Let’s imagine you’re in, say, Voronezh, Russia for two weeks. In your first few days there you went on several low-key, meet-n-greet kind of dates with local women who truly are interested in finding a foreign man. There’s one in particular you hit it off with, and you ask her out to dinner….and then spend the whole next day with her after that. Things are going great.

Too bad you have to leave in a few days.

If there really is a relationship there, then having to leave is such a tough thing. Be sure to convince her that you’ll be back…and soon. Talk it over with her while you’re still there, together. Choose a specific date that you’ll return. Buy the tickets soon, and send her your travel info. You might also plan to meet her elsewhere. Russian women can travel to Istanbul, for example, without needing a visa. Sharm-el-sheik is another popular, visa-free resort area for them. (And it’s be a fun trip for you, too.) But again, be sure to convince her you’ll be back, and soon. A few months, at most, if you can possibly manage it.

And while you’re apart, contact her everyday. Figure out how to call her cellphone, and how to send her text messages. And do so often. Make sure she has email, too, and Skype if possible. Before you leave, make sure you have her exact home mailing address, and then send her things. Not expensive gifts. No need to send jewelry (which will get stolen anyway.) A cool postcard. A T-shirt or mug with a photo of the two of you together. Things like that. Take pictures of yourself holding a sign saying, “Привет Любимая!” (Hello, my love!) or some such sentiment. Let her know you’re thinking about her. Continue learning Russian, and practice with her all the time.

And encourage her to learn English (or improve her English). This lets her know that a change may soon be coming. That is to say, it makes your future relationship more real for her. Hmm…I may one day marry this guy, she thinks. It’s probably a good idea to speak better English. (For an English course designed for Russians, click here.)

Takes pictures and short videos of your daily life. Show her your house, your neighborhood, your friends and family. Start each video with, “Previet Olga!” (or whatever her name is, of course), so she knows you made the video just for her. And remind her mow much you miss her…and how you’re counting the days til you return.