LETTER 1 - As it seems in this day and age whenever we want to do something it's time to hit the internet. I have traveled many places in this world before there was such a thing as this but what would we do without it?
Well anyway in doing what we all do I started (surfing) to see what I could find out about the Ukraine and I ran across your story. It is truly a great personal story that you are sharing with everyone.
I find it doubly fascinating because I am doing virtually the same thing. The only difference that comes to mind right away is that I am going in the dead of winter and being a southern Californian I am going to be----------cold.
I am going with a friend who will be specifically meeting a girl that he has been corresponding with via and agency in Odessa. He is 48 and she is 32 with a teenage son. My friend is quite apprehensive about this trip of 10 days but he is counting on me knowing a little bit about surviving because i spent 6 weeks in Turkey living with the Turkish people and not in hotels. My friend would not even stay in an American motel unless it has all of the nicities. I guess that proves what power love has. As for myself (53 yo) I am going to go there an try to meet a nice lady that will feel for me the way your lady felt for you.
Through the power of this communication tool we managed to rent an apartment on one of the main streets where all of stores seem to be. We will spend the first night in what is evidently a converted cruise ship like the Queen Mary we have here in So Cal.
Little does my friend know that I have no idea what to expect in that country just because i was in Turkey, But I won't tell him that. It sounds like there are a lot of similarities but The Ukraine is an entirely different culture.
I've done my best to educate myself and to calm his fears but your letter and your experience did more to help me than anything else so far. It also comes to me at a great timing because we leave in 4 days.
So I want to thank you very much for sharing this with me and my friend and of course the rest of the world.
Thank you and I will certainly let you know how it went with us
Lenny.
I stayed within a short walk of the Opera theater where her father worked and the Medical Institute where her mother works. Odessa is a beautiful city. I hope to return there again in the future.
Unfortunately I don't think Yana took to me as much as I took to her as communication from her end ceased almost immediately after I returned home, much to my surprise. I had gotten the ball rolling on getting her a Fiancee Visa, and after she received it and found that she had to go to Warsaw for her interview, things deteriorated. I have not received a letter or email in months.
As far as the Romance and visit to Ukraine, it was an eye opening experience that shocked me out of my complacent American experience and one that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
LETTER 3
Jeff and Natashas k-1 Experience
Natasha and I met on the One & Only Personals web site. I started writing her in April of 1998. We exchanged many letters and we decided that we wanted to meet. In June I made application for my Passport she sent me an invitation letter. I received my Passport the end of June. Then mailed With invitation letter to the Ukrainian Consult in Chicago. I received my Passport with the Visa stamps In July. About 10 days from when I mailed For the Visa.Natasha and I had started talking on the phone the end of May. She knew Very little English and I very little Russian. But this made thinks interesting. I did use a Russian translation service out of California. (http://autoinfo.smartlink.net/flower) Lilya is the greatest. She assisted in the Communications, with the use of 3 way calling to the Ukraine. Natasha lives in Odessa. I would recommend their service and professional attitude to anyone. Her & husband Robert were of great help.
I made plane reservations for September2-16th.
Odessa an absolutely beautiful City. Needless to say Natasha and I were a Great hit with one another. I had the most wonderful 2 weeks of my life in Odessa. I had the privilege of meeting some very good people and finding Many new friends.
I had checked in the K-1 Visa before I left. I took with me the I-129F and G-325A Duplicates of both. I also took a completed I-134 with all supporting documents. She will need the I-134 for her interview. I will mail a current bank statement before her interview. It has to be no more than 6 weeks old. I also while there had her birth certificate and divorce decree translated and certified. I left the originals with her she will need these at her interview. I brought copies back with me. These need to be filed with the I-129F. I brought back the 325-A forms you will both need to fill these out and submit with the I-129F application along with proof of your visit (Plane ticket stubs Copies, and pictures together, any receipts from your visit). Also copies of phone bills and letters written to each other. I followed all the instructions on the I-129F and put in the mail September 22, 1998. My packet was 1 1/4 thick and cost $8.40 to mail with Receipt required. I want to make sure they get it.----Smile! I used a 2 hole flip binder. (Note they want ADIT style photos. These are different than Passport photos) I had Natashas taken in Odessa. Now the wait begins.
