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Thanks for welcoming me, and thanks for leaving a comment on my blog (now I know at least two people are reading it). I'm glad you had a good time in Kherson, but I can't for the life of me figure out where you ate a good pizza here. How many beers did you have?
Anyway, back on topic: You point out another area in which younger girls can be better (and from what it sounds like, Russian bride that you met falls into this category). I notice a big difference in attitudes between people younger than a certain age here and people older than a certain age. I can't pinpoint the age specifically, but it seems to be somewhere in the mid 20s. The "under the certain age" crowd seems to be more optimistic, more honest, more open, more emotional, and more caring. They seem to have been able to shed some of the cultural practices that the Soviet mentality indoctrinated into everyone. I know this will send some bride seekers into a panic, but they seem to be a bit more westernized.
Take the concept of love/romance/marriage for example. How do people learn love (what it is and how to practice it)? From watching other people, but also from poetry, books, films, television, music, greeting cards, etc. Many older women see a relationship through the Soviet eyes-it's very practical and dutiful, but it doesn't focus on passion and desire (I am making a distinction between passion/desire and sexual compliance here). The younger ones, having grown up with an exposure to the many different possibilities of things such as love, have a different attitude. I think they are more aware of their own desires (which I find far much more sexy than a woman sleeping with me simply because I bring home the sala are more passionate-they are much more likely to hold hands, kiss you in public, tell you their feelings, cry at a sad movie, and such things.
I also find your friend's attitude towards money to be a lot more prevalent in the "under" age group. The girls I have dated weren't obsessed with going out to the fancy restaurants (granted, I'm not a "short termer," so I get treated a little differently) and would always refuse taxi money in favor of taking the bus (unless, of course, it was too late). It seems as though, that as Ukraine progresses, there is a growing middle class with different attitudes, attitudes that make a lot of the younger women want to distance themselves from the stereotype of the FSU woman as an unsophisticated, money-grubber. I teach film courses at Kherson University, and I had several classes watch Birthday Girl. The classes are mostly girls, and they became outraged at the thought that people in the West thought that Nicole Kidman's character (crappy Russian accent aside) represented "Russian" women.
Yes, I am speaking in generalities, and there are plenty of exceptions. There's a sizeable number of rotten girls of all ages here, waiting to take you to the cleaners at the drop of a hat. That's why you need to spend as much time as possible with them and meet their families. Because if the mother is a scheming hag, all the love songs and romantic films in the world won't cure anything. Of course, I am not speaking of my soon-to-be-ex.
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I have not yet seen that one, Birthday Girl, but then I shy away from Ms Kidman's films. She is not one of my favorite actresses. But I will watch it when I have a chance. Hell, I guess I will just download it from direct-connect.
My trip to the Ukraine really wasn't planned. I had planned on going in the Spring, but I had business in Germany in February and decided to hang a week on to it. While I was there, I did enjoy myself as it was my first trip to the FSU. What really bothered me a little were some of the building in Kherson... there are some really god awful buildings there that should be condemed - they look like the day the German Army shot them up during the Crimea campaign in '43. I know for sure I saw several buildings with unmistakable potmarks of heavy machinegun and/or possibly 20mm automatic canon fire. It was quite interesting, like the first time I was in Eastern Germany right after the Wall fell.
The next time I talk to her, I will have to ask her specifically what the name is of that pizza place. Everything in Cryillic looks the same to me unfortunately. But seriously, the pizza was quite good. I don't think the man making it was Ukrainian, but possibly Turkish or Greek. It was hand tossed and then brick-fired in an oven. I had several beers, but Ukrainian beer tastes strange - so I ended up drinking a good local wine. I'm not one for drinking and will not drink any hard liquers. She found that rather appealing as well, as the fact that I don't smoke. I guess these are the cultural diffrences as it seems to me every guy I saw there was smoking. Besides, when a 20 y/o sits next to an old foggy like me and then starts talking to me in that cute accent of hers... I tend to overlook things like what was for dinner. Not to say I haven't had better pizza, but it was quite good and I would recommend it the next time. Can't remember what I ended up shelling out, it wasn't much... I want to say right at 100h or 120h, and that included a tip.
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