how have your RUB wifes changed if any since coming here

[Loving_girl 38]

Gary, I do not think anything bad about you or your comments, as far as i said that some are true, but double standart. I agree there are plenty of problems.

But still, Ukraine is not Kharkov or Donetsk - that are controlled by specific groups who sorry ¨give a ######¨ on people and incomes, those cities are rich but no bennefits for regions, to judge Ukraine you at least need to see more regions, again Western part is clean and people are more friendly than in the East, next time you go to Ukraine, take a chance to visit Lviv (it´s like small Europe, and very unique with great history), Carpathian mountains are beautiful, culture is different cos of locals and mix of ex-eu nationalities. Eastern region was always work region based on mines, coles, and factories, and hardworking people, unfoturnately great part of that region, new so to say, poblation was brought from XXXXXXX after the 1932-1933 (read about that period if u are involved in the history), that was real drama....and read about why people were taken away from Ukraine to Syberia and other places ....I can talk about history a great time, but do not want to hurt someones feelings because some facts are not liked by people. I do not devide Ukraine in two parts as some do, cos still people are people, local authorities are authorities....

About Museums, historical ones: if you manage to be in Kiev, go to Pyrogovo, and in Lviv to Shevchenkivskiy Gai......a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e!

About visas to EU - i am travelling without any problems, and as far as I was working with the Embassies and Consulates of some countries may say they had "quotas" as for approved and denied visas in early years, but for a long time to get visa to EU is not a problem if you have good income, work (incomes around 3000-4000 UAH of course are seen still unstable in any Consulate).

And again, about dirty cities......MAN you go to Buenos Aires..........i was in Argentina for a big time (nice people, lotsss of meat hahahaha), and believe it or not.......OMG.......shock after 8 pm the city center is a mass full of dirt and baggers from Bolivia, Chile and other close places......buildings with protection cos of high crime level...only cute places in the down town to my mind are Recoleta and Puerto Madero....Always was taking a taxi to run for meetings.......but once decided to take a metro to compare with Kiev's metro......OMG smelly, stinky, crouded small stations..........when i showed to my employees Kievs metro they called it Museum and same situation is with metro in Barcelona or Madrid........it does not stink of course, but it's without a ""face" fast to move, but that's it. Getting back to Argentina if i started the issue, even if you travel outside Buenos Aires.........nicee nature but dirty, and still criminal....getting back to Ukraine: wayyyy cleaner, super calm as for criminal issues, cos noone has guns, no one runs in the city in the search of whom to rape or kill.....so as I am saying in this world all is double standars....and you can make conclusions after a big while in the country.

P/S. Me personally adore Latin America, cos it's super unique and veryyy open people, something similar to Ukrainians in a character haahahahaha plus from the point of view of nature is OMG love of my life (for now cos need to check US nature ) I am still with all my heart and sould with my lovely country and Latin America, not a lot of people understand me in this, but still......damn double standars

Edited January 12, 2014 by Loving_girl

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Gary, I do not think anything bad about you or your comments, as far as i said that some are true, but double standart. I agree there are plenty of problems.

But still, Ukraine is not Kharkov or Donetsk - that are controlled by specific groups who sorry ¨give a ######¨ on people and incomes, those cities are rich but no bennefits for regions, to judge Ukraine you at least need to see more regions, again Western part is clean and people are more friendly than in the East, next time you go to Ukraine, take a chance to visit Lviv (it´s like small Europe, and very unique with great history), Carpathian mountains are beautiful, culture is different cos of locals and mix of ex-eu nationalities. Eastern region was always work region based on mines, coles, and factories, and hardworking people, unfoturnately great part of that region, new so to say, poblation was brought from XXXXXXX after the 1932-1933 (read about that period if u are involved in the history), that was real drama....and read about why people were taken away from Ukraine to Syberia and other places ....I can talk about history a great time, but do not want to hurt someones feelings because some facts are not liked by people. I do not devide Ukraine in two parts as some do, cos still people are people, local authorities are authorities....

About Museums, historical ones: if you manage to be in Kiev, go to Pyrogovo, and in Lviv to Shevchenkivskiy Gai......a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e!

