Last Day in Moscow & Beginning of Week 2

My last day in Moscow began with Skyping with K and talking on the phone with Mom (gotta take advantage of the free WiFi!). After breakfast the group took the metro back to Red Square where we split up for 2 hours for each to do their own thing. I went with a few kids to the "largest underground mall" to get Sabarro (once again) and then went on the hunt for a USB cord. One of the majors of the ROTC group came with me so I wouldn't be wandering around the Russian mall by myself and (yay!) I found a card reader that lets me put pictures on my computer!! So in the next post you'll see a bunch of pictures I've taken since I've been here!!! The rest of my 2 hours was spent wandering around the souvenir stands again, walking through Red Square (you could walk all the way through it today) and through GUM - just to get in a little AC. The thing I've learned in Russia is that not many places have AC… apparently they don't really need it but for whatever reason, I seem to be here in the middle of a heat wave! As I understand it, 90 degrees is not usual in the summer in Russia :)

The group made it's way back to the hotel to grab the luggage and back on the metro to the train station for the 4:35pm train to Yaroslavl. As we arrived at the train station at 3:30, the hour was spent sitting in the sun, sweating profusely. Once the track number was listed, we all ran to the train, hoping to get out of the heat and into air conditioning. Nyet. After asking the train attendant (a train stewardess essentially) she informed me through whatever Russian words she was speaking and pointing at my ticket that my train car did not in fact have AC. To say the least it was a LONG, HOT 4 hour train ride back! I think I lost 5 lbs sitting on the train alone!

Didn't make it back to the home base in Yaroslavl until almost 9pm and then went into town with some kids to get McDonalds (I was more interested in the WiFi than a value meal) but alas, it was not working. I was feeling especially homesick for some reason that evening (not quite sure the cause) and not being able to call anyone back home just made it worse. Luckily, I was able to get my first real nights sleep on Sunday evening.

Monday, June 28: It's amazing what a good night's sleep can do to your attitude and outlook - Monday morning dawned bright and full of possibilities! Since porridge 5 days last week didn't go over too well with the ROTC group the cook made "eggs" for breakfast. I guess Russian eggs are a little different than American eggs… they were made in a casserole dish and were about and inch and a half thick. They were decent but not what you think of when you think "eggs". That morning my group and went to the Leninsky elderly center for their end of program party (because it's a State-funded program, seniors can only sign up for 3 week periods). They invited us to the party where we had a spread of tea, several varieties of cookies, candies and chocolates! Apparently desserts are really big in Russia and everything did look and taste very good but it was a little much for 10:30am :) In the afternoon my group and I went back to School # 45 where we finished plastering (with concrete) and began painting. It is shocking to see not only the dilapidated state of the school but also to be constantly reminded that they cannot afford any sort of decent product for the cafeteria remodel. I used water from the hose and old, dirty rags to "mop" the floor (with no disinfectant), the pieces of paint chips that we could not reach to sweep away will just be left (hopefully the kids won't eat them) and the paint I used honestly smelled like gasoline. It's easy to take simple things that are so accessible to us in America for advantage - I never experienced having my school fall apart or worrying about inhaling paint fumes or not having the floors and surfaces cleaned by a professional janitorial crew with Clorox. But the people who work there, and the children I've seen running around the school, don't complain about their situation. Sure they'd like to have the money to fix things up properly but they work within their limitations and they make the best of it. It's an admirable quality to see in people.

When the group returned from School #45 I decided to try and get into some of my regular routines again, so since I had an hour to kill I decided to go for a run for the first time in Russia. Taking my ipod full of songs put on there by K i ran across the bridge, down the street and to the McDonalds…. it's the only place I know how to get to, so I thought it best not to divert from my only known route. The rest of the night I spent some quality, relaxing time with my fellow volunteers - playing cards, looking at things online and watching 'Wedding Crashers' on someones laptop (there is a TV and DVD player here but apparently they cant play American DVDs - who knew they were different?!)

Tuesday, June 29: This morning my group and I returned to the Women's Hospital for the 3rd time. As we're the only all-female group, I believe that I will be returning to this placement at least twice a week for the remainder of my stay. The Women's Hospital is a unique place which I believe, deserves a dedicated posting - so look for that soon! We spend a few hours with the women, playing games like Uno, checkers, puzzles and Candy Land, making a craft and sometimes playing music and dancing! The placement this afternoon was a new one that I'd never been to before but was excited to go to. My group and I went to volunteer with the Leninsky Disabled group (which is actually in the same building as the Leninsky Elderly group). This is a group of about 10-15 disabled people, all in their 20's, who are able to come to the center once a week and participate in English lessons, hear guest speakers and play games and do crafts with CCS volunteers. After introductions we had an English lesson, where we prepared words for them to learn - this week it was household goods…. toaster, pot, pan, microwave, stove, etc. I was very surprised to find out that several of the individuals spoke very good English - they introduced themselves and gave a short speech about themselves in English and could answer questions in English as well. All of the people there were so kind and were very excited to have us there.

