Spanish Families Offer Small Happiness

By Oxana Andrienko

On April 26, 1986, a nuclear accident occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukraine (before in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, part of the former Soviet Union) – the reactor number four had a meltdown. It is considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. The resulting fire sent a plume of radioactive fallout into the atmosphere and over an extensive geographical area, including the nearby town of Pripyat.

A big part of Western Russia became infected by radiation because of the wind. Many nuclear elements thrown out in the atmosphere have a half-life period from 8 minutes to 1,000 years. The part of West Russia called Bryanskaya region (inclusive of Novozybkov city and other nearby villages) is still situated in a high-level radiation zone, or the so-called “eviction zone.” However, the Russian local government has decided to stop providing financial aid to the families that suffered during the disaster. Authorities seem to think that the radiation had just vanished there. After the accident, people weren’t given new residences or apartments out of the dangerous zone, so they have been living there for 24 years.

The next generation born after the disaster has many different diseases – the illness of a thyroid gland is considered to be the most common. Obviously, the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are reflected in the children. However, they have no idea that they live in a dangerous zone where a healthy person can only stay (if he needs to stay for research) for a maximum of about a day without eating anything, because even the food is infected by radiation. Parents don't want to frighten their kids. Nevertheless, the problem of living in the infected zone is still the major one.

In 1993, the members of the non-profit Spanish (Galicia) organization called Ledicia Cativa (“Small joy" in English) visited Bryanskaya region and after their research they decided to collaborate with the Russian non-profit charity organization called Our Future ("Nashe budushee" in Russian). Since that time, about 40 Russian children from this region spend their summer vacations with Spanish families. Children can breathe fresh air, eat healthy food and spend a great time with their "Spanish mommy and daddy" (they call them their Spanish parents because those children receive so much love from them).

The age of children varies from 6 to 18 years old. The families of the Galicia province that are the members of this charity organization take Russian children annually. Those kids have their own Russian families, but if their families don't mind, their kids can stay in Spain and work there after they become adults.

I was a children's translator for the Russian children and witnessed what was going on during two months in an absolutely new environment. The following is a record of my impressions of our big trip.

The children that came to Spain for the first time obviously couldn't speak Spanish, so during the first year, kids were very scared - they were about 6 years old, had never visited a foreign country, and they would be separated from their parents for about two months. However, the second-year visitors to Spain could speak Spanish very well. They actually started to speak Spanish after two weeks with the families and two months later they spoke only Spanish and answered in Spanish my questions in Russian.

There are some funny moments connected with languages. When children come back to Russia, usually the first-year children, they often speak only Spanish for about two weeks. Obviously, they couldn't be understood by their Russian parents or by their schoolteachers. Then the kids' brains started thinking in Russian again and they recalled how to speak their native language.

Another funny thing is that many children who were engaged in this program study at the same school and have the same classes. So, those who know Spanish have decided to make the Spanish language their secret language, and they can understand each other while nobody else can understand them.

After spending two months in Spain, children usually gain six pounds on average and become much taller comparing to their height before their visit to Spain.

The small happiness that the Galicians give the Russian children is the possibility not only to rest for two months, to have treatment by European doctors, to breathe fresh air and to eat healthy meals, but also the opportunity to have brothers, sisters, and other parents. One girl showed me the photo of her and her "Spanish sister" during our flight back to Russia. To know that someone needs you is a real happiness.