Last Day in Zaporizhya

We loaded up our big duffel bag and headed back to Orphanage #3.  The youngest class was busy moving library books around, the older kids were doing their own thing in the computer lab, and the rest of the kids had just left for the movies.  Strike three.  We waited for Jessica, then went back to her apartment so we could leave our games/toys/candy with her to distribute to the orphans. 

Lamenting the fact that I’d been in Ukraine for several days and hadn’t yet seen varenike on a menu, Victor found a great restaurant that served varenike made in-house.  What an amazing meal we had there!  We had three different types of varenike: potato and mushroom, sweet cheese with sour cream, and sour cherry.  We shared several other dishes, too: potato pancake with ham, sweet cheese pancake with raisins, chicken pelmeni with sour cream and dill, and homemade sausage.  We all stuffed ourselves silly.  We’ve been eating really well this week, actually, and I can’t believe how inexpensive it is.  This lavish meal, in a beautifully decorated restaurant, was about $50 for six people, including tip.  

What do you do after such an eating extravaganza?  Head to a barbecue, of course!  Some missionaries from Canada were heading home in a few days, so some of the local churches and orphanages threw a going away party at the park.  Our new friends that we’d met at the coffeehouse yesterday were there, and I got to play the Mennonite Game a few times over.  I also had some great discussions with parents who were finishing up adoptions from another local orphanage.  It was time well spent.  After the long walk back to the apartment, we are now looking forward to Germany tomorrow.  We’ll drive to Donetsk and fly to Munich, where we’ll spend the night.  Home to Tulsa on Saturday.  We are ready to go home.

Missing the kids at Uglegorsk, though, especially Illya and Svyatik. ;)  

Zap Day 1 from Curt

What a difference a long car ride, a couple of days and a different city makes.  First of all, I am never complaining about the potholes back home anymore, and I must say I LOVE road construction.  There I said it.  When we were planning our drive from Enakievo to Zap, Viktor asked us if we wanted to just take one taxi to save some money (about $150 for the extra car).  We tried jamming the five us plus the driver into the Chinese or Eastern European made car (think size of a Honda Accord) with Viktor in the front and the four of jammed in the back.  We considered it for about 10 seconds and opted for the second car (hand of God in our decision making).  We take one taxi for a short ride to the orphanage, but for 4 ½ hours I would get way too claustrophobic.  Now, when I say ‘pothole’ it is a relative term.  They must have gigantic pots here in the former Soviet Union.  If you drove into some of these holes at highway speeds, you would lose an axle.  There is some new highways being built, but there are no interchanges.  When you are on a highway,  and you want to get onto another, you come to a stop sign and then turn right onto the next highway.  If you actually need to go the other way, you will drive down about ¼ mile and then take a U-turn (imagine doing this from 1 Interstate to another with cars coming at highway speed).  Some of the main roads weren’t too bad, but he secondary roads are the ones where Sasha’s immense driving skill came in rather handy.  There were a couple of stop for us to ‘water the bushes’ on the side of the road, and then we finally made it to Zap.

To save some dough, Viktor had called ahead to set us up in an apartment for the three nights.  The first one had only one bed and some couches and was pretty dirty, so we declined.  The second one was a 3 bedroom with two queen beds and a big couch in the 3^rd.  It was semi-clean and was only $55 bucks per night (440 grivnas per night).  We decided to take this instead of getting 2 rooms at the hotel for about 4 times as much.  The beds are passable, the linens sparse, but it is a warm bed, and we have no complaints.  When you see the buildings the vast majority of Ukrainians are living in here, there is no way you can be so arrogant as to complain about this apartment.  Viktor is a certified teacher and loves history.  He pointed out to us the buildings here.  They were all built in waves depending on the leader of the USSR at the time they were built.  The Kruschev buildings are all 5 stories.  They were built very cheaply for the workers.  Small rooms in dull green buildings that were meant to last from about 40 years until the golden age of Communism would take over and they would have better facilities.  They are still being used by people today.  The Breshnev buildings are 6-10 stories high, and actually have elevators.  Viktor says he lives in one in Kiev.  We are staying in a Gorbachev building.  Think early 80s design, brown brick and steel buildings a little taller with balconies hanging off the sides.  The doors are all solid steel with security systems.  These are not very cheery accommodations by our standards, but at least it is shelter, and we are grateful to have it.

We had dinner at a restaurant called the Politburo last night.  It is decorated up with the full regalia of the Soviet Union.  The food was good.  They even had a guy who looked like Stalin all dressed up in his military gear who came by our table in character and talked about how our kids looked like they would be great in the Soviet Youth party.  Got our picture taken with him.  As we were leaving, he hit up Viktor to have me give him 20 grivnas for taking the picture…….figures.

