David G.

I received 1500 letters plus. The problem is narrowing the field. Many of them are sincere, many are not. Keep your expectations low. I travelled to Ukraine at the worst possible time. There was a revolution in Kiev, and Donestk fell soon after. I travelled to Alchevsk, and it is a very poor country to begin, but it is very much pre WW II. Running water of any temp is intermittent, there are no hotels, and the "agency" will immediately soak you for money at arrival. 800.00 USD for a "transfer" from the Donestk airport to Alchevsk one way. You can expect an apartment that is very much less than a pay by the hour motel in any red light district in America. Nothing works there... Direct TV on the go, Netflix, Amazon Prime, or any other American television. BBC world news is the only thing in English. Bring adapters for Eastern Europe 220 volt plugs. Get a good electronic translator. I paid 500.00 for mine, translators from the agency charge 100.00 per hour. You can expect to pick up the check for the translator at all meetings. I had a bad experience with the woman I chose. I went for 1 month, and I spent maybe 6 days total with her, most of which was spent shopping, and dining.
The translator will help some of the time, but you are on your own most of the time. When you get the woman's contact info, dont be surprised to find that communication stops. Most don't have a computer, or internet. The letters are more often read by the translators over the phone, and they "imbellish" the responses. I brought my computer with me, to show Natasha I kept her letters, and she was mostly confused having no idea what the letters said, she asked to see the woman that wrote them, and it was her. My advice is to find everything on your own. I got a taxi back to Donestk for 300.00 Hrinvnia (35.00 usd) the people there are not out going, and a smile is rare, but they are very good people that tried to help me always. I met some people at the local club "Party Zone" and they helped me a lot. It's best to explore on your own, carry cash, but only display small amounts at point of pay. Avoid public transportation (busses, trains) taxi's are cheap, and the driver will give you his mobile number to pick you up and return you safely. Do not use the agency driver, its 10 times more expensive. Let them keep coins, there is a shortage. Tip well, 30/40 % is still less than 5 bucks usually, and you will be remembered for it. A tablet can also be very useful, Google translate worked very well for me, and a Russian wifi keyboard for 13.00 at the electronics store enabled me to communicate freely. Next time I go, I will just go myself, and meet them on my terms. It won't be any time soon, but if you really like the woman, and she likes you, it can be nice. I unfortunately picked the wrong one, and I was mistaken for an atm card. I would go with limited notice, choose several girls, meet them 1on1, and spend time getting to know them. If they insist on doing things through the agency, move on. You can also expect a 45.00 usd introduction fee. This site is very much a business, and you can expect them to extract every cent they are able. Travel of your own accord, make your own arrangements, when ever possible, and consider visiting Romania while you are in Eastern Europe. I had a much better time there, and English is more prevalent. I would also recommend avoiding Eastern Ukraine, the Donestk airport I arrived/departed from is now bullet riddled, and you will have great difficulty getting a flight in or out now. Odessa is pretty much out of bounds now as well, since Russia annexed Crimea. Good luck in your search, but be cautious, all is not as it seems.?