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Author Topic: My Trip Report: Part 14  (Read 2625 times)
MarkInTx
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« on: June 11, 2002, 04:00:00 AM »


Chapter 14: Day Seven – In Which the Clock Strikes Twelve

For some reason, I don’t sleep the night before. I am not sure why. Maybe it is that my week is coming to an end... maybe I am starting to think about all of the things I need to do now to get Victoria to America. Maybe it is the last vestiges of Jet Lag… I don’t know. But I do not sleep. At all.

I lie awake, and listen to Victoria sleep for several hours, and at 5:00 am, I get out of bed as quietly as I can, and go to the living room.

I get out my laptop, and write a little. And then, I put in my game CD, and start playing “Warlord’s Battlecry. (I had started a new campaign on the plane, and had not finished it in the whole 12 hour flight. Pretty good bang for your entertainment dollar if you ask me!

So, I sit there and play, drinking coke and eating kouks, and other than the fact that I have a pretty good “no-sleep” headache, things are not too bad.

I am deeply engrossed in the game about an hour later when a sleepy Victoria emerges from the bedroom, wondering what happened to her favorite pillow. It is the only time all week that I woke up before she did. She sits down on the couch beside me for a moment and watches the game. (BTW, I liked the apartment… but the furniture in the living room was absolutely unusable. It had a strange curve in it where your back was supposed to go. I don’t know what strange race of people this was designed for, but it was not human. Maybe Orcs or hunchbacks… but no human would have found this stuff comfortable. Looks good in the pictures… but we hardly ever used it…)

After a bit, she makes us breakfast.

I tell her that I have been thinking about the K-1 that we need to get, and I need to get on the internet to get some more information. (It’s been almost a week now… I am starting to go through withdrawals…) We have seen an internet café in our travels, and I tell her that I want to go there after breakfast.

The problem is that it is pouring down rain so it makes venturing out not very inviting.

Victoria asks me if I would like to lie down and try to sleep. I tell her that I doubt I could. I tried all night, and I finally got up and quit trying.

“But…” she tell me, “I have an idea of how we can make you sleepy…” She looks at me meaningfully.

Well, hell, it’s worth a shot… so we try her idea out… (What else are we going to do…? It’s raining…)

As it turns out, her idea works. I make her promise to wake me in an hour, since I don’t want to sleep too long and have a repeat of a sleepless night.

She wakes me in an hour, and although I could have slept much longer, I struggle awake.

The rain has lessened now. I can tell that Victoria has been dwelling on the fact that it is our last day together. And the fact that it is raining sure isn’t helping.

I try to give her my best “Half is glass full” motivational speech, but I’m not fooling either one of us. Let’s face it, six months apart is going to suck. And you don’t have to have the Russian’s natural predisposition for pessimism to know that.

I pick up my guitar and start to play a song for her. She is racked with tears, and cries freely through the whole song. It is her favorite song. It is by John Denver, and it is called “My Sweet Lady” and it seemed eerily appropriate:

“Lady… are you crying? Do the tears belong to me?
 Did you think our time together is all gone?
Lady, you’ve been dreaming… I’m as close as I can be
 And I swear to you, our time has just begun…

Close your eyes and rest your weary mind
I promise I will stay right here beside you
Today, our lives were joined… became entwined
I wish that you could know how much I love you

Lady, Are you happy? Do you feel the way I do?
Are there meanings that you’ve never seen before?
Lady… my sweet lady… I just can’t believe it’s true.
And it’s like I’ve never ever loved before

“Lady… are you crying? Do the tears belong to me?
 Did you think our time together is all gone?
Lady, my sweet lady… I’m as close as I can be
 And I swear to you, our time has just begun…

It’s a really slow and tender song that was just made for the guitar…

By the time the song is finished (and, it did almost seem cruel to finish it with her crying all the way through it, but I didn’t know what else to do…) my jeans are soaked from her tears.

I put the guitar down and hold her for a moment. After a bit, she gets up and goes into the next room. When she returns, she tells me that she will not cry any more until I am gone. That she won’t waste another minute of our time together by crying.

“I am Ukrainian woman, and I am strong,” she says.

