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Published: August 12th 2008
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I’m sitting here at Karns, with Aysagul and all the dep girls, who are watching a movie on Karn’s big screen. There is a major thunder and lightning storm outside, and we have all seen rain for the first time in MONTHS! It’s pretty exciting to see rain and the smell is powerful. A Turkish friend and special education teacher, named Belma, came over tonight and we baked cookies. I have 2 more days left at the rehab center, and then we leave for Istanbul. The past few weeks have been filled with productivity, if you call it that. Verna and I planned a socialization program, and called it a “mini camp” for kids at rehab center #1. We combined the program with the arrival of a volunteer team from the Dominican Republic. On the day the DR team of 9 high school students and 2 adults arrived, the program fell through because there were not enough services bus drivers hired by the rehab center to bring the children who were chosen by their teachers for the “mini camp” from home to the school. This news was surprising and disappointing to me, as well as the teachers, parents and children at
the center. The parents had expressed their excitement to the teachers about sending their children to a “mini camp” free of charge, which would have given them an opportunity to be around other kids for 8 days, doing arts, crafts and games, getting almost 1 on 1 attention from the high school volunteers. This excitement over the idea of the camp made me hopeful that in the future, provided there are adequate service busses and an appropriate programming within the rehab centers, the kids could attend such a camp.
So instead of having a real “mini camp” the rehab center gave us an empty room in the old facility that had been partially cleared out and was not being used since the center is in the midst of moving to the new facility. Last Monday when we went to pick the team up at the airport, they came ready to be flexible and completely prepared for their trip to Antalya. I am thoroughly impressed with this team of kids who have been preparing for over 9 months to come to Antalya. All but 4 of them speak fluent English, the others speak Spanish. Having them at the reahab center to
work with these children is an immense blessing to the children, the parents and staff, and to me. They each had the opportunity to work with the disabled population in the DR, after finding out that they would be doing a project involving children with disabilities. They have been picking up on techniques to help the children, and we have been having an absolute blast making play dough, piñatas, gak, coloring, crawling through lycra tunels, and the guys even made some scooterboards for the kids. See pictures!
I have been spending more time with the physiotherapists, just hanging out for fun in the physiotherapy room, talking and even doing Turkish dancing one day during an hour that no kids arrived for therapy. The other day Mandy, one of the dep girls, and I went to the beach with one of the physiotherapists named Minara, and her friend. We had a very interesting conversation about culture, which opened my eyes even more to the immense differences in ways of thinking between Turkey and the US. I had assumed that Minara lived on her own in an apartment, since she is 23, educated, lives in the city, and appears in her style.
But I was surprised to find out she still lives with her parents, since she is not married yet (although will be engaged soon and already invited me to her wedding!). For example, in Turkey, it is accepted and even encouraged, for children to live at home with their parents and their family, until the day they get married. We all know the opinions Americans have on this. In America, independence is so much valued, encouraged and just expected, that an unmarried 30 year old living with his parents is looked down upon. In America, often times the parents even help the children financially until the children can hold their own. It is expected in Turkey that the children contribute financially to the entire household, not the parents just paying for the children. Also, I asked Mina about retirement homes and nursing homes. She says there are none, the older people just live with their families and their needs are taken care of by the family members. It is accepted, and seemingly not given a second thought.
This just re confirms again my thoughts about why there OT doesn’t exist in Turkey.
Last week the dep team finished at the
Kres, and I came for the last day to celebrate the end of their program and say bye to the kids, who I was starting to get to know from teaching the gymnastics on Fridays. They gave us an adorable send- off. All 30 kids lined up and gave all 5 of us a kiss on each cheek, “the Turkish way.” It was precious. It was fun to see how bonded the kids were to the dep girls, and vice versa. There were tears by some, and I knew their project had been a special one.
I’m trying to make the most out of my last few days in Antalya by shopping for things that one can’t get in the US, treasuring the remaining time I have with Verna, the dep girls, and everyone else here, swimming in the sea for the last time this summer, enjoying the Turkish cusine, and using my bits and pieces of Turkish language.
I am so thankful for this opportunity to travel abroad and cross cultural boundaries, especially for a long enough time to really come to understand and appreciate the differences. The growth, perspective, and outlook that experiences like this bring to a
Belma (special ed teacher) and I
And a student, at Rehab center 2 person is unique and valuable. Looking back, I know that the past 3 months have been incredible in many ways. I will definitely miss Turkey and the excitement of a foreign culture, after re-entry to America, but the thought of being back in the place where people speak my language, and where I can communicate independently, is pretty great! In the past few weeks I have begun to long for home. One of the hardest things about being abroad for so long is not being near my friends and family when special things happen in their lives such as engagements, weddings, graduations, birthdays, etc. But I am looking forward to celebrating with those of you that I have not been there to celebrate with, when I get back, so soon. Before I come back, I have a few more very exciting journeys!
On Thursday morning I fly to Istanbul with the dep team, and tour the city for 2 days. On Saturday I fly to Germany to visit my friend RJ from college who is stationed over there in the military. Then I will visit my cousin and his grandparents near Salzburg for 2 days. On Wednesday morning I will
fly to Paris to meet Caitlin, one of the dep girls, for her last day of her stay in Paris, and RJ and his friend will join us there. On Saturday I will fly home! I will write one more blog update when I get back, and then sign off travel blog!
I am looking forward to seeing many of you soon!
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