet Marketing Dream, travelling the world, having gorgeous girlfriends, earning money by talking and writing.

Then I lost it all. I could blame one of the gorgeous women, but I had a big part to play too. I had depression for a while.

I picked myself up, formulated a new plan using the assets I had to hand and now live pretty well, doing stuff I enjoy and mostly when I want to. I wish I was earning the money I was in the best years though!

I was lucky enough to already have something of a social network before I arrived here full-time. But the first few years, even with a bit of investment income subsidising me was tough. But I had nowhere else to go, so I toughed it out.

If you do not prepare yourself, do not have a strategy and do not have enough money you will fail in all your objectives. How will you feel if you end up back in Canada after 18 months, penniless, jobless and alone? How many decades will it take you to get over that?

[Steveboy]

By the way, I DIDN'T do all the right things right.

I came over for a job, it looked decent, it was the kind of thing I wanted. I never got paid.

Before I figured out the rules I lived on around €150 per month. It took me a year or so to bootstrap myself. I ingratiated myself with the British Embassy to pull in clients. A couple of years later I was, by any objective standard, doing very well, living the Internet Marketing Dream, travelling the world, having gorgeous girlfriends, earning money by talking and writing.

Then I lost it all. I could blame one of the gorgeous women, but I had a big part to play too. I had depression for a while.

I picked myself up, formulated a new plan using the assets I had to hand and now live pretty well, doing stuff I enjoy and mostly when I want to. I wish I was earning the money I was in the best years though!

I was lucky enough to already have something of a social network before I arrived here full-time. But the first few years, even with a bit of investment income subsidising me was tough. But I had nowhere else to go, so I toughed it out.

If you do not prepare yourself, do not have a strategy and do not have enough money you will fail in all your objectives. How will you feel if you end up back in Canada after 18 months, penniless, jobless and alone? How many decades will it take you to get over that?

I could blame one of the gorgeous women   Yeah I think that could happen to anyone..

Im probably the most different out of everyone to arrive in Russia.. I was actually totally broke when I left the UK and I mean broke broke.. $5 its all I had.. when I was was living in Moldova me and the wife just waited for $30 to come in from PayPal to get some food in.. And while I live din Moldova I could not afford to return to the UK so kind of lived there unofficially making the border run through the fields every now and again.. got caught once $5 fine..

When we arrived in Russia we rented an apartment and slept under towels for 3 weeks .. couldn't afford blankets or a duvet , what did we eat? Mincemeat and onions for two years solid and some cheap sausages unfit for the cat.. even our cat who came along with us from Transnistria was on shit OK supermarket cat food..she doesn't eat that shit anymore..

At the time my web sites were a total shambles made by some Indian guy so every penny went to having them rebuilt in Russia ..

A night out? That was down the local pub for a beer and some squid rings .. 

And that was only the beginning! My wife had a Moldovan passport when we arrived so had to stand outside every Sunday for 3 months every year to get a quote in -20!! Once Russia changed the law and her patent became invalid.. she had to take a car with a few others to a doggy border in Ukraine get the passport stamped and return .. Go for blood tests with all the other immigrants from the Stans (Do you know how they treat them here?) just to get another work permit.. this was all some years ago..On two occasions wife and kids had to leave for Estonia and return .. once kids got thrown out of school for no registration.. and of course kids had to eat dinner on the tables for immigrant kids not with Russian kids.. lol

I do not think anyone on this forum could even imagine the shit myself and my wife have had to do for the love of the Motherland .. you just simply would not do it..

As Brucy always said Dedication its the name of the game!

[matador22]

Given that I moved overseas and made a go of it, I should be the last one to say 'don't do it' but moving country is a tough row to hoe.
The first question to ask and answer is: How rich are you?

The days of pulling a well-paid job in Russia by walking off the street with a foreign passport and a degree are two decades in the past.

You could become an itinerant teacher of English (a common course for the unsuited and under-qualified) it is still a popular choice. But that means working on the black, without proper residency. Acquiring the qualifications to gain status is not easy.

That means you need to be wealthy enough to be able to afford to take years out of your life and live well enough to be able to provide justification to a woman that you are not just another broke foreigner.

So, we're back to 'How rich are you?'

And what when you snag your woman?

Where are you going to live? Is she going to be the long-term breadwinner while you live in the poverty of bread, tea and plum jam in an 8-floor apartment block that permanently smells of piss and vomit?

If you're planning to go back to your home country, what's there for you now after several years away? Career permanently bolloxed. No money, no home, no assets.

So, we're back to 'How rich are you?'

And your new darling. She met you in her home country, in her home environment. Now you're going to pull a fast one and try to drag her back to your country - to a no job, no home, away from her friends and family future? She fell in love (we hope) with a bloke who was willing to give it all up to come to her country to find love. That's the deal you made, even if you told her you planned to move back to Canada, your actions told her something else.

