| ||||
| ||||
| Moderated by: ronin1 |
|
||||||||||||||
| RUSSIAN CHRONICALS | Rate Topic |
| Author | Post |
|---|
| Posted: Sunday February 5th, 2006 03:35 am |
|
1st Post |
|
ronin1 Administrator 
|
Doldrums… It was a bright sunny Saturday afternoon at the antique bazaar…one of those events that happens every spring at the local open mall. People were milling about going from stall to stall looking for whatever catches their fancy. Many came looking for something of lost value to add to their collection of relics. Others are in search of that great deal. I’m looking for neither. Strange that I find myself among them, fore it is the past I want to put behind me. The smell of old musty wool rugs and worm-eaten wood brings back memories I want to forget. A merchant haggles with a customer. It sounds like the deal had soured… as had mine. I shuffled along with the crowd barely maintaining interest in the nick-nacks and bricker-brack that composed the bulk of the bazaar. As if I had tunnel vision, my thoughts are somewhere else. Numb to the world as I attempt to understand what happened to my life. (They say that one can feel most alone in a crowd. I’m no stranger to that pearl, but it has been a long time since I shared company with this unwelcomed guest.) The purveyors of all that is ancient stamped their bills of sale. I can hear the terse sounds of tearing parchment that preceeds every happy customer. No time for happiness when my marriage is being torn down to the last thread. Ronin Last edited on Tuesday December 19th, 2006 03:04 am by ronin1 |
||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Posted: Monday February 6th, 2006 04:51 am |
|
2nd Post |
|
ronin1 Administrator
|
I sat down on the edge of a long concrete planter next to a young girl in black drab. Her earphones and mind where glued to the somber music of her choice. I could hear the sullen melody of Sarah McLachlan's, Path of Thorns Play this sound track now, while reading on to get the full mood). My mind wanders to what brought me here to the sights and sounds of rarities that aren’t so rare. Ah yes, I received that ominous packet of Latin gibberish in the mail a while ago. The separation didn’t work out as she had hoped and now we have reached that path of thorns of no return. At least there is no going back for me. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is just another test. After the trials of so many years, it has come to this. Well, then she will have just tested herself out of a marriage for all I care. I see an irate customer trying to return an old jewelry box with receipt in hand. The back panel was peeling off. It’s obvious that the glue and wood pins have failed their purpose. Just as the merchant would not accept the returned merchadise, all relationships are sold as-is. Failures are not inheritance to the players involved. It is the glue that fails... and so goes mine. No, there is no going back and no looking behind. That ship has sailed with the receipt of the pending divorce. I’m not guilty of any misdeeds. My only fault is being too patient. My only fault is not acting as a man and thinking of myself for a change. I have grown weary of the games and shames that come with not trying to express myself for who I am. Never more will that be! Last edited on Saturday July 18th, 2009 10:17 pm by ronin1 |
|||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Posted: Tuesday February 7th, 2006 05:35 am |
|
3rd Post |
|
ronin1 Administrator
|
Revelations... I pulled myself up into the crowd and got swept into the current of bodies like a hapless piece of driftwood in the tide. Shortly, I’m spun off into a quiet corner of the bazaar that was out of the mainstream, perhaps not popular essentials for collectors. Here, I was able to browse at my leisure. As I meandered the least traveled path of the bazaar, the wares turn to brightly colored badges, pins and trinkets with red stars and 'CCCP’ peppered about that seemed out of place for this venue. My eyes saw different, but I took no notice that this stand would be any different than any other. Out on the far back corner of the merchant’s table, stood a group of wooded icons amid inexpensive jewelry of amber and silver. Without thinking, I drew nearer and gazed in puzzlement at the iconic writing on these hollowed oak pieces. I suppose that I was unconsciously thinking of the churches “death do you part” has been rendered impotent by the remedies of default. The proprietor awakens to my interest. It’s hard to judge his age. Perhaps he was middle aged or older with a round face and cherub nose. His ruddy appearance and slightly dis-shoved attire would have made him a perfect candidate for a tipsy sauced Santa in those old B/W movies. He spoke in broking English with a heavy accent of unmistakable origin. He boomed, “Harrd to read?” I answered with a nod. He eyed me intently for a moment as if he were deciding if I was a buying customer or not. His furrowed brow straightened a bit and then he replied with a chuckle, “You need… Russian girlfriend… read for you!” My mental jaw just dropped to the floor. How could he know what I wanted or needed? Could it be just chance? Perhaps my lot was plainly written on my face. For whatever reason, his simple blunt words were a slap to the stupor I was in. I craned my stiff neck to really look at him. It was as if I hadn't looked straight at anything for a long time. My eyes focused and through the fog... he had my attention. Then, he rattled on how I can find a RW on the internet! Ronin Last edited on Tuesday December 19th, 2006 03:08 am by ronin1 |
||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Posted: Saturday February 25th, 2006 03:58 pm |
|
4th Post |
|
ronin1 Administrator
|
