Flower Power

[Nasturtium 500]

Nothing wrong with flowers but I have felt, probably based on my experience with American women, that flowers are over used as gifts and are quite easy to acquire, thus taking away from the power of a special gift. Just run into any grocery store and grab some and you're off. Or buy some from that homeless guy on the street corner and never get out of your car. What's so special about that? I would think something that took a little more thought and effort might go over better...but again I'm talking as an American man with the most experience with American women. I suppose ordering a really expensive flower arrangement from a flower shop that is delivered to her directly might be a classier option with more surprise but hits the pocket book harder. And, in a few days the flowers are dead...perhaps a bit longer if you don't get roses. But I've been disappointed in the quality and effort put into the arrangement with the flower shops. Seems everybody is cutting corners.

See, American men keep saying this but I never got flowers. All I was ever told is how they are over-used and over-rated. If that is so, it certainly was never on me. My Xh kept telling me they were too commercialized. I'd rather get flowers than cash. I also really don't care for an $80 arrangement unless it's particularly interesting because I am not a fan of commercial design. I pointed my husband (who is the first and only man to ever get me flowers) in the direction of an online wholesaler which sells by the bunches. I'd rather have a $35 bunch of 15 lilac stems than an expensive arrangement. Of course I would love the $200 bunch of 50 waterlily blossoms but that is just cost-prohibitive.

I think it should come down to what someone really wants. If a woman likes flowers, then she should receive flowers as a gift. If she wants cash, then cash. If she wants clothes, clothes. The idea of a one-size fits all cultural gift never sat well with me. I prefer to get people things they like, no matter how popular or unpopular the gift is.

And yes, Slim is a great writer and very funny/sarcastic. I'm still volunteering to edit if you ever get that far in the process.

Somewhere too it was mentioned about the MENA women having to convert to marry out-- I hope that was a joke since, ummm, it's not true. I did find out though that my extended family actually believed that. They were asking me about my new religion and I was pretty puzzled about it for about 10 seconds until I realized wth they were talking about. Then I LOLed a lot.

[Nasturtium 500]

Odessa's "best" beach was in easy walking distance to my flat. It was terrible. I could tolerate to sit on benches just off the beach and there was a good restaraunt there I used to go to often. If you spread out a blanket in the sand the sand smells like...well, Alla would say "Kahki", if you get my drift. Very few people swim and not many sunbathe. There was a place there to rent boats, small wood rowboats and people rented them for fishing (ackkkkk!) It is right near the park with the Obolisk monument to sailors in WW2.

Why does it smell so bad? Is it just a natural deal or is it due to pollution, sewage, trash...?

[Brad and Vika 129]

Why does it smell so bad? Is it just a natural deal or is it due to pollution, sewage, trash...?

It is definitely not a natural odor.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Why does it smell so bad? Is it just a natural deal or is it due to pollution, sewage, trash...?

The rivers in Ukraine are largely open sanitary sewers. Three of the major rivers of Ukraine empty into the Black Sea not far from Odessa. So all that sh*t (literally) ends up being belched into the Black Sea near Odessa. A little farther to the south the Danube delta floods over part of Ukraine. You remember the Danube in recent news? The toxic waste dumped in Hungary? It all ends up downstream near Odessa. The Black Sea currents do the rest.

[Nasturtium 500]

I had kind of figured it for a sewage issue but didn't want to jump to that conclusion wrongfully.

ETA I've been to some highly mineralized (sulfur) waters before that naturally smelled... incredible...

Edited February 1, 2011 by julianna

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I had kind of figured it for a sewage issue but didn't want to jump to that conclusion wrongfully.

ETA I've been to some highly mineralized (sulfur) waters before that naturally smelled... incredible...

Clean water is not a normal thing in the FSU. It is recommended (strongly)not to drink the water without boiling first. I wouldn't even drink it then. It had a nasty, oily looking slime on it after boiling. I used bottled water. More than a few RUB husbands have reported here the amazement their wives have at them drinking water from the faucet! Alla made me drink a glass in front of her and then looked at me like she expected me to fall over dead immediately. She finally has accepted it and likes the convenience (and low price) but still will not use ice in drinks.

