Students Helping Children Across Borders, Inc.
Follow Us On
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Our Story
    • Leadership
  • Current Projects
    • Action for Education
    • Football Empowerment: Jeremie, Haiti
  • Past Projects
    • Children in Action: Zanzibar, Tanzania
    • Football Future: Gulu, Uganda
    • Healthy Homes: Los Quinchos, Argentina
    • Playing for Peace: Suzdal, Russia
  • Working For Worcester
  • News
  • Spreading the Mission
  • FAQ's
  • Contact Us
  • Donate NOW!

September 13th, 2012

9/12/2012

2 Comments

 

A Great Day For Suzdal!

Picture
After months of intercontinental problem solving via 3 am Skype calls, consistent unforgiving weather, and countless challenges that tested SHCAB’s very guts, I am proud to say that the multipurpose sports court is finished!!! Of course the project’s full completion would fall on the very day, September 12th, that the abstract of this project was first pitched to Professor Olga Partan as a mere vision to help children in the rural towns of Russia, where so many of the Holy Cross Russian department faculty are from. I am delighted at the success of this initiative and truly humbled by the Suzdal community’s ecstatic response. As you can see in the photos below, the multipurpose cover has been installed to protect the asphalt and make the surface more suitable for the younger children that will be using it. The red lines mark a full size basketball court and the white a full size volleyball court. In the photos the retractable volleyball net is set up to display the sports court fully equipped.

Today I can say that all of the project’s objectives (and then some) have been fully realized and that the overall form has been executed within the thorough strategy of sustainability, feasibility, and effectiveness. The school principle writes that the kids are in complete shock. He says that they just stare at it like it’s a painting and that the first day of gym class on it, which was only supposed to be a half an hour, went for 2 hours straight!  The concluding line of the principal’s latest email reads, “This is a great day for Suzdal!”

Project achievements included:
•   Raising $25,000 in funding for the initiative
•   Constructing a multipurpose sports court complete with basketball hoops and a volleyball net
•   Clearing a half-size soccer field and assembling soccer goals in the schoolyard
•   Providing over 50 soccer balls and basketballs, jump ropes and pinnies to the school
•   Creating, preparing and distributing 12 anit-alochol, anti-smoking and anti-drunk driving posters throughout the school and community
•   Working collaboratively with the school's principal and faculty to plan and implement the new sports and wellness program for all students

•   Leading a 2 week sports camp for the community's children
•   Promoting an environment of cultural acceptance and exchange with the children, families and local government of Suzdal


Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
2 Comments

July 18th, 2012

7/17/2012

2 Comments

 

My Most Important Teammate

Much of the project’s impact, progress, and future longevity is and will be thanks to the tremendous character of the school’s principle, Sergei Yudin. Sergei was much younger than I had expected, but youthful enthusiasm and optimism on both of our parts is what proved to make the project travel much further in the sticky mud of rural Russian infrastructure than the project’s critics had expected. Every weekday in Suzdal began in Sergei’s office. In the mornings we would talk about what I would be doing that day around the school and the current stage of construction. Often I would return to his office for lunch where we would sit for two or three hours at a time and engage in a tremendous cultural exchange about all aspects of education. After hours of wearing out the binding on my Webster English-Russian dictionary and using the chalkboard in his office for a game of explanatory Pictionary, we would sit contentiously smirking at the fact that we had carried out a tremendous cultural exchange and thoroughly designed some very exciting athletic and health programs for the school. Teachers often joined these lunch time conversations and they ultimately served as the forum to make the program truly comprehensive and all encompassing. Everyday Sergei reminded me of how thankful he was that SHCAB had chosen his school. For years he had been trying to find a few extra cents to buy some equipment and simply add a basketball hoop to the schoolyard. I could not have asked for a more enthusiastic and dedicated principle to organize this project with. Even with the setbacks and complications, which are obviously inherent in Provincial Russia, I can say that Sergei Yudin has set the bar for the type of school administrator that SHCAB can organize and implement effective action with.

In the photograph below, Sergei is presenting me with a gift from a student at the school. She is the most talented artist in the town according to her teachers and she painted this picture of the Alexandrovski Monastery (the largest Monastery in Suzdal) for me as a gift. She and some of the other students with whom I worked signed the back and Sergei wrote a special thank you to SHCAB. I may only be twenty-one years old, but I can proudly say that I have found a priceless possession. 


Picture
2 Comments

July 18th, 2012

7/17/2012

0 Comments

 

Don't Cough On Me! I Might Wake Up Fat!

