My Russian Tour 9

9. Finally, I’ve got to visit Russia!

For me the ideal time to visit Elena would be in June/July. I did not have any interest in visiting Russia during the wintertime because of the cold whether. First I wanted Elena to come to Moscow and join me for a week visiting Finland and Estonia. Elena was from Ekaterinburg, Ural province, which is situated more to the middle of Russia close the boundary between Asia and Europe (actually, is it is 37 km to the Asian side). Elena was the manager of a marketing company in Ekaterinburg, and it was a very busy time of the year, the beginning of their summer. It was impossible for her to go on vacation this time of the year and tour with me. Because of her busy schedule I had to visit her in her home city, or reschedule for another time of the year, so I’d chosen the first.

Again I was lucky, and did not even know it. In fact, I was not very happy about the forthcoming trip to Ekaterinburg; it made the logistics of my European tour so much more complicated, but today I am thankful that it worked out the way it did. I would have made a great mistake if I did not visit Elena in her hometown. If you have made up your mind about the women that you are interested in, visit them in their hometowns and meet their families if possible. It is not only a learning process but also a lifetime experience. Russian people are very warm, friendly people. Once they have accepted you, it is forever. The way people live in Russia is different and could seem strange to you but this is not all that important. It is the people and the (possible) future wife that is important. It’s good for the relationship. It gives her family a chance to meet you, to get to know you and the opportunity to accept you as a possible future husband of their daughter.

A possible future marriage is not a business deal. It is all about feelings, and to me it was a very serious matter. The final decision that you suppose to make after your visit is something that can have its influence on your whole life for the rest of your life. It is normal people’s aspiration if they have decided to get married that it will be forever. Visiting the possible future wife in her hometown and meeting her family can strengthen your relationship enormously. At least for me it did, and it was an unforgettable experience too. I spoke to several people that have done it the way I did and they shared exactly the same viewpoint: it is experience of a lifetime. I have visited Russia several times, but none was so memorable as that first visit.

During the time of our correspondence Elena had sent me several photos of herself but for me the most precious one was the one that I received with her very first letter. I sent her my photo only with my second letter, which as I realized afterwards, was a mistake. I should have done it with the first letter to eliminate any uncertainties. I also sent her some other photos later. It is very important to have good photos of yourself, especially the first photo that you intend to send to women. It was Elena’s first photo that impressed me so much. I guess if it was a bad photo, everything could go differently and we probably would not be married today! This is applicable to us men as well: send the woman of your dreams a poor quality picture, and most likely you will not have a chance to send a better one. Rather don’t send any picture than send a bad one.