What should she bring?

[Danno 1,228]

I am trying to make sure Natalia brings with her any documents she might need.

I know to have her bring shot records, do they need to be translated? I can't imagine the school

accepting documents in cyrilic.

Can anyone think of any other stuff we should be thinking of to bring?

[YuAndDan 153]

As in bring to the USA?

Yes the shot record needs translation to english for the US Civil Surgeon.

Also bring extra copies of birth cert.

[russ 1]

I am trying to make sure Natalia brings with her any documents she might need.

I know to have her bring shot records, do they need to be translated? I can't imagine the school

accepting documents in cyrilic.

Can anyone think of any other stuff we should be thinking of to bring?

She can do the translation herself. Should only take a few minutes.

As for school records, diploma and transcript are fine. You will need to pay to have them translated and certified here, but only if you are applying to a US grad school. The admissions office will tell you what they want. For employers, it is their problem to verify it.

[1HappyGuy 45]

You are on the right track. Have any medical records or school records translated and certified. They will be a lot cheaper than having it done here and likely a better job. It may cost a little more, but in the long run you will be happy you did it. The school records are really important for colleges or universities to evaluate how many classes will be accepted. We are struggling with that now, so if you have the documents already translated you'll be ahead of the game. The newer the transcripts and/or degrees, the more likely they will be widely accepted. My wife's degree is over 20 years old and she will likely need to take additional classes.

[Danno 1,228]

You are on the right track. Have any medical records or school records translated and certified. They will be a lot cheaper than having it done here and likely a better job. It may cost a little more, but in the long run you will be happy you did it. The school records are really important for colleges or universities to evaluate how many classes will be accepted. We are struggling with that now, so if you have the documents already translated you'll be ahead of the game. The newer the transcripts and/or degrees, the more likely they will be widely accepted. My wife's degree is over 20 years old and she will likely need to take additional classes.

Now I would imagine in the medical envelope which they gave her to bring for the interview would be her vaccinations in English, I wonder if she went by the medical place again if they will make her a copy in english?

To avoid confusion; due to the holidays she had to make one trip to Moscow last week for the phys. and will return on the 9th for the interview.

[Chuckles 0]

You are on the right track. Have any medical records or school records translated and certified. They will be a lot cheaper than having it done here and likely a better job. It may cost a little more, but in the long run you will be happy you did it. The school records are really important for colleges or universities to evaluate how many classes will be accepted. We are struggling with that now, so if you have the documents already translated you'll be ahead of the game. The newer the transcripts and/or degrees, the more likely they will be widely accepted. My wife's degree is over 20 years old and she will likely need to take additional classes.

Now I would imagine in the medical envelope which they gave her to bring for the interview would be her vaccinations in English, I wonder if she went by the medical place again if they will make her a copy in english?

To avoid confusion; due to the holidays she had to make one trip to Moscow last week for the phys. and will return on the 9th for the interview.

We did not have to have the record of shots translated. I can't speak for anyone else, but that was our experience.

[shikarnov 7]

Can anyone think of any other stuff we should be thinking of to bring?

I'd have her get as detailed a medical history as possible of her entire family. In a crisis it's easy to forget little details -- especially if one is trying to translate on the fly and under pressure -- and it'll be helpful for her to have it all spelled out for the doctor(s). It's also good to have because once our elders are lost, useful medical tidbits can be lost with them, making diagnosis that much harder...

This is a great site to help guide the process of gathering medical information. Most of the people I've met in Ivanovo would never willingly enter their data into a computer (Ira's brother nearly had a heart attack when I taught her how to make a database - an offline database, no less - and she made an address book), but if it's used as a guideline, your fiance may find a lot of benefit there.

On the less important side...

I'd also have her collect as many recipes as possible. There's not a lot of black bread or palmeni where I come from (Taxachusetts), for example, and so your lady may find herself craving a taste of home (what I wouldn't give for a real hamburger. You should see what the local American restaurant pawns off as the "Биг Тэксас").

How big is your fiance? I ask because a friend of mine recently moved to the US and found that her size in clothes wasn't available. Apparently even size 00 (yes, double-zero) was too big for her. No she's not anorexic or starving -- she's just not a natural born, taught that 40 lbs overweight is "normal," American woman. So, if your girl is somewhat small, you might consider having her stock up on some clothes at her local rinok before coming. Even if you have to pay the extra $100 for an extra bag on the plane, it'll be worth it.