Today we went to the Zap #3 orphanage.  As in Jocelyn’s post, it is in much better shape than Uglegorsk.  However, there is still a great need for the orphans there.  Jocelyn’s post covers the day well.  We will be back tomorrow with better weather so we can get outside and play with the kids.  Will post some more pics tomorrow.

So Here We are, in Zaporizhya

Firstly, if you live in America, take a second to acknowledge our endless luxuries, comforts, access to education, health care, and other basic services.  Our system isn’t perfect, but we take these things for granted way too often.

Yesterday we hired two taxis to drive us from Enakievo to Zaporizhya.  Four and a half hours of dodging potholes and other vehicles at lightning speed.  With no seatbelts.  I had an entire back seat to myself, and found my heart rate would slow only when I’d lie down so I could not see what was going on.  I’m not looking forward to the drive back to Donetsk on Friday.  I must say though, those taxi drivers are very skilled.  It reminded me a bit of our harrowing taxi ride through Rome, only this lasted a LOT longer.  When I was sitting upright, I tried to distract myself from the dangers by studying the landscape, which looks a lot like central and eastern Kansas.  Lots of wheat fields!  I’m sure this is no coincidence, as my ancestors who moved from this region of Ukraine to Kansas were farmers.

Zaporizhya is much different from Enakievo.  It feels more sophisticated.  I’ve even spotted a few upscale department stores.  Lenin Avenue, which runs the length of the city, sports restaurants, cafes, shops, and parks for miles and miles.  It’s lined with trees and feels very European.  There is still a heavy industrial center here in Zaporizhya, but it seems evident that the standard of living is higher here than in far eastern Ukraine.  I understand that this holds true as you keep traveling west.  I’m looking forward to seeing Kiev on our next trip.  Victor tells us that in Kiev they are starting to use English signage for subways and areas of interest.  Kiev is supposedly chock full of interesting treasures, so I am very glad to hear it is becoming more accessible to international travelers.

So, once we got to Zaporizhya yesterday, we settled into an apartment.  I won’t go into detail, but it’s not the lap of luxury.  Still, it’s more than what most Ukrainians have, so we’re not complaining too loudly.  We’re not here to be pampered.  It is within walking distance of Lenin Avenue, so we can walk to the coffee shops and restaurants.

This morning we took a taxi to Internat/Orphanage #3.  Oh my, what a difference from Uglegorsk.  They are completely different worlds.  #3 is in a complex of much more modern buildings with a computer lab, gymnasium, an infirmary, and a beautiful auditorium.  This is not to say that #3 is without need, but the facility is much, much nicer than Uglegorsk.  They run a pretty tight ship at #3 as well.  It is very structured and we had limited access to many parts of the complex.   We spent quite a lot of time talking with the director, who is a very articulate and savvy woman.  It is clear that she is very good at soliciting donations from sponsors, both within Ukraine and internationally, and she has done a lot to improve the conditions there.  Good on her.  Her biggest concern right now is with what happens to the orphans when they graduate from the orphanage and go on to trade school.  The government gives them $5.50 a month to live on, and as most of these kids have no one else to lean on, they often turn to nefarious means to survive.  Simple donations of bed sheets or pots and pans can make a huge difference in their lives.  Equipment for physical therapy at the orphanage is also needed, as many of the children have scoliosis.  We are talking with Victor and Jessica (more on this awesome woman later) about how to organize an effort to donate some of these items in an efficient way.

We also spent quite a bit of time communicating with the orphanage doctor.  At Uglegorsk, we brought in whatever food items we wanted without question, but the doctor at #3 intensely scrutinized everything we brought.  She needed to see the expiration date for the peanut butter and wanted to know exactly when it was produced.  She tasted it, critiqued it, and gave her apprehensive approval if and only if the children were served a very thin layer.  (We were not allowed to touch the food, though—the kitchen staff took care of it for us.)  The doctor also examined the Jolly Ranchers, gum, and packaged juice very thoroughly before granting her approval.  I know it is her job to keep the kids safe, but it was a little amusing, given the completely different experience we’d had at Uglegorsk.

Okay, Jessica.  She is an amazing young missionary from New Hampshire.  She has volunteered at #3 as an English teacher for about three years.  She goes home to NH for the summers.  It was so neat to watch her with the teenaged girls at the orphanage.  They LOVE her.  They always want to hold her hand, touch her, or just be in her presence.  She is obviously very special to them.  The boys seem to like and respect her, too, but the girls NEED her.  Jessica is connected with a local church here in Zaporizhya that does some work at the orphanage, so we are thinking whatever monetary donation we can gather can go to this church, and they can purchase the most needed items for the orphanage and/or the new graduates.  Victor has a connection with a church in Enakievo that serves at Uglegorsk, so maybe we can make a donation to them as well.  There is a rumor that Uglegorsk may shut down in the next few years, so it may not be wise to invest in the facility, but the kids there desperately need shoes and clothes.

