AboutDaniel Reynolds Riveiro Expertise I can answer questions about Ukrainian places of interests and activities, including extreme sports like climbing, skiing and multi-sport racing (yes, they have them in Ukraine). I can also answer questions about Ukrainian culture, customs, language, politics and dating.
Experience I am a Peace Corps Volunteer currently living in Ukraine
Question I am planning on visiting Odessa in the fall or perhaps later. I have met a wonderful woman on the Internet who would meet me at the airport and let me stay at her apartment. I am the cautious type but I have talked to her on the phone with some difficulty I might add as her English isn't very good. I have some Russian phrasebook and am considering a electronic translator. What do you think of this idea? And any other tips would be greatly appreciated?? Also, I assume I would not need a visa?? Thanks
Answer As an American citizen, you can go to Ukraine for 90 days without a visa.
My advice is to be as independent of her as possible. Have a back up plan if she does not show up at the airport and have your own accommodations for at least the first night. While it's not unheard of, it's rare for a Ukrainian woman to let a stranger (even if they've sent romantic letters back and forth) to stay at her place, especially if a lack of language has meant you two have not had a real conversation.
If your conversations have been through letters that someone is translating for her, be aware that Western men are big business in Ukraine and I know at least a half dozen people employed in the industry, one of whom has the job of reading and writing these letters FOR the women she is supposed to represent. In other words, she will write back and forth to men for several months, supposedly just translating the letters for women the men are interested in, but in reality the women never see those letters. The men come, sit through several awkward dates with women who speak no English and have little interest in them, find that they have paid lots of money and go home without so much as a hug. I'm not saying this is your situation, but it's very, very common.
Russian is a difficult and complex language and I think you will be frustrated if you don't have a basic grasp of it. A phrasebook might let you order food, etc., but you won't be able to use it fast enough to translate responses. An electronic translator will be just as difficult as you likely won't be able to differentiate the letters until your ear becomes trained, so you can't punch in a person's response. My suggestion is to get some Russian tapes and practice between now and the fall (but still take the phrasebook). At least then your ear will be better trained and you'll have practiced saying the basic phrases you need to get around.