The same goes for cosmetics. If she loves to make herself up, you'll be wise to make sure the makeup she uses -- or a comparable substitute -- is available. If not, she should bring some stuff to tide her over until she can go through the myriad of American cosmetics herself until she finds something acceptable. I'm glad my Ira isn't heavily into cosmetics, but the friend I mentioned in the previous thread has been stateside for a year now, and still can't find what she needs (I'm like her drug lord, carrying cosmetics and clothes every time I return to the states -- I'm never sure if she's happier to see me, her dear friend, or the latest stash of Russian/European goods).

That's all I can think of now... Obviously you'll also want all her official Russian documentation (multiple copies -- and officially translated and notarized).

Z

PS: Also, and this is a bit OT, I'd have her open a bank account in Russia while she's still here. The interest rates are great (I've seen as high as 7.5 - 10.5% interest on 10,000 - 24,000 rouble minimum accounts), and with the dollar plummeting, it might be worth it to keep some cash stashed away in a more stable / growing currency.

Edited January 3, 2008 by shikarnov

[slim 1,523]

Great advice above.

I'll piggy-back on the clothes and cosmetics thing however, she should make sure her cosmetics are in her checked baggage and even then, I wouldn't have her bring too much. The airports are kind of funny with liquids right now and she may get them confiscated. After my wife arrived we spent several hundred dollars "replenishing" her depleted cosmetic supplies that were confiscated. If you can get them through in checked baggage, you should be just fine.

Clothes are hard to find for women with a "womanly" shape. Most of the clothes my wife tries on are tight in the wrong spots and loose in the right spots... or, I guess that's the wrong spots to be loose, anyway, they don't fit correctly because having a shape other than "round" means having to search pretty hard for clothing.

She is going to be disappointed by the lack of "good food" here and I would advise you to scope out the local "Russian/Eastern European" market as soon as possible.

Looking back, as said above, paying the extra money for baggage and letting her bring over whatever she wants is probably going to save you money in the long run. It'll definitely save you some headaches. If I could do it all over again, I would've had her box up everything she owned and ship it or carry it with her. At least that way she couldn't b!tch about not having it. She'd still b!tch about not being able to buy it here, but then at least I could say "well, then you should've brought it with you!"

It's all for love!

Ah.... the shot records. Yes, she will need them and they will need to be in English. If you have the opportunity, go back to the clinic or during the interview obtain a copy of the DS-3025. It's in English and it's the govt. form you'll need to show the civil surgeon here in the States when you apply for her AOS. And if it's not on there... have them add "she had chicken pox." Seems most Russian doctors don't put that on there and by the time she gets here you'll either be paying for another innoculation or the Varicella Antibodies test. Save your money and have the doc pencil it in.

And then go buy her some make-up, clothes, and a big ol' piece of kleb with some veggies and of course, some mayo.

The "Big Texas" was a little disappointing for me too. Although, I must say, the "Big Mak" wasn't half bad. And of course, the "Royale with Cheese" has to be the best American sandwich in Europe, if only for the cult status alone.

[Danno 1,228]

Wow you guys are giving me some great notes to take down.

Today I plan to go over to the school where I think her daughter will go and see what they require.

Her Daughter is such a sweet little girl who reads English in a perfect British accent, at this point her ability to understand spoken english is not so good.

It's hard to believe she was our *go-between* at one point in the beginning.

On my first time meeting the Daughter, I brought the classic american book "The cat in the hat" thinking it might be something she could work on.... she read it with ease.

The next time I brought her the english version of WAR AND PEACE (joking).

[1HappyGuy 45]

I concur about the clothes. My wife tries hard to find good clothes made of natural fibers. The other difficulty is finding clothes that are for a real feminine woman. Although my wife enjoys wearing slacks at home, she tries to wear dresses whenever possible. The American women just aren't into wearing dresses that much. I guess that's just another reason some of us chose to look elsewhere for a 'real female' spouse.

[*JG* 2]

As in bring to the USA?

Yes the shot record needs translation to english for the US Civil Surgeon.

Also bring extra copies of birth cert.

Shot records and birth certificates....definately.