October 2nd - I received my receipt from the certified letter. The K-1 was received 3 days after I mailed. But the card took 8 days to get back????
October 3rd -I received my letter from Immigration. I now have a case and file Number. We are in the system! Now I await my approval. October 17th 2:00 Am. I called Immigration in Nebraska. Our K-1 has Been approved. I await the written notice. I will then fax to Warsaw to open A provisional File. This will get Natashas first packet on the way to her. Even before Warsaw receives the official notification. Fax No. 011-48-22-627-4734. Now I feel that we are really getting started.
I received my written notice October 20th now we are cook-in. I faxed to the above number. I Faxed it twice, you can't be too sure that they received. -Smile! This is a good time to mention that the Warsaw Embassy has an E-mail address. One note, they are pretty slow to respond. Normally about 5 days is my experience. Their address is [email protected] I ask for a confirmation of there receiving my Fax. I received a reply on October 28. Yes they have it. As soon as the FBI clearance is received they will mail packet #3 to Natasha. YES! O.K. I'm getting ants-see.
I talked to Natasha last night 11/4/98. She has all Her documents ready for the #3 Packet. I called Warsaw. The only time they will accept calls is 1000-1200 and 1400-1600. It took me 2.5 hours to get through. Many busy signals. 011-48-22-625-1042. No other number will work. They will tell you to call back at this number. A very good conversation with the people at Warsaw. They ask if I wanted to schedule her interview??? Of course. Note: this was before she had even received her #3 packet. They ask if she had everything in order for #3, which She has. So now I am really excited. They are going to send her #4 packet out immediately. It will still take her 2-3 weeks to receive. Ukrainian mail?? We are sure spoiled with our mail service he in the U.S.
I am going to say again, the people in Warsaw were very helpful. It just took a lot of tries to get through. Oh yes her interview date is December 16th. I am calling the airlines and sitting up her flight for January.
Natasha has gone to Ryazan City in Russia to visit her parents. She will Be back in Odessa on Nov. 28th. I thought it was best she get a visit in before coming to the U.S. She will not be able to leave the U.S. for the first two years. Her daughter and granddaughter accompanied her on the trip to Russia. She purchased her ticket to the U.S. from her end. $479.00 one way from Odessa to Chicago. Much better a price than anything that I could come up with. Now I wait January 7th. We have set a tentative wedding date of January 23rd.
A special note: I can not thank Samuel enough for all the help he has been.
Jeffery V. Pope
LETTER 4
1) TA-ODESSA, the two of you MUST have dinner there at least once. Even a traveler of "modest" means can afford their prices. The food, service and ambience is just wonderful. The address is ul.Gogolya #4, not far from the Potemkin Sailors monument.
2) PHILHARMONIC, on Pushkinskaya. The restoration should almost be complete. If Hobart Earle is conducting, don't miss it. Tickets are only $7 and at that price its a steal.
3) The COFFEE BEAN cafe, about 2 blocks from Deribasovskaya. Best coffee in Odessa, period. If you're "into" the black-gold like me, you'll love it.
4) PRIVOZ, the farmer's market. Your eyes will pop-out! It simply must be seen to be believed. Natasha laughed at my utter amazement! You would have to travel to somewhere in the Middle East to see anything remotely similiar. It's too cool!
5) The MUSEUM OF WESTERN AND ORIENTAL CULTURE. A simply awesome collection of European masterpieces and antiquities. Ask for Sergei to guide you. He's really entertaining.
6) MUSEUM OF LITERATURE. A very historic old home, where some of the greatest writers, artists, and musicians hung-out. It is completely restored and breath-taking. They have a really nice book/gift shop, too.
