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.