Russia Blog Diary, Entry Two

Scott Collins is blogging about his experiences in Russia as part of the 2008 ‘Shoes for Orphan Souls’ mission trip. This is Scott’s first trip to Russia with Buckner since 1999. He is vice president of External Affairs.

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA – Time for a little confession. I was tired and my body was still adjusting to the nine-hour time change Saturday evening.

Our group had spent the day visiting the Hermitage and Orphanage No. 2. Dinner was great and then Natasha Votyakova, director of Buckner Russia, asked with her perky smile if I was ready to head to the boys transitional home Buckner has here. It was almost 8 p.m.

Actually, I was ready for bed. But I was playing the role of hearty mission trip participant and Buckner employee.

So we headed off to the transitional home in the misting rain common to St. Petersburg this time of year.

The entrance is a non-descript doorway that would be impossible to find without Natasha. The building was built in 1882 and the entry looks unchanged from the past 125 years. There is little light and the familiar musty smell of a Russian concrete building greets the nose. Dark and musty.

I was not ready for the dramatic change I was about to discover. When we arrived on the seventh floor, the door to the Buckner Boys Transitional Home opened and so did a whole new world.

The “home” is really a large apartment owned by the government and leased by Buckner. It opened in September 2007 after what Natasha calls “impossible renovations.”

If ever a place was filled with life, it’s this place. It’s home to 10 boys – young men, really – between the ages of 17 and 22. All grew in orphanages in St. Petersburg and all had no where to go when it was time to leave.

Here, they are able to attend a local university while living in a safe environment. And their education isn’t just in the classroom. Marina Pletemehuk sees to that. She is the director of the program.

While living here, the boys are taught responsibility and how to manage basic life skills they never learned growing up in the institutional setting of an orphanage. They take turns cooking and cleaning, while also learning to manage their finances.

They made me feel right at home, anxiously giving me a tour of their rooms while I tried to filter all the chatter and listen to Natasha translate for me.

I sat around the dining room table with the boys, attempting to interview them while we enjoyed tea and cookies. I’ve never experienced so much laughter and joy in one setting. But even more than that, I have never sensed so much hope.

These young men know they are getting the chance of a lifetime. This place is the difference for them and they are all determined to make the most of the opportunity.

They’ve seen what happens to other orphans like themselves who had no place like this; crime, drugs, alcohol. They talk about it openly and seriously.

Marina describes these orphan graduates as “goal-oriented.” And while she says they still have lots of struggles, they remain highly motivated.

You can see that just by the appearance of the apartment. It’s spotless. And when I asked one of the boys how long it takes to clean it when it’s his turn, he says not long. The boys have so much respect for this place that they keep it clean all the time.

We talk often about getting a second chance. So many of us have spoiled our first chance that the best we can hope for is a second chance. But for these boys, this transitional represents their first chance. And they are bound and determined to make the most of it.

This place represents in so many ways what makes Buckner special and unique. Dare I say it? I left proud to be part of Buckner.