This is a familiar topic on Bud’s Monday night calls (which you should always enjoy!). The instructions are on the AFA home page. Often guys are confused as to which country would be best for him. The most critical factor, of course, is how do you feel about the appearance of the 40,000 ladies you can easily view on the AFA site? Everyone has their own taste. As far as looks, there is a lot of diversity. They are all beautiful in their own way.

Ukrainian women benefit from the Slavic culture. They are often blond (but not always). Green or gray eyes are common. They tend to have graceful figures with long legs. Often they tend to be taller.

In Latin America you will find lovely olive complexions, dark hair and eyes and striking beauty. It varies a bit from Columbia to Peru to Costa Rica. A simple search will show you for yourself.

In the Philippines, it is similar to Latin America, but the ladies are usually shorter and slim. They all look like sisters, with long dark hair.

In China, the ladies are usually fair, almost porcelain. Of course they have dark hair and eyes. It is amazing how they hold their beauty as they age.

Now, I have only been to the Ukraine, so my comments of other countries are just from observation of profiles and videos. However, here are some ideas that may help.

AGE

We all know that each country will accept a man older than themselves, but there are differences.

In the Ukraine you will find that a difference of 10 -15 years is acceptable. On occasion, a lady may be willing to accept more, but not often.

I would say that the same holds true for Latin America, although they may be a bit more flexible.

In the Philippines, the ladies tend to be younger and expect to marry young. They will readily accept the right guy who may be 20 years older. However, if you are a younger man, this may be the place for you.

China is very interesting. I am always amazed at the large number of ladies in their forties, or even fifties that are single and may not have a child. They really hold their beauty as I mentioned. If you are older and their looks appeal to you, have at it.

CHILDREN

This is a very serious issue and you must have an opinion about it. Will you accept a single mom? Do you want to have children of your own with her? Do you already have children? This can be a blessing or a deal breaker, depending on how you and the lady feel about this. Here are some ideas.

In the Ukraine, women tend to have only one child because of economics. Single moms abound. They are very dutiful mothers. This is great since they will assume many of the duties of child rearing although you will be expected to support and participate in the parenting. One benefit is that once she is your wife and happy, it is very unlikely that she will leave, for the child’s sake. Understand that if a woman is of child bearing age and has no children – she wants one. This is only natural.

In Latin America, much of what I said above applies, but families may be a bit larger. If they are not mothers, they typically will want two or more children.

The Philippines is different in that the ladies tend to be younger and expect a larger family. As in Latin America, family is critical, so you can expect that they will want to keep in close contact with theirs and may desire visits or even relocation.

In China, the ladies are used to not having children at a later age, or maybe one. Government policies sometimes discourage procreation due to overpopulation. Boys are treasured while girls not so much, sad as it seems.

Just have a clear idea of what you want and how you feel. This will be a big part of the remainder of your life.

POPULATION

I posted a detailed breakdown by age in each country that may help, but here are the facts. The available ladies changes weekly as women sign up and some get married and delete their profiles. However, these were the stats as of May, 2012.

Ukraine – 12,454
Philippines – 11,129
Columbia – 4,572
China – 2,452
Peru – 2,196
Costa Rica – 1,062

Of course there are other locations such as Russia or Thailand, but romance tours are not currently scheduled, although travel can be arranged through AFA.

RELIGION

This is a very personal issue. Both you and lady may or may not have a serious opinion about this. You must reach a mutual understanding with her. However, here are some general observations for you.

Most of the ladies in the Ukraine are going to be Russian Orthodox, a form of Catholicism similar to Greek or Eastern Orthodox. She may or may not be serious about her faith.

Both Latin America and the Philippines are serious Roman Catholic countries. Girls are raised in this faith and are often quite serious about it. Because of this, divorce is frowned upon, or actually not available. This is good for you, of course.

China is a bit of an enigma. They frequently list themselves as “none/agnostic”, but Buddhism is common. Depending on your faith this may be fine or an issue.

LANGUAGE

Try not to be too concerned about this as it is so easily fixed. So many other factors cannot. However, here are the facts.

In the Ukraine, the majority of the ladies will speak Russian or Ukrainian or often both. They will learn English readily and you would be wise to learn a bit of Russian (it’s not easy).

A real advantage of the Philippines is that English is very common. Of course, they will also speak Bisaya or Tagalog. Don’t be concerned about this.

Spanish is, of course, universal in Latin America although you will encounter women that speak some English. The learning curve each way is not challenging.

In China, Chinese (probably Mandarin) is the norm, although you will often encounter women who speak English also. Learning Chinese is a real challenge.

Oh, realize that writing in Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet (not ours, the Roman). It has 33 unfamiliar letters. Of course everyone has seen Chinese which is a greater challenge.

CULTURE

You would do well to make yourself very familiar with these factors, once you have decided on a country that interests you. Buy a book, like the Lonely Planet series to help you. Also, many major metropolitan cities have concentrations of all these cultures. Simply go to a Ukrainian restaurant or club and enjoy. Oh, Latin dancing, Salsa and Meringue, is huge. You can really score points if you avail yourself of readily available lessons if you are so inclined.

Well, I clearly have not addressed everything, but I hope this helps. I repeat again that I have only been to the Ukraine, so the information on the other countries is by observation. If you have corrections or other opinions, please share.

As always, I wish you the best. Do yourself a favor and sign up for a tour as soon as you are able. You will never be sorry.