I'll begin by sharing a bit of my experience in this subject matter... having taken 17 trips to Ukraine since my first "innocent" trip/tour in May, 2008, ranging in duration from 10 days to 9 weeks EACH... I'd like to think I've seen it all, but I'm sure I haven't. But I've seen and experienced enough to believe I can share some valuable insight and information to help the novice and experienced alike.
I'll just say this... I wish I had met "me," or a guy like me before my first Ukrainian adventure... the mistakes and pitfalls I could have avoided are countless!
My journey began when I discovered the Anastasia-Date.com website in February, 2008... shortly after the Super Bowl of 2008. By the way, I was one of the very few who thought the Giants were going to "punch the Patriots in the nose" on both sides of the line of scrimmage and pull a massive upset in that Super Bowl... and fortunately, I put my money where my mouth was and had one of my better trips to Sin City.
What inspired me to search for a website like Anastasia-Date.com? I had taken a Princess Cruise through the Panama Canal in January, 2008, and on this cruise, I tended to spend considerable time in the ship's casino. Virtually all of the employees in this independently-owned casino were Ukrainians... especially the girls!
To be honest, although I graduated from University with Magna Cum Laude honors, I would not have been able to find Ukraine in an Atlas or on a globe! I'm sure I knew it was part of the former Soviet Union, but that was about the extent of my knowledge of this country. Having ended a long-term relationship in 2006 shortly after the sudden and shocking passing of my beloved father... I was just starting to come out of an "emotional coma" when I went on this cruise and had my first encounter with Ukrainian women.
Although all the Ukrainian girls employed by the ship's casino were married or "spoken for"... I could not help but be intrigued by their beauty, their composure, their fun-loving spirit... just everything I find attractive. I knew that I had Slavic roots on my father's side... my paternal grandmother was born in Minsk (In modern-day Belarus), and my paternal grandfather was the first of his family to be born in the U.S.A. after emigrating from Russia.
Following this cruise, I went to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl with some friends... but I was still thinking about the Ukrainian girls I had met on the cruise. I was discussing this with one of my friends in Las Vegas, and he suggested that I search online for a site where I might be able to meet some beautiful Ukrainian women interested in marrying a Westerner... hopefully an American.
Although in my mid-40's at the time, I had always lived a very active lifestyle, but I had never been married and had no children... I wanted both very badly. The night I returned to my home in California from this Las Vegas Super Bowl weekend, I searched on the internet... and up popped Anastasia-Date.com.
At 3 a.m., I registered, purchased my first credits, and began writing letters to Ukrainian girls that caught my eye... and for me, that was plenty... too many!!
The Potemkin Steps being used as a movie set this winter.
During warm weather, this is my gym... I love to run these
Steps to work up a sweat...
A short 3 months later, after more letters and credits than I care to mention, I found myself doing something I never thought I would do... waking up at 2 a.m. to catch my first flight on a solo adventure nearly halfway around the world to the former Soviet Union... the "Pearl of the Black Sea"... Odessa, Ukraine. Fresh in my mind were the memories of "The Evil Empire"... our arch enemy for all those years while I was growing up, and later while going to college... a place I never thought I would go; at least not in this lifetime!
Little did I know at that time that this would be the first of at least 17 trips to this country! Good Lord...when I think about it, I'm still in a bit of shock... )))
Stay tuned... the story has just begun... and the lessons to be learned... and shared... are plenty!
I am looking forward to read more about your Odessa experience so I can share it with some of the guests that are renting our Paradis apts. You are a great writer.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much, Tanya... the story has many twists and turns as you can imagine... I really enjoyed staying at Paradis apartments both times I rented from you, and I'll look forward to renting with Paradis again in 2014...)))
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