Coming to America
PORTERSVILLE— When Dan Duffy of Fombell traveled on a church mission to Russia, he intended to help people, but never planned to adopt a child. With the youngest of his three children set to graduate from high school, he and his wife, Anita, were ready to be empty nesters.
But the personality of a girl they met at an orphanage was like a magnet, even though he could only speak with her through a translator.
Although Duffy left the girl with his daughter's coat, she left him with a lasting impression. As a result, she arrived home almost 10 years later after meeting her new parents twice.
In late September, 14-year-old Sophia Duffy, who goes by Sonya, arrived in the United States ready to be a new member of the Duffy family.
Sonya is facing learning a new language, living in a strange country and being part of a family she'd only met briefly before.
During her first 36 days in the country, she's begun learning about American customs like Halloween and some English words like homework.
The Duffys thought public school would be difficult for Sonya, so they enrolled her at Portersville Christian School.
The pastor for Concord Methodist Church, which had sponsored the mission trip Dan Duffy traveled on, knew of a woman who was in the area from Russia on a student visa.
The Duffys called Galina Korneva, who recently graduated from Geneva College with degrees in applied math and accounting, and hired her as a translator.
Korneva doubles as a tutor for Sonya, following her through her English, math, Bible, art, gym and music classes.
Sonya, who goes to school from 8:15 to 11:45 a.m., spends her time outside school in activities like horseback riding and adapting to American family life.
She has no translator at home, so she communicates with the few English words she knows and plenty of body language.
Before Halloween, Korneva explained the holiday to Sonya. She didn't get dressed up, but she did walk around the neighborhood with some children who were going trick-or-treating.All this was much different than living in the orphanage in Vladimir, she said. Sonya was leader of a group of orphans, called a captain, so she got extra privileges, but her life was still scheduled and structured.In the morning, she gathered with the others at the orphanage and heard the day's announcements before going to classes. About 3 p.m., they got together for a meal. Then, on Tuesdays and Fridays, the students had the opportunity to shower, bathe or go to the sauna. In the afternoons, the students did homework and got a few hours to relax and watch TV.During summers, the students didn't have class, but instead were responsible for farming fields of vegetables, fruits and potatoes and doing chores like taking care of the hogs.Sonya said it came as a surprise when the principal came to her and asked if she would like to be adopted and move to America."At first I was excited to be adopted because for many years I dreamed of being adopted,"she said through Korneva. Though she was scared of leaving her "Mother Russia," she was glad someone wanted her.Sonya said she would take a couple of days to think about her decision. One caretaker came to her and encouraged her to move because she would have a better life, but some of her friends tried to scare her, telling her that Americans wouldn't take care of her."I see now I have a better future," Sonya said.Those who grow up in Russian orphanages usually go on to technical school and then have to make it on their own, she said.Dan Duffy took his wife to meet Sonya and then returned in September to go through the court process of adopting Sonya. The usual 10-day waiting period was waived because Sonya's family history showed no one would claim her.When Dan Duffy first met Sonya, he noticed she was smart. This caught him off guard because the orphanage was mostly for special needs children. A pastor at the orphanage explained Sonya was there because she was the daughter of a gypsy family and had no previous formal education.Sonya said when she arrived in the country, the first thing she noticed was how large the houses were. She's also surprised by how large her family is, she said. Her family includes siblings Danelle, Erica and Brad as well as aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and a Newfoundland named Lou.And her family hasn't let her out of chores just because she can't speak the language.One evening Sonya was sitting in the kitchen singing to herself when Anita Duffy tapped her on the shoulder, gestured to her, and told her she had to help make the dumplings for dinner.
