Yesterday was Valentine's Day in the US and to a lesser degree in Colombia. Although Valentine's Day is not a traditional Colombian Holiday, this day is becoming more and more known and accepted within Colombian culture. And my **guess** would be that Colombian women are behind this surge in popularity in addition to the floral industry in Colombia. =)
I normally get my US news from internet sources since i live in Colombia. I ran across a CNN video entitled "Online Matchmaking Warning" which focused on the online matchmaking phenomenon and some of its dangers. Yes, i did mention "dangers".
Much to its discredit, the video only pointed out a few common sense tips, and only 1 real warning which people should be reminded of as it relates to international marriage agencies. First, you must be very clear in what your goal is. If you are truly interested in marriage, then a marriage agency is appropriate for you. If you are looking for prostitutes and physical encounters only, then you should be perusing through those types of websites.
Secondly, and equally as important, the principle of Truth in Advertising also applies to international marriage agencies. Although the internet can be very anonymous in nature, eventually two people will have to meet in person if their common goal is marriage. If a person sends a photo of themselves from 20 years ago when they were in the prime physical shape of their lives, and they no longer resemble that younger person physically, then this is not being truthful. Same applies to the manner in which you describe yourself through emails and phone conversations to the other person. For example, do not tell them you are 10 years younger than your actual age, fit and trim with lots of hair when in fact you are 10 years older than you claim to be, not-so-fit and not-so-trim and are completely bald. Colombian women place more value on the interior qualities of a man, like honesty, over the physical qualities. Now some will not agree with that statement, but please note that I wrote “place more value” on the interior qualities. This is not to say that if you look like Frankenstein or the Elephant Man but have a great personality, you will have hundreds of Colombian women fighting over you. The truth about each of you will be eventually revealed when and if you meet in person. Don’t let your first meeting with her crash and burn due to earlier “white lies”.
Thirdly, one of the dangers involved in online matchmaking also is tied into the anonymous nature of the internet. It is fairly obvious and really a common sense issue, but every year thousand of well-intentioned men fall prey to it. Until you actually meet a person in a face to face environment, do NOT automatically assume they are who they claim to be. That beautiful young “hottie” who claims to be sooooo in love with you after a week or two, probably is “none of the above”. Chances are, you are actually talking to some dishonest, bad-intentioned male who knows what you are looking for and is more than willing to be just that person in the hopes he can somehow financially gain from having an internet relationship with you. This is directly related to the next red flag or warning.
The next red flag or warning is this: DON’T SEND MONEY TO ANY POTENTIAL SPOUSE UNTIL YOU HAVE MET HER IN PERSON, AND HAVE CONFIRMED SHE IS EVERYTHING SHE HAS CLAIMED TO BE. This includes her request to have you help pay for her sick grandmother, for some cosmetic surgery she desires, or for clothes for her kids. These are all very common ploys to steal your money. If you have any doubts about a specific person and would like my advice, you can email me here.
Take a look at the CNN video and let me know what your thoughts are on the subject. Post your own advice and/or warnings which you have learned as it relates to international marriage agencies. And if you need assistance in your online search for the woman of your dreams, please look here! I look forward to your blog entries!
Michael
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