A Different Destination for a change - Ukraine

[Zon]

55 days in Eastern Europe and Ukraine ...


I leave in 11 days, and thought it would be interesting to jot down abbreviated notes of my trip here, since this place has become both a gathering of my detractors and my travel journal over the years.  All new experiences are understood by comparisons to what is already known.  So, interesting points thusfar:
- The Android Translator is God's Gift
- I understand the streets are too dirty to wear my Cubanos (white shoes)
- I have identified the off the beaten track cities I will hit.  Kharkov, Luganst, Zap, Dniper.  I have identified some of the social structures I will tap.  But, I have only begun to make begin to make contacts
- unlike in Colombia, I will use agencies to meet women.


Actually, I am more excited about this trip than I have been about anything in years.  It must be the newness?   In Colombia, I was concerned of getting kidnapped and violent crime.  In Ukraine, I am concerned about getting my a$$ kicked and being drunk under the table .... so, I have gotten back into shape somewhat, and been drinking a healthy amount of Vodka almost every night.  (I take this stuff seriously LOL )


My $hitty Spanish will do me NO GOOD there.  But, the learning investment I made in Spanish is making picking up the basics in Russian much easier than otherwise possible.   Still, I will rely on my humility, good nature, and dance more than language:) 

[Micky]

Have a safe trip Zonster and keep us posted as much as possible.
 
Micky

[Researcher]

   Still, I will rely on my humility, good nature, and dance more than language:)

      Well, You will be up sh!t creek without a paddle! hahaha! Just kidding. Have a great trip and don't forget to keep those pointy elbows covered!   



     Researcher

[aconcepts]

You are going to Zap?


Better stay grounded!!!!


Isn't that the sister city of Pow!

[fathertime]

      Well, You will be up sh!t creek without a paddle! hahaha! Just kidding. Have a great trip and don't forget to keep those pointy elbows covered!   



     Researcher

I'm going to have to agree with Researcher here, those elbows of yours are deadly!    Good luck in Ukraine...I think you would be more impressive by showing maturity rather than dancing skills, but you just gotta be you so whatever works! 


Fathertime! 

[Zon]

Dancing and a youthful, energetic personality is very wise for a AM.  I have seen on NUMEROUS occasions a 45 - 55 Americano sitting bewildered / uncomfortable when his date is having fun (and all Colombianas have fun on Saturday night - even the serious good ones).  This does not mean you have to be unemployed and fail out of college!


Eastern Europe / Ukraine ... I imagine fun and rumba, y vida en el momento is at a discount there.   I expect to find a more serious, somber culture for sure.   But, I also hope to find greater intellect and  a more sophisticated manner too.  We will see.

[Bob_S]

Eastern Europe / Ukraine ... I imagine fun and rumba, y vida en el momento is at a discount there.   I expect to find a more serious, somber culture for sure.   But, I also hope to find greater intellect and  a more sophisticated manner too.  We will see.

Given your (deserved or not) playboy reputation, I thought you'd steer more toward the coastal cities of Sevastopol or Sochi.

[Zon]

"Given your (deserved or not) playboy reputation, I thought you'd steer more toward the coastal cities of Sevastopol or Sochi."


OHHH - I think I have deserved it from time to time:)  I hope NOT to find a party on this trip - all men crave something different

[Zon]

First leg of trip, Slavakia, Vienna, and I I have been in Prauge for a couple days - unbelievably beautiful city.  Tomorrow I will be in Berlin, then Hamberg.  I will then visit Bucharest for a few days.  But, I will be in Kiev by April 1.


The women are a different version of beautiful than Colombia.  Not every woman here is a bathing suit model ( was sort of hoping for the opposite).   There is excellence in the details of everything in where i have been.  I am not a big "food guy" but I have to say each meal is a celebration.   There is much more English in Eastern Europe than in Colombia. In the Slovak countries, few people smile.


Interesting Saturday night ... last night I was a bad boy and stayed out all night.   I found the after hours club in Prague.   The music was GREAT.  My greatest impression was that the men are pretty f$ucking big and rather unfriendly by comparison to Colombianos.   I was by myself and handle these things pretty well, but I did have the awareness that everything cost ME more money.   


I am exclusively in tourist and business centers with only a little sight seeing.  Thus, I can not draw very accurate observations.


Regarding my Wife Hunting exercises:   I have been using online sites (they are VERY effective compared to Colombia).   I have also received recommendations of 5 small agencies in secondary cities in Ukraine.  Using Agencies, I was much more selective than anyone deserves.   I have requested meetings with 38 women.   I am told to expect a 40% confirmation rate which should leave me with 10 - 15 women to meet in 20 days - not very aggressive.   I am not writing these ladies in advance.  No online love affairs. 


I had dinner last night with a friend who knows me well and has traveled the world.  He says if I can not find whatever it is I am looking for in Ukraine, then "you are doomed."

[htown]

Big Zon!  Love your updates.  How friendly are the women?  How hot are they?  Do they seem especially interested in meeting americans?  What is the party scene like?  Are you meeting and hanging out with other travelers/backpackers?  Keep us posted!   