About visas to EU - i am travelling without any problems, and as far as I was working with the Embassies and Consulates of some countries may say they had "quotas" as for approved and denied visas in early years, but for a long time to get visa to EU is not a problem if you have good income, work (incomes around 3000-4000 UAH of course are seen still unstable in any Consulate).

And again, about dirty cities......MAN you go to Buenos Aires..........i was in Argentina for a big time (nice people, lotsss of meat hahahaha), and believe it or not.......OMG.......shock after 8 pm the city center is a mass full of dirt and baggers from Bolivia, Chile and other close places......buildings with protection cos of high crime level...only cute places in the down town to my mind are Recoleta and Puerto Madero....Always was taking a taxi to run for meetings.......but once decided to take a metro to compare with Kiev's metro......OMG smelly, stinky, crouded small stations..........when i showed to my employees Kievs metro they called it Museum and same situation is with metro in Barcelona or Madrid........it does not stink of course, but it's without a ""face" fast to move, but that's it. Getting back to Argentina if i started the issue, even if you travel outside Buenos Aires.........nicee nature but dirty, and still criminal....getting back to Ukraine: wayyyy cleaner, super calm as for criminal issues, cos noone has guns, no one runs in the city in the search of whom to rape or kill.....so as I am saying in this world all is double standars....and you can make conclusions after a big while in the country.

P/S. Me personally adore Latin America, cos it's super unique and veryyy open people, something similar to Ukrainians in a character haahahahaha plus from the point of view of nature is OMG love of my life (for now cos need to check US nature ) I am still with all my heart and sould with my lovely country and Latin America, not a lot of people understand me in this, but still......damn double standars

I dare say that among anyone here except native Ukrainians I have been to more places and spent more time in Ukraine than anyone posting here. We keep a flat in Donetsk, spend 3-4 months there every year plus I lived and worked there myself. I have improved my Russian to the point that I speak nothing else in Ukraine and probably 75% Russian at home. I try not to talk too much at work so Russian makes up most of what I speak anymore, here or there. We no longer need to worry about the children perfecting English, been there, done that and they are off to advanced degrees in the USA, I guess we taught them English well enough.

I have been to every major city in Ukraine and many of the small ones and every region.

I don't do this because I hate Ukraine. We chose to be there for New Year's. We chose to be there for the summer though Vermont has a better summer but we had business to attend to and Alla was out of school for the summer

I can tell you that if the average American were dropped into our apartment in Donetsk he would look around and say "Hmmm, ok, normal. A little small but not bad, I could live here" If you dropped him in the courtyard or made him walk from downtown (3 blocks away) he would never make it and run away screaming! The Green Mountains have easier walking trails than Donetsk sidewalks. So do the Carpathians for that matter.(where I went skiing several times) Flying into Donetsk is like descending into Dante's inferno

I love Ukraine, it has texture and is fascinating every monet I am there and my respect for the people is over the top. We never leave without planning our next trip. But I promise you, it is not me that complains about conditions there

Sometimes though I do wish Alla was from Latin America because it is warm in the winter and the time zones are the same or only slightly different. I am still mixed up from the return trip. Whenever Alla says (in winter) "Tell me why we don't live in Florida" I say "Tell me why you aren't from Venezuela"

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

PS, not judging an entire city but my experience in Lviv was that when I spoke Russian I was treated very rudely and even refused service in one place. I am sure it is individuals and not the city or country as a whole. I just "forgot" to speak Russian and was treated better as a dumb@ss tourist from America. I also saw the same Soviet era blockhouse apartments

I watched a very funny movie in Kharkov (I never watch TV here) I forgot the name but I am sure you know it. A man goes to a city to meet his friends for New Years and accidentally ends up on a plane to Leningrad instead of Moscow. He gives the cab driver in Leningrad his Moscow address, and the cab driver takes him to that address in Leningrad and he goes inside. EVRYTHING in the apartment is exactly the same as his apartment in Moscow. He goes to sleep on the bed and is later awoken by a woman demanding to know what he is doing in HER apartment! He insists it is his apartment and shows her his internal passport. She begins laughing and says "You think you are in Moscow?" It goes from there but the only difference the man can find is in the pattern on her dishes. It is a comedy, yes, and I do not suggest we judge a country on a classic movie...obviously satirical in nature...I don't want you to judge America based on "Wag the Dog" or "Canadian Bacon" but as with all comedy it is funny because it is at least partly true

Lviv has the same houses as Donetsk, Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa, Poltava. Some of the newer buildings are different, but so are they in the other cities also.

