Deckard's trip report - POST #2
Correspondence * January 1st - July 2nd, 2001
On January 1st, 2001, I wrote an e-mail to a woman named Ludmila who was 24 years old (I was also 24 years old at that time).
This letter was very important to me, as it would mark the beginning of the correspondence with the woman I would eventually travel to see in Ukraine, 6 months later.
Ludmila's ad was not striking or amazing in any way. I had seen literally thousands upon thousands of online ads in my 3 years of research, and I had definitely seen better ads. The two pictures of her were not of stunning "model" quality either. They were simply good pictures of a pretty young lady, taken inside what appeared to be the agency that had her profile on the web.
It was what she wrote in her profile that I liked. In a nutshell, she wrote that she was raised in a very loving, close family, and she was searching for a man with whom she could share a strong love so that their children would be raised in that environment as well. It was short, but sweet. The manner in which it was written led me to believe that she wrote it as opposed to the agency writing the words for her.
So, I decided to write her an e-mail explaining a bit about myself. On January 5th, she responded. She had been studying English, so we never needed a translator. Her letter expressed interest in me and she was very responsive, answering all of my questions and asking me some as well.
I liked her letter, and I wrote her again, asking her more questions, and telling her more about myself. The agency never sold me her address, instead they charged for the e-mail service after the 2nd letter and every letter afterwards. I payed $3 per time I e-mailed her but not for the times she would e-mail me. I would later choose to pay $30 a month for up to 15 e-mails per month.
At the middle of January I called Luda (her nickname).
****SIDENOTE*
For those who haven't embarked yet on such a trip as I have, a little note of advice. I HIGHLY suggest you call the lady you intend on meeting. I would think this is obvious to everyone, but you'd be surprised, I've seen some posts in the past by guys who thought that calling wasn't really necessary if they wrote frequently enough. It IS necessary (in my opinion). Not only to verify that the person you're writing to is a living breathing (and woman, not a man) person, but to make sure that there is some chemistry between you and her. Yes, you can tell if there is at least some chemistry by talking on the phone. Otherwise, what if you don't like her voice very much, or vice versa? And part of telling if her feelings for you are real can be verified by talking on the phone. You should be able to tell how she feels about you by listening to her and again, vice versa.
*END SIDENOTE ****
I *really* liked her voice, and later she would tell me that she really liked/missed my voice too. Our conversation went well, despite the fact that the telephone lines between U.S. and Ukraine were terrible and we had to deal with static much of the time. This was a problem that we became used to dealing with, although it was frustrating as well. Often, I would have to make several calls to her in order to get a decent connection, and then we'd hope it would last for the rest of our conversation.
I began to call her once every weekend, and it rapidly became a moment that we both looked forward to very much. Her voice was very sweet, she was very funny, and I absolutely loved her laugh. I couldn't help but like this girl very much, and for her letters too, which reflected the way our phone conversations went.
Luda is 24, a university student majoring in foreign languages. She knows English, German, and Spanish very well. She lives in Simferopol, which is the largest city in Crimea, Ukraine.
(bottom of the map at this link)
http://www.sitesatlas.com/Maps/Maps/525.htm
****SIDENOTE*
The most recent statistic I've seen on Ukraine, is that its population is 22% Russian. No doubt, this is partly because Crimea is a popular and beautiful place to live in, in Ukraine, and many Russians stayed there after Ukraine became independent. Crimea is 50% Russian. The main language spoken in Crimea (at least in Simferopol) is Russian.
*END SIDENOTE ****
She is Ukrainian, having moved to Crimea when she was 13-14 from a small city in the center of Ukraine. Naturally, she and her family speak fluent Ukrainian, as well as Russian. She has a younger sister (who turned 22 while I was there). Her mother was an economist before, but was not currently working, and her father is an auto mechanic. I got a very strong impression that her family was indeed very close, and shared no secrets. Of course her family all knew about our correspondence, and when I called she was the only person who answered the phone, as if by pre-arrangement 
.
---- To be continued in POST #3 ----