7) MUSEUM OF ARCHEOLOGY. Some really cool stuff in there. I'm talkin: ANCIENT! Well worth the $2 to get in!
8) Also, be sure to check out "The Mosky Show!"
9) MUSEUEM OF PARTISAN GLORY. In the village of Nerubayske, just minutes away in north-west Odessa. The natural sandstone catacombs housed a group of Partisans that fought the Germans during WW II. A guided tour will cost you about $6 for two people. The catcombs maintain a very consistent 55 degree temperature year-round. It should be open even in December. I REALLY enjoyed it. It's definitely NOT for the claustrophobic at heart.
10) ART MUSEUM at ul.Kogolenko 5A, (a short walk from TA-ODESSA) has an eye-popping collection of icons from the 14th and 15th century that are amazingly well preserved. The wood-work in this old home from the 18th century is a good enough reason to visit! It is so delicately ornate that you are required to wear these big, goofy-looking, slippers that you pull-on over your street shoes! Seriously! The museum keeps a large chest filled with these things in the lobby. You pull them on and then tie the strings around your ankle. Only then will they let you walk through. There is a "babushka" in every room to make sure everyone behaves!
11) ESSPANSKY GARDEN restaurant. I had my birthday dinner here, complete with cake and 39 flaming candles. It's proximity to Deribasovskaya makes it a little "pricey" but, the food is excellent. The night we were there, they had a really good live duo playing Spanish and Flamenco guitar tunes. The staff are friendly and attentive. They brought me a huge glass of brandy (about a half-liter) as their birthday gift to me. They certainly knew how to endear themselves!
LETTER 5
Hello Samuel,
Yesterday I returned from Odessa, after a 10-day visit. It was quite an experience. During 10 days I lived in an apartment in Odessa and lived like a local. So I had a few black-outs and no water for several hours at one time. Odessa is a very busy city, people are very hard trying to make a decent living. Circumstances are not in their favour, though. Of course I visited the main attractions, but I also went inside a church, where my friend burned a few candles, and met with many of her friends. Also I had a good talk with an American who is now happily married with a woman from Odessa. My lovely companion in Odessa has a fairly good life in Odessa, but then she is a multi-talented woman.
The reason I am writing this e-mail is because we discovered that her personal information (including address and telephone information) is being used on the Internet without her knowledge. I explained to her that once her picture(s) and personal info is posted somewhere on the Internet it is easy to copy this. More than likely somebody is using her real data to cheat unsuspecting men out of some money, pretending to be her. In this way they make double victims, the man, who is believing he is writing with a real woman, and the woman, whose info is being abused. Personally, I believe that my girlfriend isn't the only one whose personal info is being abused.
It is not possible for my girlfriend to do much about this. For me it raises some very interesting question about the Internet and the protection of personal data. From a legal point of view, using another person's information and picture, without that person's permission, on any kind of (mass) medium, is prohibited by national and international law. But on the Internet, once your information is exposed, it seems that just anybody can copy it for their own malicious intents. How on earth can you take legal steps if the website containing the information is American, the male victim is Canadian, the female victim is Ukrainian, and the person who is collecting the money is Russian? (I use these nationalities for the sake of the argument as an example)
It also raises many question about the reliability and discretion of many "dating" sites, who seem more interested in getting as many ads as possible on their site, and do not check the information posted. There is money to be made!!
You seem to be a person who will be genuinely concerned about the abuse of personal information in this manner. By having a home page maybe it is possible for you to issue a general warning for men to be very careful in their contacts via e-mail. I talked with a young woman, who does translations of e-mail from English into Russian and vice-versa for a local marriage agency in Odessa. I tried to impress upon her the dangers of putting personal information on the Internet and asked her to inform the women of her agency and others about this.
I am concerned about the damage that can be done to innocent people whose only wish is to find a partner for life; damage to their finances, their emotions, and their reputations. Maybe you have some other suggestions about what can be done?
Best regards,
JM
The Hague, The Netherlands