So, we're back to 'How rich are you?'

Women are the same everywhere. It is normal. They don't want to settle down with a pauper with no options in life apart from the brand of plum jam he puts in his tea. So, there's you the 'man on a budget'. What can you offer to a woman? No job, no language, no money. Yup, you're a great catch.

So, we're back to 'How rich are you?'

There's pretty much only one way to make this work. You have to have, or acquire, a skillset that enables you to earn 'rich country money' in a relatively poor country. But Russia on a decent standard of living is not so inexpensive.

Every single one of the people I know who have managed to live long-term in Russia, Ukraine, Czechia, or here have all had one thing in common: They could earn money at rich country rates while living in a relatively cheap country (or they had a decent pension before they made the change). All bar one of the itinerant teachers of English I have met all jacked it in. Only one is still at it - and frankly, I have no idea as to how well he is doing. I hope he is doing as well as he'd like people to believe.

Oh, I forgot for a moment. One guy made a deal of money for a time running a cam-whoring studio in his apartment. But he was still earning rich country money from (mainly) American onanists. His cam-whores worked for a pittance and a place to have a shower.

So, do you want to balls up your life for something that can be done better where you already are?

Watching videos made by blokes who make their money by tricking poor old fantasists like cufflinks and his younger peers is not going to show you anything useful. Those videos are wank fodder for dreamers.

Moving to another country is not something you do for a shag.
Moving to another country is not something you do without good intelligence, carefully acquired with good desk research followed by good on the ground reconnaissance.
Moving to another country is not something you do without adequate resources.
Moving to another country is not something you do without a plan.
Moving to another country without having everything sorted, including your exit strategy, does only one thing: it makes you a refugee - with all the status and pulling power that role carries.

Andrew what did you think of former board member “Ed” who ran a service to get westerners married to Russian women.  I think it was called realrussianmatch.com   I worked with him back in 2007 but never had the discipline or guts to follow through. I’m still in contact with him. But back to your assessment. What do you think of his service ? He told me many of his former clients are still married raising children. He also told me that he found the most success in more rural parts of Russia. In smaller towns.

[matador22]

Given that I moved overseas and made a go of it, I should be the last one to say 'don't do it' but moving country is a tough row to hoe.
The first question to ask and answer is: How rich are you?

The days of pulling a well-paid job in Russia by walking off the street with a foreign passport and a degree are two decades in the past.

You could become an itinerant teacher of English (a common course for the unsuited and under-qualified) it is still a popular choice. But that means working on the black, without proper residency. Acquiring the qualifications to gain status is not easy.

That means you need to be wealthy enough to be able to afford to take years out of your life and live well enough to be able to provide justification to a woman that you are not just another broke foreigner.

So, we're back to 'How rich are you?'

And what when you snag your woman?

Where are you going to live? Is she going to be the long-term breadwinner while you live in the poverty of bread, tea and plum jam in an 8-floor apartment block that permanently smells of piss and vomit?

If you're planning to go back to your home country, what's there for you now after several years away? Career permanently bolloxed. No money, no home, no assets.

So, we're back to 'How rich are you?'

And your new darling. She met you in her home country, in her home environment. Now you're going to pull a fast one and try to drag her back to your country - to a no job, no home, away from her friends and family future? She fell in love (we hope) with a bloke who was willing to give it all up to come to her country to find love. That's the deal you made, even if you told her you planned to move back to Canada, your actions told her something else.

So, we're back to 'How rich are you?'

Women are the same everywhere. It is normal. They don't want to settle down with a pauper with no options in life apart from the brand of plum jam he puts in his tea. So, there's you the 'man on a budget'. What can you offer to a woman? No job, no language, no money. Yup, you're a great catch.

So, we're back to 'How rich are you?'

There's pretty much only one way to make this work. You have to have, or acquire, a skillset that enables you to earn 'rich country money' in a relatively poor country. But Russia on a decent standard of living is not so inexpensive.

Every single one of the people I know who have managed to live long-term in Russia, Ukraine, Czechia, or here have all had one thing in common: They could earn money at rich country rates while living in a relatively cheap country (or they had a decent pension before they made the change). All bar one of the itinerant teachers of English I have met all jacked it in. Only one is still at it - and frankly, I have no idea as to how well he is doing. I hope he is doing as well as he'd like people to believe.

Oh, I forgot for a moment. One guy made a deal of money for a time running a cam-whoring studio in his apartment. But he was still earning rich country money from (mainly) American onanists. His cam-whores worked for a pittance and a place to have a shower.

So, do you want to balls up your life for something that can be done better where you already are?

