snegoritchka

It snowed today! We haven't had snow in ages. And, while I was excited to see some fat, fluffy flakes drifting down, I wouldn't have minded if they'd waited until tomorrow.

I woke up early after a day of washing clothes and stuffed animals and wrapping them. (This got me my wrapping fix for the year. I wasn't able to wrap my Christmas prezzies this year as they were traveling to the US via a friend's luggage.) I thought I'd dash to school for my camera, fill the car up with gas and then have a leisurely morning wrapping the animals that had been drying on the radiators overnight. WRONG! I got to the car and the alarm was going off. This is the same alarm that hasn't worked in months--since my last meeting with the MOE committee when I found my car's battery dead. Yep--dead battery today.

I walked to school, eventually got a jump sorted out and was on the way to pick up Valentina by 11:30 a.m. She, it turns out, actually works for a Lutheran missions group. She provides medicine, shampoo, diapers, etc. to several Leningrad region orphanages. She took me to one of "her" orphanages (Her proprietary manner made me erroneously assume she was a government employee.) to deliver toys and clothes our AASSP students had donated.

Our drive was made more exciting by the fact that my wipers didn't work. Snow, slush, trucks headed to and from Moscow and no wipers.

When we arrived, everything was quiet. The children were resting after school. (It was about 2:30). But, we needed help unloading the car. Five, grinning boys tumbled out of their room and scampered into shoes and coats. They were so excited to see Valentina! These boys were just about the most precious thing you've ever seen.

We were told that the girls were all sleeping, but they soon joined in the unloading. When the car was empty, I was taken from groupa to groupa. I heard a young music class sing and a school-aged class recite. The children were all given gifts, but didn't open them. The little ones (aged 1 1/2-4) did! They were fascinated by my camera and wanted to see themselves on the screen. When asked to recite a poem about Dyed Moros (Grandfather Frost--similar to Santa Claus) a four-year-old refused saying Dyed Moros wasn't there. Valentina told him I was just like Snegoritchka (the snow maiden--granddaughter and helper of Dyed Moros). He then recited happily. Two of the little boys in this groupa are in the process of being internationally adopted.

Impressions? Well, this was a small dyetsky dom. About 30 children live here. The staff were warm and flexible. No one seemed to mind interrupting their schedule to let me come in. They were kind and affectionate with the children. They were proud of them. I was a little surprised by all of this--and relieved. It was a really nice atmosphere. The children seemed generally happy, well-fed and healthy.

The shame is that this facility will soon be closed. A new dyetsky dom is being built and two current facilities will join together. There will be nearly 150 children. Some staff may go with the children, but many will not. I think it's a shame.

I was surprised at who I was most taken with. The school-aged boys really tugged at me today. Maybe that's because I let them, knowing they were not on my I-171H. But, they really were so cute--like a bushel basket of golden retriever puppies. There were many more boys in this home than girls.

Valentina told me that all of the school-aged girls had been "adopted" by Russian families and then returned. She said this is quite common. She said that Russians who adopt want a child who is perfect--a credit and a source of pride and bragging rights. She says Americans are concerned with the life of the child, but that Russians are not. She said that many orphanage directors do not want to adopt children into Russian families. Now, the directors have NO say over policy. But, I thought it was interesting to hear. It also made me wonder if perhaps this attitude has something to do with the age-old Russian attitude that people are expendable. Think of the tsars and their campaigns. They may not have had weapons, but they did have a seemingly inexhaustible supply of people. People were expendable. Is that same attitude what makes it possible to return a child you've adopted in a nation where it's impossible to return an incompatible computer keyboard? Things can't be returned here, but children can.

We gave a worker a ride back to the city. She makes 6000 roubles a month because she has advanced degrees. That's about $240. She said she stays there because she is provided with living accommodations. She shares a communal flat with, according to her description, an alcoholic who drinks the utility bill money. She is not planning on going to the new, bigger dvetsky dom. Workers without advanced degrees start at salaries of 2200 roubles--$90-- a month.

I was really smitten with the school-aged children. I couldn't help my mind racing ahead to the day when I'd quit my job, live in the dvetsky dom and teach those children. Never mind that I don't speak Russian and wouldn't make any money. Mentally, instantly, I was THERE.

I really do need to learn more Russian. Lessons are scheduled for three times a week after the hols.

In all, it was a good day. And, since I came with the snow (sneg) bearing gifts, it didn't seem like such a stretch to the little ones that I was Snegoritchka. I hope I brought a little bit of joy with me today, too.