Guest
For a good write-up of this article in English and Russian, with full transcript in both languages, see here: English: Russian: “It is such a wonderful thing to be part of a big, multi-child, homeschooling family, especially as an Orthodox Christian. Personally, I cannot imagine a better life.“ ------------------------------------------------------------- Sometimes in the course of everyday life, something absolutely brilliant and beautiful happens, and you just have to sit there and marvel. This speech by a 19 year old American woman in Sochi, Russia, was one of those times. Kimberly Gleason is the 19 year old daughter of Fr. Joseph Gleason, an American Christian Orthodox priest who received a lot of media attention both inside and outside Russia when he moved his family of 10 to rural Russia 6 years ago. For an excellent Russian TV news video segment about the Gleasons, and other Orthodox Christian Americans who have moved to Russia, see here. Fr. Joseph publishes a substack blog entitled 'Moving to Russia', and is a regular contributor to this site. The home-schooled Gleason children have never seen the inside of a classroom. Kimberly wrote this speech herself, in Russian, a language she didn't speak a word of before moving, and then delivered it with great poise to a conference in October with important representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church present. It contains more wisdom and common sense about how to build a meaningful life than what most adults could muster. Please watch this video. You'll be thankful you did. At the end of speech, she sings a traditional Russian Christian song with some of her brothers and sisters. Her speech was one of the most popular at the conference.