Watching videos made by blokes who make their money by tricking poor old fantasists like cufflinks and his younger peers is not going to show you anything useful. Those videos are wank fodder for dreamers.

Moving to another country is not something you do for a shag.
Moving to another country is not something you do without good intelligence, carefully acquired with good desk research followed by good on the ground reconnaissance.
Moving to another country is not something you do without adequate resources.
Moving to another country is not something you do without a plan.
Moving to another country without having everything sorted, including your exit strategy, does only one thing: it makes you a refugee - with all the status and pulling power that role carries.

The other thing that also matters besides money is time. The most precious resource if you ask mark Cuban Of shark tank.  Unfortunately it takes years to build a business , years to develop a solid relationship, and years to raise children. You have to start early with all three things above.  I started my business in 2002.  It took me over a decade to get it to the point where I had a good income but also stability. I kept saying one day I will go to Russia. One day.  Then covid hit. Lol. And now I’m reading forget visiting Russia. You have to LIVE there. I’m 44. If it’s gonna take 4-5 years then forget it. 

This whole dream is not for the faint of heart. Ha. Good luck though to those who try !

[matador22]

By the way, I DIDN'T do all the right things right.

I came over for a job, it looked decent, it was the kind of thing I wanted. I never got paid.

Before I figured out the rules I lived on around €150 per month. It took me a year or so to bootstrap myself. I ingratiated myself with the British Embassy to pull in clients. A couple of years later I was, by any objective standard, doing very well, living the Internet Marketing Dream, travelling the world, having gorgeous girlfriends, earning money by talking and writing.

Then I lost it all. I could blame one of the gorgeous women, but I had a big part to play too. I had depression for a while.

I picked myself up, formulated a new plan using the assets I had to hand and now live pretty well, doing stuff I enjoy and mostly when I want to. I wish I was earning the money I was in the best years though!

I was lucky enough to already have something of a social network before I arrived here full-time. But the first few years, even with a bit of investment income subsidising me was tough. But I had nowhere else to go, so I toughed it out.

If you do not prepare yourself, do not have a strategy and do not have enough money you will fail in all your objectives. How will you feel if you end up back in Canada after 18 months, penniless, jobless and alone? How many decades will it take you to get over that?

I could blame one of the gorgeous women   Yeah I think that could happen to anyone..

Im probably the most different out of everyone to arrive in Russia.. I was actually totally broke when I left the UK and I mean broke broke.. $5 its all I had.. when I was was living in Moldova me and the wife just waited for $30 to come in from PayPal to get some food in.. And while I live din Moldova I could not afford to return to the UK so kind of lived there unofficially making the border run through the fields every now and again.. got caught once $5 fine..

When we arrived in Russia we rented an apartment and slept under towels for 3 weeks .. couldn't afford blankets or a duvet , what did we eat? Mincemeat and onions for two years solid and some cheap sausages unfit for the cat.. even our cat who came along with us from Transnistria was on shit OK supermarket cat food..she doesn't eat that shit anymore..

At the time my web sites were a total shambles made by some Indian guy so every penny went to having them rebuilt in Russia ..

A night out? That was down the local pub for a beer and some squid rings .. 

And that was only the beginning! My wife had a Moldovan passport when we arrived so had to stand outside every Sunday for 3 months every year to get a quote in -20!! Once Russia changed the law and her patent became invalid.. she had to take a car with a few others to a doggy border in Ukraine get the passport stamped and return .. Go for blood tests with all the other immigrants from the Stans (Do you know how they treat them here?) just to get another work permit.. this was all some years ago..On two occasions wife and kids had to leave for Estonia and return .. once kids got thrown out of school for no registration.. and of course kids had to eat dinner on the tables for immigrant kids not with Russian kids.. lol

I do not think anyone on this forum could even imagine the shit myself and my wife have had to do for the love of the Motherland .. you just simply would not do it..

As Brucy always said Dedication its the name of the game!

This is quite a story. When is your memoir coming ? Haha

[Steveboy]

By the way, I DIDN'T do all the right things right.

I came over for a job, it looked decent, it was the kind of thing I wanted. I never got paid.

Before I figured out the rules I lived on around €150 per month. It took me a year or so to bootstrap myself. I ingratiated myself with the British Embassy to pull in clients. A couple of years later I was, by any objective standard, doing very well, living the Internet Marketing Dream, travelling the world, having gorgeous girlfriends, earning money by talking and writing.

Then I lost it all. I could blame one of the gorgeous women, but I had a big part to play too. I had depression for a while.

I picked myself up, formulated a new plan using the assets I had to hand and now live pretty well, doing stuff I enjoy and mostly when I want to. I wish I was earning the money I was in the best years though!

I was lucky enough to already have something of a social network before I arrived here full-time. But the first few years, even with a bit of investment income subsidising me was tough. But I had nowhere else to go, so I toughed it out.

