Figure 1.--Sashah is shown here waiting for the arrival of his brother and sisters from Russia.
|
Figure 1.--Sashah is shown here waiting for the arrival of his brother and sisters from Russia. |
The four children of alcoholic Russian parents were taken from them about 1994. Two of the children. Sasha, the oldest brother, remembers being cold and hungry. The orphanage that cared for them was clean, but Sartan. The children there were cared for adequately, but the resources were very limited. Sevetlana and Dimitri were 3 years old and were adopted by a Russian family. Sasha and the youngest sibling Valentina who was only 2 years old were adopted by an American family. The oldest children, however, did not forget about each other and yearned to hear if their were each well and happy.
The American family remembers their first site of Sasha and Valentina. The children looked cared for, but very small for their ages. The family was told to bring clothes as the orphanage needed to keep the clothes that the children were wearing. The introduction to the children was very informal. They were ushered in to a large office. Then all of a sudden a door opened and an adult caired in Valentina. Sasha was kind of pushed through the door. The adults said a few things in Russian and Sasha came forward and stood before his new parents. They repor, "He was a handsome outgoing boy with blue eyes, freckles, and a shock of straw-colored hair." He was also devoted to his little sister. They took the children outside to play. The new father offered Sasha some snacks they had brought. Instead of eating them, Sasha went over to Valentina who was playing with their new mother and offered the snacks to her. The American parents found out that often the children went hungry before they were taken in by the orphange.
The adoption proceeded smoothly. Sasha and Valentina were brought to America and the children flourished. Sasha became a budding soccer star and honor roll student has a poster of Britney Spears on his wall has entered the 6th grade. Valentina has studied ballet and is learning to swim. Both have computers. They speak English without an accent. They have become typical American children.
As Sasha grew older, he began to express concern over his brother and sister in Russia. He wondered what had happened to her. Was she safe? Would he ever be able to see her again? His American parents knew there were two other siblings, but had no idea where they were. Inquiries to the orphanage went unanswered. Sasha persisted, "I don't know where my brother and sister are. I don't know what has happened to them." His American parents assdured him that they were fine, but Sasha wanted proof. He insisted on pursuing the question and finally his parents promised to try to locate them. Inquiries were fruitless. Then the parents attended a meeting organized by the Russian adoption agency that they had used. As uck oud have it, one of the offcials was from the city where theorphanage that had cared for Sasha and his siblings were located. He vowed to help.
Figure 2.--Sashah is shown here looking every bit like an American 11-year old in his soccerv"T"-shirt and baggy shorts with his sisters at Dulles Airport. |
Two weeks later a letter from Russia arrived. When the father opened it two photographs of young children tumbled out. Sasha immediatekly recognized his brother and sister. They had been leading parallel lives. The siblings in Russia wrote that they also had dogs and catsm that their mother made dresses and had a garden. They assured Sasha that they were loved and were happy. They had also worried about Sasha, especially Svetlana. Letters e-mails, and invitations flew back and forth. Eventually a 10-day trip were arranged for the Russian siblings to visit America.
The reunion of the four Russian children was a dream come true. Their devotion to each other spanned a vast ocean and spools of Governmebtal red tape. A 5-year breech was closed as they did their best to communicater accross the language barrier.
The children's clothes show some of the differences between American and Russian styles. Sasha wears an over sized "T" shirt and long baggy shorts. Dimitri wears a neat collared shirt with military-styled flaps on his pockets.
Figure 3.--Dimitri is shown here. Note the collared shirt he wears with pocket flaps. These miltary details are popular in Russia. Svetlana appears to wear a home-made denim dress. |
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Bibliographies]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Contributions]
[Countries]
[FAQs]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to main Russian page]
[Australia]
[Canada]
[England]
[France]
[Germany]
[Ireland]
[Italy]
[Mexico]
[New Zealand]
[Poland]
[Scotland]
[United States]