HopeCenter Profiles: Andrey, Tanya and Alosha Shpigunov

I conducted a poll and got a good response about having profile posts for the people we work with.  I am going to try to catch up so that future posts will give you readers to ability to click a link and read up on any person mentioned; complete with photos to put a name with a face.

To start at the beginning as Andrey did the other day in a camp team meeting, "I was born in Kerch on December 27th, 1972.  It was a very foggy night..."  That pretty much sums up how he deals with most things; turn it all into a joke.  

Andrey and Tanya are technically the boss(es) around here but we think of them much more as friends than superiors.  

Andrey is the camp director which means, in true Ukrainian fashion that his signature and stamp must go on EVERY document.  He labors tirelessly to make sure the HopeCenter continues to function under tough conditions and tight budget.  He began as the head of security when GA bought the camp in 2002 and eventually became director in 2006.  He knows more about the physical camp than almost anyone.  He does formal meetings with commissions and officials and then turns around and does concrete finishing, plumbing and welding.  Sometimes he has to drive the 6 hour round trip to Simferopol multiple times a week.

He is also one of the most good-natured people I've ever met.  He is great fun and shares my love of kvas and shashlik.  Some of my best times with him involve driving across Crimea, watching the UEFA Cup final (a Scottish team vs a Russian team) and generally joking about EVERYTHING.  He is, unfortunately, really bad at teaching Russian.  Just about the time you think you have figured out a word or phrase, he switches to Russian prison slang, Ukrainian, German, Spanish or any other language which will confuse you again.  It's a small price to pay for having such a good friend and capable leader.

Tanya on the other hand, is nothing but helpful.  She is to programs what Andrey is to the HopeCenter camp.  She keeps all the programs, camps, outreach, humanitarian aid and general social schedule under control.  We work very closely with her to make sure that the international guests are cared for and have their concerns addressed.  She is great at incorporating us into the various projects that are always going on here.  Tanya is always trying to improve her English and we have fun trying to explain some of the subtleties of the language.

The Shpigunovs do all this while raising 6-year old Alosha.  Little 'Losh is always a funny part of HopeCenter life with his strange antics and elastic facial expressions.  This was the first year that he was really old enough to participate in summer camp activities.  He still slept in the room with Andrey and Tanya but was out and about from dawn until well after dark.  I know that Campbell is going to miss him when they move back to their flat in town.