If you do not prepare yourself, do not have a strategy and do not have enough money you will fail in all your objectives. How will you feel if you end up back in Canada after 18 months, penniless, jobless and alone? How many decades will it take you to get over that?

I could blame one of the gorgeous women   Yeah I think that could happen to anyone..

Im probably the most different out of everyone to arrive in Russia.. I was actually totally broke when I left the UK and I mean broke broke.. $5 its all I had.. when I was was living in Moldova me and the wife just waited for $30 to come in from PayPal to get some food in.. And while I live din Moldova I could not afford to return to the UK so kind of lived there unofficially making the border run through the fields every now and again.. got caught once $5 fine..

When we arrived in Russia we rented an apartment and slept under towels for 3 weeks .. couldn't afford blankets or a duvet , what did we eat? Mincemeat and onions for two years solid and some cheap sausages unfit for the cat.. even our cat who came along with us from Transnistria was on shit OK supermarket cat food..she doesn't eat that shit anymore..

At the time my web sites were a total shambles made by some Indian guy so every penny went to having them rebuilt in Russia ..

A night out? That was down the local pub for a beer and some squid rings .. 

And that was only the beginning! My wife had a Moldovan passport when we arrived so had to stand outside every Sunday for 3 months every year to get a quote in -20!! Once Russia changed the law and her patent became invalid.. she had to take a car with a few others to a doggy border in Ukraine get the passport stamped and return .. Go for blood tests with all the other immigrants from the Stans (Do you know how they treat them here?) just to get another work permit.. this was all some years ago..On two occasions wife and kids had to leave for Estonia and return .. once kids got thrown out of school for no registration.. and of course kids had to eat dinner on the tables for immigrant kids not with Russian kids.. lol

I do not think anyone on this forum could even imagine the shit myself and my wife have had to do for the love of the Motherland .. you just simply would not do it..

As Brucy always said Dedication its the name of the game!

This is quite a story. When is your memoir coming ? Haha

It is very much longer than that.. When we arrived wife once pawned her earrings in for 100Quid as needed some cash ..

The list of events goes on and on.. But it all worked out fine in the end..

A few months back we were at the British Embassy Trade and Industry event here got talking to a few embassy staff about writing my memoirs .. they said I need to do it, I would like to write some blog about it but it just comes down to time.. I have no time these days..






Moved along lots since my early days we are actually sponsoring the next UK event 

Every thing in the world is there for the taking including the women .. BUT it takes dedication and often several years or even more..  Nothing happens over night..

[andrewfi]

Matador, Ed used to make many claims that did not bear close examination.

Back then, I could see a benefit for guys who were not well socialised having an honest helper to enable them to import poor desperate women from rural areas of poor countries for marriage.

Personally, I think that if one needs that kind of help then there are other problems in play. Also, one needs to be able to trust one's interlocutor. Based upon the evidence, I never thought of Ed as trustworthy.

These days, I cannot imagine such a service being viable in Russia, possibly in parts of Ukraine. But here's the thing, how much do you really want to marry a woman who is willing to marry you because you're her least worst option?

That last point is probably the most important point. So many guys think they need to marry a woman from another country because they can't find somebody who will do so in their country and community. That's a self esteem issue more than anything. There's no shortage of good women in North America. But there's a real shortage of good men. Perhaps it's a cultural thing, but it is one that can be addressed by guys.

I know I have said this before, but if you are not attractive to women in your community, why on earth would you imagine a woman in another country might find you more attractive?

[andrewfi]

Steve, I have a lot of respect for what you've achieved. I was fortunate in that I never had it as tough as you did. But the process is kinda similar.

But imagine a bloke rocking up in Saint Petersburg. Enough money to rent a little apartment near the centre of the city and enough money to pay for food and socialising in a minor sort of a way. How long do you think he'd last before he was sheared like a sheep after a cold winter?

How many women would he pull who were women he'd want to be with - if he knew enough Russian to know what the women he actually kept company with were really like?

[Steveboy]

Steve, I have a lot of respect for what you've achieved. I was fortunate in that I never had it as tough as you did. But the process is kinda similar.

But imagine a bloke rocking up in Saint Petersburg. Enough money to rent a little apartment near the centre of the city and enough money to pay for food and socialising in a minor sort of a way. How long do you think he'd last before he was sheared like a sheep after a cold winter?

How many women would he pull who were women he'd want to be with - if he knew enough Russian to know what the women he actually kept company with were really like?

It all depends of course there will be some guys who can handle stuff .. not getting ripped off and so on and that includes anything to do with expats .. probably for some new guy who thinks he will just arrive pick up women non stop (Which you can , but you got to make sure your not ripped off) he will get taken to the cleaners after just a few weeks  and left broke.. But you can just sit and meet women day after day easy enough and some real stunners..