Our interactions with the orphans at #3 were much different than at Uglegorsk as well.  At Uglegorsk, we seemed to be a very welcomed sight for the kids.  We always had a crowd around us, kids hugging and loving on us.  At #3, we weren’t such a big deal.  There were a few kids who were curious and would strike up conversation, but they didn’t seem to have that desperate need for our attention.  We like to think that is a good thing for the orphans at #3, as they have more things to do.  They appear a lot healthier in general than the orphans at Uglegorsk.  We left #3 earlier than anticipated today because, basically, nobody wanted to play with us.  J  We will return tomorrow when the sun will be out so we can play outside with the balls we brought.  I am really glad we’ve had the opportunity to visit both orphanages, as they are so very different.  I do wish we could have spent more time at Uglegorsk, though.

There is a Starbucks-like chain around here called Coffee Life.  We visited one last night, and again this afternoon.  Free wifi, you know.  It also seems to be the gathering place for Americans.  We ended up spending a couple of hours chatting with an American missionary who works for a Mennonite Brethren church here in Zaporizhya (!!), his Ukrainian colleague who speaks English very well, and a man from California who is visiting friends in Zaporizhya—he happened to overhear us speaking in English so he came over and joined our party.  In such a foreign place, it is incredibly refreshing to connect with people from home.  It was also great to hear about the type of missionary work that is going on in Zaporizhya.  There is much focus on grooming the youth here—helping them break toxic cycles and become productive citizens. 

Now we are back at the apartment with Victor.  Have I mentioned how great Victor is?  He’s our guide, translator, adoption facilitator, and overall lifeline.  I can’t imagine doing any of this without him.  We are in good hands.    

Pics from Uglegorsk

We made it to a coffee shop with WiFi.  Downloading some pics now:

Here is Cassie with Losha who took quite a shine to her.

This is one of the classrooms used to teach arts and crafts.

The Dudes knocking out a puzzle

The crew

Svyatik

Illya

Cassie with Svyatik

Losha, Misha, Svyatik, Cassie and Dima

Viktor and the kids

Cool glasses and a little mischief

Illya and Svaytik with the Powells

Olya and Oksana on the right.  They are awesome young ladies

Someone loves Angry Birds

The front of Uglegorsk

I hope you enjoy these pictures.  More to follow.

Curt post on Uglegorsk

This was a very memorable day.  Pulling up to the orphanage, the first thing you notice is the decayed state of the buidlings, roads grounds etc.  However, when you take a closer look, you can see how hard the staff at the orphanage takes to make it as warm and hospitable as they can with the resources at their disposal.  The stucco and bricks are crumbling, the wooden floors are worn and cracked, and the light fixtures and plumbing are very old.  However, everything is very neatly kept.  The floors are painted to improve their appearance.  The walls are neatly painted with bright colors to make the rooms seem more cheerful.  There are paintings on the walls of the dining hall and in some of the hallways to make them more interesting to the children.

The children are out of school now for the Summer and are excited about heading to their Summer Camp tomorrow at 6:00 am.  We spent most of the day with the younger class.  All of the children in that class are under 12 years old, and they are all boys.  The girls that had been in this class have mostly all been adopted in the past year.  We started off the morning meeting the Director and Deputy Director of the facility as well as the Social Worker.  They were all very welcoming and very gracious in letting us spend the entire day with the children.  Two brothers, Ilya and Svyatik, were given the task of being our guides for the day.  They were very eager to do so.  They quickly grabbed us by the hand and led us to a room that serves as an auditorium of sorts for the orphanage.  We then got to meet all of the children in their class.  We started with introductions and then broke out some games we brought with us:  Uno (big time staple at the orphanage…..but you must play by the house rules), jigsaw puzzles and a matching game.  The boys went through the puzzle in short order.  Svyatik and Dima took the lead quickly putting together large sections on their own.

After some game playing, the kids were off to breakfast, and we were off for a tour of the facilities.   The classrooms are all very neat.  There were several focusing on various kinds of arts and crafts, and another room for all other studies, such as math, nature, history, language etc.  In addition to their classes, the children receive 3 hours a week of physical education and probably 20 plus hours per week learning ‘trades’.  The girls are taught how to sew, and the boys are how to do various tasks around the building.   All of the wallpaper in the rooms was hung by the children, and I must say it was nicely done (doubt I could have done as well).  It makes sense that so much of their education focuses on such skills, since orphans that graduate at the age of 16 are then sent to trade school to be plumbers, carpenters, tailors etc.