My comment was this...based on my experience AND that of my wife and sons who have lived in both places, the USA is a better place for an AVERAGE person to live, in terms of "living standards"

You should probably reserve judgement on that.

Never stop loving your home country...it is a wonderful place!

[Loving_girl 38]

I dare say that among anyone here except native Ukrainians I have been to more places and spent more time in Ukraine than anyone posting here. We keep a flat in Donetsk, spend 3-4 months there every year plus I lived and worked there myself. I have improved my Russian to the point that I speak nothing else in Ukraine and probably 75% Russian at home. I try not to talk too much at work so Russian makes up most of what I speak anymore, here or there. We no longer need to worry about the children perfecting English, been there, done that and they are off to advanced degrees in the USA, I guess we taught them English well enough.

I have been to every major city in Ukraine and many of the small ones and every region.

I don't do this because I hate Ukraine. We chose to be there for New Year's. We chose to be there for the summer though Vermont has a better summer but we had business to attend to and Alla was out of school for the summer

I can tell you that if the average American were dropped into our apartment in Donetsk he would look around and say "Hmmm, ok, normal. A little small but not bad, I could live here" If you dropped him in the courtyard or made him walk from downtown (3 blocks away) he would never make it and run away screaming! The Green Mountains have easier walking trails than Donetsk sidewalks. So do the Carpathians for that matter.(where I went skiing several times) Flying into Donetsk is like descending into Dante's inferno

I love Ukraine, it has texture and is fascinating every monet I am there and my respect for the people is over the top. We never leave without planning our next trip. But I promise you, it is not me that complains about conditions there

Sometimes though I do wish Alla was from Latin America because it is warm in the winter and the time zones are the same or only slightly different. I am still mixed up from the return trip. Whenever Alla says (in winter) "Tell me why we don't live in Florida" I say "Tell me why you aren't from Venezuela"

Well, I defenetely would NOT like to live in Venezuela right now....cos if you know it's most criminal place in the Lat Amer. for now......i was offered a job in a very known company and one of the part of that job was spending lots of time in Venezuela.....and guess what......i rejected.......cos I want to be alive and give birth to kids instead of being dead some where near Caracas...

And getting back to Ukraine, I still say, everyone has the right to have their own opinion, as for me i already expressed it And no matter what inconviniences my country may have, people come here, people admire us, people know us, and Ukrainians in different parts of the world do great contributions into economies, cultures and arts all over the world Can give plenty of samples Cos that's what i been doing for 6 months with my fiance, is making him read about ukraine, ukrainian innovations (i mean those elaborated or done by ukrainians) and guess what now? He may call me being outside with his friends and say: Hey, you know Mila Kunis is ukrainian? haahahhahaha or other things

From the last, on Christmas I told him that Carrol of the bells was actually done by UKRAINIAN and translated into English, and he said: It´s my favourite Christmas thing! (hehehe)!

Anddddddddddd I am teaching him ukrainian, so we are already able to make small conversations Actually he reproduces sounds very nice! SO proud of my man! And I say to him that i am ¨ukrainazing¨ him On what he say¨: I will americanize you, dear

Edited January 12, 2014 by Loving_girl

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Well, I defenetely would NOT like to live in Venezuela right now....cos if you know it's most criminal place in the Lat Amer. for now......i was offered a job in a very known company and one of the part of that job was spending lots of time in Venezuela.....and guess what......i rejected.......cos I want to be alive and give birth to kids instead of being dead some where near Caracas...