[Danno 1,228]

I concur about the clothes. My wife tries hard to find good clothes made of natural fibers. The other difficulty is finding clothes that are for a real feminine woman. Although my wife enjoys wearing slacks at home, she tries to wear dresses whenever possible. The American women just aren't into wearing dresses that much. I guess that's just another reason some of us chose to look elsewhere for a 'real female' spouse.

There is some truth to that, my daughter (20) and I shop for skirts or dresses (for her and the selection is slim.

Last time I was in Russia, I tried to get Natalia to "stock-up" on stuff, we bought a few things but like most RW a big wardrobe is not typical so we only end up getting a few things, but since then I have talked her into buying a few pair of shoes.

American woman are only now coming out of the "heavy sole" look which I always thought was so damn ugly.

One of our local malls has turned into a mostly urban type mall now, I happen to stop by there to get something from SEARS (the last anchor-store to survive) and I happen to discover a Shoe store in the mall with lots of shoes similar to the style worn by many RW...... so if your lady likes the pointy toe look and is having trouble finding them locally.. try the Local shop which caters to Black ladies tastes and you might find something.

I don't think "size" will be an issue with clothes as Natalia is 46 kilo which is a typical petite size.

While I am not an extravagant gift buyer in the dating phase, I did bring her a few items and they all seemed to fit.

As a bit of humor;

An American guy (who lives in St Pet) gave me some RW advice (Since I brought him 75 LTR of CrownRoyal).

He Told me RW are.. if nothing else, Jealous and this can work against you or for you.

After a week or so of Noticing the Natalia had not wore a shirt I brought her, I suggested maybe she did not like it, which would not hurt my feelings.... I suggested I could bring it home and give to my Daughter as she had commented that she liked it, I could send her something else?

Natalia dismissed any idea of me repo-ing the shirt and wore it off and on for the rest of my visit.

[mox 298]

As a bit of humor;

An American guy (who lives in St Pet) gave me some RW advice (Since I brought him 75 LTR of CrownRoyal).

He Told me RW are.. if nothing else, Jealous and this can work against you or for you.

After a week or so of Noticing the Natalia had not wore a shirt I brought her, I suggested maybe she did not like it, which would not hurt my feelings.... I suggested I could bring it home and give to my Daughter as she had commented that she liked it, I could send her something else?

Natalia dismissed any idea of me repo-ing the shirt and wore it off and on for the rest of my visit.

LOL!

When I was with Nadya, I bought her a pair of boots she'd been eying. They were very stylish, and I noticed on our way out of a restaurant a woman staring at them. I told her this when we got outside, and she said "Russian women always look at other Russian women. Very jealous of each other."

[slim 1,523]

.. try the Local shop which caters to Black ladies tastes and you might find something.

I often wake up and BET is on the TV. My wife isn't a huge fan of rap/urban music but I always catch her watching the videos. I ask what she's doing (knowing she doesn't really care for the music) and she replies "I want check about fashion." We live in a pretty urban area and a large percentage of the customers at her job are young black women. When it was time for us to go shopping for summer clothes, we went to several of the stores her customers suggested because she knew there would be a better selection of things she liked there than at the higher priced, more upscale suburban mall.

She still likes that mall too, but the difference in price makes me really like the stores and boutiques near our house. For her to get nice, form-fitting clothes at the mall she has to get them from really nice (read: really expensive) stores like bebe where a T-shirt is $48. She can stick a little closer to home and get a T-shirt at T-shirt prices; $6.

I don't think "size" will be an issue with clothes as Natalia is 46 kilo which is a typical petite size.

She may be typical petite "size", but I bet her typical petite "shape" is a little different than the typical petite shape here in the U.S. - no curves at all. My wife isn't exactly small, but she has to try on small clothes just to fit her waist and by that time, she's busting out everywhere else. Something about that hourglass or coke bottle that was "typical" here a few (well, 30 maybe) years ago just isn't present anymore and when shopping for clothes, it will be very obvious.

As said above, when shopping for clothes, the stores that cater to the tastes of our sisters of color will be a little more in line with the shapes of our ladies from the FSU. Small or large. If you don't believe me, just check out a few videos on BET.

[Satellite 1]

I don't think "size" will be an issue with clothes as Natalia is 46 kilo which is a typical petite size.

Is that the weight mentioned in the bride catalog? Sorry couldn't resist. Could you post the Breast, Waist, and Hips measurements as well? Should be around 90-90-90 cm for ideal

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...c=63045&hl=

Edited January 4, 2008 by Satellite