I saw the effects of isolation and lack of exposure in practice everyday, when I organized soccer games and recreational activities for the schoolchildren and kindergarteners.  I found that for every backwards stereotype I had about Russian people, a ten year old kid at the school would ask me to clarify a stereotype five times more ill-informed and ridiculous about American people and American life. I will never forget the first misconception that I flattened in Suzdal. On my first day of leading my group of boys in a sport camp, ten-year-old Dima would not come near me and continually avoided coming within ten feet of me in our first soccer game. Fifteen kids and I pumped up over fifty soccer balls for two hours before we split into teams for the soccer game. After hours of teamwork and getting to know each other, I saw that Dima was the last of the boys to warm up to my presence, so I asked him what was going on. He told me that he was worried that I would give him obesity. He said that he heard obesity was a plague in America and that it was violently contagious. He said that it was getting so bad that people in Canada were fleeing to Europe. After the complete shock wore off I realized that Dima’s misconception wasn’t as absurd as I initially thought. It is not unimaginable that he had heard of obesity referred to as a plague and without any exposure to Americans, I was the first that all of these kids had ever met, how would he have any way of humanizing and making sense of this use of figurative language? I am no doctor, but I was able to explain the causes of obesity in a way the boys could understand and Dima displayed relief when after my explanation of how obesity is not transmitted by germs, he asked to play on my team. Explaining the situation of poor health among many Americans with regards to obesity allowed me to reframe the situation into a great moment where I got to talk to the kids about what kinds of choices lead to poor health like obesity and drug addiction. It was these completely unplanned moments that granted the project and my presence, what I hope is, a lasting p with these kids. 

0 Comments

July 17th, 2012

7/16/2012

0 Comments

 

What does peace look like? 

This project began as an idea to build a playground and teach kids about health. Luckily for the project, the Davis Foundation took a liking to it and helped me realize the implication that this project could be for promoting peace. I do not need to waste time explaining to you how deeply rooted the stereotypes, stigmas, and fear are between American and Russian cross-cultural understanding. Of course the ideological spitting contest that was the Cold War has left Russo-American relationships tainted and sour. Only after over ten weeks in Russia and studying Russian culture, history, politics, and language at the university level can I happily say that exposure has broken the crude and backwards stereotypes about Russian people that informed my childhood, and I live in the United States of America where free information and tolerance rank among the highest in the world. Now imagine the average Russian living in an isolated town with limited resources for education and travel abroad. Now take into consideration the fact that for the majority of their life they lived under a regime, which only presented the state of the world in the form of its motivated interests. Furthermore, consider that still to this day travel outside of the country is strictly visa warranted and Russia’s vast size and lack of proximity to western culture makes travel abroad unaffordable and a privilege only for the super elite.

Since junior high, when I would come home with questions about what the Soviet Union was, my mother would tell me the stories of performing duck and cover drills in school to be prepared for an impending Soviet attack. Of course hearing about my mother’s experience growing up transmitted a lot of fear and distrust into my understanding of the country with the world’s largest fleet of nuclear weapons. Even after years of exposure and study, this fear still informed my understanding of Russian people and Russo-American foreign policy. Then I sat at evening tea with my host-mother and heard her tell the same exact story as my mother had. At first it was eerie to hear her tell an identical version of practicing duck and cover drills for an impending American attack, but then I realized complete understanding and perspective with regards to the fear that dominates the cultural understanding of the average American or Russian citizen. It was this moment when, for me, peace was illuminated from the dark shadows of Cold War distortion and fear. Maybe harmony and community is only a cup of tea away.

In the end, my presence in Suzdal did not inform millions, it did not drastically disarm Cold War tensions, and it didn’t immediately inform Russo-American foreign policy for the better. In know way am I suggesting that SHCAB deserves anything within the same realm of a Nobel Peace Prize; however, what I am saying is that peace starts on the ground. A few powerful men in suits may execute diplomacy, but its foundation is built among the common people who grant those suits their offices. I am proud to say that the mere presence of the project knocked down stereotypes in both directions for a college student, his colleagues in SHCAB, his donors, his followers, a town mayor and staff, multiple local families, dozens of teachers, a school director, and most importantly immediately over fifty kids and thousands of kids in the future who will benefit from the new programs, facilities, and materials. This experience brought great clarity as to what the secret to peace, tolerance, and global community is: exposure.



            
Picture




Reflecting, while Waiting

As I patiently await the completion of the final stages of construction I am constantly reflecting on every nuance of the project. Every night this week I will be writing about a different element of the projects positive influence on a community, a school, families, individual teachers, and most importantly individual children. 




O Provincial Russia

The cover material is having problems. There are some air bubbles under the matting. The fact that I had to order the material from France meant that the material and its nuances would be completely new to a small town in rural Russia and especially to the local professionals who had to tackle the task with me. There were other options but thorough research showed that the best thing for the longevity of the sports court is this material. It will make the court multipurpose, Russian winter retardant, and most importantly easily maintainable and sustainable for the school and community. Right now we are awaiting specialists from Moscow to come and fix the current problem. The firm in Moscow that has handled the material and my research both loudly say that the problem is very fixable; it just requires the right personnel and machinery.

