at the end of the road.....

Sitting in Kiev drinking tea, realizing I have four days left on this trip. I truly meant to blog more, but sometimes at the end of the day I was too tired to even keep my eyes open, let alone be coherent. Oh well.
Three countries, 19 foster care families, numerous orphanages, and way too many meetings to remember, we are almost finished!
So many people ask me WHY do I do this? I have been thinking about it over the last few days, while asking myself the same question (fatigue sets in, it is normal). Is it because I feel a social and spiritual responsibility? Absolutely.  Is it because I want to help others in need have a chance at a better life? Sure. Do I love to travel? YES!!!! BUT it is also something a bit selfish. It is a secret I would like to share with you. I like the way it makes me feel. I like the way that I get this big rush of peace when I connect with a child, or a young mother, and I share a moment because we have both been in that same place.....she knows that I get it, and that I get her.......and then she also gets me, and through that connection we end up helping each other in some strange way. I get as much back as I am giving. It is a reciprocal interaction. There is nothing else like it, seriously.

Last night we went to an Irish pub here in Kiev, and then I let my partners in crime drag me to a disco.
Let's just say the Pub was great, and the other two had a great time dancing:) I really do not like dance music. ever. period.

Kiev is amazing, spring is not quite here but that is okay......today I have a day off! I am going to The National Art Museum, and then just wander around ALL day!
 Carpe Diem!

aahhh belarus!

Good bye Belarus, it has been fast and furious, up until the end, where I was so happy to hang out in Minsk! Great City!! Lovely cafes!
17 inspiring families, four different regions, so many great kids and I really feel like I got a taste this time (quite literally).
Lots of home cooking, and LOTS OF CHAI (tea)......did I say LOTS? Have had an amazing experience and wish I could have blogged more, but the internet connections here do not lean towards blogging.....they cut out so often you end up losing it all, repeatedly, so I am rushing this one out:) fingers crossed.
Thanks to the lady who beat the hell out of me during my belo-rus massage,  I guess I deserved it) and thanks to the little ladies on my floor who shared tea with me every nite in Minsk:) We had no idea what we were saying to each other, but it was a blast.
Last but not least, today while walking back to the hotel all the traffic was halted for four full blocks, including foot traffic, by the national police. I  kept wondering what the heck was going on, and then a motorcade turned right in front of me, all tinted SUV's and the like, you know with flags on the cars, and  the man next to me said" The President".....kind of felt like Forest Gump....
Off to Russia!!!!

on the road again....

Well, been here in Belarus for six days, and have covered quite a bit! Lots of driving..... We have visited ten families so far, and I am so amazed by all of them. These parents have opened up their homes to as many as twelve kids who were abandoned, all ages.....so impressive.. Alot of sacrifice, but none of them complain in the least, and they all say that they are getting more from it than they give. They all LOVE kids, and it is so obviously clear that these foster families work! These kids feel safe and loved for the first time in their lives.......I could go on and on, but I think the pics speak for themselves! Enjoy!!!! My internet connection could go at any moment.....so that is all for now:0)

just a little info

So, as you know I will be leaving for Eastern Europe in about two weeks.
Wanted to give a bit of background on who I am working with, and what we will be doing....
First I will be going to Belarus with my partner in crime, Kathy Ryan (aka Kat) throughout Belarus with Chernobyl Children International.
http://www.chernobyl-international.com
 I first hooked up with them with last year for a charity initiative, and traveled to Belarus to see first hand the amazing work they are doing. CCI is committed to offering programs that offer families alternatives to institutionalizing their children and allow these children to be raised in loving homes of their own. We will be going to these "homes of hope", meeting with the families and documenting the stories of these children for the first time. These stories are so important, not just for their historical significance, but also for the encouragement  and inspiration they give to others to invest in this life changing program. I have to say that the work they are doing is worthwhile and absolutely necessary, and it has taught me so much about the devastation that the Chernobyl accident has caused in Belarus. It is ongoing, and the repercussions will be there for many years to come.

After Belarus I will be traveling to Russia to hook up with my second partners in crime, Julie Clark and Amy Buchman with Doma International.
http://www.domaconnection.org/
Doma International works with vulnerable women and children in Ethiopia, Uganda, Russia, and now Ukraine! We are going to Russia to hopefully open a new region to Doma programs, and also to connect with young orphan moms in the Kostroma region.
These are young girls who have taken on the role of motherhood completely on their own. Most of them are orphans themselves. Doma would like to break the cycle of orphans before it starts, and give them loving support, social services, parenting skills, and hope.

In Ukraine we will be meeting with an orphanage that would like to house a new Young Mothers program. We will be setting the foundation for opening a place for young orphan moms to live with their babies while they get on their feet, offering an alternative to placing them in the orphanage system. They will have the support of a social worker, and have guidance that is all too lacking. This will be our first project in Ukraine, and so many meetings have to take place. We hope to have the program up and running by June:)
I am very honored to be working with Doma, and the work we are doing is so rewarding on so many levels........very excited about the direction we are going!
So, there you have it......three countries, so many opportunities, and  I hope you will follow and see what lies before us in the next month.

planning

Putting a trip together is always a headache and a thrill at the same time. Non-profit trips are different than regular trips, and it seems there are always ambiguous circumstances that come crawling out of nowhere to push you off course. This always happens just when you think you have things under control.
Being that I am usually going to a destination that requires a visa, the mind numbing bureaucracy that has to take place to get said visa is almost enough to forgo the whole thing and go to the Bahamas instead! I also just renewed my passport, and I must say the new US passport is quite spiffy, and also quite costly. This renewal cost me 180 bucks!

During this blog I will be posting about my trip to Belarus with Children's Chernobyl Project International, and to Russia and Ukraine with Doma International.
I will be gone for about thirty days, and hope to document all that ensues. Some of it may make you laugh, and some of it may break your heart. I think both of these things are good....