While searching for a Russian Woman to begin communications with online you have several choices for making that communication possible. Perhaps you will try to communicate in English at first. Many women have a good understanding of English. This will have it’s limits however and you may need a way to communicate in Russian. Skype currently offers a single country plan for $5.95/mo. and a world unlimited plan for $12.95/mo. which include calls to St. Petersburg and Moscow. For all other calls to Russia the charge is $.048/min. which is quite reasonable. A 30 minute phone call will cost about $1.50. Skype also now offers mobile apps for certain smart phones so you can make international calls on your mobile phone. Vonage also offers similar services for $25-$35/mo. they have a package that will include most areas of Russia in the unlimited plan.

Русский Язык- Russian Language

Several services are available that will translate your emails to Russian and vice versa. While the many dating sites offer these services and some are built entirely around the concept of you paying for this service I would recommend finding an independent service outside of the dating website you found your Russian Woman on. This will eliminate any conflict of interest and can lessen the chances for being caught in a scam. There are also several services which offer to conduct a three way call with you and your Russian Woman which gives an added feature of having an outside opinion of your woman’s sincerety. I don’t have any particular such services to recommend but the translation of email should cost around $5-$8. Three way phone/translation services can run from $20-$35 per half hour depending on whether the cost of the call is included or not. Ususally you must have Skype in order to facilitate the call and get the lowest possible rates.

Eventually you will want to learn the native language of your Russian Woman. After all, you should be planning a trip to Russia eventually and you will at least want to have an idea how to read the language and know some basic phrases before you go. Who better to practice with than with your Russian sweetheart? For starters you will need to learn the cyrillic alphabet. It is a bit awkward at first but the Russian alphabet is not so different from ours once you get to know it. There are only about 4 or 5 characters that I would consider difficult. This site: Intro to Russian Alphabet offers a very good introduction to the alphabet and will help you pick up a few words in the process. You should definitely consider learning the alphabet before anything else. Once you have mastered the alphabet (which can take a few weeks) you can finally learn some words and phrases on other language sites and by writing to your Russian woman. There are several ways that you can get Russian characters on your computer. In Windows the following steps should get you there:

First: go to start menu->control panel->clock, language and region->change keyboards or other input methods

See the screenshot below and click on change keyboards button:

See screenshot below and click add, then scroll the language menu to find Russian, select either Russian or Russian (typewriter), you should see the Russian appear on the menu with English as shown in box on left below, save your changes:

See screenshot below, you should now have a switcher on your taskbar like in the lower right of the screenshot. This will allow you to switch your keyboard back and forth from English to Russian. You will have to hunt for the letters on the Russian keyboard unless you purchase stickers that can be placed on the keys to indicate the Russian characters. Also, if the switcher does not appear click on the language bar tab as seen in the left box in screenshot this will give you the option to dock it on the taskbar.

Once you have mastered the Russian alphabet you can visit this website: Russian word of the day blog for a daily Russian word explained with grammar and usage. A very good way to pick up new vocabulary that you can then use in communication with your Russian Woman. Be sure to practice at least a little bit every day!! We will have more on communication with Russian Women later on.

-ARBG

HOLIDAYS

Although the holidays were over here in the West on January 2nd they had only just begun in Eastern Orthodox Russia. It is a little known fact that Christmas is celebrated in Russia on January 7th and the “Old New Year” is celebrated on January 14th. This being the case, Russia has just wrapped up it’s holiday season. For Russians, New Year (January 1st) is more of a festive holiday like Christmas in America. It is traditional to decorate a “New Year” tree called “YÖLKA”  (Russian: Ёлка) and gift giving on New Year’s Day is a big event for children. The whole event is complimented with a visit from grandfather frost “Ded Moroz ” (Russian: Дед Мороз) and his granddaughter the Snow Maiden “Snegurochka” (Russian: Снегурочка). New Year tree, Ded Moroz and Snegurochka pictured below. Read more about Russian Holidays.

Ded Moroz with Snegurochka

New Year Tree

POPULAR MUSIC

Whether you are just starting out in your search for a Russian Bride or you are already in contact with a Russian Woman you should be taking an interest in Russian Culture. There is no better way to gain an understanding of Russian Culture than through an appreciation of music. Yes, Russia is certainly well known for it’s classical music, composers and ballet -all of which you should learn about also. Poplar music is one of the most interesting areas of recent growth in Russia and here we are only going to introduce you to some forms of popular music. Russian pop music has exploded in the past several years spreading out into genres of a Russian form of Rap, R&B, Dance/Techno and of course the traditional Russian Popular music. I am going to share a few of my favorites here for you to check out:

Russian Women in Music

Biyanka styles herself as a “Queen of Russian R&B” and we are sure you will agree that her style is uniquely Russian yet her sound would be enough to challenge Rhianna and Beyonce on the charts.