[SkyNorth]

Yes - Thanks a bunch for the updates.

Would it be possible to compare and contrast the differences between ladies from the Ukraine and Colombia.

I have heard the Eastern Block girls are super cold compared to Latin ladies - What's your opinion?

Also, I have heard that the Colombian ladies are too sassy and bossy (of course I have heard that about the Ukraine's to) Any remarks on those comparisons?
 

[Zon]

Answers and observations ...


This is going to be a long trip for me, and thusfar I have covered a lot of ground, but only on the surface.  I will be in Kiev by the end of the week, and even then, I will only be in secondary cities Kharkov first, 7 days thereafter.   It is there will I will begin to see the non-golddigger / more untouched Ukrainian girls ( again, I presume).   I will give full posts on comparisons as I can make them.


For now I can say this: girls in deeper Eastern European countries that are not already privileged, want to get the f$uck out!  In Colombia, most women would greatly prefer to NOT leave their home and family and friends.  They would just like to have a nice, safe, successful life.   Me too!  I think Parts of Eastern Europe are charming to visit, even live for a while ... but, they do not seem to be NEARLY the place that I found in Colombia, or the Dominican Republic, or Costa Rica, where you could easily imagine yourself living a good life.


I am in Berlin today and tomorrow. Nothing wrong with this city!  I was very very surprised to see that a flat in Bratislava is 2 - 3 times as expensive than in Berlin!


That is all for now

[dennislevy]

Zon
Thank you! Keep the reports coming!

[SkyNorth]

Thanks again for the info.  I will continue to read this section as more comes in and I wish you a safe trip. Hope you find the right one.

[fathertime]

Regarding my Wife Hunting exercises:   I have been using online sites (they are VERY effective compared to Colombia).   I have also received recommendations of 5 small agencies in secondary cities in Ukraine.  Using Agencies, I was much more selective than anyone deserves.   I have requested meetings with 38 women.   I am told to expect a 40% confirmation rate which should leave me with 10 - 15 women to meet in 20 days - not very aggressive.   I am not writing these ladies in advance.  No online love affairs. 

this should be interesting...do you have any ideals on what you are going to do with these ladies on dates?  i'm pretty sure you will meet some decent looking ladies hopefully they can understand some of your english...look out for the translator scam where a lady suddenly brings a translator. which you pay for at about 10 an hour...my belief is the whole purpose of those dates is so they can get 30 bucks out of an unsuspecting foreigner. 


Fathertime!  [size=78%]  [/size]

[Zon]

this should be interesting...do you have any ideals on what you are going to do with these ladies on dates?  i'm pretty sure you will meet some decent looking ladies hopefully they can understand some of your english...look out for the translator scam where a lady suddenly brings a translator. which you pay for at about 10 an hour...my belief is the whole purpose of those dates is so they can get 30 bucks out of an unsuspecting foreigner. 

AMEN.

I do not have one date, nor will I, with a woman that can not speak minimum English.  No translators - NADA.  That is why I am only meeting a few ladies. 
1) No kids
2) Fair level of English.
3) under 121 pounds
4) 28 - 33 years of age
5) Higher education

ALSO,

Player versus a Potential Good Husband:  I will say that, especially with this last weekend in Prague, I have reached a point of diminishing returns on having fun and pick-up.   I think if a person has an unhealthy addiction to chocolate, they should eat too much and vomit.  If necessary repeat.  I have vomited enough - FINALAMENTE.  I have been thinking about myself and the way I have behaved over the last couple years.  It is ironic, and a paradox.  That which makes one "attractive" to most women on the outside, also, and simultaneously is unattractive to serious women who are capable of honesty and trust.   In the end, perhaps it is all a matter of "you get what you ask for"?   Oh, I am not saying I was an a$$, or I am "sorry" ... I am just acknowledging the truth of things.   I do realize that if I am to meet a good woman, I have to change gears radically and fast.  I do not think it is even possible to be both at the same time any longer - it is either the one, or the other.  Decisions, Decisions

[Researcher]

     Good posts Zon. You seem to have some good insight into this foreign woman thing now. It does take some experience to get the right perspective on things sometimes.


        Researcher

[fathertime]

  I have been thinking about myself and the way I have behaved over the last couple years.  It is ironic, and a paradox.  That which makes one "attractive" to most women on the outside, also, and simultaneously is unattractive to serious women who are capable of honesty and trust.   In the end, perhaps it is all a matter of "you get what you ask for"?   Oh, I am not saying I was an a$$, or I am "sorry" ... I am just acknowledging the truth of things.   I do realize that if I am to meet a good woman, I have to change gears radically and fast.  I do not think it is even possible to be both at the same time any longer - it is either the one, or the other.  Decisions, Decisions

Holy Christ!  You actually sound like you are FINALLY prepared to go about wife-hunting in a sensible way.  You were awful stubborn but it appears you have seen the light! 


Good luck (although you won't need it as much now) with the ladies...i'm pretty sure with this new attitude you will find a suitable lady whether in Ukraine or Colombia.


Fathertime!

