Bandon: They descended upon the beach and rapturously ran up and down in endless succession. Socks and shoes were whipped off. Shouts of joy rang into the air to compete with screeching gulls.
They only stopped to turn and once more check out the vast expanse of blue sea with its crashing waves. They watched momentarily transfixed. Never in their lives had they seen the sea.
A contingent of 43 athletes, 10 volunteers and four translators and volunteers were experiencing Garretstown beach outside Bandon.
In Belarus they have 500 lakes. But it is a land-locked state. And many of the inhabitants do not get to see the ocean in their lifetime. Their bus after a visit to Garretstown looked like a beach, so full of deposited sand, shells and stones.
Hosting in their temporary new home in Bandon is frequently turning into an hilarious experience when neither guests or hosts speak each others' language. Pauline Harrington from Kilbrogan Hill in Bandon said neither she, her husband Donie or her children Mark (11) or Niamh (9) speak a word of Russian. And the two Belarussian athletes and one coach cannot speak a word of English.
In preparation for the visit, Pauline has signs posted on the doors, stating where the kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms were in Russian. But after that it becomes a comic mixture of acting skills, sign language and what can become a day-long game of spontaneous charades.
Attention is drawn by a gentle tap on the shoulder. Football is signalled by a kick at an imaginary ball; food by helping a ghost portion from a non-existent plate into the mouth; and sleep by lying one's head on folded hands with gently closed eyes.
But there is the balm of a new universal language. Niamh has lent her CD player to the two athletes, and hears all her favourite tunes, downstairs, while they enjoy it at a higher volume in the bedroom. Mark spends long periods on the Playstation competing with the athletes at their favourite game of soccer. The sign-language for Playstation is two-thumbs pressed down in quick succession.
"They love coffee," said Pauline and the Russian word is the same only differently pronounced. Tea is recognisable as well. Everyone makes themselves understood in admirable fashion. Is there a communication difficulty when no one speaks the same language? Absolutely none. Between smiles, laughter, games, and undiscovered acting skills, every need is met.