A Mother’s Day visit with the Shipleys of Chita

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY CHUCK RITCHIE

On Mother’s Day weekend, three participants from the Siberian Bridges “Taste of Zabaikalye” tour of late summer 2018, Irene Duranczyk, Tom Lonergan, and I, ventured forth to Chicago from the Twin Cities to meet Michael and Irina Shipley and their lovely daughter, Katya. Michael and Irina flew to the US from Chita, and the three of them were in Chicago celebrating Katya’s graduation from Redlands University (actually located in California). Irina had been our wonderful interpreter for the tour last summer. She and Michael have been working several years now with many young men who have come out of the orphanages in Chita, supporting them in a variety of ways. We at Siberian Bridges in turn give them some financial support as one of our projects. We were excited to see them so close to home.

Our journey began with a return to an earlier time as we boarded the Empire Builder at Union Depot in St. Paul and enjoyed the carefree comfort of a good old fashioned train trip. Not since I was a child have I been on that route to Chicago, and as I thought about the more traditional (and tedious) driving route I reveled in the clickety-clack of a bygone era.

It turns out that Tom and Irene know Chicago very well, and they navigated us through the Friday afternoon rush hour surge on the Metra (commuter train) to one of the older, predominately Polish, neighborhoods in northwest Chicago where the Shipleys were renting. What a wonderful evening we spent catching up and reminiscing! It was highlighted by a delicious meal whose components of soups, Polish sausage, pierogis, pickles, four different kinds of salad and some crullers (angel wings) and kolaczyki for dessert were all garnered from the Polish deli just down the street. Irene ws responding to cravings from her Polish ancestry and guided us into her ethnic culinary world. 

One of the reasons the Shipleys chose to celebrate Katya’s graduation in Chicago is the Baha’i Temple located on the lakefront in Wilmette. They are followers of the Baha’i faith, and one of the highlights for us was to visit the Temple and learn more about that religion.

Founded in Persia by Mirza Husain-Ali who is considered to be the latest messenger of God, the core principles of this faith include the oneness of humanity and the dignity of every human being, freedom from prejudice, equality of men and women, commitment to education and the search for truth, among others. Baha’is believe that throughout history God has revealed Himself and His Teachings to humanity through a series of Divine Messengers that stretch back beyond recorded time and includes Abraham, Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad. The missions of these Manifestations of God represent successive stages in the spiritual evolution of civilization.

The temple embodies and celebrates light—the light of a new revelation from God. Neither of the East nor of the West, the temple’s design intends to transcend any specific culture, forming a unique structure where the world’s inhabitants can come and be united in prayer.

Part Two of our time together took place at the Chicago Botanical Garden located in Highland Park on the north shore. Our tour of the bonsai display as well as several of the greenhouses allowed us to take in some incredible natural beauty as well as enjoy the grounds of this incredible resource. 

We returned to the apartment for lunch, which consisted of leftovers from our Polish repast, when we were visited by a couple and their two children. They wanted Michael and Irina to take some gifts back to Chita for a family member. It turns out that Mariana is from Chita, and she met and married a man from India, and they have been living in Chicago since 1998. Mariana’s mother still lives in Chita and was, in fact, Katya’s and Michael’s piano teacher! Life is an unending series of ever expanding acquaintances and opportunities to interact with people from other cultures and to hear their stories. Chita, India, Chicago! and we were the beneficiaries of this cross-cultural meeting!

What to do for the rest of the day? Go downtown and walk the city. Michael volunteered to drive the six of us (in a five-passenger sedan!) through what apparently was typical Saturday traffic to downtown Chicago. It took at least an hour, and on the way we explored a number of pressing questions including some politics regarding Putin and Trump with no definitive conclusions other than more exasperation than enlightenment.

Then Michael posed this question to each of us: what if you were on stage in front of a large audience and were asked to speak for 10-20 minutes on something of interest to the audience. What would you talk about? Chuck, Michael and Irina all chose something to do with Russia and the need for greater understanding between us. Irene waxed eloquent about the fact that often times the divisions that exist within a single grouping (say Lutherans) are greater than those that exist between different groupings (Catholics, Methodists, etc.) Tom shared his experiences breaking out of the mold of parental and familial expectations in pursuing a career that was not exactly planned or foreseen. Michael posed other questions to us that not only helped pass the time in the car, but also challenged us to share things about ourselves and the way we view the world. It was anything but a dull ride to downtown Chicago!

We walked downtown Chicago in the waning moments of a soft rain as Tom and Irene pointed out the places of interest. After dinner came our cultural activity for the trip, Durak (“Fool”), a Russian card game that one cannot win, but tries not to lose, a wonderfully Russian endeavor that produced a lot of laughs.

In summation the real treasure of the trip was reconnecting with friends—new last year, but now old—and enjoying our time together. We had time to laugh, talk, reminisce, exchange views, and explore our commonalities as well as our differences. Michael is an American who has lived in Chita for 29 years and has insights forged by practical experience in both cultures, a fact which makes him a very interesting resource. Irina teaches English in Chita, and as previously mentioned does considerable work with young adults who have left the orphanage but have not yet found their way. Tom, Irene, and I feel blessed to have had the chance to see them here, enjoy their company, and deepen our friendship.

This is what Siberian Bridges is all about, relationships with the people from the Zabaikal region, relationships that help us understand each other and help us develop a mutual respect for each other. Tom, Irene, and I certainly felt that we were living the mission of Siberian Bridges in the presence of this remarkable family.