Some random thoughts
When I returned to Simferopol from Russia, I felt a tremendous sense of homecoming and relief to be “home.” Strange how you can be in a culture that is completely different from your own, but still make yourself a little life there to the extent that when you return to the place, you feel as if you are going home. People are pretty damn cool in that sense.
In the United States I volunteer on a weekly basis with Walter, my mentally challenged elderly friend. Every Friday for my sophomore year I’ve walked, ridden my bike, or taken the bus to see him. We always had a ball of a time together and he became a good friend of mine.
My Friday schedule is a little bit different now that I am in Ukraine and on Friday afternoons I think about hanging out with Walter and shooting the breeze. Just lately, the other students and I have been volunteering some time on Wednesdays to work with kids who have physical and mental disabilities. They range in age from five to ten and know how to play. Usually when we walk in the playroom it is a HUGE deal; their favorite cars and toys are brought out and the kids shift into high gear.