Highlights of Beslan/Russia 2018 Part 3 Finale

Such great smiles and laughs at the school.

Day 3 was our first day at the school this year. It felt like coming home. The kids squeal with laughter and giggles as we walk in. Several run to me calling "Cheep!Cheep!" and reach up for hugs. My favorite part of this trip is greeting the children at the school and collecting hugs! If your soul ever needs rejuvenating, just hug a child.

The kids love Freddy too.

After hugging and playing with the kids at the school, we headed to another local orphanage. The kids at this orphanage have serious neurological disorders, among other things. Nobody has ever visited them from outside the orphanage. I was happy and proud to be part of the first group to visit. I hope we can visit more in the future, and maybe the orphanage will allow other visitors now. These kids need love, hugs and fun just as much as any other kid, maybe more so?! For instance, Masha doesn't have an eye, but she has arms! So she can hug as well as any kid I have ever met.

Masha with Freddy

After the orphanage we went to the mountains to have dinner with our friends Zeta and Marat. Zeta used to be the minister of education. She was very instrumental in allowing Maria to continue her visits to the school, when some people wanted to stop her. God Bless Zeta and her husband Marat. They are true friends and have a beautiful dacha in the mountains.

Not a bad place to have dinner.

Day 4 was spent playing at the school some more. This is also the day we go on our ice cream excursion with Maria's class. I am fortunate enough to be invited every year! Not every clown gets to go :0)... This year we walked to the restaurant which allowed for more great bonding time. I love the walks with the kids, and of course enjoying ice cream with them. Yummy Marozhna!

Leading the kids to ice cream

It is a fancy restaurant, the kids love it!

Later we toured the museum and old school. Every year I hear new stories about the tragedy. It keeps me focused on continuing the visits with Maria. Maria bought a house in Beslan this past year. The teenagers and young adults from Russia stay there during our visit. We went there after school for dinner and social hour. It is a great time to hang with some of the older kids from the school who are allowed to come over and have dinner with us.

The older boys cook Schlaslik for us. My favorite!

 Day 5 is the concert. The kids perform for us and the their fellow classmates. Showing off skills, dances, or artwork they did during the week. Plus the older kids do some local traditional dances for us. It is always great fun to watch. After the concert we went to an orphanage we visit every year as well. There weren't as many kids there as usual, and I think it is because it was Easter weekend in Russia. Orphans still visit their families on weekends, and especially on holidays. We had our farewell dinner in a restaurant in the countryside and said our goodbyes. As always, it was a lovely week. I can hardly wait for next year.

The next day on our way out we stopped and visited the gravesites of the 334 victims. It is always emotional, but still important to visit. On the way to the airport I got to ride in Campbell's fancy "race" car. He is a bit wild with his driving, but it was so much fun! We boarded our plane and headed back to Moscow. Such bitter sweetness. I flew home to America the next day. I am always exhausted, yet rejuvenated after my Russian trips. I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything.

               Now Go Out and Hug a Child Today!!!
 

Highlights from Russia/Beslan Part 2

Children at a CP clinic in Beslan

As I said in my previous post, we visited several places IN the community. This is after clowning in the streets of Vladikavkaz to warm up :0). Our first visit, and probably my favorite, was at a clinic for kids with Cerebral Palsy (CP). This place was so lively, colorful and fun! The staff were energetic and full of laughter and love. The kids played with us while doing their therapy at the same time. They also use Hippa Therapy here, which means they use horses. Horses are great for kids with CP as it helps their muscles stretch a little easier. I feel this place incorporates play in their therapy a lot, but having clowns made it that much more enjoyable we hope! I hope we go back every year!

Great colors at the CP clinic

In the afternoon we went to a small orphanage in the middle of nowhere! It was an hour drive, and so worth it. There were 20 plus kids there. All from 5 different families. A close knit group for sure. I was greeted by twins, Yulia and Tanya. Yulia belly laughed as soon as she saw me. Then she grabbed my hand and gave me a tour of the place.. through the main room, to all of the bedrooms, and finally to a small playroom, which is also used for music. It was such fun! The kids played with balloons as other children played music, sang and danced for us.

