Things you need to do after you bring your Russian wife home. Part 2.

So you have taught your lovely wife everything which was discussed earlier. She is learning to drive a car; she knows that she should not open the window in July when air conditioning is on; she can write checks and shop for her needs in the closest supermarket; and at least once a week she tells you how happy she was when she saw you in the airport when she arrived.

Be sure to give her an opportunity to communicate with her family in Russia. There are a lot of possibilities to do that without going broke. If her family has access to the computer, you can install Skype on yours. It is an easy program to use and it is absolutely free. If Skype is not an option then a calling card or a pre-paid phone service such as Nobel will help you to arrange communications. Nobel (www.nobel.com or www.enjoyprepaid.com) will give you many options to choose from.

Be sure that your computer is equipped with Russian font. To do so go to Start – Settings- Control Panel – Regional and Language Options – Languages – Details. Choose Russian and click OK. Click Key Setting – Actions and choose Switch between input language – LeftAlt+Shift, and click OK (for Windows XP or Vista). Now your wife can write letters to her family and friends in Russian. You can even buy her Russian stickers for the keyboard (on eBay) and give it to her upon her arrival.

Find beforehand if there are any Russian stores in your area. Those stores often become a source of information for Russians living in that area. There she can find Russian food, books, movies, and newspapers as well as people she can talk to in her native tongue. Remember that your wife will feel homesick for a while and ability to communicate with somebody in Russian as well as hearing the “stories of survival” will help her to adjust better.

Show her how to cook your favorite food, and be willing to try some of her favorite recipes but let her know in advance of things you will not eat under any conditions. Some of Russian delicacies may not be very appealing to American taste (for example, boiled tongue, or kidney and pickle soup, or beet salad, or herring, just to name a few). Eventually you will find food both of you like and enjoy, in the meanwhile make it an adventure.

Be patient and caring. Remember that she needs to learn so much and sometimes it will feel overwhelming for her. She should be sure that you support her in every step. Don’t speak diminutively of her country. During that period of adjustment she might be oversensitive even to jokes about that issue. Keep bringing her little signs of your love and devotion such as a little box of chocolates, flowers, champagne or her favorite wine. Be creative and thoughtful – sometimes the tiniest gift goes the longest way, and “tiny” does not necessarily means diamonds.