For Real, Day 4

Awoke in the AM to be at the train station by 10am. Met Julia (pronounced Yulia) there and hit the train for the 4 hour ride from Kostroma to Golich. This was a special part of the trip for Kelly and I as it was the location Kelly went to last year with Interstate Batteries. Our train ride provided a good amount of time to talk with Julia about different ideas on how to raise money for the orphanages as well as improving communication between all parties involved (CHC, orphanages, sponsoring organizations, sponsors, and kids.) Some great ideas were spawned that will hopefully bear some fruit in the future.

When we arrived at the orphanage we greeted the director and made our way to the lunch room. We were treated to blini (potato and sauerkraut stuffed pancakes) and enjoyed every bite.
As we made our way down the halls, some of the kids began to recognize Kelly and whispering "Jook." Jook was a theater game that she played with the kids and it was good to know that they remembered her.
One stop was with the pre-schoolers. We played through a couple of songs and then about half of the kids had poems that they wanted to recite for us. Most were Russian cultural poems; boys in love with girls, love of country and the like. It was amazing to watch them recite from memory.
We got a few tours of different halls that had been renovated with funds from Interstate Batteries. It was cool to see the sponsor money being put to such good use. What was most amazing was when we got to see an unrenovated room and were able to compare it to how different a room looked after funds from Interstate had been used to fix it up. They go from scuffed wood floors to linoleum floors, from peeling wallpaper with exposed dry wall to brand new wallpaper with wall hangings and plants, from bare windows to windows with blinds and drapes. The overall effect of all of this is that the kids now have a sense of worth. It is now a little less like living in an orphanage and being part of an institutional system and a little like having a home that is inviting and "cozy." It's amazing the effect a little decor can have on the psyche.
We ended up spending over an hour with Natasha and her friends. Natasha is one of two kids we sponsor. She is 10 and in the 5th grade. Kelly played a round of Jook with them (about 10 kids in all) at their request and we spent the rest of the time singing songs for them and talking about sponsors and stuff. This was quite likely the highlight of the day.
We were fed dinner and, again, enjoyed every bite.
Our last stop was back with the pre schoolers. We had promised to return for one last round of percussion. The kids loved the "toys" so much we ended up leaving them all (everything except the cocoa pod shaker that Kelly's mom gave us from a trip she took to Mexico a few years ago) for their enjoyment. Now for a trip to Guitar Center for replenishing.
Julia called a taxi to take us from Golich back to Kostroma. Kelly and I fell asleep about 5 minutes into the ride. Maybe it was for the best. Russian taxi drivers scare me.
Tomorrow, Sudaslavl. (Don't worry if you can't pronounce it. I couldn't get it right until I got back home.)