A friend of mine brought to my attention the idea of meeting Russian ladies. Later, I found an ad in People magazine for Anastasiaweb. What started out as a simple curiosity became a serious interest. It was fueled by a string of unsuccessful relationships with American women. I wrote to about 20 women; roughly 75% responded.
 I went to Moscow and met 10 of them before I met Victoria. Aside from Victoria's beauty or physical attraction, I liked her thoughts and values regarding family and the ideal relationship. We had written to each other for about a year before we met. This helped us learn more about each other before our meeting and made it less awkward. We met at a Metro (underground) station, and I found Victoria there sitting on a bench, waiting patiently. Through all the signs of her long 5-day train journey from Krasnoyarsk came a wonderful and hopeful smile. I was very impressed that she traveled so far just to meet me. As I took her bag and we started to walk she asked me if she could take my hand. It was from this moment that I knew we had a special relationship. We rapidly became very comfortable together. We spent 2 days just talking using the dictionary, making meals, and traveling around Moscow. After this beginning we decided to take an overnight train to St. Petersburg. This fun adventure tested our ability to work together and exposed both our childlike personalities. We spent a wonderful 5 days discovering each other.
On our last day together, on the bus to the airport, I asked her if she would like to come visit me in America. I had her sign a G-325 form that I had brought with me, just in case. Upon posing the question I presented a pretty blue topaz ring as a sign of my truthfulness and good intentions. This all occurred through tears of happiness and sadness--happy about our new found love but sad that we had to part ways for a long time. It wasn't until she had to board the plane for Krasnoyarsk that, through my own tears, I told her how much I needed her. Many letters later and the long process of the K-1 visa (while the U.S. government decided to shut down), getting married became the obvious goal. After Victoria came to America we settled into a normal, everyday routine due to my work schedule, rather than a honeymoon-type atmosphere. However, this was also a good test of our new relationship and gave us much insight. The 90 day limit of her visa took us by surprise and we ended up getting married quickly the last week. We plan to have a more formal ceremony on our 1st anniversary.
As far as advice for others, if you plan to meet many ladies, you will find a Catch-22. You may have a greater chance of finding that special person, yet your decision could become very difficult. You might even need another trip to Russia. If you narrow your choices down through writing you will have an easier time. Plan to spend some time in Russia--one week won't do it. I stayed a month. Unless you plan to come back, try to set up meeting times and places well in advance with your ladies. This may seem obvious but it is very difficult if you have never been to Moscow. Also, be careful of ladies who only want a free ride. There aren't too many, but they are out there--maybe 1 in 10 or more. However, it isn't too difficult to tell who is sincere and who is not. Follow your heart. And I recommend the "country girls," or the ones from the smaller cities. Good luck!
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