And getting back to Ukraine, I still say, everyone has the right to have their own opinion, as for me i already expressed it And no matter what inconviniences my country may have, people come here, people admire us, people know us, and Ukrainians in different parts of the world do great contributions into economies, cultures and arts all over the world Can give plenty of samples Cos that's what i been doing for 6 months with my fiance, is making him read about ukraine, ukrainian innovations (i mean those elaborated or done by ukrainians) and guess what now? He may call me being outside with his friends and say: Hey, you know Mila Kunis is ukrainian? haahahhahaha or other things

From the last, on Christmas I told him that Carrol of the bells was actually done by UKRAINIAN and translated into English, and he said: It´s my favourite Christmas thing! (hehehe)!

Anddddddddddd I am teaching him ukrainian, so we are already able to make small conversations Actually he reproduces sounds very nice! SO proud of my man! And I say to him that i am ¨ukrainazing¨ him On what he say¨: I will americanize you, dear

I have been Ukrainianized. At least housebroken. You can review all the od threads here of how we adjust to RUB customs and curiosities. I try not to Americanize Alla. If I wanted an American wife there are lots of them around.

I admire Ukraine, the people have made great contributions, no one doubts that. Education is top notch, really. I knew Mila Kunis was Ukrainian when I heard her name and saw her face. I also knew it was NOT her birth name. I was talking to a man in Lowe's one day,about some manly tool stuff or something and his wife came along. He introduced me to his wife "Alla". I immediately began speaking in Russian and she was shocked, so was the guy! Hey, look at her face, her name is Alla, tell me you aren't Ukrainian. She was from Lughansk and turns out MY Alla was her English teacher in her ESL classes when Alla was doing her practicum for her master's degree.

Alla taught me Russian, she was a Russian teacher at one point and began teaching during the FSU. Problem with that is that she is so particular about pronunciation she can drive me crazy! I manage to get thorugh most sentences now without her correcting me. Good grief! She says I have an accent. So does she!

I have found that learning each other's culture and language makes life interesting.

[Loving_girl 38]

Problem with that is that she is so particular about pronunciation she can drive me crazy! I manage to get thorugh most sentences now without her correcting me. Good grief! She says I have an accent. So does she!

I have found that learning each other's culture and language makes life interesting.

AHAHAHAHA you remind me of us I am buggin him also about pronunciation and he says he is not a parrot hahahaha but still he does a great job! For example, today after we finished skype call he said: Na dobranich! - and this without an accent, without me asking him to tell me something in Ukrainian

Same as ur Alla i was giving language classes, but it was a kind of a hobby for me (Spanish to Ukrainians and foreigners, and Russian to Spaniards) but again......just for fun and make my life more intense LOL cos in may day i had 24 active hours hahaha

And yes it's true we all learn a lot about our cultures I am just wondering how it all will be with time, cos both of us are very young (I measure to EU standarts, not Ukrainian hahaha)

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

AHAHAHAHA you remind me of us I am buggin him also about pronunciation and he says he is not a parrot hahahaha but still he does a great job! For example, today after we finished skype call he said: Na dobranich! - and this without an accent, without me asking him to tell me something in Ukrainian

Same as ur Alla i was giving language classes, but it was a kind of a hobby for me (Spanish to Ukrainians and foreigners, and Russian to Spaniards) but again......just for fun and make my life more intense LOL cos in may day i had 24 active hours hahaha

And yes it's true we all learn a lot about our cultures I am just wondering how it all will be with time, cos both of us are very young (I measure to EU standarts, not Ukrainian hahaha)

He will be able to say sounds which are the same as English sounds without an accent. The sounds which are "foreign" to English will be difficult for him. Sometimes Alla will say "I cannot even tell you are American" when I speak Russian. Other times she bashes me about the head and shoulders for saying something wrong...the letter "ы" is impossible for me to say correctly. Which means I am always saying a common letter wrong...hence the "accent" He is also going to have difficulty with "R" but I am getting better at that, the problem is now I am saying R the Russian way when speaking English!

I am going to end up speaking English with a Russian accent! ОН! Это ужасно!

