Belorussian youth back for another visit

“Safeway.”
Not many 11-year-olds would say that when asked what their favourite part of Fort Frances is. But that’s exactly how Dmitry (Dima) Fedoruk, a native of Belarus, answered.
“In his country, they don’t have such a place where everything is there,” said Fedoruk’s host mother, Cathy Zin, explaining his preference for Safeway. “They don’t have that variety.”
Fedoruk, who speaks Russian but learned English at his school in Minsk (the capital of Belarus), has visited here over the past three summers. And each time he’s stayed with Zin, her husband, Terry Wilcott, and her two sons, Giordan, 13, and Austin, 12.
Zin said he fit right in with the family. “The boys get along like brothers,” she enthused.
“He’s annoying sometimes but most of the time, he’s fun,” Giordan said.
“Like any brother,” repeated Zin.
The family also has a new addition this year–a dog, McPhee. “[He’s] cool,” Fedoruk said. “So cute.”
He flew into Sault Ste. Marie on July 2 and will leave from there this Sunday.
After travelling from Sault Ste. Marie, the extended family mainly has stayed in this area. But Fedoruk hasn’t been disappointed–there are so many differences between Minsk and Fort Frances, he hasn’t been bored.
For one, he has the constant companionship of people his own age in Giordan and Austin.
“They’ve been fighting over card games, sleeping in the tent,” Zin laughed. “Last week, they were sumo wrestling at the Point with the stomping.”
Back at home, Fedoruk lives with his father, Alex, mother, Mary, a 16-year-old sister, Oliya, and grandparents, Alex and Liba.
And the riverside log home he’s staying at with his host family–in a small town like Fort Frances–is very different from the high-rise apartment he lives in with his own family in the big city of Minsk.
While Fedoruk said he doesn’t really want to leave, he probably won’t be separated from Zin and Wilcott for very long–they’re planning a trip to Belarus next year.
“We’re hoping to visit Dima and his family in his country,” Zin said.
Zin added she was grateful for the support of local businesses and residents.
“Cash donations have helped pay for transportation, a visitor’s visa, medical insurance, and the translator when he came over,” she noted. “It’s wonderful. The support has been wonderful.”