If your hard nosed and do not stand for any shit it can be easy and if your very very lucky and find yourself a genuine good women all can be easy.. im lucky I never had any problems here even some years back when I used to hang about with a Russian guy.. often I was totally pissed up and fell to sleep on the Metro or even in the park..

[Steveboy]

By the way, I DIDN'T do all the right things right.

I came over for a job, it looked decent, it was the kind of thing I wanted. I never got paid.

Before I figured out the rules I lived on around €150 per month. It took me a year or so to bootstrap myself. I ingratiated myself with the British Embassy to pull in clients. A couple of years later I was, by any objective standard, doing very well, living the Internet Marketing Dream, travelling the world, having gorgeous girlfriends, earning money by talking and writing.

Then I lost it all. I could blame one of the gorgeous women, but I had a big part to play too. I had depression for a while.

I picked myself up, formulated a new plan using the assets I had to hand and now live pretty well, doing stuff I enjoy and mostly when I want to. I wish I was earning the money I was in the best years though!

I was lucky enough to already have something of a social network before I arrived here full-time. But the first few years, even with a bit of investment income subsidising me was tough. But I had nowhere else to go, so I toughed it out.

If you do not prepare yourself, do not have a strategy and do not have enough money you will fail in all your objectives. How will you feel if you end up back in Canada after 18 months, penniless, jobless and alone? How many decades will it take you to get over that?

I could blame one of the gorgeous women   Yeah I think that could happen to anyone..

Im probably the most different out of everyone to arrive in Russia.. I was actually totally broke when I left the UK and I mean broke broke.. $5 its all I had.. when I was was living in Moldova me and the wife just waited for $30 to come in from PayPal to get some food in.. And while I live din Moldova I could not afford to return to the UK so kind of lived there unofficially making the border run through the fields every now and again.. got caught once $5 fine..

When we arrived in Russia we rented an apartment and slept under towels for 3 weeks .. couldn't afford blankets or a duvet , what did we eat? Mincemeat and onions for two years solid and some cheap sausages unfit for the cat.. even our cat who came along with us from Transnistria was on shit OK supermarket cat food..she doesn't eat that shit anymore..

At the time my web sites were a total shambles made by some Indian guy so every penny went to having them rebuilt in Russia ..

A night out? That was down the local pub for a beer and some squid rings .. 

And that was only the beginning! My wife had a Moldovan passport when we arrived so had to stand outside every Sunday for 3 months every year to get a quote in -20!! Once Russia changed the law and her patent became invalid.. she had to take a car with a few others to a doggy border in Ukraine get the passport stamped and return .. Go for blood tests with all the other immigrants from the Stans (Do you know how they treat them here?) just to get another work permit.. this was all some years ago..On two occasions wife and kids had to leave for Estonia and return .. once kids got thrown out of school for no registration.. and of course kids had to eat dinner on the tables for immigrant kids not with Russian kids.. lol

I do not think anyone on this forum could even imagine the shit myself and my wife have had to do for the love of the Motherland .. you just simply would not do it..

As Brucy always said Dedication its the name of the game!

This is quite a story. When is your memoir coming ? Haha

I also forgot to mention before I left the UK I spent 6 months in a tent by the river as I had no income or job.. when I found some shit job I then moved into a squat for a year to save costs whilst I started my internet business..





Of course it was not always like that.. some years before I had a fair sized print business 10 staff , holidays all over the world.. new convertable
 sports car every year and so on.. then the UK print industry came to a funny end.. well these things happen..

[andrewfi]

It all depends of course there will be some guys who can handle stuff .. not getting ripped off and so on and that includes anything to do with expats .. probably for some new guy who thinks he will just arrive pick up women non stop (Which you can , but you got to make sure your not ripped off) he will get taken to the cleaners after just a few weeks  and left broke.. But you can just sit and meet women day after day easy enough and some real stunners..

If your hard nosed and do not stand for any shit it can be easy and if your very very lucky and find yourself a genuine good women all can be easy.. im lucky I never had any problems here even some years back when I used to hang about with a Russian guy.. often I was totally pissed up and fell to sleep on the Metro or even in the park..

Seems to me though that being hard-nosed is not an attribute that one might apply to lots of guys who are unable to find a woman in their own community and country. I think that if that were so they'd already have what they wanted without needing to move to another country.

Also, well, let's be honest, in pretty much any city, the women who can manage to turn out in bars and clubs and be sociable with foreigners are probably not the women that most guys might want to marry - a kind of mismatch of expectations.

Most guys find it hard to just hit on women in the street and, of course, with no language skills, they are pretty much reduced to being observers.

