New Toys

Every week I spend some time at a foster home where 11 children with disabilities live.  We have fun playing together and learning new things.  It has been fun to watch the children grow.  When I first came, there would be regular meltdowns and fits when they didn't get their way.  They would throw toys and start screaming anytime they were frustrated.  They weren't able to complete even the simplest of puzzles.  They also didn't know their colors or animals.  Every time I would take out a new activity they would push and shove to try to get the activity first.  They really didn't have the concept of sharing down at all.

As time has passed, they have grown so much.  Now, several of them can complete 25 piece puzzles on their own.  They can name some of their colors and animals.  Today, we had a breakthrough in activities.  Instead of just having one activity that everyone had to participate in at the same time, I brought several different activities and each individual got to choose the activity they wanted to do.  I brought puzzles, coloring books, and playdough.  I was a little worried that chaos would ensue, but they did a great job.  Instead of screaming at me, they asked nicely for a new activity.  They also cleaned up their old activity before getting a new activity.  One child was about to throw a fit because I didn't give him something and I told him to ask nicely instead.  He eventually did ask nicely.  In the past, he would have thrown something at me instead.  It is so much fun to see how much they have grown in just a few short months.

Last week we got to deliver some toys to them, thanks to a generous donation from a friend.  These children spend all day and night in one room.  Sometimes they go outside when the weather is nice.  I'm not sure what they do, as they don't have any toys in their room.  We were able to buy several different educational toys for them.  We purchased toys that are hopefully fairly indestructible, as the wear and tear is pretty high on toys that are being played with by 11 children.  It was so fun to deliver the toys and take turns playing with each type. The joy on their faces was priceless.  Here are some pictures of us playing with their new toys.

A Family Wedding

The week after I returned to Kazakhstan from Thailand, my Kazakh cousin got married. The whole thing was a fun experience.  Although I have been to many weddings, I have never been part of the family, so the experience was totally different.  It made for a very busy, but fun first week back.  

The wedding was on a Thursday night, however my Kazakh father’s birthday was on Wednesday night.  So, the entire week was filled with preparation and activities.  I was going to take the entire day off on Wednesday, but we had a celebration at the youth house, so I was only able to get away after lunch.  After lunch my Kazakh sister and I went grocery shopping and then hurried home to help prepare dinner for my Kazakh dad’s birthday.  After we were mostly prepared, I went to pick up my Kazakh mom at her school and we drove over to my cousin’s house.  We then told everyone who was there preparing for the wedding the next day to drop everything and come over for dinner.   Everyone got ready and went to my Kazakh family’s house to celebrate his birthday, before returning to finish preparations.  I can't even imagine the anger that would be involved if this was asked of the bride's family in the States on the night before the wedding.  

After the birthday dinner, the women went back over to my cousin’s house to prepare for  the next day’s festivities.  The wedding would be Thursday evening, but much would happen before the actual wedding.  We prepared salads and other food for lunch on the day of the wedding.  At 11 am the groom’s family came to the house to eat a meal.  We made several salads and prepared plates of candies for the next day.  We also cooked some of the meat.  It was 11:30 pm when we headed home.  I took home two huge containers of raw lamb to put in my fridge, since all the fridge space at my cousin’s home was already accounted for.   After dropping off the meat the next morning at 8am, I took my car to get it washed, as I didn’t want to embarrass my family with a dirty car.  

I took Thursday off in order to help with whatever was needed.  At 11am I was called and told to go to my Kazakh family’s apartment to have my hair and make-up done.  Then, I would help get the bride and the bridesmaid to and from hair, nails, and make-up appointments.  At about 2:30 pm I took the last group of people to my cousin's house.  When I walked in the door they wanted me to join the extended family at the table, where everyone from the two families were giving toasts to their union.  Everyone in the room was Kazakh except for me, so it was a bit confusing to those who didn’t know me.  I gave my toast in Kazakh and then exited the room to help with dishes.  Then, I went to the neighbors apartment with the rest of the cousins to wait until it was time for the bride to join the party.  She was sitting in the apartment in her dress trying to remain cool on a very warm day.  

After a while, the bride was presented to the groom's family.  At this point it was my cue to allow the men to start loading my car with gifts my family had prepared for the groom’s family.  My responsibility was to drive the gifts to his family (following the stretch Hummer limo with family and friends).  Then I would wait until the gifts had been given and bring the daughter-in-laws of our family back home.  I had no idea at the time what I was getting into.  

