Going to Kiev in 7 days, any tips?

[DavidandIrina 1]

Re: CdG airport.. it is hands-down one of the worst airports of all time. It has been under construction every year I have been there since 1996, and there is zero to do in the MENA wing. They stick up out, way out, on the tarmac and you have to get a bus (which is open and delightful in the winter) to your plane. There are only so many times a non-drinker and look at whisky in the only store available in that area...

Both times that I went to Kiev, I used British Airways. I must say that it was an extremely good choice on my part. I fly from Boston to London, London to Kiev, and so far its been great. Planes take off on time, 3 to 4 hour layover at most in London, then off to Kiev. Even though it does cost like 300 dollars more, I think it is well worth it. :-) PLUS you get full meals (and tea) on every flight even if it is only 3 hours (from london to kiev). Can't beat it :-D

[slim 1,523]

BTW if you want to learn Russian well, I'd highly suggest the Pimsleur Russian method. I'm almost done with the second set of CDs (Russian 2) and am about to go onto Russian 3. I received many compliments in Kiev for not having any accent at all and Iryna is always complimenting my "R" for rolling right and for not having an accent. :-D Its expensive, but it works, and works well. I lent my CDs to a friend and now we communicate in basic russian whenever we see each other :-D LOL

I highly recommend it as well.

As for cost, you can buy the "sampler" which is basically the first 10 lessons, from Barnes & Noble or B. Dalton or whatever for around $30. I got the complete set off E-Bay (with Spanish 1-3 as well) for $70. Can't beat that! Keep an eye on CraigsList too. I see them on there every now and then.

[eekee 182]

I use Airfrance because that's what I can do with my frequent flyer miles stuff. I hate Heathrow way more than CDG.

[dogspot 90]

I highly recommend it as well.

As for cost, you can buy the "sampler" which is basically the first 10 lessons, from Barnes & Noble or B. Dalton or whatever for around $30. I got the complete set off E-Bay (with Spanish 1-3 as well) for $70. Can't beat that! Keep an eye on CraigsList too. I see them on there every now and then.

Or you can download all the lessons for free.

[AmyWrites 593]

I highly recommend it as well.

As for cost, you can buy the "sampler" which is basically the first 10 lessons, from Barnes & Noble or B. Dalton or whatever for around $30. I got the complete set off E-Bay (with Spanish 1-3 as well) for $70. Can't beat that! Keep an eye on CraigsList too. I see them on there every now and then.

They're actually on discount now at their website for I think $9.95.

I used a combination of Pimsleur, Teach Yourself Russian (real good for conversations but ####### in terms of grammar) and this Russian grammar book that's on sale in Amazon for like 7 bucks. Of course I took a few Russian courses at MGU and studied abroad in Moscow as well (is it obvious I wanted to become fluent?).

But with the books/CD's I reached an intermediate level. No way I was paying $400 for Rosetta Stone.

OP, glad you're having a great time and that your girl is lovely (as expected).

[LvivLovers 39]

Congrats on the trip, Johnny! Now you know why so many of us are a bit enthusiastic about our women in the RUB!

Kyiv is quite a bit more expensive than other cities in Ukraine. The wealth disparity is pretty widespread though. My wife was always telling me about her friends who spent like 500-700 bucks on cell phones while barely getting by...image is important! Some people really are filthy rich over there. I went into one bank to change some money and the woman next to me pulled about 50 stacks of $100 bills out of a little plastic bag like it was nothing...not nervous or anything. Others barely have enough to eat despite working hard.

Any warning signs on your gal or are you pleased with everything so far? Looks like she's a typical hot Ukrainian babe! I bet she will be working hard on her English if she sees you are still serious about her after returning home. Anyway, can't wait to hear more details, see more photos from your trip!

[ONA 133]

They're actually on discount now at their website for I think $9.95.

I used a combination of Pimsleur, Teach Yourself Russian (real good for conversations but ####### in terms of grammar) and this Russian grammar book that's on sale in Amazon for like 7 bucks. Of course I took a few Russian courses at MGU and studied abroad in Moscow as well (is it obvious I wanted to become fluent?).

But with the books/CD's I reached an intermediate level. No way I was paying $400 for Rosetta Stone.

