What we'll be doing in Russia

The trip is getting very close. The excitement at our house is nearly palpable. We've recently heard from the orphanage director about her plans for our time there. Here's a rundown:

-Help the kids with garden work
The kids raise their own vegetables and I think they're very proud of it. And it's so delicious and fresh. I'm sure I could learn a thing or two about how to raise a garden.

-Mushroom hunting
On our last trip, we had an unforgettable day at one of the nearby parks going after some mushrooms. But you have to be very, very quiet so you can sneak up on them. After gathering mushrooms we had a fantastic picnic. We're very excited to do this again. It's a great way to have fun and to connect with the kids.

-Visit Dolbiylova, the village
This is the place where we spent the day having a picnic (another one, yes), climbing rocks, hiking, and then having a second huge meal. They had to roll me back to the orphanage. But it was a lot of fun and our hosts were very gracious.

-Banya
Quite an experience. We've written a bit about this before. Suffice it to say it's certainly an interesting and culturally enriching way to bathe.

-Visit the schools and observe classes
We're very excited to see how they do school over there. Being a big supporter of education, I'm always interested in seeing this sort of thing. Visiting classes will also give us a chance to talk with the kids a little more about school and their education/career goals.

The director told us a little bit about what to expect from the kids and how to interact with them during less formal activity time.

-Older boys will like guitar, soccer, crafts in wood shop
-Older girls will like makeup, nails, etc
-Younger kids will like anything!

Needless to say, activities like this are a must. When you have a language barrier on top of emotional barriers, having something to do with the kids is a great way to connect and build a relationship.