It doesn’t get any better then starting your day with pancakes, maple syrup and a visit with Sasha Krasakov!  Sasha suffers from Brittle Bone Disease and first came to Canada when he was 12 years old.  At that time he had had more than 50 fractures and lived his life in almost constant pain.  During that trip to Canada he was given treatment at the Shrine Hospital in Montreal that helped to soften his bones and stop the fractures.  For the most part Sasha is now  pain free, of course he certainly knows it when there is a change in the weather.  When we are in Belarus his Mom, Lena, always invites us out to their home on a collective farm for “Canadian” pancakes and we bring the Maple Syrup. 

This year was no different and we enjoyed a wonderful visit.  When I first met Continue reading →

Today was a beautiful sunny day with a high of about ten degrees C.  One of the things that has really helped us coordinate everything over the past few years is the availability of cell phones.  Unlike Canada, cell phone usage is unbelievably inexpensive here.  We are able to get a SIM card for about $3.00 and usage is also very cheap.  I use mine to connect to the internet and it allows me to keep up with what is going on as well as post this blog and pictures to Facebook.  Although this picture is a little staged it is not an uncommon site as we coordinate between delegates, drivers and interpreters. 

With the nice weather I decided to grab a few pictures around the region to give you a Continue reading →

Another great day for the delegation!  Today the Orphanage children put on their annual concert for us.  First we stopped in to see the progress on the bedroom renovation.  Our teams have been hard at work and have most of the wallpapering complete in two of the rooms.  Here Mary Whalen shows us the room she was working on.

Here is Anya in the room that she Continue reading →