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So, first off a bit about our schedule - first week we're with 15 orphans, aged around 6-10yrs, all with either physical or mental disabilities. Second week we're with older kids (11-15ish), but we don't know how many, or if they're disabled. Our daily schedule is usually 9:30-11:30am outside w/ the kids (sometimes 30-60min inside on the comp as well), a well deserved break where we literally eat and then flop out in our rooms, and then 4-6pm we play inside w/ the kids trying to get them to do crafts or stuff like that.
Plovdiv is quite warm - and be quite, I mean boiling. I think the lowest it's been here is 30 since we arrived, plus the humidity... so it's toasty. It's fine in the shade I suppose, but we don't often have that luxury since we're busy running around playing "football" with the kids. We all suck compared to them of course - the two oldest of the bunch could probably take our entire group (8 of us) on and still win.
The kids are a handful, I won't lie. In the past two days I've been punched, kicked, spat on, bite, hair pulled, scrunchie
stolen, glasses stolen, pinched, etc. Cameras have been thrown about, people have been head-butted etc. The kids, for the most part, have zero to little people and social skills.
Nevertheless, they are fun to work with. They are all craving attention, and so they really want nothing more than to be in your arms or to be on your back. (Especially Sergei; he's the only boy in our group - we've affectionately nicknamed him Sergei the Russian Horse as he commonly has 3 kids on him at once.) Only thing is they want attention so badly that it doesn't seem to matter if it's positive or negative. (Ie. There's 'Princess' Petka who loves nothing more than to steal toys from others and/or kick them. Cough)
Again, that's a generalization b/c some of them are quite well behaved and actually listen... ok well, not listen, but you know.
Perhaps the most difficult part of this whole experience is just the language barrier - we're literally communicating w/ the kids on a yes(da), no(ne) basis. It's useless really b/c we spend so much time saying "ne" that it means absolutely nothing anymore haha. It generally takes a good 3-4
ne's, but then they get the point and/or move on to the next person and try it with them.
It's funny watching them interact sometimes too - two of the older boys love to dance, and they've learned from watching music videos on tv so you can imagine the type of dancing it is. I need to video tape it at some point - which will be difficult since the kids love to steal the cameras. (We usually only bring 1-2 now instead of everyone bringing them)
This afternoon I think we're doing music games w/ them... so we'll see what happens. Yesterday was "arts and crafts" which lasted about 10min before they started drawing on each other, and putting stickers on everyone and the floor. You know, all the good stuff we used to do as kids as well. =)
So, all that to say it's extremely challenging here, and I'm already pretty exhausted... but I'm having a great time, and I really do enjoy working with the little terrors =)
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dalia
non-member comment
kid - can't live with them and can't live without them
This experience will either turn you off teaching or else turn you onto working with kids with special needs. Is there anyone around to give you guys directions or are you all thrown into the room and then you figure out what to do? Reminds me of the time when my friend worked at a camp for kids with disabilities - she was in charge of two childeren and at the end of each evening, she was so exhausted she'd hit the sack and sleep until the next morning. Her kids were the ones noted for plugging toilets, cutting up clothes, putting salt in the sugar bowl, moving the outhouse over, you name it they probably did it. So, unless they are worse then this, you've got angels. No sympathy here Julie. Enjoy!