[Loving_girl 38]

I watched a very funny movie in Kharkov (I never watch TV here) I forgot the name but I am sure you know it. A man goes to a city to meet his friends for New Years and accidentally ends up on a plane to Leningrad instead of Moscow. He gives the cab driver in Leningrad his Moscow address, and the cab driver takes him to that address in Leningrad and he goes inside. EVRYTHING in the apartment is exactly the same as his apartment in Moscow. He goes to sleep on the bed and is later awoken by a woman demanding to know what he is doing in HER apartment! He insists it is his apartment and shows her his internal passport. = movie name:

Ирония судьбы, или С лёгким паром!

hate ittttttttttttttttt hateeeeeeeeeeeeee ittttttt cos every year before the NY they start to show first part.....the Soviet one and add the second part.........modern Russian....

[Loving_girl 38]

He will be able to say sounds which are the same as English sounds without an accent. The sounds which are "foreign" to English will be difficult for him. Sometimes Alla will say "I cannot even tell you are American" when I speak Russian. Other times she bashes me about the head and shoulders for saying something wrong...the letter "ы" is impossible for me to say correctly. Which means I am always saying a common letter wrong...hence the "accent" He is also going to have difficulty with "R" but I am getting better at that, the problem is now I am saying R the Russian way when speaking English!

I have two degrees in translation.......i know about sounds system in both languages and yes, I agree with you, that some sounds especially in Ukrainian language are hard to pronounce even for our brothers from Russia.....do not even speak about representatives of other languages....the sound system is richer in Ukrainian language that in any other, but still i am amazed when i see foreigners speaking good Ukrainian or Russian

[Loving_girl 38]

He is also going to have difficulty with "R" but I am getting better at that, the problem is now I am saying R the Russian way when speaking English!

Again u made me smile! His words: I can´t roll my tongue like you!!!

My answer: With the time you will

End is like that usually: he gives a try to say something with the ¨R¨ and all frustrated changes the topic....

Love my man, cos he gives a try and does not give up easy!

[TBoneTX 45,663]

Whenever Alla says (in winter) "Tell me why we don't live in Florida" I say "Tell me why you aren't from Venezuela"

[perks up ears] I tell Mrs. T-B., "Why aren't you from Ecuador instead of being just another Americana?"

[captainofiron 2]

Again u made me smile! His words: I can´t roll my tongue like you!!!

My answer: With the time you will

End is like that usually: he gives a try to say something with the ¨R¨ and all frustrated changes the topic....

Love my man, cos he gives a try and does not give up easy!

That is pretty funny, my native language is spanish, and my wife has been learning some spanish. My family are very surprised how well she can speak spanish and have no accent.

I always joke saying that after your tongue has been twisting all your life speaking Russian/Ukrainian, its probably pretty simple to say a spanish double R

haha

[Loving_girl 38]

That is pretty funny, my native language is spanish, and my wife has been learning some spanish. My family are very surprised how well she can speak spanish and have no accent.

I always joke saying that after your tongue has been twisting all your life speaking Russian/Ukrainian, its probably pretty simple to say a spanish double R

haha

Eso es señor! Doble ERE jajajajja I am also fluent in spanish without any accent at all - but thats cos i lived and spent time in spanish regions.... (can not say same with english jajajaja this i have and need to work on it reallllll hard ) but I keep on telling him to try, say words with ¨R¨ and he says: I am not like you, i can´t roll it like in spanish or even worse in ukrainian..........to what i say: keep calm and roll

[TBoneTX 45,663]

Whenever I try to say anything in Spanish, people look greatly alarmed and urgently point me toward the nearest bathroom, sigh man.

[Loving_girl 38]

Whenever I try to say anything in Spanish, people look greatly alarmed and urgently point me toward the nearest bathroom, sigh man.

I've heard Americans speaking Spanish - from my point of view it's Okay (if the grammar is correct too) they sound fine any ways....

I've heard British speaking Spanish - lots of british on the South of Spain during the summer have their villas.....and......OMG.......i was hardly understanding them.....it was british accent mixed with some spanish words and looooooooong word pronouncing with specific intonation.....

Conclusion: Amercianos pronuncian mucho mejor/ Americans pronounce much better...SI, SI, SI