Taking gifts to Russia/Ukraine? - Russian Ukrainian Belarus Travel Music Woman Dating News

	The Russian Meeting Place: A place to meet people and talk about all things Russian... International Discussions about Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Travel, Music, Russian News, Ukrainian culture, Belarusian Dating, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kiev and other intelligent topics about life in the former Soviet Union.

Pages: 1

Taking gifts to Russia/Ukraine?
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: freebird

I am planning a trip and I want to take some interesting gifts. (from Canada eh!)

Does anyone have ideas of what would make good or interesting gifts for her relatives etc? (I was thinking of maple syrup or icewine from Canada) Other than the obvious - (Hockey pucks, beaver pelts!)

Posted by: Longfellow

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird

I am planning a trip and I want to take some interesting gifts. (from Canada eh!)

here is what I learned:
All the gifts I purchased and packets to take were worthless, since Aeroflot lost the bag. I still have no resolution.
What made my girl and her children and her parents most happy was my willingness to be a participant in simple life... I went with mama to market, carried the packets and paid for the food and told her what I liked. I cooked a couple of dishes. I bought the vodka for papa and but I made sure to have sweet wine or champagne for the women and the kids loved having just sparkilng water to share in the toasts. Mama did not understand when I insisted on buying grenadine syrup, but a few drops in the kids soda water was like magic.
Keep it simple, personable and thoughtful. Tanya liked the box of chocolates, but more so liked that I thought to pick up some sweets each day for the after dinner chai.
Show how you are involved and how you want to participate in daily things - don't wait to be asked but suggest 'how about some of these pears or these berries?'
It really is the little concerns on daily basis that will show the measure of you as a provider... not planned gifts. Also, I was lucky... Tanya said buying dead flowers was stupid.... lets buy really special things like honey and spices and heavy cream for coffee. These are things her family never gets on their budget.
Painimayu??

Great journey to you... by the way, my best days were not as tourist but to walk and sit in the park at 'Great Salt Lake' or just a quiet day on the sea with her. Tourism is overrated - peaceful, quality time is the best you can hope for. My only regret is we spent too much time trying to see sights and not enough at rest with one another. I don't really care about Yalta, I do really care about Tanya. You understand?
The most valuable thing you have is your time there - you cannot make more of it. Money is just a commodity, time is precious. Spend it wisely...
Successful depature to you!

Posted by: Longfellow

probably goes without saying, but anything you really want to get there, take in carry on. And a change of clothes. I spent the first 5 days with what I was wearing and one change of clothes I had in carry on.
I got my luggage with clothes on the sixth day and never got my bag with gifts, etc. A real eye-opening experience!
Surprisingly, it made Tanya have better opinion of me, that i could survive and stay peaceful though this.... other foreign men she had met she said would have been crazy in such circumstance.
We washed my socks and underwear in the sink together... and she showed me how to hang it on lightbulbs in the room to dry... it was a bonding experience rather than a tragedy.

I learned some important things.... first is the phrase , "Ya painimayu" - "I understand"....

Posted by: Chrismc

Some great observations and advice LF, I would back that up too.

Posted by: AkMike

I took maple syrup and it went over just so-so... it's not too big of a deal. Bring lot's of pictures to share of your area. The gift of knowledge goes over well. The men love leathermen multi-tools. And the local variety of scotch or whisky seems to work well. My 27yo step son has developed a taste for tequila.... w/o the worm.. (go figure).

Posted by: freebird

Quote:

Originally Posted by AkMike

I took maple syrup and it went over just so-so... it's not too big of a deal. Bring lot's of pictures to share of your area. The gift of knowledge goes over well. The men love leathermen multi-tools. And the local variety of scotch or whisky seems to work well. My 27yo step son has developed a taste for tequila.... w/o the worm.. (go figure).

Thanks for the input guys, I will probably take over some good scotch for her dad. I might also try to get some smoked salmon. As for Canada's maple syrup, at least it will be better than a jar of VEGEMITE!

My mum still laughs about the time our relatives from OZ

gave her some as a gag! (she says it's like the marmite she had in the UK

) Alas, those of you from the USA probably have no idea what I'm talking about...

Posted by: royalpalace774

I took a 300 page book that weighed about 5 ponds to my girls father. It was a book about airplanes for the armed forces that the public never got to see. He was a Leuit in the Russian army and he loved it. My girl told me he looks at the pictures in that book every couple of days.

I was going to get some whiskey or liquer but I asked my girl her opinion and she dislikes any alcohol presents because of so many problems there with drinking.

Her dad doesn't have any alcohol problems, but she sees it everyday and it bothers her.

Posted by: Longfellow

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird

My mum still laughs about the time our relatives from OZ

gave her some as a gag! (she says it's like the marmite she had in the UK

) Alas, those of you from the USA probably have no idea what I'm talking about...

At least maple syrup is palatable... our 'queenly' friends have apparently forfeited their taste buds to the crown with that 'yeast food'... I've never had anything so disgusting in my life!