So, out we go into the drizzle.

We have some more dumplings and salad for lunch. On the way back, I spy a vendor that sells phone cards. Sure enough, they have internet cards, too. I buy one for $10 (US) and we head back to the apartment.

Supposedly, the internet site had English directions, but that page wasn’t available. Fortunately, I had a translator with me. And between my fluency in computers, and hers in Russian, we navigate the sign on process and I am on-line.

It is slow, and I can’t really get the K-1 information that I wanted. Too bad. Because there were some things I wish I had known while I was in Kiev.

In fact, before I went over, I asked the board if there were anything I should take with me “just in case.” Everyone told me not to bother since the initial paperwork all had to be filed here, there was nothing I needed.

Just goes to show that you should always verify everything… Because that wasn’t true. For those of you who are interested, there is a biographical sheet that your fiancé will need to have filled out and sign. (In quadruplicate.) Also, they recommend that you have a copy of her birth certificate and divorce decree (if applicable) and also have a copy of both translated into English.

She is now getting these things together, but not knowing that ahead of time is costing us two weeks: one for her to get the things together, and one to mail them to me. She could DHL it, but it only takes a week to get something from her to me. DHL told me they couldn’t guarantee faster than two days. $125 seems like a lot to pay for what amounts to two business days difference…

I do however, manage to get onto Planet-Love and leave my message about the fact that I am engaged.

I show Victoria the board. She enjoys reading some of the posts. Although I am careful what I show her. Let’s face it guys, sometimes the talk on here isn’t something you would want a lady from the FSU to read! (My admiration to all of the wives and women who read this stuff without blowing a gasket. What you women must think of us!)

She especially got a kick out of KenC’s post about the mis-translation of Miss Russia during the Miss Universe pageant

After that, I log-off and go back to What’s on to find a place for dinner.

While I am doing this, Victoria comes in holding my tie. “And when will you wear this?” she asks me. I had brought two ties with me, and had not worn one yet.

“Ummm… tonight,” I say.

She smiles at me. “I want to see you in this.”

I look over the restaurants again. Hmmm... need to find one where I can wear a tie…

I end up picking one that translates as: The Cave. Here’s an example of where just when you think you are beginning to know something, you reveal yourself for the true rube that you are.

I look up as Victoria comes back into the room, and tell her, “Tonight we will eat at: NEWEPA.” I pronounce it the way it looks. She stares at me uncomprehending.

“Where?”

“NEWEPA,” I repeat. “I think it is Ukrainian for Cave.”

She shakes her head. “Show me,” she says.

And I point to the ad.

And she starts to laugh. Because, gentleman, it may look like N-E-W-E-P-A… but it is NOT pronounced that way. I can’t even remember how she pronounced it, but if memory serves it started with a CH sound. I mean, it wasn’t even close!

But she appreciated her American man at least trying. And it made her feel better over some of her slight mispronunciations.

After she stops laughing, and I get ready,  we leave to go to “the cave.”

Understand that our apartment was right on the square. And, in Kiev, the Taxis park on the sidewalks when not in service.

Unlike in Russia, where the taxis were anyone who happened to be driving by, we always used actual cabbies when we went about town. They have magnetic taxi signs on their roof, and when they get a fare, they take the sign off of the roof and put it on the dash.

Not many people take the taxis, so the cab drivers all park together and sit in one of the cars and play cards. They all have some sort of a line established, but you can never know whose taxi’s turn it is, so you simply go to the car where they are all congregating and ask.

As we leave our building, we see the taxi drivers scramble out of the central car, to accommodate us. To Victoria, this is scandalous. The taxi drivers know us by sight!

She hangs her head. “What will I tell my friends in Kherson?” she asks me.

“Tell them you made several new friends in Kiev,” I tell her. “See, they are all our friends, and anxious to see how they can help us tonight! Isn’t this better than the metro where no one knows anyone?”

She isn’t convinced.

As we head to the Cave, I tell her: “You do know, don’t you, that tomorrow when you go to the train station, you will be taking a taxi.”

She looks at me, and I can tell what she is thinking: “I won’t protest, but he can’t make me do it when he’s left.”

