Our friends in Russia

Russia and its neighbors have been in the headlines a lot lately for all the turmoil happening in the region. From the train bombings in Moscow, terrorist attacks in Chechnya, the uprising in Kyrgystan, and the tragic plane crash in Poland... And the most recent story about the 7-year-old whose adoption was interupted by his mother, leading Russia to suspend U.S. adoptions of Russian childen. In the aftermath of all this difficult stuff, we want to let our Russian friends know that our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Simple Ways to Raise Money

Sarah and I have decided that it's time to clean out our house and get rid of stuff we don't need. Need is, of course, a relative term I realize, nevertheless...

It turns out that some of the things we've decided to jettison are actually of some value. So far, we've made around $585 and we're not finished. Not bad. The money we raise is going to help fund our trip to Sovietsk Orphanage this year. We got this idea a couple of years ago from my brother, Dan, who was working at the time as the development director for Children's HopeChest. The campaign was pretty effective and it didn't really cost people anything other than some stuff they forgot they owned.

If you're interested in supporting the work of Children's HopeChest at Sovietsk Orphanage, then I would encourage you to take a look at doing the same thing in your house. You might be surprised. Let us know if you're planning to join us and we'll let you know how to make a tax-deductible donation.

Keep Current!

We had a great meeting today brainstorming ways we can support the children of Sovietsk. It's been challenging to find funds for Russia during these economic times, with so much going on around the world. Over the next few months, we'll have some fun opportunities to chip in and make a big difference with a little effort. Please visit often to keep current! And, we started a group on Facebook, called Sovietsk Supporters. There are so many of you who don't know each other, we thought it could be fun to put all of our heads together. Please join and invite your friends! As always, we are thankful for each of you!

Above are our Russian friends who mean the world to our kids, and to us.

Happy Women's Day!

Happy Women's Day to all of you! International Women's Day is celebrated every year on the 8th of March. Its origins date to the early 20th century with the Socialist Party in the United States. Before long, the holiday spread across the world, especially to the countries of the Soviet Union.

Women's Day is still celebrated to this day, in Russia and elsewhere. The holiday in Russia looks something like a cross between Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. But the point of Women's Day is to celebrate the many important contributions of women.

Beyond Russia, Women's Day is commemorated by organizations such as CARE, The Red Cross, and the United Nations as an opportunity to raise awareness and to uphold the rights of women. The meaning of International Women's Day is summarized well by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon:

"Gender equality and women’s empowerment are fundamental to the global mission of the United Nations to achieve equal rights and dignity for all... But equality for women and girls is also an economic and social imperative. Until women and girls are liberated from poverty and injustice, all our goals -- peace, security, sustainable development -- stand in jeopardy."

I'm thankful for all of the strong, intelligent women in my life. I want to especially extend my gratitude to Galina, the director of Sovietsk Orphanage. She is an exceptional woman who works very hard to help make a better life for the kids at the orphanage.

Come Along

It's nearly time to plan our next trip. Will you join us?

Here is a beautiful slideshow, still in progress, showing last year's trip from beginning to end. Thanks to Jen, a good friend and fellow traveler, for her love and care in putting this together!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Alcoholism in Russia

Public Radio International's "The World" recently told the story of Alcoholism in Russia. Please follow the link and give it a listen; it's worth your time. This is something that, in one way or another, has an impact on the lives of our kids at Sovietsk.

Try Being in the Minority

I've devoted a lot of brain space over the past few years to historical issues of race and ethnicity. It is one thing to undertake this as an academic exercise, but it's something else altogether to actually experience it. My brief and benign experience as a minority was nevertheless an enlightening one.

As a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant being a minority isn't something that I do very often. In fact, the only time is when we travel to Russia. I'm an American and most people there are Russian. Obviously. It's a strange feeling to know that everyone on the metro is looking at you because you aren't like them. I dress kind of funny to them, I speak a different language, and I tend to make eye contact with strangers. This makes me different and it's a pretty vulnerable feeling.

But there is a perhaps more subtle minority group into which Sarah falls, if only just a little. She looks a little bit Gypsy. (Or, to be politically correct, Roma). There's a good chance that because of her prominent Bohemian ancestry and her dark, curly hair that she does indeed have some Roma blood in her. On our most recent trip one of the Russian ladies remarked to Sarah that she looked like a Gypsy--and upon further discussion, we realized we have never seen anyone else in Russia with Sarah's hair (aside from some beautiful Roma children). Apparently there are some stereotypes that go along with this: Roma are good at music and equally adept at stealing. We've been advised to watch out for them because you just never know. Sarah is good at music, but she's never stolen anything.

Many Roma have more pronounced ethnic features: dark skin, hair and eyes, and perhaps a distinctive style of dress. Being Roma in Eastern Europe certainly brings its share of challenges. It's interesting to me to travel halfway around the world and run into the same sorts of (unearned) stereotypes for racial minorities that we have here in the U.S.