I very much enjoyed the times I spent in SPb, I have not been over there for donkey's years. But I did know something about what was going on and had a great time. But there's always sheep to be sheared and it's often a form of public entertainment.

[Steveboy]

It all depends of course there will be some guys who can handle stuff .. not getting ripped off and so on and that includes anything to do with expats .. probably for some new guy who thinks he will just arrive pick up women non stop (Which you can , but you got to make sure your not ripped off) he will get taken to the cleaners after just a few weeks  and left broke.. But you can just sit and meet women day after day easy enough and some real stunners..

If your hard nosed and do not stand for any shit it can be easy and if your very very lucky and find yourself a genuine good women all can be easy.. im lucky I never had any problems here even some years back when I used to hang about with a Russian guy.. often I was totally pissed up and fell to sleep on the Metro or even in the park..

Seems to me though that being hard-nosed is not an attribute that one might apply to lots of guys who are unable to find a woman in their own community and country. I think that if that were so they'd already have what they wanted without needing to move to another country.

Also, well, let's be honest, in pretty much any city, the women who can manage to turn out in bars and clubs and be sociable with foreigners are probably not the women that most guys might want to marry - a kind of mismatch of expectations.

Most guys find it hard to just hit on women in the street and, of course, with no language skills, they are pretty much reduced to being observers.

I very much enjoyed the times I spent in SPb, I have not been over there for donkey's years. But I did know something about what was going on and had a great time. But there's always sheep to be sheared and it's often a form of public entertainment.

I very much enjoyed the times I spent in SPb, I have not been over there for donkey's years.   Come on over its just down the road.. We have been meaning to come to Tallinn for a long time , the last two years we had tickets for Rammstein .. but due to the Covid it has been cancelled and put back twice .. next year in July we should finally make it!!

Im here in Russia forever now..   Probably will be buried here .. though if all goes to plan and I can live a few more decades I wouldn't mind making it to Mars..just waiting for Elon Musk to get his act together..

[NS1]

Andrew it seems Steve's story flies in the face of what your saying.
Has nothing, had a women, made it work.

Is that rare, of course. Is what steve did exceptional maybe.
Most important for anyone is themselves. Knowing what you can and can't do or accept.

Women are the same everywhere and women are different as well.
Culture, background, life, education and circumstances are defining factors for women, oh and men everywhere.
I am quite sure to some level a women growing up in Rural Russia has alot different experince than
one from Canada or the UK.

None of this is black and white, many, many shades of grey.
I beleive this has more to do with person searching, than anything else.
Money helps, but lots have done this on a budget and made it, not all were rich, I am not.

[matador22]

It all depends of course there will be some guys who can handle stuff .. not getting ripped off and so on and that includes anything to do with expats .. probably for some new guy who thinks he will just arrive pick up women non stop (Which you can , but you got to make sure your not ripped off) he will get taken to the cleaners after just a few weeks  and left broke.. But you can just sit and meet women day after day easy enough and some real stunners..

If your hard nosed and do not stand for any shit it can be easy and if your very very lucky and find yourself a genuine good women all can be easy.. im lucky I never had any problems here even some years back when I used to hang about with a Russian guy.. often I was totally pissed up and fell to sleep on the Metro or even in the park..

Seems to me though that being hard-nosed is not an attribute that one might apply to lots of guys who are unable to find a woman in their own community and country. I think that if that were so they'd already have what they wanted without needing to move to another country.

Also, well, let's be honest, in pretty much any city, the women who can manage to turn out in bars and clubs and be sociable with foreigners are probably not the women that most guys might want to marry - a kind of mismatch of expectations.

Most guys find it hard to just hit on women in the street and, of course, with no language skills, they are pretty much reduced to being observers.

I very much enjoyed the times I spent in SPb, I have not been over there for donkey's years. But I did know something about what was going on and had a great time. But there's always sheep to be sheared and it's often a form of public entertainment.

I think one thing we don’t mention enough is the idea of trade offs and reasonable expectations.  When I first went on Russian dating sites I was amazed at the beauty of the women. But like Andrew said ultimately everything recalibrates. Even if you seem
To find a few women in Russia a bit hotter or more pretty on the 1-10 scale there will be other trade offs. There is something to be said for similarities in culture upbringing language and customs. Especially when it comes to long term compatibility. Not to say it’s insurmountable just that get ready for many challenges. 

Secondly and I think this is the most important thing: attraction is more than just looks.  My Georgian ex in nyc was definitely cute , had a great smile, and dressed very well.  Anya the woman I met in Moscow was a bit taller but by like 2-3 inches or so. Maybe less. Anya was a bit more slender. But here’s the thing. I just had higher chemistry and compatibility with my Georgian lady in nyc. We had more common references. The Georgian had a better sense of humor. My Georgian gf was also a medical doctor in nyc. These are all huge huge pluses 

My point is when I was 34 (I’m now 44) I was obsessed with looks. And let’s be real we can make arguments that we go to Russia because of the culture and old world values but it’s because they are stunningly beautiful women.  If the Russian women phenomenon happened in Tanzania 🇹🇿 we would call this board Tanzania Adventures.  Ha.  But looks are just a part of the total attraction equation. Let me put it this way.