Yet another Russian female artist: Zhasmin (Jasmin) is a popular favorite, she sings a very traditional Russian love song here in “Pain”:

Music Russian Women Like

A huge favorite among Russian Women Dima Bilan sings a passionate love song (IMO he can be called the Russian Enrique Iglesias):

Another favorite among Russian Women Valeryi Meladze:

More Popular Examples

Ceryega (Gangster Rap):

DJ Smash (Russian Dance/Techno) Very nicely done video!:

This is all just a small sample of the wide world of Russian Contemporary Music. As you can see from this small sample Russian music is rich with variety and combines influences from it’s blended culture of both Eastern and Western influences that make Russian music uniquely “Russian” and the choices are ever growing. MTV has a music chanel specifically for Russia now. You can do some of your own research into the field of Russian music by checking out some of the links below:

Russian Radio live from Moscow

Radio 365 Russian Stations <- Check out the first two stations here. (We have a future project that will be our own Russian radio station accessible here so keep checking on it!)

Russian DVD has thousands of Russian DVDs and music CDs available for preview, download and purchase. Most music offers a free preview to listen. Click switch to English if necessary and browse the audio section.

Hope you enjoy the Russian music!

-ARBG

OK, for those of you who are overly concerned about whether the Russian Woman you are corresponding with is real or not here is some advice.

Recently many verification services are appearing to do verifications and even identity or background checks on potential Russian Brides. One such agency available on the internet offers the delivery of a single rose in order to verify for you that the woman you are corresponding with indeed exists at the address she has given you. This measure is actually a very useful means of detecting a Russian scammer. Normally, someone who might be attempting to scam you will not use their actual address info or perhaps will not use their actual name to avoid being caught.

The agency delivers the rose to the address and lady by the name given. For an additional small fee they can verify the woman’s identity by passport during delivery. This added verification will decrease the likelihood of a scam and give positive identification. There are detective services that get more involved and will tend to cost more.

Want the web address of the agency offering this service?

Visit: Russian Scam Check

This agency also offers an anti-scam quiz you can take which is useful but it should not be used as a definitive detection tool as to whether your Russian Bride is scamming you or not. They also offer an up to date searchable database of known scammers for a small monthly or annual fee of $9.95 and $99.95 respectively. Similar services can be found for free and it is advised that you use them as well. The paid service tends to be more up to date and easier to search though.

Another way you can use to look for potential scammers is to get your woman’s IP address from an email she has sent you and attempt to search this IP address on the web for association with Russian scam reports. By combining all the above ideas you can probably eliminate 85-90% of potential scams. Nothing can be 100% accurate and this is why you should make it a policy never to send money to Russian women you correspond with. If there is something you want to buy for them so badly you can do this when you meet them in person and have evaluated her sincerity over a longer term.

Russian Customs and Traditions:

Giving Flowers:

Gift giving is a very major custom in Russia. People will judge you not based on the value of your gift (although some may) but rather on whether you have the courtesy to give a gift at all. When it comes to flowers you should seriously consider giving flowers to your Russian Woman as well as to other adult ladies of her household such as mother, grandmother etc. When giving or sending flowers it is important to know that you always give an odd number of flowers as opposed to the common half-dozen or dozen roses given in the West. The reason for this is because even numbers of flowers are given at funerals. Definitely not the first impression that you want to make!

Kissing on the Cheek…

Since our last tradition finished with the topic of funerals, we will start from there. Never kiss someone on the forehead as this form of kiss is reserved for kissing the dead on the forehead at their funeral. Try to avoid this! It is Russian tradition to kiss three times alternating cheeks when greeting friends and relatives. This is not necessarily expected of strangers of course or those whom we just met but once you get to know someone in a familiar relationship it is acceptable.

Shaking Hands:

Men will always shake hands upon meeting each other for the first time that day (excluding those with whom you are staying as a guest perhaps). Also remember that it is considered bad etiquette to shake hands with a glove on -the glove should always be removed. Shaking hands (giving things or greetings also) across a threshold is considered in bad taste -sort of a superstition.

Russian culture holds a lot of superstitions in general. Some other such things are:

1. Sitting on cold surfaces is believed to be hazardous to women’s or girl’s health.
2. Whistling indoors is considered bad luck.
3. Before a long trip people will often sit for a moment while still at home. This is thought to bring good luck for the journey.
4. Birthday parties should only be celebrated on or after the birthday.
5. Baby showers before the baby is born would be considered very bad luck. Things purchased for a baby should only be purchased after the birth.
6. Returning home for something is also considered to be bad luck.

Several other manners for good etiquette:

1. Always bring a gift when going to visit someone’s home ie. chocolates, cognac, wine or some other small gift would be appropriate.
2. Always remove your shoes when entering someone’s home.
3. Pointing with one finger is considered rude. Use an outstretched hand to point if you must.

This list, of course, is not intended to be all inclusive. Just a few items to note and remember while you are searching for a wife in Russia. These things should get you enough notice that you are considerate of Russian traditions and culture that you will earn many points with your hosts any time you visit. This will open the way for you to be more accepted by Russians and a Russian family. Please be sure to visit our Russian Bride Forum for free Russian Woman advice on a regular basis. Post your questions about Russian women seeking men, Russian culture, Russian scammers and all things related to your Russian Bride search.