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Greeting
The best word to use in greeting is "Hello".
"Hi" in the first letter would look too unceremonious.
"Dear" – may seem too intimate and therefore suspicious to some (in Russia, this word is used only when addressing to really dear and close people). To those well-informed about business correspondence this may seem too formal.
Greeting must include the name. For instance, "Hello Irina". It would be fine if you put the exclamation at the end: "Hello Irina!" It is common in Russia to end greetings with the exclamation. This form will point itself out already.
In the very beginning of your letter you should write where did you get the lady's address. Women are always curious about this!
Make her some simple and yet pleasant compliments and let her know that you have serious intentions.
It is not recommended to write her that she is beautiful. Everyone tells that. Besides, any girl knows she is beautiful, and therefore you will not tell her anything new with such compliment. But it is necessary to tell she is beautiful in the next letters.
To make the best compliment, you would need to carefully study her profile. Having done that, you will easily figure out her personal qualities that she considers are the most significant.
Next, write your first name, your height (you are recommended to convert inches into centimeters), your birth date (this is a must! women do believe in horoscopes!), your age. Then tell her the city you are from. If the city is small and not well known, you may as well mention the state. Tell her something that would help her ascertain your location. At this point you may mention that you would send her the map with your city marked.
So, the perfect beginning of the letter would look similar to this:
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Hello Irina!
I have got your address via the "Lady from Russia" web site.
Your photograph attracted my attention, and your personal description awakened my interest.
You make the impression of a very smart (sincere, kind, understanding – pick yours!) person. I feel you are the one I had been looking for.
My name is Kevin. I am 37 y.o. My height is 180 cm. My birthday is on February 8. I am from Oakland, that is the west of the USA, not far from San Francisco. In my next letter I will send you the map where I marked my city.
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Then tell the University or college you have graduated, where you work, and what your position is (you may outline your job). Mentioning the fact that you are successful and "financially secure" can make another positive impression. We recommend you to use the "financially secure" expression. Tell her that you are looking for a special lady.
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I hold a University degree and work as an IT Consultant. I am very successful at my career and financially secure, but I haven't met a special lady still.
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Your Personal description - be yourself
Now you need to describe your most important personal qualities giving the preference to those this (and an usual Russian) woman looks for in the potential partner.
What would interest any Russian woman? What do they look for in the future husband? – reliability, care, tenderness, understanding, love. And a sincere purpose to create an united family. And she need fill an confidence in the future.
It is also great when a man is honest, intelligent, mannered and well educated.
If you have got something good on you, it is always an advantage; do mention it in your letter. Then tell her what points you out among others; find some your special personal qualities. It would be the best if some qualities meet the woman's expectation.
Even if it doesn't, still write about it. First, this thing characterizes you. Second, this is your important feature, and the woman should feel it through.
Let me point it out that you should write not the qualities she expects, but the ones YOU HAVE GOT – selecting the ones she would prefer out of the overall list. It is important to be yourself from the very first letter. What sense does it make for you to start describing some ideal gentleman when you do not relate to that in any way?
If you are an exceptional person, you will need the woman who will value the non-ordinary qualities of YOURSELF. Of course, you will have to write to not just 10, but rather 20 or 30 women. But through that you will find the special, the best matching one.
Just a little bit may be written about your hobbies. It is enough to write one or two rather short sentences. It will be great if your interests and hobbies intersect with hers, for the touch points lift the person up among the overall mass of other letters.
Remember that the text should not be too large. It should be easy to understand. Try to avoid idioms, using your local dialect, Americanisms and other expressions, which can be misunderstood if translated "directly", by the common grammar. At the same time, the letter should not be just a list of facts. Your goal is to make the letter interesting to read.
Questions
It would be good if your letter has 2 or 3 questions in it.
For example, you have just written that you have got a dog. Ask her: How do you feel about dogs? Have you got any pet?
These questions are easy to answer, and any woman will gladly tell you about her pet. Otherwise, she will tell you that she is indifferent to pets. Or – that she doesn't please them. That will give you some information to think about!
Promises
Do not forget about the notices (promises, "announcement"). Along the lines mention a couple of times (more than that is not recommended) something like "I will tell you more in my next letter" or "I have a photographs of my dog with me; I will send to you in my next letter" or "My city is small but very beautiful; on weekend I will drive around and make a few pictures specially for you".
Such notes give her the feeling that you are interested in corresponding with her, and that you have something to tell and show.
Her children
If the woman has got a child, necessarily write her that you know about that. If in her profile she stated just "Son, 8 years old" – you may write something like: "I know you have got a son. What is his name? It is interesting to see his photo as well".
If she stated: "I have a charming daughter; her name is Kate" – you may write like this: "Greet Kate for me; I am sure she is as beautiful as is her Mom. Do you have a picture of both of you together?"
It is important for each woman to know how a man will treat her child. If the man is friendly from the very first letter, she will certainly value that. However you should be careful with woman with a daughter. Many beware of pedophiles that, unfortunately, happens to be the case sometimes.