In America maybe you get a high 7 in terms of looks but with a winning personality she becomes a high 8.  And so on.  In Russia say you meet a high 8 but there are so many complexities in courtship and obstacles because it’s a foreign country that suddenly you feel like you’re with a low 6. 

Finally my dad said it best :   In the end you get what you deserve. And if you get better than what you deserve you will eventually lose it. 

Hahaha

[Lord of the Dance]

Finally my dad said it best :   In the end you get what you deserve. And if you get better than what you deserve you will eventually lose it. 

Hahaha

I contemplate this subject a great deal - what do I deserve? How does one go about determining what one deserves? Not even so much with women specifically, I'm referring to life in general (including relationships). How do you grade yourself, you know? Not easy...

[andrewfi]

NS1, you're being daft. Don't confuse detail for narrative. And don't forget that I know more about this than you do.

Of course, there are many differences, I made that clear, but the arc is similar. But you don't know enough to gainsay that - and I'd not expect you to have that information.

The underlying point for those, including you who missed it, is that moving to a new country, starting a new life is tough. It requires fortitude, flexibility and hard work and calls upon resources that we do not expect. That's why I make no secret of my respect for those who, for whatever reason, find themselves in a new country and manage to make a life there on their own terms.

The corollary to this is that moving country to find a woman is just stupid. It is a waste of resources that can be better deployed in a more productive way. In almost all cases it is a move from a position of relative strength to relative weakness.

[andrewfi]

Don't grade yourself. You'll shortchange yourself every time.

Be open, be able to recognise opportunities and know yourself.

In 2019 I was in the UK following my customary long summer sojourn in Spain. As usual, a great time. I'd rented a nice apartment and was with a couple of girlfriends. I also met another woman in Spain. Good tines, but I had a bit of a heart scare. So, back in the UK doing a load of tests, eventually found that I was fit as a flea, no heart attacks or strokes likely in my life, but I did need to lose weight.

Anyway, through the weeks of waiting I got a little lonely and horny. So, I paid for a Tinder subscription. Profile up and see what turns up. I was surprised by the responses - as I had quite a few. I had a few conversations and a load of chats. They were all much younger than me. Early 20s in the main. I ended up with a meeting with the oldest - 34 years old at the time. We met for sex. I'd booked a nice room in a nice hotel. We met, she was hot and pleasant. Told me she had a fantasy about sex with an older guy. Sex was great. Fantasy fulfilled and expectations exceeded.

Long story short, we're still together. I go to the UK as much as I can (covid-19 really messed up our plans) and we will likely end up living together in the UK and later Spain.

I'm an overweight old bloke. Face like a bulldog that's lost a scrap with a pit bull. But I'm always open, always curious, always understanding that I am a scarce commodity. And, as those who know me know, I am never short of good company when I want it. I've lived several decades filled with love and affection. Almost all of my previous lovers are still, at the least, good friends with me and each other.

That's not a brag, but to make a point. Love is everywhere, but we have to make a choice to allow it to be so. We need to find a way to understand that we have value as people, as men. That value is not external, it doesn't change with location. It's an attitude, its a choice.

Reading this screed you might think that you don't want to live like I have done (I live a much quieter life nowadays) and it's fine. We only need one woman, perhaps that's the ideal? But the point remains. There's no shortage of wonderful women. Women who need and deserve our love. But we will not have them as long as we are unable to understand our own value to them.

[matador22]

I found this forum and started reading thru some topics, and while there is a LOT of information here I found that a lot of posts are really old, like over a decade. Obviously many things change, how do I as a newbie know what information is still accurate today and what I should discard? I don't want to waste time reading posts that are no longer relevant. Where should I start if I want to meet a lady from Russia today in 2021?

This has turned into one hell of a thread. Ha. Alex are you still keen to go to Russia or Ukraine ? Any updates on your plans ? My two cents if it means anything.  My final trip before covid shutdowns was to Europe with some male friends of mine. We hit London Amsterdam and Copenhagen.  In each city we hit the bars and chatted up
The ladies.  Did we find love or a relationship? No of course not. Ha. But was it fun? Heck yes.  I suggest any single man take a short trip to the FSU strictly to check it out. No expectations! If in your travels you do connect with someone great! But don't make that your end goal.  And then with your new found travel experience hit your local dating scene with a renewed sense of purpose.   You'd be surprised with the options we all still have in our home countries. 

