Hero Mothers

A couple weeks ago we had the chance to give two wheelchairs to boys whose mothers are part of an organization in Taraz called Hero Mothers.  Today, I had the chance to visit the place where they spend most of their days.  Hero Mothers is a group of mothers of children with disabilities (the ones I saw today all had CP).  In society's eyes, these children don't have very bright futures.  However, as one mother described to me in English "we see our children's future as a smiling future."  These mothers have come together and created a center where they meet each day to do exercises with their children.

The exciting thing is to hear how they got where they are.  They asked the government for a couple rooms in an empty building in order to meet together and set up an exercise room for their kids.  The government has allowed them to use the building temporarily.  They have since requested more rooms and have four rooms.  In one room, the youngest children and their mothers do exercises.  In a second room they have equipment set up for the older children to work on.  Most of this equipment has been made from things they found at home.  The third and fourth room are currently empty.  They want to turn them into a physical fitness room (with weights and exercise machines) and a classroom where the mothers can take turns giving classes to the children.  They are hoping that as they continue to increase their work, the government will actually give them the building for good.  

Parents have to pay to use the center on a monthly basis, about $500 a month.  They have hired a therapist from Almaty who has been working with the kids for half a year.  She teaches the mothers which exercises they need to do with their children.  The mothers are not looking for a quick fix, unlike so many mothers of children with CP here.  Instead they realize they need to keep up these exercises regularly.  

What encourages me the most is these mothers are determined to build a bright future for their children. They are reading and researching and trying to do what is best for their children.  However, they are doing this together, not alone.  I love seeing them work together and encourage each other.  Unlike most people I have seen with children who are hurting here in Kazakhstan, today I saw parents and children with smiles on their faces.  These children are loved and these parents have chosen to fight for a better life.  These mothers really are heros!

Learning on a Sunday

Today I am taking the day, as I try to do each week, to not study and just spend time catching up on things around the house and relaxing.  Here are some things I have learned about myself and I thought you might enjoy them.

• If I want to continue doing dishes just once a week, I need to buy more large spoons.  I run out of them before I run out of anything else. 
• I love having a dish rack in my cabinet (everyone in Kaz has this and as long as you keep the tray underneath the dishes, your cabinet does not warp and you can hide all the dishes you just did or not even have to put them away.  (pictured below)
• Ziploc bags should be re-used and sticking them to the tile backsplash is a great way to dry them. 
• I am more of a perfectionist than I want to admit.  It bothered me that there is one large plastic bag in the midst of all the small ones.  I use the excuse that it makes it easier to put the dishes away when they are all dried according to type.  So, my OCD tendencies are really just efficiency on my part (at least that's what I like to tell myself).  
• A cluttered house actually causes me stress ... I guess I like to be stressed most of the time.  
• Doing dishes often gives me a headache.  I find myself grimacing from focus while I wash.  However, today Gungor kept me from this.  I'll have to play Gungor more often while I wash my dishes.  It's kind of ironic because earlier in the week, when I had a headache, Gungor caused my head to hurt more.  
• White Christmas can make any day better.  
• Here in Kazakhstan the top sheet while getting a massage is used to protect your pants from getting massage oil on them, not as a form of modesty.  
• I shed as much as any dog or cat.  It's a good thing I am not allergic to myself. 
• What looks like rice cakes are really wheat cakes.  I thought I was doing such a good job avoiding gluten.  I'll have to figure out some other solutions.  
• I have figured out a convenient way to bring my computer up to a good working level, using my current furniture (pictured below).  

Well, I guess that's enough learning/entertainment for one post.  Hope you have a great week!  

Our City Lost It's Heart

I've been told the bazaar is the heart of a city.  Last week the heart of our city was closed.  So, for now, our city has no heart and everyone is unsure where to purchase everyday items needed for life.  This is the big news in Taraz right now.

The old bazaar was built upon ancient ruins.  There has been talk for several years of moving the bazaar in order to allow for excavation of what is below.  The other reality is that the location of the bazaar made it difficult for parking.  The bazaar kept expanding in number of sellers and items, but had no room to expand in space.  As a result, it was getting extremely crowded and did not provide much protection for shoppers or sellers from the elements.  All of this is going to change ... at lest that's what seems to be in process.

Last Sunday was the official last day of the bazaar.  Even into the end of last week, there were rumours that it wouldn't actually close.  On Thursday I made a trip to the bazaar to buy a few items with someone from a boarding school for children with disabilities, despite trying to convince her it was closed.  It was extremely strange to see what was once a thriving, crazy bazaar look like a ghost town.  The only people around were police (enforcing the closing) and sellers trying to move their items and sell a few items while they had a chance.  Thankfully, we were actually able to get the items we needed from a couple sellers.

The bazaar is being divided into several new bazaars.  Each one is supposed to sell all the items the old bazaar sold.  This should decrease the number of people at each bazaar.  The problem with the planning is that no one believed that the bazaar would actually close.  So, none of the sellers wanted to move.  They didn't start the moving process until they weren't allowed to sell at the old bazaar.  Without renters, the new bazaars did not finish construction. So there are outside shells of buildings, but the small stores inside are not finished yet (no lights, doors, etc).  So, we have been without a real bazaar for over a week now and everyone is confused as to where to shop.

Today, Aben and I went to see the new bazaar on our way back into town from the village.  It looks great.  The new bazaars are composed of buildings.  Each building holds a different type of product and each seller has a small, numbered store within the building.  There are still a few areas with cheaper items that will be sold from tables outside, but almost everything is at least under a roof.  There is also plenty of parking.  In the long run, I think it will end up being a good thing, but at this point it is a bit chaotic.  Before the next delegation season I will have to learn where meat, teapots, scarves, souvenirs, and candy are sold as these are the primary items delegates tend to look for.  It will definite be a new experience for everyone who visits!