Blogs from Antalya, Mediterranean, Turkey, Middle East - page 9

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 ... read more

We've seen so many ruins over the past few weeks it's been amazing and kinda of mind boggling. The mediterranian is such a beautiful place. The turquoise waters mixed with beautiful hotels, boat trips and ancient sunken and lost cities have been incredible. We're just about to head home now but we've downloaded some pictures of a little of what we saw. Our trip started on the eastern coast of Anatalya. We travelled along the south coast through Kas, Olympus, Fethiye and up the Agean coast to Ephesus, Kusadasi, Izmir, Troy and Gallipoli. We then headed to Greece took a side trip to the island of Thassos and headed back to Bulgaria where we stayed in an Orthodox monistary for a night that was built in 492AD..really neat! Thanks to everyone for the kind comments and ... read more

Some of you may be wondering about my safety over here in Turkey, due to the recent shootings in Istanbul at the US consulate, and the kidnappings of Germans in the far eastern Turkey. I'm sure it's made the US papers. This update is to assure you that we are taking extra safety precautions here in Antalya, (such as not hanging out at American type places like Starbucks for long periods of time, avoiding large tourist crowds, etc). Verna is not too concerned. 3 years ago when there were bombings in Antalya that injured some people, we were made to stay home for several days. If the concern is great for us being here as Americans, I can assure you she will take the appropriate precautions! On another note, things are going well. Except for I ... read more

I just booked myself into a sweet hostel in cappadocia. its this neat place in the center of turkey were volcanic ash created these cool chimeny type structures and the early christians turned some into churches, stores, and houses. Now, the have hostels built into them. theres lots of hiking and outdoor type activities so i should have a good time. its also cheap so i can wind a bit more time off the clock. the laptop is working well again. not sure what happened to it or how it repaired itself, but im glad. ive made my way up to a city on the med coast called antalya. its a nice town on the verge of blowing up. however it is also hot as hell here. i got a chance to walk around old town ... read more

I spent 4 full days at the rehab centers this week, mainly observing the therapists and the teachers at work. It has been fascinating to learn the ins and outs of therapy services children receive here in Turkey. Here’s the scoop: Rehab centers are for children with a variety of special needs, with a large percentage of the children who attend them diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Mental Retardation, and Learning Disabilities. I also saw a boy with Spina Bifida and a 19 year old with Muscular Dystrophy. Over 500 children total are served by these two rehab centers. There are other places children receive rehabilitation and special education in town as well, such as at the University, the hospital, an orphanage for children with disabilities, a trade school for children with special needs, and special ... read more