I wish I could explain how convoluted the bureaucracy is, how cripplingly slow the pace of life is, how absent any semblance of organization is, and how different the attitude of rural Russia is from ours here in the states. The problem in scale is quite small and here state side, it would be taken care of with a phone call, maybe a few extra dollars, and about two days extra days total. In the area of Suzdal, things are more complicated in a way that one can only understand if you actually breathe in the cultural and structural differences on the ground. The principle, construction crew, mayor, SHCAB staff, and myself all are very confident that in due time, all will have been taken care of and the beautiful sports court will stand fully equipped and ready for the school’s first year with a comprehensive health and recreation program. Unfortunately, sometimes the places that need something most are the places where something is hardest to achieve. A challenge has never and will never stop SHCAB from vehemently pursuing its mission of improving the health and wellness of children all around the globe. 

0 Comments

June 23rd, 2012

6/22/2012

1 Comment

 

The Rain Stopped When My Visa Expired!

Of course once the storm left town and work could resume, my visa expired. So now I am writing from the the beautiful US of A, but don't worry, for I am still skyping everyday with the school principal and closely monitoring the finishing touches of construction. The French playground matting has been finished! They have begun painting the lines for basketball and volleyball as well as installing the retractable volleyball net! I am hoping to have more photos tomorrow. Unfortunately neither my host mother nor the principal have a camera so photos are at the mercy of the mayor's office's photographer. Its a bummer that I wasn't there to see the pretty, final touches, but I am proud to have been able to get 90% of the full project completed on the ground!
Picture
Here Stopa is laying the final pieces of the mating material which will be painted tomorrow!
Picture
We dug some good old lime green paint out of the cellar and decided to spice up the court with a creative paint job
1 Comment

June 16th, 2012

6/16/2012

2 Comments

 

The Rain Is Back!

Picture
I woke up today to the devastating sound of heavy rain drops pummeling my window. Yesterday was the nicest weather that I have ever experienced in Russia, yet today the town of Suzdal is flooded! I am very dissapointed. You can see in the above photo that the cover has begun and just a hair under half of the court is complete. A teacher and I said, "up yours weather" and went out and hung the backboards which we had built. We assembled the hoops and nets indoors and when the rain stops we will compete the new basketball hoops. Still to be done is a day of laying the cover, the painting of the lines for basketball and volleyball, and putting in the support beams for the volleyball net. To date, I have layed the asphault for the new court, built the mini soccer nets and basketball hoops, cleared the mini football field, prepared over fifty sports balls, jump ropes, sports pinnies, and other equipment, planned the new sports programs and the health education curriculum with the alcohol education materials, met a ton of awesome kids and led a  recreation camp for them, and, taught some English to some very excited kindergardeners. About 85% of the full project has been completed, but unfortunately the most violent and unpredictable weather that I have ever seen has halted the final 15% and made for a big headache. As much as I want... I can't control the weather. 
Picture
2 Comments

June 15th, 2012

6/15/2012

2 Comments

 

Sun Light!!!!!

Picture
The pros working on the court
I woke up this morning to the most beautiful day that we have had in a week. The boys were on time and the laying down of the rubber matting began. I also grabbed my buddies freshmen in high school, Vanya and Victor, and we put up mini soccer nets on the mini soccer field that we cleared in the rain with just a till and a machette! Lawn mowers are an under appreciated convenience. Tonight we will finish the matting on the basketball court and then tomorrow paint the lines for basketball and volleyball, put in the metal poles for the volleyball net, and put up the full basketball hoops! Finally, everything is really taking shape.
Picture
The first strip was the hardest!
Picture
Vanya and Victor correcting my errors.
Picture
2 Comments

June 14th, 2012

6/14/2012

3 Comments

 

Everybody Loves Pizza!

Picture
A picture of me at hour five and a half. My face tells it all... cooking dinner and cleaning up the war zone that is the kitchen afterwords, STINKS!
After a morning of frustrating meetings with the school principal where we tried to figure out our next move in this master chess game against the weather, I decided to help out a little around the house! I emailed Rimma and said dont worry about dinner tonight... I got it covered. I ambitiously decided to make homemade pizza. 