OP, glad you're having a great time and that your girl is lovely (as expected).

Wow, that's impressive. I wish my fiance could get to intermediate level at least

Kyiv is quite a bit more expensive than other cities in Ukraine. The wealth disparity is pretty widespread though. My wife was always telling me about her friends who spent like 500-700 bucks on cell phones while barely getting by...image is important! Some people really are filthy rich over there. I went into one bank to change some money and the woman next to me pulled about 50 stacks of $100 bills out of a little plastic bag like it was nothing...not nervous or anything. Others barely have enough to eat despite working hard.

I wish stuff was as "expensive" in Russia as it is in Kiev/Kyiv I find some things to be pretty cheap over there and I'm not even from Moscow.

[~Johnny~ 27]

BTW if you want to learn Russian well, I'd highly suggest the Pimsleur Russian method. I'm almost done with the second set of CDs (Russian 2) and am about to go onto Russian 3. I received many compliments in Kiev for not having any accent at all and Iryna is always complimenting my "R" for rolling right and for not having an accent. :-D Its expensive, but it works, and works well. I lent my CDs to a friend and now we communicate in basic russian whenever we see each other :-D LOL

Thanks! I been a little sick past few days...maybe caught something in Paris

Yeah... I got the Pimsleur I, II and III Cds.. I made it through CD I and those basic phrases saved me a few times. I even got the compliment on my R's... I have Rosetta Stone as well, but I really don't paitence for that method of teaching.

Edited April 4, 2011 by ~Johnny~

[~Johnny~ 27]

Congrats on the trip, Johnny! Now you know why so many of us are a bit enthusiastic about our women in the RUB!

Kyiv is quite a bit more expensive than other cities in Ukraine. The wealth disparity is pretty widespread though. My wife was always telling me about her friends who spent like 500-700 bucks on cell phones while barely getting by...image is important! Some people really are filthy rich over there. I went into one bank to change some money and the woman next to me pulled about 50 stacks of $100 bills out of a little plastic bag like it was nothing...not nervous or anything. Others barely have enough to eat despite working hard.

Any warning signs on your gal or are you pleased with everything so far? Looks like she's a typical hot Ukrainian babe! I bet she will be working hard on her English if she sees you are still serious about her after returning home. Anyway, can't wait to hear more details, see more photos from your trip!

Hey thanks also... I live in Southern Cali for a little while and I never that many Bently's and Roll Royces as I seen in Kyiv.

Ummm I don't really know yet as far as if she is the one. I want to take it slow. I rushed before and that got me into trouble. She also feels the same. And my divorce never came up once in a whole week. I'm following my basic plan and if things are still good by next trip then it's good to say that we'll in for a long V-journey ahead. I am going back in July, I can't do next month, yes yes yes... I have to see that place in summer!! But she's a wonderful girl, extremely honest almost so honest that it hurts.. But that's a good thing because she will tell you what she is thinking exactly when she is thinking it.

Edited to say... YES I totally understand why RUB girls are the best!!

Edited April 4, 2011 by ~Johnny~

[LvivLovers 39]

Hey thanks also... I live in Southern Cali for a little while and I never that many Bently's and Roll Royces as I seen in Kyiv.

Ummm I don't really know yet as far as if she is the one. I want to take it slow. I rushed before and that got me into trouble. She also feels the same. And my divorce never came up once in a whole week. I'm following my basic plan and if things are still good by next trip then it's good to say that we'll in for a long V-journey ahead. I am going back in July, I can't do next month, yes yes yes... I have to see that place in summer!! But she's a wonderful girl, extremely honest almost so honest that it hurts.. But that's a good thing because she will tell you what she is thinking exactly when she is thinking it.

Edited to say... YES I totally understand why RUB girls are the best!!

Well done! Sounds like you DID learn from your past experiences and are making all the right decisions this go around!

My wife is the same way with regards to honesty, which is one of the things I adore about her. She has never told me one fib in the more than 4 years that I have known her...not a single one. She's probably the most trustworthy person I've ever met! Takes a little getting used to in the beginning but it's a good thing in the long run!