Your marital status, your children
After you have mentioned her child, write about your marital status. If you are divorced, tell her that. You need to be honest!
If you have got children – write a few words about them; tell her their names and age. Also tell her who the children live with. If you are a careful father and spend spare time with children – you better not write all that in your first letter. Later you will have more opportunities to tell the woman how much you love your children and how easy you get along with any kids.
Russian women do value good attitude towards their children, but they also fear your own children to become a barrier for developing the long-distance relationship. Do not impel the lady to pick someone else's letter just because you are a loving father! When writing the very first letter to a lady, you are a stranger to her, and your children are stranger's children. Let the woman feel you first, and she will then take as your children for a part of yourself. That is a big difference!
If a girl haven't got any children, the information about your sons spending time with you twice a month may scare her. Just for that reason she may fail to answer your first letter.
If in her profile the woman says she is looking for a man with no children; that means she is looking for a man with no children – that's do! Please respect her choice and do not waste your time. There are many another women out there who will be glad about you having children and will take as them for their own ones.
Describe your photograph
Next, write a few words about the photograph you enclose in your letter (please see below for more on the photographs). For example, you have a photo of yourself with sights of the nature. Describe it: "I am attaching a picture taken this February. Along with friends we camped out and skied in the mountains".
Such description makes the photograph more interesting and tells her that you like mountain skiing and you have friends who you have greatly spend time with. Wouldn't such person be attracting? Besides, two sentences is all that is required for this!
Step 3. Closure
Closing the letter you must ask a few questions. The questions should induce the woman to reply.
The best number of questions asked in a letter is 4 or 5 – along with the ones that were asked earlier. It is good when the questions are asked along the lines. But it is fine to write them at the very end of the letter.
What kinds of questions are well in the first letter? Please read her profile carefully again. Sometimes women provide some details there.
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Tell me about your family. Do you have any brothers or sisters? Do you live with your parents or separately from them?
How long have you used computer for? Do you have a computer at home or at work? Could we talk a little via ICQ or a chat?
Tell me about your job. Do you like it or are you making plans for finding another one? Why so? What exactly does not make you comfortable at the present job?
How do you spend your days off? Do you camping and nature? Do you have a dacha? (Note: In Russia, "dacha" is means a small garden cottage with some land located beyond the city limits.)
As I have told you, my birthday is February 8; i.e. I am an Aquarius by the horoscope. Do you like horoscopes? Do you believe in compatibility by the horoscope?
You told me you liked sea and the sun. Did you get to spend time at seashore this summer? (Of course, if the lady's city is not close to a sea!)
Tell me something about your city. It would be interesting to learn where exactly it is located (Good if the city is not well-known; do not ask such questions regarding the cities that are easy to find on any map!)
Would you mind if I send you a postcard with the views of my city?
What do you think the ideal family looks like? What did you think of your future family when you were a child?
I know the American movies are well known in Russia. What movies do you like the best?
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These questions are non-trivial; they motivate for further discussion and as well provide you with an opportunity to both tell something about yourself and express the readiness for answering further questions.
Closing the letter, write something like: "I am looking forward to your response. I hope we become friends". This may look like a pattern, yet these words express your serious intentions regarding your communication.
At the end of your letter, write your postal (mailing) address and your full name. This gives confidence!
Step 4. Your Photographs
Enclose one or two photos of yourself in your letter.
It would be good if a woman who you are in good relationship with helps you select the photograph for your first letter. Woman does know – which photos you look handsome and natural on. If you do not have a female-friend – ask your friend for the advice.
Sending in the first letter the photos of you pictured in a company of friends, children, former wife or other women is not recommended. If you value these photos, you will have a chance to send them later – along with a great description of the pictured people and events.
Please pay attention on the size of the files you send via e-mail. The maximum size of your photo should not exceed 50-70kB. The recommended size is 20-30kB.
Internet access in Russia is very expensive (from $0.70 to $0.90 per hour); in Ukraine it is even more expensive while the connection speeds are very low. Even using a good modem it is possible to have the real download speed of 300 to 700 bytes per second.
Can you imagine how much time would it take to receive an email with size about one or two megabytes? Some people's nerves cannot stand it. Moreover, the connection may halt at any moment, and the whole thing will have to start over or – the letter will be simply removed from the server, unread!!!
Of course, not everyone has such problems, but it is better to be 100% sure that the woman does receive your email.
Some notes for end
My own monitoring suggests that for some reason Russian women do not eager to make connections with men from certain countries: Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia, Turkey, Greece, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, India, China, Japan, Mexico. Chances to make a quick connection are very low if you are from the Middle East, Africa or Latin America. We do not have intentions to offend anyone, but this is a reality. Therefore, double the number of your first introduction letters sent in order to have the success.
Read the article "Customs and Traditions of Russian Romance" by Robert & Liliya Frye. There are some customs and traditions, methods and their details for romancing girls from central Europe, Russia and Ukraine. Use these procedures to intelligently and prudently generate excitement and romance in your international relationship.
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