Job Discussion Forums

[bc]

ye are all off. irish girls are the best in all of europe. hot, honest, and love to party.

[misteradventure]

It being a quiet night in a town where they roll up the dirt road at sundown, I felt compelled to include my 2 bits of (your favorite currency here).

I would have to disagree with many of you.

I am a 30-something professional. I teach on the side, while persuing a graduate degree in Eastern Europe. I have studied the language for over 10 months. I studiously avoid the tourist traps. I go to local pubs religiously.

The result: They unlock the door for me so I can have my pint or two before bed when they are trying to close early. They greet me and shake my hand (in the local language.) Then they studiously refuse to speak to me. Especially the males. In any language- except French. (I am familiar with several, none of them French.)

As for the girls- I chat with the lasses in the coffee shops, but God help them if they speak to me outside of those glass doors. I'm certainly not ugly- I have been mistaken for ten years my junior and work out regularly. I have met few ESL teachers who can bench-press their body weight 30 times. I look good. It can't be my looks or my hygiene.

I doubt it is my manners. In my undergraduate days I mistakenly dated a few diplomats. I didn't appreciate the visits from the Intelligence services after a few parties. But now I don't live in that country anymore... an aside... I know I am polite and well-mannered, else I would not have been invited back.

I have never been big on the club scene or 'pick-up joints'. It is also quite difficult to be a party animal when you must be at the office at 8am for the first lesson of the day. Is this the ONLY way to meet decent young ladies in Eastern Europe?

I doubt it- my classmates (90% or better) have not had such good fortune to meet an attractive member of the opposite gender either.

It is not for lack of funds- student loans in their situations (and working several jobs over the years in mine) mean there is ample cash to spend if the situation presented itself.

Yet, I find it difficult to make friends (who are not leaving for the US/UK/Ireland the next day/week for work) amongst the locals.

I even tried responding to 'conversation exchange' postings at English-language bookstores. No joy, save for one 18 yr old who did the mathin her head and realized I could be her father; who responded politely that she was' looking for someone in University' (which I am, for Heaven's sake!) I'm not looking to get married immediately, nor even 'date'. Just being friends is good enough for me at this point.

Your insights are welcome. It is being a dreadful holiday in the jungle.

[spiral78]

This may not be at all useful, but why not try spendng some time in the expat/tourist hangouts too? You don't say where you are, exactly, but I can speak from experience in Moscow and several cities and small towns in the Czech Republic: locals who are interested in meeting people from 'away' often hang out in the places those people are known to hang out.....

[cks]

There are plenty of women available in the Czech Republic if you are interested, and so few men. We are all leaving the house dressed as beautiful as possible to compete for some average guy. So, what about advice for me? I am interested in possibly moving to Budapest. The guys seem attractive over there, anyone have experience in Hungary?