Ray’s Monthly Reflections – May 2010

We are only one month into our trip, but already there are so many exciting events to recite, that I don’t know where to begin. For certain, as a nature lover, the swarms of mayflies at our campground on Association Island, just off the coast of Lake Erie, held my interest for the entire duration of our five-night stay.

Without a doubt, the single event that made the biggest impact on me was meeting Dianne and Magdalena. Their story begins at our campground in Lockport, NY, where we arrived on May 24th.

As we entered the campground for the first time, moving at my usual snail pace of only five MPH, I noticed off to the right side, just beyond a small pond, a single green tent. It seemed odd that in a world of RVs starting at 30 feet in length, there should be a lone tent. Just before turning away, I saw a young girl move quickly from inside the tent to the shade of a nearby picnic table. Now my interest was peaked. A lone woman, in a tent, with no bicycle or car in sight? In an isolated campground in a very rural part of upstate NY – with nothing like a grocery store anywhere in sight?!

The activities of selecting our camp site and setting up the RV to Debby’s exacting specifications (no tilting more than 5 degrees) dismissed any further thoughts about the lone lady in the isolated tent. But soon it was Martini time and Deb and I headed out of the campground again in search of a cocktail lounge. Of course, I glanced across the pond on our way out. This time, not only did I see the lone lady still sitting at the picnic table – but I saw that there was also a very young child with her!

Soon the moral dilemma set in. A lone woman with an infant in a tent – in an isolated campground, where it was up to 90 degrees in the day and in the low 60s at night - and with no means of transportation??!! Should we intervene and offer assistance, or should we respect her privacy? How does she get food for the baby? When she does get it, how does she prepare and preserve it?

Debby and I most often think alike, so after a brief bar-room conversation – mellowed by gin and merlot – we reached agreement on what to do. We decided we would ask the campground manager if she knew anything about the lone lady and whether or not she might need assistance. So, as soon as we returned to the campground, we stopped at the office and inquired.

I could tell we were onto something unusual as soon as I mentioned the subject of the lone lady to Kristine, the campground manager. She immediately stopped everything she was doing and focused her eyes directly into mine. Then she explained the unusual circumstances of the lone lady and her infant – now identified as 22 year old Dianne and her two year old daughter, Magdalena. It turns out that she and her husband were members of a small group from the Ukraine traveling around the world and documenting their experience. As what Dianne called “artistic performers”, they wanted to demonstrate how art could be used to transcend language barriers and prove that people across the world share a common goodness. In a tent? With an infant? With no means of transportation? My mind was buzzing with more questions.

Kristine further explained that Dianne enjoyed talking about her experience and that she was nearly fluent in English. Another small detail she offered was that Dianne’s husband was away in Canada with the other two members of their team. He had apparently been accused of stealing a jewelry box from the family hosting him in Canada. This of course led to his arrest and the need to hire a lawyer – and his name being placed on something like a list of criminals who were denied entry into the US. Once a person’s name is on the list, it can take as long as six weeks to have their name purged. In this case, the jewelry box was subsequently located in the apartment of the accuser, where it had been all the time, and all charges were dropped. But, due to the backlogged legal process, probably on the US side, it could still take as long as six weeks before he could legally reenter the US, and rejoin his wife. To complicate matters, Dianne could not cross the border into Canada to join her husband because she was not able to produce the appropriate documentation – and it would take weeks for her to retrieve it from the Ukraine. So now we have a lone woman, living in a tent, with no means of transportation, with an infant – and separated from her husband for up to six weeks!!!! She was essentially stranded. Maybe my readers are now beginning to find this story as unusual as I did – and by now the circumstances cried out for intervention. So, off Debby and I went to chat with Dianne at her campground.

As we approached Dianne’s campsite, the many things that caught my eye, included what an adorable child! If ever there was a cherub, it would be Magdalena. She had a smile as wide as a dinner plate, and an inquisitive and friendly disposition that led her to climb onto my lap as soon as I sat down. Of course, I could not help but notice that her chubby arms were pock marked with mosquito bites and that they were pink with sunburn. But the cherub showed no sign at all of discomfort – even as a fresh squadron of mosquitoes zoomed in for a landing on her bare skin.

Dianne and her story were utterly fascinating. Everything that Kristine described was accurate. New information that we learned included the comforting fact that Dianne did have a computer with internet access as well as a cell phone – which at least permitted occasional contact with her husband. But at that moment, she had no idea if her reunion would take place during the next few days – or up to six weeks.

Once united, the team planned to continue their journey across the US to California. When I asked about means of transportation, Dianne looked at me as if I should know better. To her mind, there was only one way – hitch hiking!!!! When we asked about lodging, she provided an equally astonishing response - “camping in the forests”!!!! After some discussion about the legality and dangers of hitch hiking and trespassing in the US, Dianne shrugged her shoulders and reasoned that “maybe we will buy an old car and stay in campgrounds”.

Based on my description, you are probably forming the wrong impression of Dianne. She was no redneck. On the contrary, she was a very intelligent and articulate young lady. Our conversation with her was intriguing. The topics we discussed ranged from the right and need to “follow your dreams” versus exposing yourself to risks in a foreign country. In some respects, she seemed naive. For example, on more than one occasion when we drove Magdalena to an Indian Reservation, she left her hand bag in a public area where it could easily have been stolen. She trusted everyone. We did what we could to expose her to the harsh realities of the American way – but I am not at all certain she was convinced.

Over a period of three days we spent as much time as we could with Dianne and her child. Among the very few things she asked us to do in response to our offer “how can we help”, was to pick up some groceries. Her shopping list revealed much about her lifestyle: unsalted nuts, cherries, two green apples, and two yogurts. Can a person really survive on such a lean diet? Apparently they can, because both mother and child were pictures of health!

Dianne and Magda inside our RV

Dianne and Magdalena left a lasting impression on me – of courage, determination, positive attitude, and the right to follow your dreams. I am hopeful that we will stay in touch with her during the rest of our RV trip and beyond. At this point, we do have an open invitation to visit her home in the Ukraine. We have exchanged a few emails since we departed Lockport, and the last word was that she was still in the little green tent, alone with Magdalena, without transportation, in the hot sun……..