[Zon]

An interesting issue to kick around here ...


So, I will go to Hamburg, then Vienna, then Kiev, then Kharkov, then Lugansk, then Zap.  Or at least, that is the plan.   I have pretty damn high expectations now. I do not care if I find a girlfriend or wife.   I realize I can not control such things ... they either are, or they are not.   I will not settle.  I am interested in checking out South Spain, in fact. 


But, IF I MEET A WOMAN that makes me question "here is a woman unlike the globs of women I have met over the last several years - perhaps my future wife, the mother of my children - then, how do you say to this woman - "Hey, it was great to meet and hang out over the last couple days, but my bus is taking off and I am going to a different city to take more applications?"   Does not seem quite right to me.


Alas, pulling the trigger too early, precludes all other possibilities. And, in this case we are talking 7 - 10 days before I would return to the one with home I have the most interest, and her me.


Certiainly, it helps that I have had NO communication with anyone before a personal meeting.   There are no artificial expectations.  Nevertheless ....

[fathertime]

 
But, IF I MEET A WOMAN that makes me question "here is a woman unlike the globs of women I have met over the last several years - perhaps my future wife, the mother of my children - then, how do you say to this woman - "Hey, it was great to meet and hang out over the last couple days, but my bus is taking off and I am going to a different city to take more applications?"   Does not seem quite right to me.

well zonnybertis, it seems to me that you have met ENOUGH women...if you find a woman that you are really digging, i would stop with the applications immediately...you are not taking applications just for the sake of taking applications and you don't have to turn up EVERY stone...If it were me, I would not get on the bus to other cities.  What the hell is the point of doing that?  When are you going to feel you have seen enough ladies?  The continuous drumbeat of time keeps going, your goals involve a wife and children and this can take several years to get to that point, so you really don't have too much time left before you are a genuine senior citizen raising toddlers or schoolkids...


Fathertime! 

[dennislevy]

Zon


THINK aobout the women you ve met....If you liked someone, stay in TOUCH with them....make an effort....if they are interested in you they will respond.....then go back and see them.

YOU don t  have to say that you are  going to a different city to take applications...


You cant really know anyone in three or four days. and if you expect that you can commit in just a few days with a woman  from a different culture, no matter how beautiful they are , or how good their English is....think again.


The same rules apply there as they do in Latin America, meet the family, spend time with a woman, etc. etc.-----

If the two of you are a good match, you can go back. 

Foreign women who speak good to excellent English have the halo effect....we put haloes on them and give them attributes that they may not have.  Careful! jejejeje


But whats so magical about 121 pounds?  


Dennis

[Zon]

good points! My view is this:  If I want to stay, I will.  I understand there maybe pressures and manipulations.

"But whats so magical about 121 pounds?"   I should have said UNDER 121 pounds (probably under 115 - me gustas flacas)

[Researcher]

     Sure you can't control IF the right woman will appear in your life but you can control how you handle the situation. No one can control the cards they are dealt but they can decide to play those cards or fold. To me, the advantage of being a man is that in most places around the world it is expected that the man is the one who makes the moves. That is easy. See a woman of interest then make your move and show interest. If it isn't returned then move on. Simple. So if the right woman, weighing in at 121lbs or less, comes your way why not go all in? Why fold if you are dealt four aces?

          Researcher

[Zon]

Just a quick update.  I am in Kiev, and have been for 3 days.  I am not going to Kharkov until Thursday. 


I have met two girls online.  They were suspicious of me from the "get go" They were not excited about sharing time with me and then waiving good bye while I rode off in the sunset looking for better pickins.   (I don't blame them) Evidentally there are a lot of men that pass through Kiev on their way to secondary cities looking for the perfect piece of a$$ ( I mean wife).   So, in some regard, it is an uphill climb in the women's mind because of all the negative association.   And, Kiev is the gateway city.


Some preliminary observations: Ukraine is NOT a happy terribly happy place PFFF - an understatement!  It was easy to imagine living in a Colombian Finca.  I have seen no evidence of the same here.    Everybody is scared of the police (maybe for good reason)  The women in Kiev are no more beautiful than the women I saw in little Bratislava - plus Bratislava was a nicer place with GREAT English all over the place.    When the police asked me for a passport, or any other unwanted incident, I use my adolescent Spanish, and they become confused and leave me alone (they know just enough English to rip you off LOL)


I still feel funny with the thought of using agencies.   If I meet a person that I really like, I doubt I am going to point to my name badge and say the teacher is telling me it is time to go.   On the other hand, I am going to see very much in a very short period of time ... I don't think that would be possible otherwise.


I will have something more sensible to say in a couple weeks.

[Researcher]

    Well Zonny, sounds like a good adventure you are on. It sounds like you feel guilty because of these women's position in life. A word of advice: Get over it. Yeah, I am sure they meet guys just passing thru on their way to meet other women but this is life. It is not your fault nor is it your obligation to fix the situation. Snap out of it and enjoy the ride. Meet many women and be selfish about it. You don't have to take complete advantage of them but you don't have to be a bleeding heart either.

        Researcher