After the close experience of Maria's Children Summer camp, I embarked to the majestic city of Saint Petersburg, formerly Lenningrad. This city was rebuilt after WW2 all in the same style, with beautiful facades all lit up at night, large canals to walk along and stunning Roman Orthodox churches, which Russia is famous for. I joined a large group of clowns all going to clown in the children's wards of hospitals, Lead by the lovely Anya, one of Maria's five daughters, all of whom are very involved with Maria's Children.
This group was made up of: 15 American students and teachers from a college in Virginia, all doing a humanitarian mini mester abroad, a few other Russian clowns from Maria's Children, a French Canadian clown named Guillaume, a Portuguese clown named Joana (I name these two because the three of us as the rag tag members became quite close). We all took the overnight to St. Petersburg, and embarked on a five day clown/food/adventure fest. During the day we dressed in our clown garb and went to a hospital a day, usually for around 1 1/12hrs. They ranged from the parks outside hospitals to wards with children bed ridden, and all we really were doing was playing. Playing with the kids, there parents and families. Imagine being a parent and having a child confined to a hospital for weeks, months at a time. We were the laughter distraction, the clown halftime show, and you can see the beautiful power of a laugh when it is on a kid that has not had many of late. We would mime, and run around and giggle and hide, be as silly as we could. Push around kids in wheel chairs, make faces with kids confined to bed, and generally just be a bunch of clowns. You could hear laughter up and down the halls, from the floors below and above, in halls that generally laughter does not live.
We would leave these places sweaty and happy, astonished on what a gift of a few hours of silliness would be, and spend our evenings strolling the streets, eating incredible food, most of which was Georgian, and drinking wine and beer. Georgian food is like Eastern European comfort food, breads filled with egg and cheese, spinach and mushroom pate, and big dishes filled with roasted veggies, potato's and meats, easily some of the best food I have ever eaten. I also had time to go check out the Hermatige Museum, one of the worlds largest, a collection of 30 Palaces holding Rembrants, Da Vinci's and Michelangelo's, Thousands of years of art, which we wandered for hours. Despite warnings put out by the American Embassy that we were out during the high violence times of Russian Airforce and Naval celebration days, we met no hostility, and were generally met with open arms. We celebrated at a bar called the New Years Club, were every night at 12 they celebrate Russian style new years, champagne is passed and everyone wears bunny ears. The time here was still so surrounded by a wave of magic, and as it came to an end there were even more hugs and tears of goodbye. Anya, Guillaume, Joana and I said goodbye the group and we all headed back to Moscow, where we spent the next couple of days hanging out with Olga (another daughter of Maria) and her boyfriend Martin (a Maria's children volunteer). They introduced me to new friends and took me to The Garage a peculiar yet awesome modern museum in Moscow. Following more Georgian food my final night in the city, more lovely goodbyes and waves as I departed For Germany Via Istanbul to visit my friend Vanessa.
That all of this, was encompassed in less than three weeks is mind blowing. I have always struggled with the concept of time, it's impossible to grasp. So much of my meditation has been spent helping me enjoying the present moment, and I have never felt more able than now. As I sat on a layover in a cafe in the Istanbul Airport, drinking Turkish coffee and eating Turkish delights, I marveled at how one can not bottle or take an experience with you. The memories change with time, details leave me but the feelings that I have experienced of different places and people all remain, thank you all for the gifts of a million and one beautiful feelings.
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