Dana L. Yeoman, DDS
Dentures and Implants
The Power of a Smile to Transcend Borders Part 28
Site last published: 10/04/10
The Power of a Smile to Transcend Borders Part 28
The school for the visually impaired children was a miniature oasis for us. I loved helping the kids create paper bag puppets, coloring them and gluing on myriad decorations. Now every time I see a Fandango commercial, I think about the silly creations we came up with in Ukraine. The kids laughed hysterically at their impromptu puppet shows. Without complete communication between Americans and Ukrainians, puppet dialogues inevitably turned into a Punch and Judy show. I’m sure they created limitless entertainment for themselves in the following days with their whimsical characters.
The question I had for Vicki Nelson was what she intended to do with the boxes of remnants for the children at this school. She told me about her fabulous brain storm of how to help these kids in a creative way. Presenting the teachers with the fabric, they would use it to teach their students how to use a sewing machine. Piecing together large squares, they would design quilt tops. On our next trip to Ukraine, we would collect them and take them home. Next they would go to volunteers who would turn them into full-fledged quilts, adding the batting, binding, and final touches. These quilts would then be raffled as a fund raiser and the money would go back to the children at the school. What a beautiful way to help raise money for supplies and new optometry equipment!
When our paradoxically idyllic time at that school was finished, we headed back to Kiev to spend a few days to relax. I was taken to see an opera production at the National Opera House. The building was constructed in 1901 and was a glorious reminder of the “old days” before Communist efficiency and uniformity took over. The walls were gilt with gold and everything was upholstered with red velvet. There were several balcony boxes that wrapped all the way around the room. The ceiling, intricate in its design, showcased a breathtaking chandelier that the Phantom of the Opera would envy. This was like stepping back in time to a world untroubled by wars, economic uncertainty and political turmoil. I felt like I was living in a Ukrainian version of a Jane Austen novel, and all I was missing was a ball gown, feather fan and opera glasses.
This particular evening’s production was Puccini’s Turandot, written about a princess with a heart of stone who dooms all her suitors to be executed. Of course the tenor hero melts her heart with a rendition of Nessun Dorma that would make any girl fall madly in love. This was my first time seeing Turandot, and Nessun Dorma has been a number one favorite since.
The one thing that made my experience different than if I had been in any other opera house in Western Europe was that it followed shortly on the heels of the theater hostage crisis in Moscow. As I gazed around, my emotions fluctuated between awe, excitement, and unmitigated fear. Not long before, about 50 Chechen terrorists had seized the crowded Moscow theater, took 850 hostages and demanded the removal of Russian forces from Chechnya. After two and a half days the siege ended, but with mixed results. It was decidedly bad for the terrorists, as none were left to account for their actions. However, the hostages suffered from the toxic gas pumped into the air ducts to neutralize the militants. 129 hostages died and over 700 were injured. Russia caught a lot of flack for how they handled it, but in true Russian fashion it was handled nonetheless.
I took comfort knowing that Ukraine had been at least nominally independent from Russia for several years, and chances were we would not be a target for Chechen rebels. Still, it made an otherwise perfect experience tinged with a faint uneasiness. I am glad to say that nothing untoward happened the entire evening, and I was so transfixed by the singing that after a while I forgot to be terrified. It was certainly an experience of a lifetime.