Yulia and Tanya with my friend Zhorik

Kids played with balloons while others sang and performed

Before this visit we went to a cool local restaurant for a late lunch. The owner of the restaurant is an extraordinary and lovely man. His restaurant doubles as a museum, representing the cultures of the area and Chechnya. He is from Chechnya. He grew up in Russia and now lives near Beslan. He took Maria and Me to Chechnya for an extremely personal trip. It was an experience I will never forget! We could have never crossed the border from N. Ossetia to Chechnya without him with us. I am so grateful to this man for the gift he gave to me and Maria!



Nastya warms up the young kids for me

On our second day we visited a baby orphanage in the morning. In Russia, baby orphanages are for kids ages 1 to 5. At 5 they are sent to a "regular" orphanage. The kids here are typically leery of strangers, and for good reason. Luckily I had Nastya with me. She warmed the kids up slowly, as they got used to my presence. I am forever grateful for her. Two kids who were crying when they first saw me, were sitting in my lap at the end of our play session. Thank you Nastya.

Of course they come right to Maria with no hesitation :0)
 

After the baby orphanage we visited Dur Dur Village. This is an orphanage we visit every year. I love going back here. I have developed some connections with some of the kids for sure. Zao comes to greet me every time. He asked me for my camera again this year, but I forgot to bring it. So I gave him my kazooba tuba to play with instead. He is a bright and lively teenager!

We played and laughed and ate a yummy late lunch here. It is a beautiful setting for an orphanage and I feel the kids enjoy our visit as a break from their day to day routine. I know we enjoy it. After leaving Dur Dur, we head to the mountains for a dip in the hot springs. It is such a gloriously beautiful area. It is energizing and refreshing to swim in the natural hot springs. A good way to end our mid week day. The second half of the week will be in my next post.

               Now Go Out and Hug a Child Today!!!
 

Highlights from Russia/Beslan 2018 Part 1.

Painting at Maria's dacha

As always, my trip begins with some time spent at Maria's dacha outside of Moscow. It is a great way to acclimate to the time change, meet any new people who are coming, and share time with Maria and her family. On Saturdays a group of kids from one of the orphanages in Moscow come to her country studio to paint, make ceramics and play. All the kids are wonderful, but Maxim had to be the cutest 3 year old I have seen in a while, and he loved my kazooba tuba.

Maxim and my kazooba tuba

Sunday night Maria took us to a great small venue for a concert. Seregei and his band were fabulous! Plus I got to see my sweet Ira and her fiancé Maxim. They looked so great together. I met Ira in 2007 at Maria's summer camp. She was 10 at the time, and so playful. You would never had known she had been thru one of the greatest tragedies in Russian history. Her brother and sister were killed in the Beslan siege. She is now ready to graduate from college with a degree in psychology I believe. She deserves a lifetime of happiness, and I hope Maxim provides it with her!

Ira and Maxim

 

Sergei and his band

On Monday we flew to Beslan. Fun travels as usual and we were greeted in Vladikavkaz by our friends from the school. And I was greeted by my friend Aslan once again! It is such a joy to see a dear friend, even if it is only once a year. Monday was a relaxing settle into our rooms kinda evening. We did have dinner at Maria's room with the teachers as usual.

Aslan and Chip outside the Vladikavkaz airport. He greets me every year! Next year we hope to go into the mountains together and explore the beauty there. I can't wait.

This years trip to Beslan was a little different. I think Maria is "transitioning" on purpose. The siege was over 13 years ago. All of the kids who were in the school at the time of the siege have graduated. It is still a big part of the history and we still need to visit the school, but now we do a little more "work" in the community. So we spent two days going to different orphanages, the open market, and a clinic for kids with Cerebral Palsy. Then we spent 3 days in the school having master classes like always, culminating in a concert. I like the transition personally. We want the whole community to know we support them, as they were ALL effected by the siege. Parents, other adults, and the now grown children still live in Beslan and still have horrific memories. They need Maria and others to continue the support. Plus, two of the kids who have graduated from the school organize all of our visits! Vika and Campbell did an amazing job of contacting local places and organizing everything. We even visited a center for children with "severe" neurological disorders. Nobody as ever visited these kids, until now! They are such lovely children too!

My next blog will be a little more description of each visit we made, so stay tuned...


              Now Go Out and Hug a Child Today!!!