Like many of his Russian countrymen, 33-year-old Nikolai Lanine is not quick to smile. His steady and intelligent speech is punctuated with almost imperceptible shoulder shrugs, the body language of someone describing a seemingly futile situation, yet his actions provide evidence to the contrary.
"I'm not some super altruistic person, who sits around thinking about making the world a better place," declares Lanine with an unmistakably Russian accent. "I started this thing for selfish reasons: I was just looking for satisfaction."
Hard to believe since the "thing" Lanine is referring to is the Russian Medical Relief Fund, a labor of love he and his Canadian wife Jeanie started in 1997 in Shimane Prefecture, where they are both on the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Program.