Tuesday night was one of the funnest times I've had in Russia so far. The homebase is very close to one of the rivers in Yaroslavl (can't remember which one) and pretty much all of the volunteers decided that we should go down to the riverbank and havea bonfire in one of the open pits that dot the shore. After stopping at Carousel (the "Walmart" of Yaroslavl) for a few snacks and beverages, we headed down towards the river. Thinking that it would be a short, easy walk, I wore leggings and flip flops - I was unprepared for the amount of dirt, mud, water and varieties of vegetation that I would have to trek through before we reached our destination! Also, thanks Dad for buying the bug spray! It was definitely a necessary purchase, since I was the ONLY person there (out of about 20) who had thought to bring any! Between dolling out my bug spray, hand sanitizer and tissues for girls who had to use the bathroom, I definitely felt like the "mom" of the group…. which is appropriate I guess since I'm about 3-5 years older than everyone else here. For about 2 hours we talked, one girl played the guitar and overall had a great time. Had to make the hazardous trek back around 10:15pm to make the 11pm curfew but it was all in all a great night - besides getting nearly eaten alive by misquotes and all of my clothing smelling like smoke, it was a success.

Wednesday, June 30: In my journal I number each new day…"Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, etc…." and it's amazing to me that this is my 11th day in Russia! The time really has gone by fast and to think that I only have about 5 more weeks to go is surprising. I already feel like I've been here forever, but I know that the rest of the time (now that I've gotten into the routine of my placements and making friends) will go by very quickly. The breakfast today was actually one that I really enjoyed…. regular oatmeal, dry cereal, yogurt (hopefully my stomach does ok with the dairy!) and an apple. Simple yet delicious. The placement this morning was a new one for my group and one that I really, REALLY hope we return to many times! (I've already told the person that does the scheduling that she should schedule my group to come back!). Around 9:30am we headed about 20 min away from the homebase, on the opposite side of Yaroslavl to the shelter for children. This is essentially a "holding place" for children - a place that they stay after they have been removed from their parents custody by the state, while the authorities decide what location is in the best interest of the child…. either returning to the parents (parental check-ups are performed by social services) or going on to an orphanage, in which case the parents completely lose their rights. The parents have anywhere from 6 months to 1 year to shape up, before the child's destination is decided; the parents are allowed to visit the children while they are at the shelter, however, unfortunately many of them do not.

I cannot imagine the emotional and psychological toll that these children go through- growing up in a dysfunctional household with parents that are (usually) alcoholics, leaving them alone for long periods of time, to being removed from that home (the only home you've ever known) and placed in a "house" with 15 or so other children, living there, playing there and then once they finally get used to that place - either being sent back to their parents or to an orphanage. I was imagining these kids to be depressed, sad and confused but it was it was the complete opposite when we arrived. We walked out into the playground where they were already playing and were welcomed by their smiles and hugs. We came equipped with a craft (egg crate bugs!), coloring books, barbies, toy cars, puzzles and all kinds of games - enough to keep everyone entertained for hours. While I do not speak Russian well at all (although I was able to understand when one child asked my name) it's amazing how far smiles and nodding your head can go. All the children really wanted was for us to play with them and I was more than happy to oblige. They were so happy playing on their old play ground (I was afraid the swing was going to break!), in their "sandbox" filled with dirt and with the used and slightly old toys we brought them… I remember growing up having tons of dolls and barbies and new toys all the time.. and here these children were, perfectly content with whatever little thing they could get their hand on. They're very inspiring.

It's also interesting to see that no matter where you go, how far you travel… kids will be kids! All they really want is to be loved and care for… and someone to play with them. They didn't care that I couldn't speak Russian - I would play barbies with them, let them style my hair and played 'house' in the sandbox. That's all they cared about. A few children in particular stood out to me - Aliana, Amalia, Vlatik and Larissa. Aliana is the oldest of the group at 10 years old and according to my translator, has not been there very long. I was coloring with her and a few other girls when she was showing me her English skills by saying the colors of the crayons and how old each of the children was. I was so surprised that at 10 years old and in a family that was not all together "happy" (as they call children from broken homes here) could speak English so well. Amelia started brushing my hair with a toy brush and all of the other girls followed in taking a turn and putting it up with my rubber band. Amalia had two of her siblings with her at the shelter and they had been taken away from their parents (alcoholics) and had been in the shelter for some time; their mother did not visit them but their father occasionally did. I do not know too much of Vlatik's background but he was an adorable little boy about 4 or 5 years old - he liked to look in the toy mirrors we brought (I don't think they have many mirrors in the shelter) and made the sandbox a house for him and I to have lunch in. Larissa was the other child who stole my heart - an adorable blonde haired little girl who liked to be spun around and pushed on the swing. Before we left, the translator told me and the others in my group that the people at the shelter informed her that today was Larissa's last day in the shelter; after a year living here, her parent's rights had been terminated and she was going to the orphanage on Thursday. While she would be eligible for adoption, Larissa is about 6 or 7 years old and the chances of her being adopted by a family are very slim. People prefer babies is what we were told.

The time at the shelter was completely eye-opening and I cannot wait to return. While it might seem like a small thing - coloring, playing with dolls and giving hugs - I do believe that I am doing something small (very small) to help these kids along their way. And if I make any kind of minuscule difference in a child's day, then this trip has been worth it.