First, we drove following the limo.  One of the male relatives of the groom rode with me and peppered me with questions the entire drive.  There was a videographer hired to document this trip and the rest of the wedding day.  He had a separate car and spent most of the 30 minute trip hanging out the window trying to get good shots of the cars in the procession.  Once we arrived, the entire party went inside to meet the grooms side of the family.  I was instructed to pull my car into the driveway and the men from the groom’s side of the family unloaded the gifts.  Then, all the young people in the Hummer left and the two daughter-in-laws (who were sent to represent the family in the gift giving) and myself were taken into a room with an elaborately laid table. Toasts were given and we were introduced to the groom’s mother and grandmother.  Once enough toasts had been given, we moved into the living room to officially present the gifts.  There was a special order to the gift giving.  First, gifts had to be given to the grandmother and then others in a specific order.  I sat and watched as gift after gift was presented.  All the gifts were household items.  Then, the daughter-in-laws were given gifts.  I was also given some fabric to make a dress with.  

At this point I thought we were done, but I was mistaken.  We went back to the table and had a few more toasts.  Then, I drove the daughter-in-laws as well as several members of the groom’s family back into the city.  After dropping everyone off, I went home and got my dress and took it to my Kazakh family’s house to get ready.  The wedding was supposed to start at 7pm and we arrived at about 8:30 pm.  The actual wedding probably started around 9-9:30 pm.  It was a fun evening filled with dancing, good food, and lots of toasting.  I then helped drive my extended family home.  Some of my cousins spent the night at my apartment.  We got home at about 2:30 am and went right to bed.   It was a fun time with my Kazakh family and I was really glad I could be there to help and be a part of the entire thing.  I think I have finally caught up on sleep, work, and my studies after such a crazy week.  

Thailand Vacation

A lot has happened since I last posted, so I will be posting a couple different posts in the near future to catch everyone up.  I spent much of August in Thailand, relaxing and re-energizing before the start of work for this school year.  I had a great time and enjoyed getting fully rested.  Below are some highlights of my trip.  

Hanging out with the tigers

Riding through the jungle

This life jacket from our snorkeling trip made me laugh

Special treats

Sunset on the beach

Cave exploring

A palm bonfire on the beach

Watching local fishermen

Exploring on a scooter - driving on the left side

Sunrise my last morning on the beach - I also swam out to the island on the left one morning ... the blisters I received from the fins I wore were not too fun, but it was a fun trip out to monkey island.  We sat on the beach and watched scared tourists try to feed the monkeys.  

Overall, it was a fun trip full of great memories and new friends.  I even got to hang out with some friends from Shymkent (Kaz) who were also on vacation, which was a fun surprise.  I returned to Kazakhstan rested and ready for the coming semester.  

A Detailed View of One Day

I figured it might be fun to give you a more detailed view of one of the days from the week I mentioned in the last blog.  It was definitely not your normal day, but normal days aren't much fun.  We received donations to allow us to pay for braces for a young boy, Nishan, who was born with a cleft palate.  He has had several surgeries in order to correct the palate, but his teeth have never been corrected.  I have a friend who is a dentist in Shymkent and she agreed to help.  Since we were going to Shymkent anyway, we decided to make it a 2-for-1 trip.  The clinic in Shymkent has an apparatus to do hearing tests, so we took another young boy, Ayan, with us to determine if he has any hearing problems.

The trip to Shymkent was uneventful.  Although we got started a little later than we had hoped, we made good time.  There are new roads halfway there, so it makes at least half the trip really pleasant.  I sat in the back and played games with Nishan while holding Ayan (who was asleep for most of the trip).  We had lunch at a small cafe in Shymkent before going to the clinic.

The time at the clinic was when everything started getting exciting.  Nishan and Ayan were being seen at the same time.  While the Dr. was getting information about Ayan, I went to check on Nishan.  We came to find out he had actually been given a retainer after his last surgery (in January).  However, he had never worn it.  He needs to wear it for 3-4 months before we can look at getting him started with braces.

