Contest: "Personal Experiences"

I'm doing my homework
By Paul Bannon

This is a short tale of my continuing journey to find the lady of my dreams, a Russian lady. I should let you know before hand that I am a little anally  retentive about studying topics. I am obsessed about knowing something before I jump into it. There is something appealing and very romantic about finding a Russian lady. Once you experience the sound of her voice and the  touch of her hand you will be caught in the grip of love. Russian ladies are sweet, intelligent, and beautiful women just waiting for a western man to sweep her off her feet or should I say she will sweep you off your feet. There are virtually millions of available ladies just  waiting to be rescued. If I could, I would send as many western men as possible to Russia  to experience firsthand one of the untold secrets about dating and marriage. Please, remember;  if you decide to pursue this extraordinary journey, treat these women with respect, honor, and  love. You have a responsibility to the woman you may share your life with, and plucking her  from familiar surroundings and transporting her to the unfamiliar ones, you cannot just abandon her on her own. You owe her much more than that, and should cherish her in all her glory. That  being said, I will leave it to others to talk about Russian culture, alcohol, and the other  social relations between men and women.

It first began with the suggestion of my spiritual father, an Orthodox Christian priest, who  had on numerous occasions visited Russia and continues to form ties with people from Russia.  At first it was simply curiosity, browsing through websites and looking at the gorgeous ladies,  who proliferate the Internet, and trying to figure out why so many very  intelligent and  attractive ladies sought western men for husbands. Then it led me to look within myself and  actually prompted me to ask why in particular was I interested in Russian ladies? I was  repelled by the western ladies modern attitudes of feminism and the ilk it spawned. I was looking for a lady who believed and practiced traditional family values as well as someone who was connected to the Orthodox Church. Romantically, I have always been interested in Russian  history and culture, and every time I met a Russian soon after I sought to visit this wonderful country and its people. Plus, being interested in architectural ironwork, being a part time blacksmith myself, I always wanted to study under the master ironworkers of Russia who have a magnificent past in crafts and workmanship. So now I have two reasons to visit Russia, to study  the culture, language, and arts of Russia as well as find my ladylove.   

Now all geared up and motivated, I found myself excited and nervous about my search. Would I  find a lady interested in me? What should I expect from her and the cultural ideas she would  bring with her? Would we be compatible as west meets east? All these thoughts plus many more  invaded my mind as I contemplated the realities I would face if this all came about. Not least  of which was the terrifying notion that the woman I meet would turn out to be a "gold digger" or someone who simply wanted  to move from Russia and leave me at the first opportunity. After  all, how many stories have we heard that tell of such tales? But don't despair; thanks to all the information I have this impression has been dispelled. If you read on I will gladly  site some literature and websites that I find very informative. 

My search first started with a general input on one of my favorite search engines, google.com,  and literally hundreds of websites popped up from the vast monster that we call the Internet. Now I had the problem of narrowing down the search. After hundreds of hours of browsing websites, reading articles, soft copying them to paper so I could take the material home and read, and  visiting chat rooms did I understand the scope that lay before me. There is a lot of information,  as well as misinformation out there regarding Russian women. Most of the  information I found on the different websites support one another, but understanding that there are a lot of scammers  out there made me wonder how I should narrow it down and choose the information that would help  me best. I read everything I could get my hands on, buying books "White Knight, Red Dove", by Thad Elliott, "Simply The Best", by Christopher Berry-Dee and Tatiana Maksina, and the "Anti-Scam Guide", by Elena Petrova, to name a few. Elena's website and the sources she has to offer are a good start, with reliable information  that will take the sting out of a painful injury if you decide to forego her advice and set  out on your own and not study how to go about finding a Russian wife. Take as much advice as you can and use every resource available to you. Deciding which websites were beneficial and which to avoid gets a little difficult. Again, Elena and a few others have gone to a lot of trouble to benefit us and list a few of the multitudes that are out there.  

After I decided to browse the different websites out there I decided to list my name in a  popular men's catalog from an American company that has done business in the industry for a  while. I was curious how the response would turn out and was overwhelmed that I was receiving  at least fifty or more emails per week. Doctors, teachers, psychologists, lawyers, and many  other ladies responded, many with advanced degrees, all seeking a western man to start  corresponding with and looking for their soul mate. It is was shame that I couldn't afford to  answer every letter;-). With the down turn of the economy I was forced to pull my listing, I  do live in California - Silicon Valley!!! I hope to be able to utilize Elena Petrova's website  to narrow a few more people down before I can manage a trip to  Saint Petersburg. You can find  everything, from purchasing addresses, phone numbers, videos, and catalogs of the ladies who  are seeking relationships with western men. I know I purchased a few videos and catalogs out  of pure curiosity. You can communicate through snail mail or email, the later is more convenient  but could become pricey if you do not narrow down your search quickly. With an average of fifty  or more emails a week costing roughly $8.00 per email, not including receiving an email, you can imagine the price tag of answering all these in a couple of months. One thing I found out  in my listing was that the ladies did not look at my requirements that well. Everyone who could  answered did, which was not bad, but I ended up deleting 98% or more of the letters sent to  me. Be specific if you choose this route. I think I would make first contact the next time  around. In addition, the ladies who did respond were very forward and blunt about their desires  and needs for a companion. If you are shy and reserved then Elena's men's catalog, sent  throughout Russia, would be the best bet. Take it from me. I only listed one biography on  another website and it was far more than I expected. I could only guess what kind of response  you would receive from that;-(). Well, maybe I will sign up for Elena's catalog after all!!! 

You could probably do as much as I, browsing the websites to look for a lady, but take the  advice given about letters, calls, and replies from the ladies. I communicated for almost  six months, every day, with one lady before we decided we were not compatible with one another.  We are still friends and frequently write each other, but there is nothing romantic between us.  What I did not expect from our correspondence was the intimacy, friendship, and care that would  develop between us.   

The search continues, but I suspect nothing will develop until I actually go over there and  see if I can enroll in a university while studying blacksmithing. Nothing, including writing  can take the place of seeing the person. Who knows; one smile, a word, or gesture may ignite  warm feelings and love between two people, so go over there and partake of a trip that you  will never forget. I surely will one day. So far it has been great fun and very rewarding, but  I hope to be able to visit Saint Petersburg and study at the university as well as meet my one  and true love. 

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