[matador22]

Don't grade yourself. You'll shortchange yourself every time.

Be open, be able to recognise opportunities and know yourself.

In 2019 I was in the UK following my customary long summer sojourn in Spain. As usual, a great time. I'd rented a nice apartment and was with a couple of girlfriends. I also met another woman in Spain. Good tines, but I had a bit of a heart scare. So, back in the UK doing a load of tests, eventually found that I was fit as a flea, no heart attacks or strokes likely in my life, but I did need to lose weight.

Anyway, through the weeks of waiting I got a little lonely and horny. So, I paid for a Tinder subscription. Profile up and see what turns up. I was surprised by the responses - as I had quite a few. I had a few conversations and a load of chats. They were all much younger than me. Early 20s in the main. I ended up with a meeting with the oldest - 34 years old at the time. We met for sex. I'd booked a nice room in a nice hotel. We met, she was hot and pleasant. Told me she had a fantasy about sex with an older guy. Sex was great. Fantasy fulfilled and expectations exceeded.

Long story short, we're still together. I go to the UK as much as I can (covid-19 really messed up our plans) and we will likely end up living together in the UK and later Spain.

I'm an overweight old bloke. Face like a bulldog that's lost a scrap with a pit bull. But I'm always open, always curious, always understanding that I am a scarce commodity. And, as those who know me know, I am never short of good company when I want it. I've lived several decades filled with love and affection. Almost all of my previous lovers are still, at the least, good friends with me and each other.

That's not a brag, but to make a point. Love is everywhere, but we have to make a choice to allow it to be so. We need to find a way to understand that we have value as people, as men. That value is not external, it doesn't change with location. It's an attitude, its a choice.

Reading this screed you might think that you don't want to live like I have done (I live a much quieter life nowadays) and it's fine. We only need one woman, perhaps that's the ideal? But the point remains. There's no shortage of wonderful women. Women who need and deserve our love. But we will not have them as long as we are unable to understand our own value to them.

Ok you need to write a memoir also. Lol.  So you’ve lived in different countries ? Different gorgeous girlfriends ? And still at it ? Impressive ! Ha. I’m much more conventional.  For me I will have  a basic suburban life with occasional vacations to Europe.  Haha This board is filled with some great stories.

[andrewfi]

Matador22, I have lived in several countries, no memoir in me though. I have probably shared more than is healthy.

I did not start living overseas in order to find women. Many guys on this forum see everything through the lenses of loneliness and getting married. That's never been me. However, I have obviously wanted to have relationships and my life has changed for the better as a result of learning some of the stuff I share here. However, a lot of that stuff was learned when I started at university in the UK and afterwards. Not related specifically to living away from the UK.

Along the way, I have been in relationships that I hoped and expected would end in marriage or a lifelong partnership. I also know that I could be settled down next month if I said the right words to one or two of the women already in my life. But that's a head-scratcher for many guys.

Many guys imagine that there's only one 'right' woman and worse yet that the woman they are with now is probably the last woman they will ever want to be with, or who will want to be with him. That sets up a really crappy mental attitude.

There's no perfect woman. Great women are not a scarce resource - but you are. There's only one of you!

PS. at my age the length of time that I would end up married is likely to be significantly less than for younger guys. I am starting to understand why some people who are getting on in years end up getting married to just about anyone rather than dying alone. I do not see it that way, I can survive quite well on my own. I do not need somebody else to 'complete me' so I would not settle in that way. But I get that people who see a married life lasting 40 or 50 years might see things a bit differently - I do not think that setting unreasonable standards is ever a way to attain success.

[NS1]

Andrew I and most here who know anything about you at all, know this.
you believe you are always right and never wrong. I don't want or have the energy
to argue with you about any of this. You have a right to what you believe as do I or anyone else.
I have no doubt you have had many experiences and could tell many stories.
Each person is different man or women. You tend to automatically assume if someone has not done
something you have done they could never understand, to some level true, but then again how could you
begin to understand anyone else? Its a bit tricky because of one simple reason.
Each person goes through and experiences life different.

It is much easier to have short term relationships one / two months to five years
because you never have to disclose everything or build anything or commit to anything.
But it is also work to do over and over ( the game) ( the Chase) etc. Some live for it.
Some never liked or want it. Some want kids or to meet someone who has kids, so they can connect to theirs.
Again each persons want is different.

IMO it is not for us to tell anyone to do or not to do anything. If we can help, educate and give advice, then it
is on that person to decide for themselves. We have seen the poor to rich do this, some who should never leave moms
basement ( thinking locked in for new years eve guy ) We have also seen people who should have failed succeed and
those who should succeed fail. Reality is regardless of what someone does, success or fails they should at least learn something.
So never totally wasted.