From Sophie

Hi, little sister!

How is everything? Here things are excellent.  At work the kiddies are making me happy.  We are working on math, learning about different types of geometric figures – they can be divided into flat and 3-dimentional.  The kids enjoy solving logic-based problems. For example: You need to find a lost bead that is shaped like a triangle.  They also work independently on various problems.

The kids have become more quick-witted, engage in more serious discussions and come to conclusions based on the lessons.  They also clean up after the lessons.  They play computer games, watch cartoons, then discuss them, play different games outside, put together puzzles and color in coloring books.

I guess I’ll end.  Till later! Bye.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

From Natasha

Hello, dear friend!

We’ve decided to write you a letter.  Sending you a big hello from the kids of dorm #1 and me, Natalia.  We have visitors – volunteers from America. They are very cute and cheerful.  They come over every day, we play with them, go outside for a walk every day, listen to music and have fun.  In our dorm, Ruslan  started speaking better, identifies people’s voices, calls them by their names (he is blind), and also Yulia  repeats phrases after the caregivers and can identify all the kids by name. They are also practicing their self-care skills and taking turns cleaning up the cafeteria.  Zhenya, Larisa , Katya  independently set the tables.  Larisa also memorized 4 colors of the rainbow and is able to count to 6.

Ruslan with Zoanna, a visitor from the UK

We would like to share some happy news with you.  Another caregiver-volunteer Sonya and I went to a seminar in Evpatoria where we learned a lot of useful information and met some wonderful people, of whom the most memorable were: Sasha from Kiev (he is disabled), who completed two colleges and is graduating from an advanced university and Dima from Dnepropetrovsk (also disabled), who is a lawyer. We exchanged phone numbers and plan to stay in touch.  We have so much to learn from them – they make you realize how little we’ve really accomplished in this life.  People like them should set an example for the rest of us.

In October we are invited to Chernigov and I think we will go just as gladly.  My dreams are starting to come true little by little and I don’t think this is the end.

In general everything is fine.  I guess we’ll end our letter.  Write back!  Till we meet again! Bye!

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 From Raisa

Hello, dear girlfriend.

This letter is from Raya Gudenko, caregiver from dorm # 2.

Yegor

This month everything was fine. Now the summer is over. Every day was spent playing outside. When it was hot, we stayed in the playroom, played with toys, balls, put together blocks, read Ukrainian folk tales. Tanya  reacts well to sounds as well as to someone speaking to her, even though she cannot see. Yegor loves to play on the ball.

This month we had visitors from America – volunteers, they played well with the children, rode them around in wheelchairs outside.

At home everything is fine. My children are preparing to go away to college. My son is going to Zaporozh’e and my daughter – to Berdyansk. My husband works.
I took an additional two weeks’ vacation this month.

Raisa assisting as Margarita gets massaged

That’s all. No other news.

Good-bye.

Respectfully,

Raya

Translation by Kat Dudina

(Letter are written with love every month by caregivers hired by Maya’s Hope.)