[slim 1,514]

If a woman likes flowers, then she should receive flowers as a gift. If she wants cash, then cash. If she wants clothes, clothes.

What if she wants all of those things?

At the same time?

She finally has accepted it and likes the convenience (and low price) but still will not use ice in drinks.

My wife will never use ice in her drinks, regardless of the source.

She's still fighting the tap water thing although she's starting to slip up every now and then. Used to be we had to fill our pots up with filtered water, even to boil noodles or something. I've caught her a few times recently filling the pots directly from the tap. "What are you doing? AHA!"

[nyhazmat 2]

Clean water is not a normal thing in the FSU. It is recommended (strongly)not to drink the water without boiling first. I wouldn't even drink it then. It had a nasty, oily looking slime on it after boiling. I used bottled water. More than a few RUB husbands have reported here the amazement their wives have at them drinking water from the faucet! Alla made me drink a glass in front of her and then looked at me like she expected me to fall over dead immediately. She finally has accepted it and likes the convenience (and low price) but still will not use ice in drinks.

My wife finally will drink the filtered water from the refrigerator, she watches the filter status light like a hawk though, it lasts about 3 months. Ice??? No way, I still get funny looks for using it(and still have the leaving refrigerated things out on the counter battle). As far as cooking, she finally gave in to tap water, even for coffee and tea.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

My wife finally will drink the filtered water from the refrigerator, she watches the filter status light like a hawk though, it lasts about 3 months. Ice??? No way, I still get funny looks for using it(and still have the leaving refrigerated things out on the counter battle). As far as cooking, she finally gave in to tap water, even for coffee and tea.

I weened Alla onto it with frozen orange juice. She heats in the microwave before drinking or, more often, just leaves it on the counter at room temperature.

She now concedes she can drink tap water, at least here, but she refused to drink it at my brothers house when we visited there. Can be too careful.

I have conceded that orange juice left on the counter and not refrigerated will not kill you. Then again, it never lasts a full day in this house.

[slim 1,514]

I have conceded that orange juice left on the counter and not refrigerated will not kill you.

There's enough acid in OJ to kill anything!

[Nasturtium 500]

What if she wants all of those things?

At the same time?

My wife will never use ice in her drinks, regardless of the source.

She's still fighting the tap water thing although she's starting to slip up every now and then. Used to be we had to fill our pots up with filtered water, even to boil noodles or something. I've caught her a few times recently filling the pots directly from the tap. "What are you doing? AHA!"

Ammar took a bit to be used to tap water. He's ok with it now though.

Hmm. All of those things at the same time? Well, that's just greedy. If you have the $$ I guess go for it, but otherwise I would pick something.. or maybe do a gift certificate to a clothing store (that's like cash and money together but I know, not really) and some flowers? I am probably the wrong girl to ask. I haven't gotten a gift from Ammar in a while nor do I expect one-- unless you count where he took me out for chicken tacos over teh winter break. But a physical gift? The last one I got from him was in 2009 when he came back from Jordan. I'm kinda low key like that.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://www.wetv.com/secret-lives-of-women/episodes/mail-order-brides

Mail Order Brides Saturday, February 26 at 3am | 2c

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=secret+lives+of+women+mail+order+brides&aq=1 <=== here on youtube.

[slim 1,514]

http://www.wetv.com/secret-lives-of-women/episodes/mail-order-brides

Mail Order Brides Saturday, February 26 at 3am | 2c

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=secret+lives+of+women+mail+order+brides&aq=1 <=== here on youtube.

OK! This time I'll set the DVR.

[Brad and Vika 129]

OK! This time I'll set the DVR.

Knock yourself out.. the YouTube was hilarious though Even Vika laughed, but she said only idiots would believe the MOB propaganda

[slim 1,514]

Knock yourself out.. the YouTube was hilarious though Even Vika laughed, but she said only idiots would believe the MOB propaganda

It's on YouTube?