(Have you ever had an instance where some small sight, sound or action causes a profound change in your life? No, I’m not talking about the Twilight Zone even though at times when I look back it may seem like it. You know those stories where a person is in a life rut in a direction that was chosen more by circumstances, then there is that miniscule straw on the camel that causes a huge cascade of events. Well, this was one of those times.) As he rambled on in short halting phrases, my mind was churning with thoughts and memories of a lifetime. Like going fast forward and reverse at the same time. Fragments of unresolved things that I have long set aside in the backrooms of my mind was being blown into my conscious thought and seeing the light of day in sparkling crisp clarity. How my Mother and Father had an international marriage. How I grew up feeling like somehow I didn’t fit or belong. How the Eastern European women I have met in the States had intrigued me. How business and pleasure have become a global affair. And now the last puzzle piece was tossed in the mix is my understanding that marriage to an AW is, will and was not to be. All this profusion of thoughts whizzing every which way, transpired in a few seconds. When the dust settled and all the puzzle pieces laid in plain sight, I saw a picture and it was clear that I was at the steps of a new life journey. Like the snapping shut of a book, I had closed a long and fruitless chapter of my life and was now ready to start anew. What had stilted me was shattered. I now knew where my destiny awaits. Of course, for me it would have to be literally on the other side of the world. That is one thing that has been my claim or bain…nothing comes easy to me. Ronin Last edited on Saturday November 25th, 2006 06:22 am by ronin1 |
|||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Posted: Saturday November 25th, 2006 04:07 am |
|
5th Post |
|
ronin1 Administrator
|
The drive home was filled with anticipation. The gloom of the past had begun to loosen its grip. As I drove on down the cool roads, the winds of time were brushing the dust off my shoes and I could begin to smell the hint of sweet scents in the air. The silent whirl of the engine grew imperceptibly to a controlled growl. My visions of a gray world began to be sprinkled with the smatterings of color. In spirit, I had made a life renewing revelation, however for my mind and body… it would be a work in progress for sometime. It is just too big a revelation. The years of turmoil and unhappiness can’t be just ‘shaken off’ in an instant. For certain this new understanding had definitely gotten me over the hump in my grieving process. Despite the new life ahead of me, I will always have this history. Fortunately, nature has given me a mixed blessing. Well, most of the time it's not considered a blessing to have a short memory. Perhaps I just prefer not to remember. In any case I always travel light...er. Last edited on Saturday November 25th, 2006 06:25 am by ronin1 |
||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Posted: Wednesday November 29th, 2006 04:26 am |
|
6th Post |
|
ronin1 Administrator
|
Getting Started... I arrived home with enough supplies to hunker down to some serious business. Home was my original house before my marriage. It is small but very comfortable for one. All the rooms were partially furnished with my pre-wedded wares. One bedroom was packed to above eye level with unopened boxes. Such is a home going through thorny times. Evening was beginning to set in. After a good meal and a large hot mug of fresh coffee in hand, I began in earnest to see what I was getting myself into. With the computer warming up, I settled into my favorite chair. Thoughts of anticipation mounted as the system booted the bios. The appliance began to make those annoying yet necessary noises. My mind began to wander as to what the portals of possibilities have in store for me. I took a strong sip of the brew and typed the password to my future… Now, where to start? I recalled the old man said to search “Russian girls.” I brought the search engine online and entered those magic words. Pop! The search spit out half a million-plus results! I rubbed my chin and thought for a moment. Well, perhaps the old man said “Russian Women!” That really makes more sense. Of course I’m not going to get involved with a girl. The new phrase flew onto the search field. The program mulled and churned with this phrase, then bang! The search came up with 2 million-plus results! OK, perhaps I‘m not approaching this right. I sat back for awhile to collect my thoughts. Sure, I’ve been out of the dating loop for a long time, but it can’t be that hard. How do I find a way to meet Russian women? I slapped myself on the forehead. Of course! I hurriedly typed, “How to meet Russian women.” Bingo! I struck pay dirt! Names and addresses, agencies, visa services and all the rest flashed onto the screen. In no time I found myself glued to the agencies’ RW profiles. I found their photos to be mesmerizing. Many of these Russian women could be models in the West. Most were very young yet were looking for much older husbands. Am I dreaming or was it true? Do these women really exist and are they really looking for an average joe like me? The agencies all say about the same thing. Their explanations are very convincing or is it my desires over-riding my senses? Do I trust the words of an old man that I never met before? Everything inside me said, “Yes, Yes, Yes!” Ronin
|
|||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Posted: Saturday December 2nd, 2006 08:44 am |
|
7th Post |
|
ronin1 Administrator
|
Lay of the Land… It took some time to just get beyond rifling through the tons of profiles and photos in the myriad of agency databases. There was more to this than filling myself with much needed eye candy. In doing so I became aware that some photos seemed to be in several agencies. Also, I noticed that many photos appeared to be touched up and/or were done professionally. In addition, I began to see some disconcerting continuities and discontinuities in profile information. This raised the hackles on my back as well as my radar. Mama didn’t raise no fool. Even in my somewhat suggestive state of mind I saw no reason to play such a role. After a week of late night drooling, the new shine of RW picture comparing wore off. Time to get down to some serious business. I believe that I said this before. This time I meant it. There were 100s of sites and countless 1000s of profiles scatters throughout the FSU. I quickly found that there were many ways to meet the right RW. My readings (yes, I eventually started to read some tidbits along the way) I found these avenues to be called personals, tours, socials, e-mail, matchmaking, introductions, grooming, etc. Each was a different approach or partial strategy for finding the one and only. Each