Dnipro Revisited

[Lix]

Dnipro Revisited – A Different Perspective

I’ll leave the diary of our recent trip to Dnipro for the Dnipro Kids charity to Stevie.
I did, however, want to write up my experiences and feelings following what was a second trip to Dnipro for me, but a first for the charity. I’m hoping by writing these down people here who have donated so generously to the charity can get a better sense of exactly how much it means to the people at the receiving end.

When Hibs played Dnipro last year I went along as an independent traveller. I was involved in messageboard discussions about what could be done in terms of some ‘sunshine appeal’ type donation and supported the efforts of the team in getting Dnipro Kids off the ground, but was involved very much just as a donator as I lived in London and the practicalities of being more ‘hands-on’ simply weren’t there.
I did, however, say to Mark and Stevie that I would be there to help out in whatever way I could. I was initially going to go along to the original orphanage on that first trip to try and e-mail photos home from my mobile phone, but having ascertained that the technology wasn’t supported in the Ukraine, I stood back and allowed those who mattered to do their stuff.

Having moved back to Edinburgh last November and with others who helped get the appeal started off having to step down with other commitments, Stevie, Babs, Colin and Mark approached me again about joining the committee and I jumped at the chance.

It’s fair to say I’ve felt my involvement to be fairly minimal up to the trip and it was Hibs failure to get into Europe that meant I had the holidays free to make the recent journey over. I wasn’t sure what to expect on the trip but was happy to add the additional baggage allowance and get another 2 cases over to the kids, if nothing else!

The weekend before we went was hectic - packing cases, weighing them and trying to prioritise what was going over on this trip. A hangover didn’t help, but we all mucked in and got the trainers packed and the cases distributed so they conformed to the airline’s policies.

Having travelled a similar route to Dnipro before – involving a change of flight to Kiev and the overnight train – I wasn’t daunted …. Although it’s fair to say that my memory of the overnight train the first time was some what hazy due to an ill-advised couple of rounds of vodka in the Irish Bar – O’Brien’s – before we boarded the train … Indeed, I managed to lose the return tickets for our travelling party of 8 plus my digital , so my credentials were less than impressive!!

This trip was very different though. The flights went smoothly on the way out and before we knew it we were in the Ukraine again.
Immigration was nearly as slow as I remember it previously (just 45 mins in line this time though) and we met Ira as we got through to the other side of Customs with no trouble. This was the first I’d met Ira, although I’d heard all about her from the other committee members.

What a difference having a native speaker with us! She managed to negotiate us and all our cases onto the local shuttle bus into the centre and off we went to left luggage at Kiev Station.
The last time we’d attempted this – using the lockers – we’d managed to misunderstand the locker system and totally infuriated the woman working there who had to unlock several lockers for us to get our bags out later!
This time, it was much smoother with Ira doing the talking and the cases were duly deposited.
We spent a few hours eating and looking around Kiev, before we all went to retrieve the cases and head down on the overnight train.
Being honest, the cabins in 2nd class on the train are quite adequate for sleeping. However, they are very hot. It seems many Ukrainians actually prefer the communal 3rd class as the air moves through the carriage and keeps you cool, allowing you to sleep better than in the cabins. I guess mind you, this wasn’t a consideration when Stevie and Colin went in January!!
The toilet facilities hadn’t improved on my last trip and remain the hardest part of this journey, especially as on the way back they locked them for what seemed like forever just as I was wanting to go to my bed!!

On reaching Dnipro at 7am on Friday morning it was quite emotional as I had never expected to return there, especially not so soon.
It was a very similar temperature though – lovely and sunny – and it felt good to be back.
Wes met us at the station with Mike’s van – something we really could not have done without and indeed the help from these guys throughout the time we were there was invaluable.
So we loaded up and started on the hard work.
The organisation that went into getting everything achieved in the time we had available was nothing short of phenomenal. Mark and Stevie had learnt a lot from previous visits and the cases had been packed according to where they were going, to make life easier.
Even so, we had so much stuff we’d taken over (6 full suitcases) that once we started the shopping it was clear we wouldn’t be able to fit everything in the van.
Mark had warned me that plans would have to be changed and changed again when we got there, and he wasn’t wrong!! We got round this thanks to depositing some things at Ira’s home, but it did take some brain power and organisational skills all round to get the logistics to work!
Shopping was actually a good experience … seeing how far we could make the donation money go was really satisfying. Everytime we accomplished a goal under budget felt special as we knew it allowed us to buy more.
When we found the exercise books that fitted what we required, in budget and with ‘SCOTLAND’ and a nice picture of a Scottish Loch on the front it felt even better!
All the time we were thinking – we have to get everything – and more! – and this is all coming from the Hibs fans back home.
I find it hard to explain how that felt, but it was very powerful to be in this country so far away yet be so connected to everyone back home. There was a real feeling of responsibility to make the most of what we’d been given and do the best for the children of Dnipro due to the amazing generosity of our support.