After breakfast, the crew returned for a little ‘party’ of apple juice and bananas, which we brought for the occasion.  Wanting to make the party unique, we brought a 5 pound tub of peanut butter all the way from Portales, New Mexico and served it on bread.  The Staff also was eager to try the best peanut butter in the world, so we scooped a large coffee mug full for them.   Needless to say, it was a huge hit.  Most of the children this age were smiling and eager to talk to us.  Some were more shy than others.  Our guides, Ilya and Svyatik, were certainly not shy.  They had no shortage of hugs for all of our family and very quickly took to calling Jocelyn and I Mama and Papi.  It quickly hits you how desperately these children long to belong, and feel they are part of a family.  Yet, despite their circumstances, I was impressed how much laughter and joy they seemed to have playing with each other.  We asked Ilya to write us a story in his language.  It was a short sentence or two, but it basically said “Svyatik and I are normal children and we live well”.  It is truly amazing how you see the fingerprints of God in the most unexpected places.

After our party, we headed outside for several hours.  We brought a couple of junior-sized footballs, a couple of basketballs and a soccer ball for the orphanage. These were quickly put into constant use.  The older children joined us in yard, and I threw the football with them constantly for a couple of hours (and my arm is no worse for the wear).  Jocelyn and the kids kicked soccer balls with the kids and were doing their best to answer their questions.  Some of the children were taking turns riding the two rickety bicycles and giving rides to smaller children on the back.  The weather was awesome, and the sound of all of the kids playing and laughing made the day perfect.

After our outdoor time, we spent more time with the children in the afternoon.  Tons of Uno.  We brought math books, and Ilya and Svatik spent a good hour just enjoying doing math problems.  We brought many pictures of our family and life back in Tulsa, and the children were very excited to see them.  Ilya and Svyatik especially loved taking control of the iPad.  They are truly hooked on Angry Birds at this point.  They finally realized that they can just use the Eagle to wipe out all of the pigs, so the finer points of that game were a little lost on them I fear.

At the end of the day, we had to sadly say good-bye.  We showered a little bubble-gum and jolly ranchers along with some more bananas on all of the children.  There were many hugs as we left.  It was hard to leave them all there, but they are excited for Camp tomorrow, so we know they will be having some fun.  Tomorrow, we head to Zaporyzha, on what will be a travel day.  Then it is two days at orphanage #3 in Zaporyzha, were we hope to repeat most of the events of today with some more children, and understand what the needs of the orphanage are as well.  I will try to add some pics of our adventures today, so enjoy.

We Made it!

Okay!  Here we are in Enakievo, Ukraine.  The flight over wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been.  All of our flights were on time, all of our bags arrived intact, and Victor was there waiting for us in the Donetsk airport.  We’re staying at the Kristal Hotel, which has been very comfortable.  

Today we spent the entire day at Uglegorsk Orphanage.  We brought some toothbrushes, toys, games, and fun food for the kids.  Firstly, my overall impressions:

 *These kids are so tiny.  My 12 old Cassie was as big as most of the 15 year olds.  They need proper food to develop: not just physically but emotionally!

*The staff at Uglegorsk, from what we saw, really works hard to make the facility as cheerful as possible.  I saw a fish tank, bird cage, and lots of plants and flowers. 

*They place a high value on art at Uglegorsk.  We visited several classrooms designated for cross-stitching, painting, macramé, drawing, etc.

*Despite the less-than-ideal circumstances, most of the kids we met were polite, sweet, cheerful, and curious about us. 

A few of these kids stole our hearts and made lasting impressions on us.  We saw very few girls at Uglegorsk, but we got to spend quite a bit of time with Oksana.  Oksana is such a lovely young lady with a quiet, gentle spirit.  I so hope her future will be brighter than her past.  It was fun to be around beautiful Ola as well.  And Dima.  Sigh.  How could you not love little Dima?  He would often sit beside me and chat away in Russian.  Of course I would have no idea what he was saying, but he seemed okay with it.  I would say something back to him in English, and he’d give me a big smile.  I loved our “conversations.”  Another sweet little boy, Losha, really took a shine to Cassie.  She spent a lot of time with him, teaching him some English.  He just soaked it up.  Our friends Ray and Cari Lance had told us about brothers Illya and Svyatik, and they were as sweet and charming as could be.  They seem very bright, responsible, and affectionate.  Such darlings—it was very hard to say goodbye to them.   

Tomorrow we pack up and drive to Zaporyzha.  We’ll stay in an apartment and visit another orphanage over the next few days. 

I took 79 pictures today and I treasure them all.  I’ll pick out a few favorites to post here, as soon as I figure out how to do so.