* Contact: Hours, Phone #'s & Address/Directions
(This page was last updated on 22nd of June, 2008.)
Office Manager: Natasha Lisun
Interpreter/translator: Nastya Krasnoselskaya
Office address update, 27th of December, 2007: The landlord did a "bait and switch", raising the rent 60% after we had already moved in, as we had relied on someone's word on what our monthly rent would be. So, as a long-term solution, I am going to move the office to a small apartment that I have purchased that is only about a 10-minute walk from Deribasovskaya Street (de-ree-BA-saf-ska-ya, Дерибасовская). But, the apartment first needs to be renovated to accomodate office usage, which renovation will take at least 2 months to finish. So, in the mean time, beginning 30th of December, 2007, clients will be able to meet with Manager Natasha or Interpreter Nastya by first calling our mobile number +3.8067.484.33.05 and arranging a time and place in Odessa's center, such as at Captain Morgan, a popular restaurant/bar at a corner of Yekatereninskaya Street and Zhukovskava.
By: Ron Singerman, owner Odessa2 agency
E-mail: office@odessamarriageagency.com
Phone numbers (try the first mobile number +3.8067.484.33.05 before any other number) :
Mobile (You only begin a Ukrainian telephone number with +3 when calling from another country.)
- +380.674.843.305 or +380.674.898.100 (Mobile number for manager Natasha)
- +380.984.547.643 Only call between 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM (Ukrainian time), Monday through Saturday, not on Sunday. (Mobile number for interpreter Nastya)
- +380.674.848.393 The number for Vasiliy who is now available to assist our clients in
Odessa regarding apartment rentals and airport pickups.
- If necessary, you could speak or SMS text message to the agency's owner Ron Singerman, at his cell phone +1.310.384.5564 (17 June 2008 to 20 October 2008) or, if he be in
Odessa (check near bottom of the "About us and the owner" page), at his Ukrainian cell phone +380.97.58.97.194 (23 October 2008 to 18 January 2009). Please note that the time zone in Ukraine is 7 hours later than EST (Eastern Standard Time) and 10 hours later than PST (Pacific Standard Time).
[Note: Following each current street name, in parentheses, is a phonetic pronunciation, followed by its Russian spelling.
· The capitalized letters in the phonetic pronunciation indicate the only stressed syllable; for example, in "KOF," the stressed "O" is pronounced like the "o" in "boat"; otherwise, when not stressed, an "o" is pronounced like the "o" in "office."
· The phonetic "zh" (Ж) is pronounced like the "su" in "treasure."
· The phonetic "kh" (Х) is pronounced like the "ch" in Scottish "loch" or German "Bach"; for example, Kherson (Херсон) is pronounced "her-SON."
· The phonetic "ee" or "EE" (И) is pronounced like the "e" in "be."
· The phonetic "oo" (У) is pronounced like the "oo" in "cool.
· The phonetic "ts" (Ц) is pronounced like the "ts" in "beets."
· The phonetic "r" (Р) is always trilled.]
Selected information about Odessa's center:
(The dominant language in Odessa is Russian, so the below street names, transliterations and foreign language are in Russian, but most street signs in Odessa's center are in Ukrainian, which are generally similar to their Russian names.)
Meetings often take place on Deribasovskaya Street (de-ree-BA-saf-ska-ya, Дерибасовская). Deribasovskaya is Odessa's most famous street, which generally only allows foot traffic and horses, on about a 512-yard (468-meter) stretch between Yekaterininskaya Street (ye-ka-te-REE-nen-ska-ya, Екатерининская) (an east-side street, beyond which, further east, vehicles are allowed) and Preobrajenskaya Street (pre-ob-ra-ZHEN-ska-ya, Преображенская) [its former name was "Sovietskaya Army" and is often still called by this old name] (its west end).
From the west end of Deribasovskaya, across Preobrajenskaya, you should see a park with a large, beautiful church. You can cross the street to the side with the park, but be careful as there is no stop-light and drivers are only inclined to stop for children, so the best way is to use the underground passageway (its renovation was completed in the first half of 2008) or walk to the stop-light 2 blocks south, which is to your left when facing the church.
Tip: If not sure of the time, the church rings the number of hours (1 to 12 rings) on the hour, 24 hours a day, and 1 ring on the half-hour. And, unless you be a very sound sleeper and/or really enjoy church bells, I would not recommend renting an apartment across the street from this church.
Tip: If you need to buy flowers, on the park-side of Preobrajenskaya street, across the street from the church, by the stop-light corner, you should see a glass-facade building that has many flower stands inside--as of November, 2007, beautiful, long-stem roses cost about 20 to 25 Grivna (about $4 to $5) each--but only buy an odd number of flowers (1 or 3 or 5, etc.), as even numbers are only given at funerals!
Tip: Intersections often do not have street signs, but buildings at corners generally have the street name shown on their walls along with a building number.
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