Life after move...

[baron555 934]

Im moving to US. I love my fiance but i dont like anything about the USA. Ugly clothes, strict rules, stupid smile on everyones face. Im perfectly good in my own city Kiev, Ukraine. I have everything i want here.  My fiance says that if not for his well-paid job in US we would probably live in Ukraine. So id like to here stories from girls who moved from Ukraine/Russia/Belarus to US. What changed for better and what changed for worse. Really looking forward to  hear some informative stories

Before you hear our stories please tell us about your story?

Have you ever been to the US before? Tell us about it.

If not how do you come to the conclusions you have?

Where are you from and where are you moving to?

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

If you're worried about "ugly" clothes, check this place out - http://www.bebe.com

As mentioned by other posters, TJ Maxx is a good place to find fashionable discounts too. The clothes here are almost free! My wife stays fashionable. She wouldn't be caught dead wearing ugly clothes.

+1 on that site.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

WTH...take away that +1. There's like only one mini skirt on that site, and it's $60.

http://www.venus.com <--- check this one out.

http://www.venus.com/viewproduct.aspx?BRANCH=7~71~&ProductDisplayID=3508&dept=Venus+Clothing-Skirts+%26+Shorts∏=side+tie+top,+ruffle+skort <--- This has "RUB" written all over it.

Edited February 4, 2011 by Why_Me

[james&olya 1,121]

Inna, something nobody seems to mention but is very important is the huge regional diversity of the US! The climate and the geography here varies much more than in Ukraine, from near tropical weather in Florida to Siberia like cold in Alaska, from coastal living to the plains of the midwest, the mountains in both eastern and western USA, the hot/dry deserts to the humidity of the southeast. Here you are free to own the land itself. People usually live in single-family homes with lawns and gardens. In many areas you rarely see fences, let alone walls, around anybody's property. The water is usually very clean and safe. We swim in our lakes and rivers without fear of catching disease or being exposed to poisons. Here, people complain about government offices if they have to wait even a few minutes to get something done. You never, ever need to bribe someone to get reasonable service. The lifestyle is different but you are free to make it whatever you want. If you want high quality clothes you can easily find them. If you want great food it is easy to find. If you ever become handicapped you will not be shunned from participating in anything you could be capable of. The list goes on and on. Where here will you live? If you tell us that you can get much more specific comments! I think you will like it! Oh, one more thing, the roads and highways are so much easier and safer to drive on than in Kiev!!

Edited February 4, 2011 by james&olya

[dogspot 90]

If you're worried about "ugly" clothes, check this place out - http://www.bebe.com

[sea-monkey 13]

Forever 21 is better. More hoochie mama atire. My girl doesn't even buy clothes or shoes in Russia. Doesn't like the clothes. She goes to Italy to shop year after year

That ain't happening once she gets here

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Forever 21 is better. More hoochie mama atire. My girl doesn't even buy clothes or shoes in Russia. Doesn't like the clothes. She goes to Italy to shop year after year

That ain't happening once she gets here

http://www.forever21.com <--- Thanks for the heads up. Soon as the wife gets home from work I'm going to show her this link. The mini skirt selection on there owns.

btw...how does your wife get the bread to go shopping in Italy on a regular basis ?

[sea-monkey 13]

She has a good job in Moscow for a foreign company. Plus, flights to w. EU aren’t that long/expensive from Moscow. $300 RT to Italia was what I saw.

[LvivLovers 39]

I have no problems at all with the OP's first post! It sounds just like me wife a few years ago. She was happy in Lviv, Ukraine and wanted me to move there rather than come here. Fast forward a few years and this is her home now and she has no desire to return to Ukraine.

I'll have to get my wife to come post here...but I think a few of the things she would mention:

Smooth roads almost everywhere. You'll likely have a car and the freedom to go wherever you please.

Hot water all the time. Drinkable water right out of the faucet in most places.

Huge variety of clothes/shopping. Yes we have lots of ugly clothes and Americans do often choose comfort over looks. But it's up the individual. Likewise, you can pretty much pay whatever you want for things. Want to spend a fortune...there's stores for you. Want to get lots of bang for your buck...no problem.

