Daily Life

Every day Maria and I leave for the orphanage at 8:20 a.m. and arrive about 9:30. We take the metro and buses to get there. Even though our apartment and the orphanage are in the same part of Moscow it takes that long!I have never been so thankful for a car and streets where you can actually drive instead of being in standstill traffic.

When we get there some of the groups are usually outside. There are eight fenced-in yards outside of the orphanage. The 150 children there are divided up into groups. Eight are capable of walking or have some motor capabilities, and four groups which lie in beds or sit and watch TV the entire time.

Once I get to the orphanage I go to the groups that just sit and watch TV and play my violin or recorder for them. The caretakers move them all so they can see me and they watch me with such rapt attention you'd think it was the neatest thing they'd seen. Many of the children who usually always cry or scream are silent while I play. As soon as I stop they cry again. I've heard a few try to sing with me. One day I was playing I noticed the most intriguing thing. One of the children who the caregivers say "has no brain" was expressing my music through her body. I watched her the entire 30 minutes I was playing in her group. When I play soft and slow she would relax and move her hands gently; when I played loud or fast she would kick her legs and bob her upper body. Her eyes never left me. Later that day I inquired about her and was told her name is Christina. The only thing I can find wrong with her is her head is slightly larger than it should be because liquid got in her brain before a shunt was put in. I wonder if they ever put a shunt in. There's one girl who never had one put in. Her head is about as large as a small watermellon, but when I rub her or talk to her she gives me the biggest smiles.

Back to Christina: Since she's in the non-mobile group she spends her life in a crib or her high chair thing that that lays back so she has to back muscles. Today I fed her lunch because I wanted to get to know her better. She is the smartest little girl. She kept trying to get out of her chair so I took her out and held her. I must have spent an hour with her and by the time I was done she could sit up straight on my lap by herself if she held onto my shirt. She loved playing games like patty cake and copying noises I made with my mouth. She laughed so much and must have been exhausted when I put her to bed because I doubt she's ever got that much attention. As I was leaving that group's bedroom I saw another intriguing child. I had noticed him before. H elooks like he's barely 1 year old but I'm told he's 3 or 4. He has Dowjn Syndrome and has been in his crib every time I've been in that gorup. Whenever I walk by he puts his arms up to be held. Today I had time to pick him up and he clung to me like he would never let go. He buried his head in my neck and would not be moved. He's the sweetest little boy.

There are two more children that really tood out to me today. Both of them are girls and have long hair. All the kids' hair is buzzed unless they have paretns who take them on weekends and care for their hair. THe 1st girl, Olia, is 13 and could be a model. She's absolutely beautiful. SHe has Autism, but the 1st time I saw her I thought she was blind because she came up to my face and touched it for the longest time. I asked about her the next day when I saw her tied to a chair (they tie up the arms of children who hurt themselves, or tie them to their crib if they try to get out etc.). I was told at first she seems nice but then she'll bit or punch. I figured I could handle that so I approched her. She stared at me for a long time with her dark gorgeous eyes. I played the recorder for her and let her look through the music book I brought. I was about to give her a recorder but Nastia said tnot to because she wouldn't be able to play it. After she left I gave Olia the recorder anyway. She blew into it and then quicker than I could think whacked me so hard in the face. Her expression never changed. After making sure my nose wasn't broken I took her hands and rubbed them on my face. I let her do this for a while and she never hurt me.

The other girl is probably 6. She has bright red hair and can't speak (that's the only thing I can find "wrong" with her). Her parents also take her on weekends so she has long beautiful hair, but I feel bad because all hte boys in her group pull it and hurt her. Every time I come to get children for recordre lessons she always makes motions for her to come. I hadn't because there are just so many children I'm trying to help but today she looked so sad. I motioned for her to come and I don't believe I've seen anyone happier. I tried teaching her how to skip and we raced inside. I got the recorders out but hard as she tried she could not blow. She looked so helpless shrugging her shoulders trying to show that she could not get a sound. I 've found that with a lot of kids. THey don't know how to blow and we spend all the lessons practicing blowing and then blowing into the recorder. It's a big step. I really wanted her to have a way to express herself since she can't talk so I brought her to the piano (which, by the way, should not even be called a piano because it's so bad). WE spent hte next half hour having a jam session. I played the violin and recorder and she banged on the piano, clapped her hands, banged her feet or made any other noise she could make. She absolutely refused to go to lunch and I couldn't get her to leave until Nastia came and tease/pulled/dragged her there. She is the cutest little girl and I don't know how her parents could let her live at the orphanage most of the time. I fixed her hair since the boys messed it up and put oin her hankerchef agian (all the little girls in Russia wear things on their heads when they play outside to keep the sun from making them hot or something). I will have more about the orphanage later.

I'm sorry about all the typos. I am typing this as fast as I can and don't have time to go back. Mommy, if you see anything really unrecognizable will you please fix it??