Trip Report By Jay

After returning from Kirovograd Jay  wrote me an e-mail on May 22, 2007 detailing his recent trip.

Hi Brett,

I thought I'd take a few minutes and write you a note giving you my thoughts and feedback about my recent trip to Kirovograd.

First and foremost:  WOW!  What a great trip, what a fantastic agency you have down there!  Everything about my experience there was positive and I could not be happier with the agency,  Natasha and Laina, the translation services, the transportation from KBP airport to Kirovograd, everything was great.

Peter, the German guy, was right on time to meet me as I came out of customs at KBP on my arrival.  We got right to it, and hit the road immediately bound for Kirovograd.  I liked Peter very much, and the journey was safe and enjoyable one, Peter chatting amicably about Germany, Ukraine, his girlfriend and life in Ukraine, his BMW car, and all kinds of stuff.  Peter dropped me off at my apartment in Kirovograd and I paid him per our agreement, no problems or snags.

The apartment at N1 Karl Marx was outstanding.  The landlord met me promptly and got me set up with occupancy and a key.  It was clean and well appointed, and almost fully up to western standards.  The best apartment situation I've had in Ukraine, all for less than the cost than a motel room in the States.  The apartment was a convenient and comfortable walk from the agency at Hotel Kiev, no taxi required.

Laina and Natasha both did interpretation for me and both did an excellent job.  Laina, especially, was phenomenal in her ability to translate almost on the fly in real time.  She understood my American idioms, slang and jargon almost perfectly stopping only rarely to check with me for clarification.  She knew words like "chivalrous" and understood the nuance of the english phrase "Chivalry is not dead in America" for example.  I'd wager you that 70% of Americans would not know this level of english.

Natasha did a perfect job in managing the agency and in lining things up and keeping the process moving forward and on track.

I thought the cost for transportation, lodging and interpretation was totally reasonable and was completely as advertised with no unwelcome surprises.  Dealing with the regular stuff: buying food and mobile phone airtime, hailing a taxi and getting around town to shop and sightsee, finding an internet cafe, everything was easy.  There are bankomats and even some establishments which accept major credit cards, though I agree its best to bring adequate cash just in case.  Currency exchange is no problem - many places to do it on Karl Marx street.

All the contacts that were supposed to happen happened just as advertised.  I had 6 appointments  and 5 out of the 6 ladies were really nice (one was rather young and painfully shy, not her fault), and 2 were absolutely jaw dropping.  Beautiful, intelligent, cultured and polite, good conversationalists, happy to see me and talk.  Almost none of the ladies I met with had even ever met an American before, let alone date one, so your assertion to that fact is totally accurate.  Both of the "jawdropping" ladies I referred to above had apparently been in your catalog for quite  a while - one for one year and one for two years.  In that time, they had not yet had a meeting with an American man.

I am going to be corresponding with two on them, one quite seriously. We'll see where things lead us.

In the spirit of fully disclosure, though, I should mention one disadvantage:  very few of the ladies (at least in the 30+ category where I was looking) speak english.  All of the 5 that I strongly considered spoke only Russian/Ukrainian.  A couple could speak a few words and simple sentences in english.  All, however, seemed willing and anxious to learn english, especially if lessons were provided.

Having experienced the above firsthand, I can absolutely recommend that men who might ordinarily only use your agency in Kiev, consider making a little extra effort and go to the provincial city of Kirovograd.  There they will meet a whole different class of lady, more small-town in orientation. 

A very nice experience.  You've got a good thing going in Kirovograd!  Thanks!

Jay

 

Ukrainian Woman Photos     Latest Ukrainian Women Photos    Contact Us     About Us    Home