Huge variety of fruits/vegetables all year round. Maybe not quite as tasty in some cases, but my wife finds plenty that she likes. You have to learn to shop for certain things at certain stores.

Great dance clubs. I'm sure Kyiv has great ones as well, but some of them are really over the top here.

Great Internet speeds. Most places you can get 25/50Mbps. Getting faster all the time. Likewise, we have Netflix and other places where you can rent tons of DVDs/BluRays...high quality stuff...not grainy like tghe pirated stuff in Ukraine! You can even download stuff over the Internet in high-quality.

Lots of tasty foods and desserts (they may be a bit sweeter than what you are used to at first). It's the American weakness and why most of us are so fat. Probably the number one reason for the ugly clothes...ugly = comfortable for fat people clothes.

Easy access to cruises and stuff like that. American citizens and permanent residences can go pretty much any place without hassles.

Money. You can actually save it if you do things right!

Less corruption! The fees for things are actually official and you don't have to pay extra just to get people to do their job. Generally things are more expensive but that's why you make more money here.

The best medical care. Also expensive but again that's why you have more money here.

Better retirement/benefits. At least until we run out of money.

Most areas don't have any trash...sides of roads, parks, beaches, etc. all clean for the most part.

Friendlier people that generally will go out of their way to help you just to be nice. Goes along with all the smiling for no reason.

You will get receipts for everything you buy. You can generally take things back without any hassle. People will not try to rip you off all the time when buying things so you don't always have to be on alert for people trying to overcharge you.

You can openly defy the government or say what you want without fear of bodily harm/death.

Cheap mobile phones. Cheap electronics of all kinds.

Planes that don't make you feel like you are gambling with your life when you fly on them.

Ok...those are just a few things off the top of my head. I hope nothing is offensive...just trying to tell it like it is for the most part! I'll try to get my wife on here to post anything I forgot.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

My wife still b*tches about the states from time to time. I just say to her ;"well then lets go live in Belarus". That ends the convo right then and there. Mini skirt city I'm telling ya. I might think about sacrificing democracy here for that.

And here's something for the OP to think about. You don't have to count your change here when you go shopping at the stores...debit/visa card ftw..that and not everyone here is on the scam like over there. I never saw so much store security in my life until I went to Russia and Belarus. It's like they were waiting for the mafia to hit or something. It's crazy. And greasing cops....not as much as that here is there is over there. Russia is full of dirty cops, Belarus isn't far behind...and I can't really say what the cops in Ukraine are like, but I can only guess.

[ryna 132]

To the OP- You are having normal concerns about moving to a new place, especially one on the other side of the world where so much is very different. My then-fiancee wondered many of the same things before she moved here. Years ago, I even had thoughts along those lines (though not exactly the same ones) and that was only for a move to a different part of the U.S. It's all normal. You'll be fine.

FYI - The most recent post in the Regional Forums discussions appears on the main forums page WITHOUT reference to which sub-forum it belongs. If the subject line is of interest, I click on it. I never realized we were supposed to take a hike if we ended up in another part of the world. Is a visa required to enter a forum of a different region?

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

To the OP- You are having normal concerns about moving to a new place, especially one on the other side of the world where so much is very different. My then-fiancee wondered many of the same things before she moved here. Years ago, I even had thoughts along those lines (though not exactly the same ones) and that was only for a move to a different part of the U.S. It's all normal. You'll be fine.

FYI - The most recent post in the Regional Forums discussions appears on the main forums page WITHOUT reference to which sub-forum it belongs. If the subject line is of interest, I click on it. I never realized we were supposed to take a hike if we ended up in another part of the world. Is a visa required to enter a forum of a different region?

FYI Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians are "blunt". It comes off rude to an American, but for us who know better...we shut our mouthes because it is what it is and we know that. So now we have these "Capt. save-a-ho's" coming in the RUB forum trying to save the world by bashing the OP as some kind of anti American USA hater. We don't need nor do we want that BS in this forum.

