This lovely story tells how much this woman learned about her own country through the eyes of an immigrant. - - Donna Poisl
By Bonnie Miller Rubin
Thirty years ago, back when we were a young married couple living in Minneapolis, my husband and I volunteered to help a family of Russian immigrants.
I'm not sure why we raised our hands. Now, I think it was some combination of longing for family, altruism and a nod to our roots (our own grandparents had made the same trip almost a century earlier).
Our job was simple: Guide these greenhorns as they became acclimated to American life, from opening a checking account to registering their then-5-year-old daughter for kindergarten.
Easy enough. We'd fulfill our six-month commitment, chalk up some mitzvah (good deed) points and call it a day.
How could we possibly know that when our designated family—Mark and Vera Mednikov and their daughter Maria—walked off the plane, we'd be the ones embarking on a lifelong adventure?
Be sure to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
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