I normally associate the song Hot, Hot, Hot with crowded sandy beaches (can’t say I like them too much) and hopping night clubs (I used to like them a lot). But in this instance, it’s Hot, Hot, Hot in mid-Summer Belarus.
If you had read about our last visit (www.rineanna.com) you would have seen us in the opposite environment. January in Belarus brought us down to -19°C – oh how I wish I had at least 10°C in that direction today. It reached mid-30s during the week and the good news is that it will be down to a cool 25 on Wednesday next. Until then, we’ll have to suffer on (why has air conditioning not reached Gorodishche yet!).
The upside (and there always is one) is that we have had to go to the local shop and buy boxes of ice creams to be distributed – and by boxes, I mean boxes! “Can I have 50 of them and fifty of them, and . . . “ I hear Joanne saying to the lady in the shop who thinks the Irish are cracked – I take that compliment with pride.
Another benefit of the fine weather is that we get to go to the local lake with more than 30 of our friends from the orphanage. A quick trip to the shop to buy 4kg of meat, 2kg of cheese, enough bread to feed a small army, and plenty of goodies – another chance for the shop to confirm the madness that comes with Irish visits.
I had heard about trips to the lake, and I had assumed that it was closer than it turned out to be. We walked, 2 abreast, down the road then up the road then over the road until we arrived at “the lake” (it’s actually a river with what feels like sand as its base – what did I say about crowded sandy beaches before!). There are lovely, shaded areas where games ensue and water pistols (a bag full of them) are loaded and reloaded with squeals of (we say) joy as everyone gets involved in the fun.
And then for the picnic, the distribution of the meat, cheese, and bread (no fear of a “loaves and fishes” shortage here). It’s generally accepted that I am the best chef – I’ve cut the tomatoes and placed them on the bread (the fact that Joanne spent ages chopping and packing the food for today is lost on those that see Don as the winner 😉).
There are all levels of Ability here in the orphanage, and many have specific roles that keep the place in order and running smoothly. There was a time when young children were sent to such establishments to be sent out of the way and to contribute little (if anything). But not so today.
There are quite a few new faces here, most are on short-term respite visits (although we know that some of these end up as permanent stays). We meet a young boy called Sava, he only arrived this week and he chooses to stay on his own. The Mama/Psychiatrist that is on duty today has noticed something very special about Sava and we are brought to observe.
Sava has brought two toys with him to the orphanage – a bop-it (you remember the game) and a writing board that has a magnetic pen that allows you to write and then clear the board. He taps out rhythmically on the bop-it (we see if we can note a pattern) before he takes his pen and starts writing on the board. Irina explains that he is writing down, in beautiful handwriting, the names of movies with their producers and the year they were made. But as he writes, he starts at the bottom and each new line is added above the last one. Between each line of writing, he takes to the bop-it again. Amazing ability and skill and his writing is very special.
Once we have observed him for a few minutes, he gestures to my phone. I hand it to him, and he immediately turns on the camera, switches it to the front-facing lens, and starts to make a video of himself and those that are gathered around him.
We subsequently hear that Sava had been on respite here last year too. During that time, he “played” in a similar manner, but all his writing was in English. An intriguing young boy is an understatement in this case!
If I am to make the breakout of the IT world and into my new career, I will need to retrain. I would say that I’ve developed a lot of skills and experience that are transferrable across most jobs, but there are things that I will have to learn in the coming 12 months that will set me up for success in my new world. Enter “Understanding Autism”.
In the early mornings (usually at 6:30 am) and more “panic hours” as the course completion date comes closer, I have been training online with The Institute of Child Education and Psychology (ICEP europe). Terminology and subject matter that is all new to me, I know more about ABA’a, AAC’s, and PECS than I ever dreamed I would (and I now realise that every subject has its own set of acronyms to be learned!).
I completed my final assignment (with a day to spare) and can now say that I am less thick (in time this will turn to more learned) about ASD than I was when I started the #importanterstuff journey. I see a natural overlap between my IT world and AAC (you’re going to have to look that up!) and I think I might look at that as my next subject.
