paka-paka

At least that is what bye-bye sounds like. I only have one more placement tomorrow- at my favorite children's shelter. There are no goodbye's to the kids because they see people come and go all the time. I am the least important part of their care team. but I did teach them pop up butterflies and windsocks. Which made for some very toothless grins as they are all 6-8. It is so little in such a big problem, but it will have to be enough.

Tomorrow night is something billed as a Jazz Festival, but the woman arranging it mentioned a lot of guitar so....
Saturday I have 2 more churches to find, some last souvenirs to buy and then pack. I leave here Sunday at 7am, from Moscow at 2:20pm. I fee fairly well acquainted with the airport, its back alleys and dark halls...

I'll have more reflections after I ma home but I will say this has been enlightening in its similarities and differences from the US. Growing up with a bomb shelter under the house, talk of sputnik and Castro, to meet Russians post Soviet and next generation post-Soviet has been fascinating. The role of the church is almost museum like. Social service is what it is and no one expects any better. Persons connections are everything and forgive everything. More like us, less like us.