Trip Updates, Volume One: Arriving at Camp

Original 5 Americans from Midtown team:  2009-2011 (so far!)...and camper Sasha :)

First of all, I apologize for not updating my blog sooner upon my return from Ukraine!  It's a funny thing that happens when the trip is over and I am back in the "real" world.  I can't stop thinking about the kids and all I have experienced, but it takes time for me to fully be ready to talk about the trip.  It takes time for the enormity of the experience to sink in.  Also, re-entering the world of our chaotic, busy American lives after being away for 2 weeks makes it difficult to re-adjust and have time to just catch your breath.

This was the BEST year of camp so far.  We had an amazing group from Midtown go as well as some old Louisiana friends and a new friend from New York (Hi Laura!).  As we sat on the bus, anxiously awaiting our arrival at camp, I have to admit I began to feel jealous of the other returning Americans on the trip.  Last summer (2010), I got a new group of kids because my kids from the first year (2009) had not returned (except for Big Vanya).  While others reunited with their kids from the past summer, I started from scratch again, trying to build relationship and trust with total strangers who's experiences have taught them that it is not safe to trust new people.  The kids were amazing last summer, though, and I grew very close with them. 

As we headed towards camp this year, I had been told that it was unlikely that my kids from last year would be back...I would likely be starting over with yet another group of new kids.  While everybody else was excited about seeing their kids from the previous two summers, all I could think about was how I was going to miss my kids.  As we pulled into camp though, I immediately saw Sasha (who gave me the name Masha Macaroni) and Big Vanya from other groups who I had gotten to know over the past two years.  I immediately regretted my attitude, knowing that God would bring me all the way to Ukraine, even if it was just for those two kids alone. 

But God hadn't.

As I was pulling my bags into our building, I heard my name and looked up into the windows on the second floor.  And there was Cristina...and Sasha...from my group last summer!  It was such a gift to have the same group from last summer, to build on our relationships as they had grown over the past year.  This year felt so different from the previous two...not just for me but for the other Americans as well.  It felt like visiting old friends.

More details to come, but the trip was off to a great start!

Me and Cristina, Reunited!