Rednecks

There is a term in Kazakh that is equivalent to our English term "redneck."  While we were in Bishkek this week, we used this word to refer to ourselves several times.  

• We asked our van driver where we should get off to get to a specific street.  Apparently the street we wanted ran parallel to the one we were driving on and was very long.  We didn't know the intersection we needed off hand, so the van driver could not suggest the best stop. 
• We asked a taxi to take us to the center of the town.  When he asked where in the center, we responded back "the center."  He then proceeded to tell us, as if he was talking to a small child, that the center is very large and it would be better if we were specific.  The only place we recognized in his description of the center was Tsoom (a shopping area that is found in the center of every former Soviet Union city).  So, we went to Tsoom.  
• When we took a van to the bazaar, the driver told us that if we wanted to go to the bazaar, it would be an extra 2 Som per person.  He was smiling when he said this, so we thought he was joking and never paid extra.  He must have felt sorry for us because he didn't bring it up again. 
• Our vans in Taraz are now small busses.  So, there are more seats and they don't get nearly as crowded.  As a result, I stepped on the same woman twice and tried to knock the hat off her head as well.  I kept on saying "sorry" in Kazakh.  She was very kind, however she finally got smart and moved away from me.  
• I tried to pour a cup of tea for myself and ended up having the lid, the filter, and the tea bag fall out into my cup of tea.  Thankfully, no one except Saltanat noticed.  
• On our last van ride, after visiting the city center, we couldn't get the door to the van open to get out.  We tried to roll down the window instead.  The van driver told us to pull the red handle, which we couldn't find.  The entire van laughed at us as we got off.  We are still laughing at ourselves an hour later.  

We have spent a lot more time in Bishkek than we were planning to.  My Kazakh visa was expiring this week and we had all the documentation submitted to the ministry of foreign affairs in Astana over a month ago.  The goal was to submit my documents on Tuesday morning and leave on Wednesday evening.  However, the ministry of foreign affairs had sent a document with my passport number copied incorrectly to the embassy here in Bishkek.  As a result, we had to call them and ask them to re-submit the document.  The embassy is closed on Wednesdays, so I was unable to submit my application until Thursday morning.  Once the man at the embassy checked my documents, he then had me go to a bank to pay the fee for receiving a visa.  Upon paying, I then had to return to the embassy to file the paperwork.  Thankfully, the embassy is a seven minute walk from our apartment, which we didn't know ahead of time.  He received my paperwork and now we are just waiting until this evening to receive my visa.  He has promised we will receive it tonight, which I'm hoping actually happens.  We will travel back to Taraz tomorrow (Saturday) and then I will leave on Sunday night by train to go to Almaty to pick up our next delegation.  Below are some highlights and funny stories from our time here.  

• The Kyrgyz people are extremely hospitable.  They have been very helpful along the way. 
• On the van ride from Taraz to Bishkek and woman was trying to feed her young child an apple.  She reminded me of a mother bird as she bit the apple, chewed it up, then spit it into her daughter's mouth.  This was probably the most sanitary option due to traveling, but I still found it funny.  
• This same woman rode in the van through the border crossing with the driver instead of getting out when the rest of us got out.  When they were closer, she gave her baby to the driver and then got out of the van to go through customs herself.  Later we realized that she and the driver must have been related.  Until then we were shocked she left her baby with the driver.  
• At the border, everyone was pushing to get through customs first.  Since I am an American, it took me longer on the Kazakhstan side as they check my passport thoroughly, which I'm sure frustrated everyone who had chosen our line.  Then, we almost missed the little window within an old shipping container that was the entrance to Kyrgyzstan.  When we finally got back to our van, we were the last people and the driver asked us "what took you so long?" 
• You pay the van driver when you get on the van and not when you get off.  It is the opposite in Taraz. 
• We have had a great apartment to stay in during our time here.  Our host was very helpful and ended up giving us one free night as reimbursement for the internet not working during the first few days of our trip.  It was actually a blessing not to have internet, because we got a break from work and just got to enjoy some rest.  

Overall, we have had a nice time in Bishkek, although we are ready to return to Taraz.  It has been fun getting to know Saltanat better and getting some down time.  We spent a lot of time laughing at ourselves, which is always good.  

A New Voice

Today, I had the joy of seeing one young boy realize he has a voice.  Baghdat is about eleven years old and has cerebral palsy.  He is unable to walk and unable to speak.  He communicates by pointing and making some a few sounds that his caregiver can differentiate.  Otherwise, he has had little way of communicating, especially with strangers.

The last two times I have visited, I have tried to teach Baghdat to point to picture symbols with words below to make a choice.  However, both times we were in a room with so many distractions and so much excitement that it was impossible for me, let alone him, to focus.

Today, Gulnar and I took another group of four graduated orphans to help.  The difference today was that we divided into two groups.  I took Nushan, one of the graduates, and Baghdat with me to another room.  There, I set out four different things we could play with and allowed him to chose something to play with.

At first, I was afraid he wasn't going to be able to understand what to do.  He was so excited he wasn't looking at the pictures and was just trying to physically scoot to the toy he wanted.  We played with a couple different toys, but he still didn't seem to understand that he could chose.  It wasn't until I started getting ready to play UNO with the others, which would cause him to be left out, that he scooted towards the communication strip and pointed to a ball.  I quickly got the ball out (while playing UNO) and we kicked it back and forth.  He got so excited at one point he lost his balance and fell over backwards, laughing the whole time.  I could tell he was getting tired, but I wasn't going to stop unless he asked.  He looked at his card and indicated that he wanted to color.  When I handed him the coloring things he rewarded me with the biggest smile!

I had been trying to do this activity now for three separate days, in different ways.  However, each time I came away feeling like he might never be able to communicate in this way.  Today, when I had almost given up, he was the one that drew me back to the pictures.  It wasn't until he realized he wouldn't be playing unless he selected something that he realized he had a voice.  I look forward to next week when we can build on the fact that he knows what to do with the pictures and begin building his vocabulary.  Now that I know he can use this system, I need to think through how to set it up so that he has access to it at all times and does not get frustrated using it.  Today definitely reminded me that I need to be more patient and that everyone deserves a voice.