I quickly learned that homemade food in the US is quite different from homemade food in Suzdal. For example, at home I would have hopped in the car and went down to Market Basket, where I would have bought already prepared pizza dough and all of the necessary ingredients. In Suzdal, I had to learn why tribal women recieved the title and worked ten hour days in the occupation of gatherer. It took three hours to assemble the necessary ingredients to pull of a simple pizza. First I needed to make the dough. We had yeast, oil, salt, and sugar in the house. My host mom tipped me off to a farm up the street where I found an old couple that make their own flour. I traded some cucumbers for a good size sack and then headed off to the next stop. In the garden behind our apartment, I made similar trades with the neighbors for red bell peppers, mushrooms, and an eggplant. I then went into our garden plot where I picked, right off the vine, ten fresh tomatoes and a handful of basil. Italian cheeses are hard to come by, so that took quite a few phone calls and long walks to markets. I finally found some mozzarella and parmesan. Back at the apartment I took a few minutes to regroup with a nice cup of Russian tea. I had everything I needed, including step by step dough directions from the mastermind blogger of the urban kitchen transforming www.generationyfoodie.com, Dara Reppucci herself! 


Dough proved to be an easy task. Luckily I am a seasoned vet at simmering up a fresh tomato sauce thanks to mom's directions last week, so I thought that I was on the right track. Now it was time to turn a heap of dough into pizza pies. Sounds easy... unless you dont have a rolling pin. Thats right, I embarked on the hour-long forearm workout of the century. After both figuratively and literally wrestling with pizza dough on the floor, I had three sort of pizza like flatbreads. Like the Russian cousin of Emeril Lagasse, I juggled various fresh toppings while dancing around to the Whitney Houton's greatest hits tape in the 1982 tape deck on top of the fridge. The answer is yes, Whitney did wanna dance with somebody on the other side of the iron curtain. If twenty five years ago Whitney made her way to Suzdal, then it is safe to say that her debut album made more of a diplomatic impact than anything attempted by Washington in 1985. 

In the end, I made three pretty damn good pizzas. I also would like to say to mom... "Thank You!" I never really understood what cooking dinner for a family and then cleaning up afterwards really meant. I can now say with confidence that it sucks! To think that for twenty-one years you have worked a full day and then returned home to put a delicious meal on the table for your children, makes me want to faint from imaginative exhaustion. I never realized how much of a pain it is because you always made it seem so effortless! Kudos to you and to all the moms or dads who cook for their families everyday.

Though I am exhausted and will be only ordering pizza that some other poor shmuck has labored over from here on out, I must say that the huge smiles and rave reviews from Rimma and Sasha made my war againts the kitchen completely worth it and I can go to sleep tonight proudly asserting that, though I lost a few years on my life, I won the battle!

P.S. Mom,  please do not interpret my sudden realization and appreciation for your efforts as a cry to cook and clean more around the house. My point is that, I can now say their is no shame in ordering a pizza!
Picture
Russian style pepperoni
Picture
Red Peppers, Eggplant, and Mushrooms
Picture
Marinated Chicken and Red Peppers
3 Comments

June 14th, 2012

6/14/2012

0 Comments

 

Please, No More RAIN!!!

Each of the past three days, at 10am, I have met the contruction crew at the schoolyard, only to find soaking wet asphault and a continuous pulse of heavy rain. The cover is here from France, the hoops and nets are purchased and assembled, and most amazingly the contruction crew is hear and ready to work! Unfortunately this rain has put the project in a state of stagnation for the past six days!!!!! Tomorrow is the our last chance. The sun was out this afternoon and everyone in Suzdal has their fingers crossed for a dry night. If the rain will stay away, then tomorrow they will lay the cover and we will put up the new nets and hoops. Then Saturday they will paint the lines for basketball and volleyball. All we need is for tonight to be the first night of the week with no thunder and lightning! 
0 Comments

June 12th, 2012

6/12/2012

1 Comment

 

Rain Rain Go Away!

Things have literally been soaking wet here in Suzdal for the past few days. Going into the weekend I was so excited: the cover material arrived from France, I had put together the new basketball hoops and soccer nets, and we had cleared a mini football field out of the overgrown brush next to the new court. Unfortunately, a violent storm came through Suzdal and actually ripped off part of the roof at the school. Obviously this situation took precedent over the project and the principal and school teachers had to address the situation of the flooding classrooms. Fortunately, everything got repaired over the weekend! As far as the project goes, the rain has halted everything. The playground cover can not be applied to wet asphault. This morning the contruction crew arrived but, after seeing the puddles all over the asphault, they had to pack up and go home. Right now it is simply a waiting game. We need a day of beautiful sunshine to dry the asphault so that they can begin. I have been trapped indoors for the last few days during this storm and have tried searching for every solution to the rain problem but to no avail. No matter how hard I try... I just can't control the weather!!!!!! Hopefully the sun will visit Suzdal tomorrow and things can get cracking once again. 
1 Comment
<<Previous

    Author

    Jeffrey Reppucci, SHCAB President and on the ground administrator of the Suzdal 2012 initiative.

    Archives

    September 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed


Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.