I give her my most authoritative look. “Victoria… listen to me: No wife of mine will walk with three bags to a train station. I will not allow it. I take this very seriously. You are my woman now, and I will take care of you. You must promise me that you will take the taxi.”

She smiles, “Yes, my husband,” she says.

The Cave is a really cool place. It looks like the inside of a cave, and the waitresses do wear these sexy little animal skin outfits. Our waitress was one of the ten really good looking women I saw while I was in Kiev, and she looked good in her Raquel Welch 200000 years B.C outfit. (Just my luck! Menu... Mark... focus on the menu...)

In the club area of the Cave, they had some sort of graduation party, and some really BAD karoke going on. It was pretty funny to listen to, but not as romantic as the night before.

For dinner, I ordered a meat fondue. I tried to make Victoria order one too, but, of course, it was too expensive. She spoke to the waitress in Russian for a moment, and countermanded my order.

She had never had fondue before, and I wanted her to try it. Oh well, when she comes to America I will take her to get some.

Incidentally, this was the only meal that she ever finished before me, and that was because I had to cook each piece of meat on a skewer one by one. In general, she ate much more slowly than I did, and I was thinking that I should probably learn to eat at her pace. I would probably have fewer digestive problems if I did.

Originally, I had thought that we would go to the club after dinner (they have one at the Cave), but considering it was our last evening  together, I figured that there was only place we should spend it…

We went home… And… spent our last evening together…

When I looked at my watch as I blew out the candles, it was 3:30am.

The driver was coming in three hours to take me to the airport.

Cinderella's clock had just struck twelve...


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Ramblin
Guest
« Reply #1 on: June 12, 2002, 04:00:00 AM »

... in response to My Trip Report: Part 14, posted by MarkInTx on Jun 11, 2002

Yep, the Cave is a great place and I couldn't pronounce it in Russian either.  My fiance and I had dinner there on the last night of my trip also.  I was disappointed that they no longer had wild boar on the menu nor the same Georgian wine that I had last summer.  Evidentally they changed their menu but it was still cool or as they say in Russian "clos".
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MNKenr
Guest
« Reply #2 on: June 12, 2002, 04:00:00 AM »

... in response to My Trip Report: Part 14, posted by MarkInTx on Jun 11, 2002

...Civilization 3 is the best 'travel' game. Can play it for hours on the plane, and can save it at any time :-)

Also you do not need her Birth Certificate for the I-129. It is good to have anyway (for later), but do not let it hold up the I-129. The signed bio info sheet is needed.

Thanks for the trip reports.

Ken

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MarkInTx
Guest
« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2002, 04:00:00 AM »

... in response to Warlords: Battle cry is a good game but...., posted by MNKenr on Jun 12, 2002

Hmmm... never got into the Civilization type games. Too much micro-management.

My favorite game was Myth because you started with your army and that was it... no building this... or mining that... just go out and fight.

All strategy... not tactics. That's what I like...

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Oscar
Guest
« Reply #4 on: June 11, 2002, 04:00:00 AM »

... in response to My Trip Report: Part 14, posted by MarkInTx on Jun 11, 2002

My girl sent her papers off to me last Thursday.  They promised 4 day delivery.  I thought they wouldn't include a Sunday but I got her papers early Monday!  And it only cost $47 for everything..  I will use them again without blinking if I need to..

Oscar

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MarkInTx
Guest
« Reply #5 on: June 11, 2002, 04:00:00 AM »

... in response to I was VERY impressed with DHL-, posted by Oscar on Jun 11, 2002

DHL quoted me a price of $125 for a letter pak!

Where are sending it to in Ukraine?

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michaels
Guest
« Reply #6 on: June 12, 2002, 04:00:00 AM »

... in response to What city?, posted by MarkInTx on Jun 11, 2002

Mark, my wife used DHL in Odessa cost was $47 and I got it here in California in four days counting week end ( big size envelop).
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Oscar
Guest
« Reply #7 on: June 11, 2002, 04:00:00 AM »

... in response to What city?, posted by MarkInTx on Jun 11, 2002

She sent me her papers from Dnepropetrovsk and it was $47.
For me to send papers to her I think was like $75 or $80..
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