Later that first day was our first orphanage visit – to the new one we were taking on, further outside town and with older children in general than the original one. This was the first time any of us had been there so it was somewhat similar for all of us – except I’d not been to the first one so had nothing to compare it with.

Walking into that place with the kids scurrying around to help us with the bags and get the room unlocked for us was the moment everything changed for me.
You can read these stories and see the pictures, but to actually be there first hand and actually FEEL what it was all about is something that’ll be with me for the rest of my life. And it’s why I’m writing this as I want to get that feeling over to everyone who’s donated as best I can so you can share in exactly how special this whole thing is. It’s all of you who made it all possible and continue to do so.

Seeing all those faces expectantly looking at us … the younger ones openly gawping at what they saw, the older teenagers being surly (like teenagers are) and pretending not to care, but taking a sly peek out of the corner of their eyes and finding it hard not to show their excitement too.

We had the trainers we’d bought in the UK all laid out on the floor and you could see the children eyeing them up in wonder.
With the help of Ira and her daughter Natalie we got on with kitting them out.
Seeing the strips being handed out to them and them swapping and squabbling over colours was incredible too. I’m sure one enterprising young man managed to get a goalie top AND a home strip, but we’re not quite sure …
When one kid asked cheekily for a ‘white top with no.10 on the back’ everyone laughed, until Mark found one in his size!! Quite amazing to see his face at that!

It’s fair to say that the older children appear initially to be harder work, but these are kids that have lived their whole lives in an orphanage. The fact they were as polite and friendly as they were is testimony to the great work the people at the orphanage do. And they loved the tops. All worn a different way and some preferring the goalie jerseys it was brilliant to return the next day when they were all wearing them again to get an indication of their personalities by the tops they’d gone for and the way they wore them….

The second day was harder work as we were suffering from lack of sleep and too many vodka toasts with our Dnipro supporting friends, but we didn’t let it affect what we did. Another long, laborious day was extremely successful and we managed to visit both orphanages as well as depositing everything we’d wanted to get for the Bear Trust Crisis Pregnancy Centre.

Visiting the original orphanage was very special. Mark and Stevie were able to see the progress made and for me it was the pictures of that first trip coming to life.
The kids were more excited and less wary than the other orphanage as they knew who we were. There was such a feeling of both anticipation of what they were going to get and also an appreciation that we’d come back. It made us all determined to keep going back and to keep letting these kids know that there are a whole load of people miles away in another country who keep thinking of them and want to keep helping them as much as they can.

The best memory of many good ones from that trip (where we really didn’t want to have to leave) was when the batteries were dying and I switched to my mobile for a last few of the kids in their new baseball hats and strips. They were so excited to pose for the pictures and then rush to see them on the small screen of my phone that it became impossible to take any more as they were josting each other so much the images were just coming out blurred!!

Returning to the other orphanage was wonderful too as we had more of the ‘goodies’ with us on day 2 – the sweets and toys – and one wee boy simply couldn’t stop his jaw hitting the floor as he eyed up the football that was amongst the latter!!

Seeing Mark and Stevie play 2 a-side with 2 of the older boys was another highlight.
The boys hadn’t put their trainers on, simply run out with bare feet to play … but they still ran rings round the old-timers!!

On this trip I saw far more of Dnipro and understood it far more than I had a year previously – especially as we had locals taking us around. I have to say I noticed a change in the place a year on … things are definitely improving and there are signs of wealth emerging, if not exactly equitably distributed.
Apparently someone there owns a Ferrari, although how they could drive it on the pot-holed roads is anyone’s guess …

It wasn’t just the children that touched me though. The people there were incredible. From Ira and Natalie, who I’m proud to call my friends, through the wonderful generosity and friendship from the Dnipro fans to the ladies in the Dnipro Club Shop everyone was gracious and kind to us.
These are people who don’t have a lot, in fact compared to most people in this country they have very little. Yet they are compassionate and generous to a fault.

As we went to board the train back to Kiev I felt an overwhelming sadness to be leaving and the urge to do more for all these children and the people we’d met will never leave me.
When we sat in the carriage Stevie took one look at my face and said ‘now you see what we mean’ and I did.

I feel privileged to have been able to do my own wee bit of helping and I’m hoping that by reading this it may help the numerous wonderfully generous people who’ve contributed to the appeal to appreciate how much they have done already and how much it means to those on the other end. And to make everyone just want to keep on going with this amazing project.

[Ewan]

[Kenny]

Originally Posted by Lix

Dnipro Revisited – A Different Perspective

nice to meet y'all in prague too...

chrs

kenny

[1875]

Good stuff Alix!

[Jamie]

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