Not everyone is the same, sans the reason there is different cultures. Seeing how these peeps came romping in this forum for the fact they saw the post as "most recent" and felt it was their duty to come to the rescue (trolling), doesn't give them the right to bash anyone in this forum. How often do you see any of us from the RUB forum posting on another regional forum ? Try about close to NEVER. It's not our business, every culture is different and we understand that. Too bad others don't.

Edited February 4, 2011 by Why_Me

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

This is a very inappropriate way to start a thread. If you want genuine responses, start your thread neutral. This is not the site to express interracial/international rancor.

She is Ukrainian. They do not mince words. She is not being rude.

My wife, Alla, who is no big fan of the USA, and speaks directly as you do, frankly says that life here has some big "pluses" and a few small minuses. Now if you want to take the time to read some of our other topics in the RUB forum you will get a good insight of our lives with women from Ukraine.

Alla is a clothes hound, part time model and snappy dresser. She finds plenty of attractive clothes "almost free" compared to the prices in Ukraine. That some people dress in pajamas to go to the mall does not mean those are the only clothes available.

Alla loves her car, her home (instead of our flat in Donetsk) her flowers, living by the lake (she oves to swim and does so almost every day in the summer) she likes her education, she enjoys doing interpreting and modeling (mostly because she gets to keep the clothes she models)

Depending on where you live, there could be a lack of public transportation compared to Kiev. But now that Alla drives she really does not take the bus anymore. We will sometimes go to Montreal, Boston, New York or Chicago and park outside the city and take the subway or train and then walk. But she now HATES busses.

We kept our flat in Donetsk and go there a couple times per year. One of our sons is there now on a school break. Alla will be going in May this year. She will be there for one month by herself, then Pasha and I will fly over in Mid-June (when Pasha is out of school) and we will go to Sergey's graduation from college in Moscow. Then we will all fly back together at the end of June. Pasha and Sergey both have summer jobs. So we do get to visit.

She thinks some things here are expensive, education, personal service (manicures, haircuts, etc) She also thinks life here is very expensive but it is not something she worries about. Comapred to Ukraine, yes it is expensive. she thinks the people have phoney smiles (they do) She was taken aback that everyone says "Hi! How are you?" and no one really cares. You ask a Ukrainian "how are you?" you better have time to listen. Phoniness is the ultimate rude behavior as far as she is concerned.

[tom&tanya 48]

My wife and stepdaughter live at Forever 21!

A few weeks ago I dropped them off at the mall and they were in that store for over 6 hours.

As for "others" posting in the RUB forums ... you can. But do so at your own peril!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

FYI Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians are "blunt". It comes off rude to an American, but for us who know better...we shut our mouthes because it is what it is and we know that. So now we have these "Capt. save-a-ho's" coming in the RUB forum trying to save the world by bashing the OP as some kind of anti American USA hater. We don't need nor do we want that BS in this forum.

Not everyone is the same, sans the reason there is different cultures. Seeing how these peeps came romping in this forum for the fact they saw the post as "most recent" and felt it was their duty to come to the rescue (trolling), doesn't give them the right to bash anyone in this forum. How often do you see any of us from the RUB forum posting on another regional forum ? Try about close to NEVER. It's not our business, every culture is different and we understand that. Too bad others don't.

People from this culture have no patience for BULLSH*T. There IS NO bullsh*t. If you are not familiar with it, you will take it as rude, but that is YOUR problem. I assure you it is not theirs.

If you have a Ukrainian friend, and I am fortunate enough to have several, they would hack off their right arm for you with a dull pocket knife. The word "friend" in Russian is a very powerful word. There is no phoney "Have a nice day!" nonsense. They also do not fall in holes in the sidewalk and if they do they do not sue anyone for it because they were stupid enough to fall in a hole. They would be embarrassed.

One of the most refreshing and liberating things I experienced living in Ukraine was the absolute lack of BULLSH*T.

None of us wise enough to choose a Russian/Ukrainian/Belarussian for a spouse need ever worry if they are secretly angry with us.