method had its weakness and strengths. Each one had its costs on resources and time. I had been unhappy for years but didn’t know it. Like the frog in the pot, I just got accustom to it with time. Now that I’m out of the pot, I feel an urge to hop to it. Though I’m not old yet, neither am I young. I’m at that age where one day I could wake up to staring at an old man in the mirror. Perhaps I may have only a few years left before age takes a considerable toll on my exterior. It’s time to strike while the iron is still in shape. Time is not on my side. I will need to hoof it a touch if I want to make the best of the less time I have. This was the first decision to make… which road to take. For me, at the time, there were too many unknowns to fathom. The Russian language was a mystery with its dyslexic alphabet. The culture was even more an enigma where everything seemed to work in reverse. How to navigate and handle the logistics I hadn’t a clue. And on top of this somehow I’m supposed to impress a RW with my inept understanding of anything that is Russian? It was clear to me that I would need professional help to get kick-started onto my path. Last edited on Tuesday December 19th, 2006 03:04 am by ronin1 |
||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Posted: Saturday December 23rd, 2006 05:21 am |
|
8th Post |
|
ronin1 Administrator
|
First Fork in the Road… First, to narrow things down I had to decide on what kind of agency I needed. The agency of choice would have to provide the services that I would use and support an approach that I believe would be successful for me. I knew that there were many WM before me that have gone the route of the RW. I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel, that being said, there are always a variety of variations on the theme. Firms that sold only addresses weren’t enough. Those high-end companies that made matches for you was just too much. I was looking for a venue where a RW and I would have the freedom to let nature take its course and at the same time not to take forever for a course to be found. It was soon evident to me that it would be a choice between a full service introduction agency and a tour agency. Both pretty much provided all the details that I required. They would for the most part take care of nearly everything from the time I step out of the plane to when I’m ready to depart. The greatest distinction is the introduction process. The ‘tour’ method used anything from get-togethers to discos as a venue for meeting RW, while the ‘introduction’ method was a one-on-one affair. For my particular preference I chose going with a full service introduction agency. It fits my style and personality. To entrust any firm with such a sensitive mission is no small task. The stakes are high and so are the fees. Fortunately, I ran into several sites about Russian business etiquette. Evidently, business ethics in Russia is… to say it mildly, “You’re not in Kansas any more.” It’s a ‘dog eat dog’ world over there. Sure, one can say that it’s like that everywhere. The difference being is that in Russia it’s like the ‘Wild West’ where anything goes as long as you can get way with it. As for foreigners in Russia, you can bet your bottom dollar that you will get the short end of some stick, especially if you pick the wrong firm and pay their fees up front. The search was on to find an honest agency. Ronin Last edited on Thursday March 15th, 2007 04:03 am by ronin1 |
|||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Posted: Friday December 29th, 2006 06:11 am |
|
9th Post |
|
ronin1 Administrator
|
Search for an Honest Agency… After much time and consideration I eventually singled out one agency that I can potentially go with. This agency was unique in many ways. It wasn’t too small or too large. They featured about 500 or so RW in their online database. Of these, I had determined that about 300 were really viable profiles. This is because the agency had been in existence for many years and a fair number of profiles were too old for me to really consider. It was a local agency in a city of about a quarter million. In other words they only served profiles of Russian women in the city and surrounding area. The agency wrote that they knew most of the RW personally and this I could believe because of the relatively small database and the local area they served. Also, nearly all the profiles were unique. I couldn’t find them in the other RW agencies at large. Logistically, the agency was well situated close enough for easy access from two international airports, yet far enough away not to have the high cost of living. Historically the city was a women’s industrial area that was and is well known for their beautiful women. At this point one may think that my choice was a no brainer. However, even with all these great attributes going for the agency, it wasn’t enough. There had to be more and there was more. Being a former student of photography, I could see that the profile photos lacked the glamour that other agencies had. Their lack of flair in the photos may have put off some to many WM, however it told me that this agency had un-mined gold just waiting to be picked. Additionally, the agency was located in a geographical area where I desired to find a wife… Slavic with Scandinavian influences. Yes, I even honed it down to the general features I desired. But there was even more. What clinched my decision was that the agency was American owned and operated. This meant that if I became unsatisfied with their services, I had recourse available to me in the States. To top this off, they had an office and representative not far from my home. I won’t say what the name of this agency is. I will refer to it as hmmm… LTP. (This is not an endorsement, approval or recommendation of LTP. This is just my experience and thoughts at that time. I have had no contact with LTP for a number of years. I know that this agency has been through many changes since I last used their services.) Last edited on Thursday March 15th, 2007 04:06 am by ronin1 |
||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Current time is 01:30 am | |
| Not for Profit Center for Russian, Ukrainian & FSU Bride Info. > Russian Bride Forum: General Discussion Forums > Member's Russian Bride Stories > RUSSIAN CHRONICALS | Top |