Also know what it's like having constraints on the travel. I had only been working at my job about 6 months when I told my boss I wanted to take 2 weeks off to go to Ukraine and visit a girl I met on the Internet. After my trip and realizing she was the one, I had to go to my boss about a week later and tell him I wanted to take 3 more weeks off to go get married! Luckily, he was totally cool about it and said "I'm not one to stand in the way of love!". Had he refused me I would have had to quit...I was definately going back.

Anyway, hope it all works out for ya! Sounds like it will! Looking forward to hearing all about it in a few months!

[slim 1,523]

I took a few Russian courses at MGU and studied abroad in Moscow as well (is it obvious I wanted to become fluent?).

Once upon a time I thought of taking those classes at MGU. A bit pricey and impractical for me so I never got around to it. But, I'm curious to hear about it if you wouldn't mind posting more.

[AmyWrites 593]

Once upon a time I thought of taking those classes at MGU. A bit pricey and impractical for me so I never got around to it. But, I'm curious to hear about it if you wouldn't mind posting more.

I actually loved it. I wouldn't recommend it for beginners, I don't think it's worth the cost if you know NOTHING at all... pick up some language books and such and then it's a good investment. I went with a good grasp on Russian (intermediate level) and I wanted lessons in the country to "fill the gaps" (I was entirely self taught for about 8 years). Basically I could read very well but my conversational Russian was not so good since I learned from reading and not a lot of listening. They were excellent in those respects; slowed down when I didn't understand something (but not to a point that it was unnaturally slow).

I've taken other language lessons (German, French, etc) at the local university but they weren't as good because they weren't intensive (at least at my uni language lessons were 10 academic hours a week and the MGU course was 20) and they weren't challenging. The material was up-to-date and they helped me in the areas I specifically asked for (written composition and economics/politics/finance since those are my areas). And of course living in Russia, you're forced to use the language daily. Staying with a host family would've been even better in terms of language and culture acquisition but I like my privacy (and sanity) and chose to stay at the dorm (in comparison to my uni I found them cheap and pretty good except for the kitchens which were.... eh, usable).

So in short, it's really not worth the cost it if your knowledge of Russian is elementary or you have no interest in speaking Russian long-term for professional or academic purposes. I did it because I wanted to go to MGU for grad school and wanted to see how "good" I was before making a decision about it.

And also... the cost varies greatly depending on who you organize it through, in thousands of dollars. I went directly through the uni and it was a whole lot cheaper and more flexible with my schedule.

Edited April 4, 2011 by AmyWrites

[Nasturtium 500]

Both times that I went to Kiev, I used British Airways. I must say that it was an extremely good choice on my part. I fly from Boston to London, London to Kiev, and so far its been great. Planes take off on time, 3 to 4 hour layover at most in London, then off to Kiev. Even though it does cost like 300 dollars more, I think it is well worth it. :-) PLUS you get full meals (and tea) on every flight even if it is only 3 hours (from london to kiev). Can't beat it :-D

I've heard other good reports about British Airways as well. When I was going back and forth to Jordan regularly, I actually tried to just fly Royal Jordanian. They have a really, really good system-- tons of passenger space even in coach, full meals, real silverware... and one time I got bumped up to first class-- fc has a buffet, gifts, private TVs, fully reclining twin-sized seats with foot rests that pop up. Love it. RJA is pretty cheap. Air France was meh (my opinion was influenced by CdG and the drunk guy next to me both times), Northwest was the worst.

[Nasturtium 500]

Wow, that's impressive. I wish my fiance could get to intermediate level at least

I always figured it was more or less fair for me to learn Arabic... also I was just really curious to figure out how he sounds in his native language. In addition, it would have been a nightmare to work there but not speak the language in a semi-functional way at the very least.

[baron555 934]

But she's a wonderful girl, extremely honest almost so honest that it hurts.. But that's a good thing because she will tell you what she is thinking exactly when she is thinking it.

I am sure that when you search deep down that is exactly what you are looking for, I hope. And I trust that you will be the same with her.

I can say the same for my wife and we are both so dedicated to each other but most importantly to our relationship; we've both been down the road before and don't want to screw it up now.

Yes take it slow and keep asking questions about each other. You will know if it is right.