~60 kids. ~25 flea bites. Why am I doing this?

I’ve had it on my heart all year long – to conduct a camp for kids in my village. So last week that happened. Why? I’ve been asked that question by folks that come from same places and it took me by surprise. Don't you see what I see? In the villages there is still no running water, kids walk around barefoot, there are no kids activities - not much to do for them, except play in the dirt or around the house. They also take care of the chicks and ducklings, some work in the fields, hoeing.

Many parents are gone abroad, the kids staying with grandmas and aunts. Many families are drinking heavily. There is a breeze of despair in the air. People are harsh, but they accept life as it is. Few try to change things and that mostly includes a new fence or a home repair. Kids just grow along.

Scouting around the village in search for kids

So, we sang, we danced, we screamed, we played, we talked, we created, we laughed and did many other fun things.  We also explored some things. We explored emotions. Only a handful knew what those are. We talked about how the negative ones get in the way of our life, how fear of people poisons us.

Milano - Looking Back

This past May I visited the north part of Italy. Although it rained most of the time - not the usual weather - some days were sunny and favorable for exploring...

You know how sometimes in order to understand something you’ve got to be there and experience it? So is Milano. Why are people, celebrities or Russians so drawn to it? I’m not sure, but this is what I think it is:

It’s the magnificence of creation. It’s art within art.  An electrifying clash of antique and modern. 

It’s spacious, grand, luxurious, beautiful… The exuberant architecture encapsulates the diversity of clothing styles, both a hallmark of God’s gift of creativity and aesthetic to humans. No human could fail to appreciate it, because in every human soul there is a longing for beauty, a longing for greatness and a longing for fascination.

Although just an echo of eternity, it gives a glimpse of the pleasure that awaits each child of God.

Of course, there are those who can care less about this side of things. Those would use a piece of clothing bought in Italy to pump their ego, reassure themselves of their importance and try to impress.

Tell me One Thing...

Wow!!! What a great blogger I am. I'm consistently posting at a frequency of one post per year. So impressive. I'm even considering starting a second blog... Uh!

It seems that life happens at such speed and I don't have the time to sit and record it. I'm afraid to miss smth. So many stories I could have written just as great as the others about how "wonderful" life can be.

Sometimes I wonder if anybody really would like my stories, since they all have this sharp cutting edge. Perhaps you are looking for something more inspiring?.. Well, I guess whatever impresses me, I write. And some things I find shockingly impressive. Like for instance, the public minibus driver who calls a 9 year old a "debil", which really means "idiot", "retarded". Should I tell you why? Or does it really matter? Poor kid was struggling to close the door, so when it finally closed, it slammed. What is even more impressive is that none of the adults said anything to that, nobody raised to defend the child... Funny society.

Hot chocolate in the middle of the night (almost like coffee)

Or a friend tells me her supervisor is "chewing" her out. When she complained to higher authorities the response she got was: try to be manipulative, be "nicer" to her (which really meant: 'kiss her butt'). I don't know why I find this hysterically sad. Perhaps I'm pretty naive. When will I grow up finally?!