Calvin's orphanage

Recently, I have been speaking with Calvin about his orphanage. One thing I am most intrigued about is learning what the orphanages were like in Russia and Ukraine. Keith and Iryna do not remember what life was like in their orphanages, and Silas was younger when we adopted him so he does not either. Calvin is my only child that currently remembers what life was like in his orphanage. I know that he will soon forget what life was like in that orphanage, so I have been asking him many questions. I want to share those things now, so I do not forget them.

Calvin said that whenever he did anything wrong in the orphanage that his punishment was to put his hands in hot water.

He said that he would usually have a soup for breakfast, usually with some rice in it. The snacks he remembers was a banana, or sometimes an orange.

Calvin said that one of the women that worked at the orphanage would be angry with him at night time, because he did not want to sleep underneath the blanket. I asked him why he didn't want to be underneath the blankets, knowing that it must've been cold in the room at some point, but Calvin said that the blanket didn't smell good. It makes me feel good that all of his blankets smell good now. 😊

At one point in the conversation, Calvin asked me what his name used to be when he was in Russia. I replied that his name was Denis. Then he went along talking about something else. He asked me where I was born, and I told him I was born in Oklahoma. Then he asked me what my name is, I said my name is Jill. Then he asked me what my name was when I was in Oklahoma. He was perplexed when I told him it was Jill. Ha ha. I guess he assumed that your name changed when you move somewhere.

I hope to learn more things about his experience in Russia. It makes me sad that he was all alone for five years before he found his family. But I'm grateful that we have him now.


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