I am Andrew, and my wife is Ksenia. I’m in Arkansas, and she resides in Korolev, a Moscow suburb.
I first visited Russia a couple times in 2004, and what I experienced there simply grabbed my interest. I originally visited to see about outsourcing some jobs to that part of the world. I did, actually, discover some reliable business resources there; however, after returning home, I couldn’t escape the enormous attraction I had from my initial visit. It was exciting and eye-opening. And, too, there was a bit of a personal revelation as well.
Ksenia and I first met, electronically, in November 2004. I spent 6 weeks in Russia with her during on a couple of visits during 2005, and we wed in a civil ceremony on November 29, 2005. I’ve been back there twice already this year.
You know how it is… you’re 5000 miles from the love of your life, and every day you yearn to be together. Well, that’s how it is for me.
We originally considered applying for a K-1 visa for Ksenia and K-2 for her kids. After considerable thought and a little research, we decided to go ahead and get married as soon as possible. It seemed to us that Ksenia and her kids would better benefit from the experience of preparing themselves for life in the USA. Perhaps we are correct – only God knows. So I just now (March 10, 2006) mailed the I-130 packet to the USCIS in Dallas, and our “visa journey” begins.
If there are any Russian spouses, who read this, Ksenia is open to communicating with those who have made a comfortable move to the USA. Just let me know.
One of our biggest concerns is the education of her daughters after they arrive here. They are age 9 and 13. Any insight in this regard would be greatly appreciated…
In case anyone out there wishes to learn some conversational Russian, without actual traditional classroom lessons, I wouldn’t use the Primsleur Method. I did just that and later found out that many of the terms were inaccurately taught. I don’t know a great deal of the Russian language, but I would recommend Rosetta Stone (based on reliable resources).
In case you’ve become bored reading this… I guess that’s all for now.
I wish to thank the Academy for… (Oops!) – wrong speech.
I wish to thank all the other users of this site!!!