Rosie Byrne (known here as Mama Rosa) nailed it in a comment on my last blog posting. Without me realising it, the group previously known as The Spice Girls have been infiltrated by a young man and have now become . . . The Derry Girls!
Sergei (he calls himself Seryozha – it’s a Pat/Paddy thing) quietly joins the girls, Joanne, and me when we drop by in the evenings to catch up on the day. He’s a handsome young man and he is best described as a “bum walker”, he gets from place to place (when he’s not in his wheelchair) by using his good hand and his backside. There are times when you have to check if he’s still in the group, he enjoys the company but does not impose himself in any way whatsoever.
With the rugby world cup just 2 weeks away, it’s not good news on the injury front in The Derry Girls’ room. Alla has taken a fall and will be out for the rest of the season with a dislocated shoulder and Ruslana has been in hospital with a kidney problem. All joking aside, Alla – the mother of the girls (she’s 52) – is recovering well and I see her in the sick bay where Roma is looking after her proudly.
Although it’s very hot (did I tell you that already!), some of the groups get to go out to the verandas that are all about the place. These give shelter and allow the groups to get some fresh air. On one of the afternoons, I bring the guitar so that we can have a bit of craic.
I’m getting Galia to mimic me; she stands just feet away doing her oooohs and aaaahs in time with me. As we are in the middle of the one they all know – Oh Ya Ya (Spancil Hill) – I hadn’t noticed that Vika had “crept” up on me and is now on one knee, apparently proposing to me. As I sing the rapturous chorus “Oh Ya Ya” it suddenly dawns on me – I may have accepted!
What am I to do, she is likely to be more high-maintenance than my current wife 😊
As we visit different rooms over the course of the week, it appears that Vika is in every one of them . . . and she’s proposing again.
Irina comes up with a super plan for the week (although this will continue for a few weeks I expect). What about getting groups/individuals in Gorodishche to write a letter to someone back in Ireland, someone they remember from a previous visit? They could write to tell them how they are getting on and how life has been since they last visited them in the orphanage. And then on the other side, what about getting volunteers (and others) in Ireland to write to groups/individuals in Gorodishche.
Challenge accepted we take on the task of translating, writing (and most importantly – colouring) letters that Joanne and I will post when we get back to Ireland. And Rutha has reached out to the volunteers to get them writing too – the letters will be sent to Rutha and then on to me where I will print them in Minsk and deliver them when we come back to Gorodishche in September. The excitement is palpable – I’ve even managed to contact a volunteer that is thrilled to be able to make “direct” contact with a young lady that describes him as “Pappa John” here.
As you are reading this, maybe you might consider writing a letter. Many of you will be familiar with individuals and groups from stories that have been brought home by volunteers over the years. Or maybe you just want to say hello to everyone here – they would be thrilled with any outside contact. If you’re tempted, send your letter (and maybe even a photo) to BCPsocial@hotmail.com (I’m hoping Rutha will be cursing me as the deluge begins!).
Any excuse for a party I say! And in Gorodishche, every day is an excuse for a party. But there are special occasions when the party takes on a whole new importance. Since we arrived, we’ve managed to have five birthday parties here in the orphanage, and there’s a formula to be followed to ensure everyone gets that “special birthday feeling”.
It starts with buying sweets, crisps, fizzy, a cake, and then some more – the shops in Gorodishche (we shop deliberately in all four of them) are thrilled that the Irish are back in town, and so soon after the visit of Rosa, Rutha, and Laura (whoever named Laura did a great job – no need to add an A onto the name when she comes to Belarus!).
Then there’s the birthday hat and the birthday wishes, these are Belarusian traditions (we’ve stopped pulling the ears as this was getting out of hand!). The hat is worn with pride as partygoers offer wishes to the birthday boy/girl, everything from health to wealth to simply just being good.
