Mari's Buildings

Although we spend the majority of our time bonding with Misha, we do spend part of each visit with Mari. She lives on the third floor of the large building across from the main Administration/School Building. She shares a room with Christina, Marina (visited the US with a host family with Mari’s program), Ina (sick in bed our first few days and now at the Hospital), and Alina (also visited the US with a host family on same trip).

Her Caregivers/Teachers, Svetlana and Julia (one is on duty at all times), are responsible for Ѕ of a floor of her building. The kids are around the same age, and include boys and girls. This may not quite be a problem at this age, but apparently there is some bed hopping in the older kids. We would rather see the girls on one side of the wing or all on one floor and the boys on another. There is several couches and a TV, with DVD player, in one room and a large closet system in another room, the kids share a bathroom with three toilets (no seats) with a sink outside the restroom door for handwashing.

Next to the toilet room is a shower room with two large showers. When Mari saw that we were bringing Misha’s group shampoo, bath soap bars, and toothpaste, she asked “What about me?”. None of the kids in her area had any toiletries. Teeth are brushed with water, hands are washed with cold water (hot water is not available in town except for 8-10 am and 7-9 pm), and no shampoo. We are now toiletry fairies and leave the kids soap and toothpaste under their pillows (where they “hide” all of their personal things). The shower room floor was flooded and clothing was thrown into the water the first day I was there.

The hallway was a mess. Unknown to me, Svetlana was busy painting the room that had yet to receive the new closet system. Baseboards had been pulled out and wallpaper stripped. A broken dresser, without drawers, was at the end of the hallway. I though this was the normal state of existance. In one room, all of the suitcases from the kids who had been in the hosting programs over the summer were piled onto one side, about 8 feet deep – and they were still full. One smart boy, sitting on the floor in a foot deep of new clothes, was busy opening zippers to pillage the contents within the suitcases (looking for candy and other goodies). It sickened me to see this pile as I knew how hard I worked to wash and iron and make matching outfits for Mari for her return. I also packed presents for her teachers, school supplies, wall-mount pencil sharpeners (the metal ones, $15 a pop at Staples), and a bunch of toys for Misha’s group (which I have still not seen).

The first day, the Caregiver – who I had not me yet – accosted the little boy, Mari and myself and yelled at us for being in the room. She then locked the door behind us. We didn’t know what to think of the room of suitcases and the mess. As the week wore on, we saw the hallway slowly get cleaner and realized that Svetlana had been busy preparing the room across the hall for a new bunch of cupboards with doors (floor to ceiling) which have been installed. The “suitcase room” is now half-empty, the floor swept, and the remaining suitcases that have yet to be unpacked are stacked on the opposite wall. The room is kept locked unless Svetlana is working on it. We were very releaved to see that the clothing is being used for the children and that it was just an organization project!

Mari attends school, at the Internot, right on the grounds from 9 am until 12:30 pm. She then walks to the Cafeteria Building for lunch. After lunch the kids have a few hours of free time, then they may have a class (sewing was this afternoon), and homework time (everyone back in the classroom at 5:00 with Svetlana helping them with any questions). At 6:00, she is usually done with homework and at 7:00 is dinner time.

When in school, the outhouse is used outside. The only indoor restrooms are in the dorm buildings. Sorry about the graphic photo of one of the outhouse holes. The bench is 1 ft. off the ground, to accomadate the littlest ones probably, although I would never sit on the bench after realizing it probably hasn’t been dry since it was built. The contents of the outhouse are about a foot from the holes – about time to dig a new pit and move the outhouse! There is no toilet paper outside and after helping Misha, who pulled his undies up after doing a no. 2 (I had to stop him and have him bend over for me), I doubt that the larger kids worry about this. Mix this with a shower once a week, without soap, and I am so thankful that I was born a middle-class American!

Thank you for your comments! They are our only bright spot, besides the kids, and the farm animals that we encounter every day! Our Facilitator is not with us as families usually return for the 10 day wait. After he met with the Regional Inspector and the Director and the Notary, he left us early in the trip. After almost a week he returned for the preliminary court hearing and the court hearing, to leave again. We are here without a driver also, our choice as we would rather pay the local taxi daily then for the driver’s lodgings.

It is hard enough to communicate with the taxi driver on daily needs let alone sightseeing. I have been writing it out for clarity, that we want to be picked up and taken to the computer lab, where John works for a few hours, and then we shop for fruit (bananas, watermelon, grapes, or peaches), snack foods (cookies, crackers, chips, or cereal), milk or juice. We then carry everything about a mile to the Orphanage.

John is my pack mule and I always feel bad as he has his computer in his backpack on his back also. The taxi driver then picks us up at 6 pm every evening at the Orphanage Gates. Without Stefanie and Bill at the onset of the trip, we would be lost as to how to navigate in this community. We are now braver and just walk up to a building we are curious about and open the doors! So far, we have found a ballet class, a large auditorium, a store than sells yarn and embroidery floss, several 7-11 type stores, a store that sells womens clothes, and a hardware store.

Everyone looks at us and we are known as “the Americans”. We are even referred to as this at the Hotel – where we have lived for two weeks now and know each of them by name. We are strangers in a strange land, and viewed with suspicion rather than curiousity (remnants of the Cold War). Very few people return our smiles, although everyone returns our “Hello” in Ukrainian. A few of the very old babuskas, who are gardening or sitting by their gates, are the only ones who eye us with curiousity.

The younger generation thinks Americans are rich and have Ferraris – we were told this at dinner one night by one of the locals who was kind enough to try to talk to us in English. I know we keep our two parked in the garage. Mine is a very special Honda Odyssey Minivan/Ferrari that I just love! They must have us confused with the Italians (or the residents of Kyiv, where there are more Mercedes than in Stuttgardt where they are manufactured)! Not sure what they are watching on TV to give them this idea - other than music videos!

Lots of love from “The Americans”!