Dejavu, thanks for your encouragement! I want to believe all that although I'm not so convinced about the young part. :-)
Ginger, yes, I live in the US and he lives in Europe. Not just any place in Europe though. I don't want to be too specific on a public site but he lives in the city and country where I've been going for several decades and where I plan to spend more time in the future. So, it was a bit strategic when he and I connected since I already know the culture and language. I would categorize our communications as friendly just like here on this forum until we re-connected a few weeks ago and started trading pictures. I think I'll still contact him to meet up. If he still doesn't respond then it's no big loss. That's funny about the catfish attempt you experienced! Having worked with people from developing countries for most of my career I know how these things happen. The people who do these things have no patience, have no shame in asking for stuff even though in their own cultures they'd never do that, and they are quite professional because they probably all train each other on their techniques. It's good you didn't fall for it! I fell for the worst scam of all - my husband. We met in person the old fashioned way overseas and we've been married for 10 years but it may have been one long elaborate scam especially since the timing of his departure coincided with him finishing his residency and starting as a paid physician and his whole family safely settled here.
Ovrrnbw, I know nothing of what my husband told the other woman but it must have been convincing since they live together. I'm sure she feels pretty good knowing she's 14 years younger than me. I'll look for R2C's thread. There's also no such thing as a typical American! :-) It's good to know there's a guy out there such as yourself who's not into the games and lingo. I'm not even sure if online dating existed back when I was last single and it was disappointing to see what's out there when I checked. You're definitely better off meeting women in person if you have the confidence to approach them.
AnotherStander, great advice!!! I love the story about the 'Australian' woman. She's a multi-scammer looking for husbands and surrogate deals at once. Too bad people in this world are so desperate. It's a good story for you to tell! I believe what women told you about their online dating experiences. That's kind of why I took a look and realized I could rule out 99% of profiles almost immediately. I met the one guy that looked decent and I don't regret trying it. I was able to verify his place of employment, his real name, etc.. prior to meeting. If I ever try again I'll be really careful. It's also good advice about meeting someone first even if it's long distance. That makes sense to me. The guy I describe above who lives overseas wasn't meant to be a dating prospect but the texting kind of evolved in that direction. I'm not looking for a relationship given my current situation but I want to learn how this world of online dating and texting works since I wish to meet someone someday. I'll just keep being alone for now. I'd rather be alone than with the wrong person but being with the RIGHT person beats being alone!