We had birthdays for Vanya (including a call home to his Irish Mama – Tisha was delighted to get a video call from the party boy), Evanya (he’s one of three brothers in one of the groups), Nastia – she loves a good party, Yulia (her wishes from the girls for her to “be nice” are well founded!), and Natasha (who’s only request for presents comes in the form of a bag of sunflower seeds).
We came to Belarus with a rough idea of where we would be, and when. There were a few things that might have materialised, but these are still unknown. Rather than leaving it to the gods, we’ve set a calendar for the full stay that will see us between Gorodishche, Minsk, and Chervin until our return in late September.
It will be Gorodishche until the end of August – 31st to be precise. That will be four weeks of sleeping in single hospital beds with all the “comforts” that the place has to offer – and all of the food we can eat provided for by the mamas, cleaning crew, and Irina.
We then go back to Minsk for a weekend before heading to Chervin – which we visited when we were in Minsk for the first week of the trip. Chervin is an orphanage similar to Gorodishche, children and young adults. It will see us meeting lots of new faces, but I guess we’ll meet some of the same characters that are here.
We will take some downtime in Minsk after that, all work and no play . . . . It’s our anniversary in mid-September and we might get out to have something nice to eat. We will stay in Dom Zara during our time in Minsk, far enough away from the city and yet close enough too.
Back to Gorodishche then, with the letters project onboard, for one more week of fun and games.
When you live in the orphanage 24/7, it’s hard to know when “work” starts and ends. We have regular callers to the Irish Kitchen from early and we can be found playing cards or going to a disco with the boys in their room, retiring back to base at 8 pm (or later). Irina and a couple of the teachers are at us to get out and visit a few places while we are here – it almost feels like they are working for the equivalent of Fáilte Ireland!
On one of the warmer days, we head to nearby Litovka with Lena, Anya, and Irina. It’s described as a “fantasy-style estate”, close to a small lake. It is pretty weird, to say the least. More like a fantasy-horror estate, each building depicting evil and insanity in a very real way. We hear that Irina has nightmares that night – no surprise.
From there we head to Sviciaz Lake, closer to Gorodishche, a really popular location when the weather is like it is today. We struggle to find a parking spot and then fight with visitors and wasps to find a place for the ubiquitous picnic. I dip my toes in the water – apparently, the water holds some very powerful healing properties – before heading back to swat wasps and “enjoy” some very rare (and fat) lumps of beef (I did say I would try anything – I’m regretting that now!).
They say you should keep the best till last, so … We went on a yoghurt delivery to one of the groups – oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that we also bought crates of yoghurt! Yoghurt is another of those Irish delicacies that is delivered to everyone in Gorodishche, it’s a great nutritional treat and looks very different to all the food that I see served most days here.
This group needs to be spoon-fed, there are not that many that feed themselves, and you can imagine the mess that 30 yoghurts can make in a group of young children. In the middle of the group was a tiny – doll-like – young girl that I would learn was called Svieta. She was dressed in pink and was as close as you could get to a little Barbie (that’s actually true but I’m also hoping that by using that name there will be flocks of people finding my blog with that search term).
Svieta is one of those that are in here for respite care, she’s the quietest in the group and doesn’t interact with others. She keeps her head to the floor at all times, avoiding eye contact at all costs. I can’t but be smitten. It’s another one of those Magic Moments.
I squat on the floor looking to see if she will look at me, and yes, I get a direct look, followed by a big smile, capped off with two big hugs. It’s a wow moment. There was a young lady, now gone from the orphanage, that had a similar impact on me some years ago (that was “mya Masha” Lisa Gallagher – not “your Masha”!).
Joanne’s Reflection/Poem Of The Week
Week three has revealed itself to us and injected many emotions through my veins. Throughout the week I have found myself repeating the word “Hope” for many different reasons. Hence bringing life to my poem “Hope” xx (p.s. painting is from a mural in orphanage 🙏🏼)
A Random Selection Of Week 3 Photos
Importanter Stuff 
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