Once I found out what we need to do in Taraz, I went back into the room with Ayan.  His caregiver was trying unsuccessfully to hold him still while checking his ears.  He clearly did not like his ears being touched.  I volunteered to hold him instead, and ended up having to wrap my legs around his legs and one arm around his arms, while holding his head still.  For a five-year-old who doesn't walk, he was super strong.  I used pretty much all my strength just to allow them to get a good look at his ears.  After a short while, they determined that he needed to have some wax cleaned out of his ears.  He has such narrow ear canals and the wax had built up really badly.  We held him still again while they cleaned out his ears.  I have never seen so much wax build up.  We were still unable to actually test his hearing due to the water in his ears and an infection that had built up behind the wax.  We will treat him for an ear infection and then have him tested again.  Although in some ways the trip wasn't successful (we didn't accomplish anything we set out to accomplish), we were able to identify Ayan's ear infection and have found someone to adjust Nishan's retainer here in Taraz.

The trip home was a little more eventful.  It included a diaper explosion while Ayan was on my lap.  I was thankful to return home and get cleaned up just in time for a Skype call.

A Week in the Life

I figured it was time for me to share what a "normal" week looks like for me.  The reality is, no week is the same, so I don't really have a normal which is how I like it for the most part.  I thought I'd just list some of the things that took place during my last work week before vacation.  Hope you enjoy!

• Called a woman from a local organization to offer free hearing screenings in Shymkent
• Sorted through the Savva Delegation pictures
• Took a boy to Shymkent to look into getting braces.  He was born with a cleft palate and has recently undergone surgery, but needs braces for his teeth. 
• Used all my strength to physically restrain a child in order to perform a hearing test.  We came to find out that he had ear infections and major ear wax ... which was causing him not to appreciate us sticking things in his ears.  I got to help restrain him while his ears were cleaned out as well. 
• Spoke with our Stateside director
• Cleaned up my apartment to prepare for my Kazakh lesson and English club
• My Kazakh teacher didn't show up, so I went to the office
• Set up three new computers for our office  
• Had someone drop in at the office to introduce me to someone who wanted to come to English club
• Bought meds for the boy with the ear infections
• Baked a cake for English club
• Had English club
• Made a video for the service celebrating Liz's life
• Spent the morning playing with a group of children with disabilities.  We painted with water (those cool books that have the paint already in the book), applied tattoo stickers, and watched dinosaur sponges grow from capsules.  
• Explained the meds to the caregiver of the little boy with the ear infections 
• Tried to buy my return train ticket at an electronic kiosk ... waited for 10 minutes for a grandmother who didn't know which train she wanted to take ... realized they don't accept foreign passports at the electronic kiosk ... didn't want to wait in line to speak to a person
• Met my Kazakh family at the train station right before lunch in order to see off my Kazakh mom and sister.  They were going to Astana for my sister to apply to college.  
• Tried to go check prices for a wheelchair, but ended up at a building maintenance company instead.  
• Purchased my train ticket at a small travel agency without a line
• Signed a bunch of random documents since Marina was on vacation this week
• Updated our company blog so that it would continue posting while I am on vacation
• Updated my personal blog
• Posted pictures from the Savva Orphanage camp on our Facebook page
• Updated our website and planned future updates
• Talked to our receptionist about working on blogs so that people get to know our staff
• Asked our English speaking staff to work on translating our website into Russian and Kazakh during any down time they have
• Chatted on Facebook with some of our past delegates
• Got caught up on all my emails
• Set up debriefing during the first part of my vacation
• Spoke with Sharyll Martin in our Muncie office about the fall delegation
• Sorted and organized the supplies left over after the Savva delegation
• Gave some grass cutting advice
• Went with some of the staff to check out a possible picnic site for our all staff picnic
• Bought picnic supplies (saw cranberry juice for the first time in Kaz)
• Cleaned up my office, which looked like a disaster area after a busy month.
• Found the organization that sells wheelchairs and got an estimate for a specialized dance wheelchair.  
• Brainstormed with our staff about some ideas for next year
• Listened to part of an online conference 
• Brainstormed about turning English club into a Volunteer Club for the fall
• Had tea with our accountant and discussed the cultural expectations and customs surrounding a death in the family
• Found a translator to help me in Almaty so that I can hang out with some of the Russian speaking orphans that graduated and now live in Almaty
• Tracked down contact info for the orphans I hope to visit

As you can see, I had a pretty productive week.  Time for vacation!