The Crimea is a place that once visited is sure to awake love: one cannot forget its mountains, its clear sea and the forests of the national parks…

On August 16–23 three graduates of Tsurupinsk orphanage for disabled children (and now the patients of Kakhovka geriatric pension) – Olga Ulianchenko, Irina Naboyschykova, and Svetlana Manzhos – had a week of incredible time there.

Their journey started with Orlinoe, a village located 18 miles away from Sevastopol in Baydarskaya valley that is called Crimean Switzerland for its beautiful landscapes and mild climate. The valley is surrounded by the mountains dressed in pine and juniper.

The week passed in meeting new friends and practicing English with the Americans who came with the World Race mission. In spite of certain difficulties that the mountain routes presented the girls visited a mountain lake, a camp for orphans “Gorny”, dined out at a pizza hut and had a night walk around Sevastopol. Their new friends from Hope House mission were willing to help and serve them and worked hard to make the girls’ stay comfortable and refreshing.

No wonder Irina (known for her poetic giftedness) added quite a number of new pieces to her yet to be published collection.

On their way back the girls visited the church by Foross (located almost a thousand feet above the sea) and took an electric cart ride in the park of the Vorontsov palace. The walk down the quay in Yalta and a lunch at McDonalds summed up the special journey.

The trip to the Crimea was a very special experience, and the girls were sad to have to leave for the pension. Yet each of them was very thankful to My Home Fund for the given opportunity to rest, have fun and meet new friends.