Show Flight to Russia ends in success F u or r rt N t p. p i. i t k Elisabeth Trim with local Russian boy who was Just given givena a signed photo of Russian Utah Jazz player Andre Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Trim Kathryn Jones Globe Weekly News NewsOne NewsOne NewsOne One month ago Lisa Trim and a few others made their way to Kostroma Russia with their suitcases full Not only did they hope to help rebuild an orphanage that would become a training center for older children but they brought a few items such as toothpaste toys and soap that would help in making the lives of a few Russian children much easier What Trims Trim's group discovered when they arrived was more challenging challenging challenging chal chal- than any of them expected We walked into the building and the ceiling was collapsed Trim said The bricks had been taken out They were taking the building building building build build- ing apart Trim who works in inthe inthe inthe the Accounts Receivable Department at the Redwood Campus admits she really had no idea what she was in for It was fun but it scared the heck out of us The missing bricks gave no support to the ceiling There was trash everywhere The people there had made the building into a dumping site For the first two days we did nothing but pick pickup pickup pickup up and burn trash Trim said We had to put concrete and broken bricks bricks' d down wn ta fo to m make ke a road so that the vehicles vehicles vehicles cles could come in The people didn't like us they were angry with us They thought we were there to take away their jobs They thought the government had actually had us come to work on this building Trim speaks of the shock she felt when the people weren't ready to receive them They had had so many problems with groups saying they were coming to help and then not showing up that they had lost faith in anyone showing up When we told them we were volunteers they said are are you crazy With our last couple of days approaching they realized we were leaving They had hadus us come for tea and gave us gifts They became friendly once they understood us Trim and her companions spent time getting to know the children who would soon be using tHe new facility A boarding school Trim visited housed kids from Kindergarten age to 18 Because the school is in arrears to him the grocer refused to help them The state provides the starchy foods like potatoes and rice but the school is expected to grow whatever else they need They do a lot of bottling and canning to get them through the winter Trim said They have nothing else except for the starchy foods Though the building is a state run institution the hallways hallways hallways hall hall- ways are barely lit In all Trim visited three facilities including a boarding boarding boarding board board- ing school shelter and orphanage At the orphanage orphan orphan- age the children discovered that Trim her husband and daughter all had the thc same last name Are you Russia Continued on Page 9 Russia Continued from front fronted ed they asked It was interesting to hear the small intake of breath when we said yes Children of varying ages and homes were happy to receive the gifts Trim and others had brought them The older girls got the shampoo and Kleenex Trim said They were all really excited because it was smelling pretty-smelling shampoo We gave basketballs baseballs baseballs baseballs base base- balls and soccer balls to the kids and they went right out and played The reality of where she was and how people lived weighed heavily on Trim She speaks of having to boil water and those who gotsick gotsick got gotsick sick for twenty-four twenty hours because they didn't listen She talks about the horrible toilets the rooms where everything smells like urine and the toilet paper that feels like sand paper which you cant can't flush in the toilets because the paper clogs the septic system There is a bucket for that Of course toilet seats are optional filthy and there is no soap in any of the restrooms because people steal it But then again there are the children and the softened hearts of the adults who in inthe inthe inthe the beginning were afraid of losing their jobs In the end two rooms are made ready for children to learn new skills and to never-to-be forgotten forgotten forgotten for for- gotten friendships have been kindled They gave us hugs They gave us kisses They really liked us Anything they could do for us they would In the beginning it was like hard But after awhile it was like you need to come back please come back |