Nothing in Particular.
on Pam Kerruish (Tajikistan), 29/Apr/2010 13:19, 34 days ago
Hello-I wanted to add that they are not ageist to my list of things I like about Tajiks. It doesn't seem to matter how old you are youngters and older people alike want to talk to you and often to know about where you are from etc. And a few youngsters have invited me to their homes. I haven't always gone but its nice to be asked. And ( re the list)the flowers continue to come out at a steady rate. The roses are lovely and there are lots at Degmai. Spring is very evident here but of course I'm in a city and despite the rapid growth of stuff here things are never so green as at home .I am really missing being at home now - I would love to see the bluebells - and everything( and everyone ) else. Still, its nice to see people enjoying Spring here - like these lads who were raiding this tree for a fruit that looks like a white Raspberry and which is very sweet.( you will see five of them if you look carefully.)They gave me and Mirzo some berries as we were passing but they were a bit worried about the photo as they were afraid I would show it to the police!Degmai seems to have adopted "Aram sam sam Aram sam sam" as its theme tune. (" A pizza hut"tune) I taught it to a few children last week and its really caught on. Its perfect as there are no real words and the movements are simple. Catherine, my boss came out the other day and enjoyed the kids singing and watching them try to do head over heels.For some kids its simple, for some who ,perhaps, don't have their limbs to balance on , an act of bravery to have a go, and with some its just plain funny. For them and the audience.Alexander - a really good natured boy - who cant do head over heels to save his life but whose attempts are highly entertaining-and right ,Oybeck who very bravely tried loads ( his arms are short and one is pretty useless) and now can! Hurray!These older boys are now wearing clothes that look like pyjamas. ( I had no problem with that as it will get so hot pyjamas for us all would be ideal ) I thought they were pyjamas until I saw men in town wearing them . I havent seen any ladies wearing them yet though , despite the fact that fashion here is pretty eclectic.I'm trying to get a sports day together. We did an egg and spoon race today. That and wheelbarrow races seem to have some potential . Any ideas for very simple games will be welcomed. We can do a lot of things in wheelchairs but if there are any special wheelchair games you know?????An old block at Degmai is being refurbished at the moment and I am trying to visualize how it will be used . There is no plan of it and no-one seems to have decided until it is finished who will go there . I have heard the 6 to 16's, the lying down children and the younger children and,by contrast, the physically disabled who will be being separated from the mentally disabled. Who knows.Its a great pity not to have it sorted out though as they could do some purpose built stuff if they knew its purpose!I was invited to go to a German( Caritas) NGO's seminar to discuss the possibility of there being a couple of resources to support Disabled children at home yesterday. It had been on at the beginning of the week though and so we came in a bit late.We had been invited to the whole thing but I didn't think that was a good use of my time so chose just one day. Mirzo was dozy in the morning and I was dozy in the afternoon so I can't say we shone but I contributed a little bit . What struck me though was how wonderful it is to be at the planning stage of a project. All high hopes and no problems. I now run all of my bright ideas through the filter of working them out through the Degmai staff and they soon loose their shine - and I lose my belief in them to have the desired effect. I dont know anything at all which has worked as it should. Still I am tenacious if nothing else and I will keep on keeping on in my new found cynical- or perhaps realistic, mind set.My cynical side was reinforced yesterday when one of the girls has what seemed to be a fairly serious fit.I went to her just to give her the reassurance of being comforted , and my replacement Kibreeaw came and kept bending her little finger back which seemed to reduce the intensity of the fit, but the nurses( who had been in the room to watch the children singing ) just walked away!That is really typical.And I have to work through the nurses to bring about the changes we need as they are senior to the other staff.Another thing that has made me mad is that Mirzo and I have gone to some trouble to arrange to have the children's eyes tested .( this is supposed to be a routine thing. )We have cleared it with the Director and the Doctor and the specialists are supposed to be coming next week , but the doctor announced on Friday that they shouldnt come -there was no need. Its totally obvious that a lot of kids dont see properly so we are just going to crack on.I was invited to an "Atlas "fashion show yesterday but you had to wear Atlas clothes ( a very effective marketing ploy if you ask me ) so I didn't make it as my dress( courta) which I thought was an Atlas design, wasn't - apparently the real thing has to be silk and is part of a fairly limited stripy design.The weather is getting hotter but thanks to the wind which blows here fairly consistently it is a lot more bearable that it would be. Last night was blowing a hoolie actually and a lot of the ceiling in the verandah at the top of the building , where I dry my clothes , was blown down.Its the second section to go ( blow down) recently.I have just had a visitation from this young man - whose name I didn't catch, his Aunt Firouza and his Grandmother Saodat.Saodat is drawing him a car on the floor , below.Saodat is the seamstress here and is making me a courta. She has altered a few things for me and made me a mosquito curtain and so she is a real help to me.Note his lovely Abbo squat ( for non-family that is the ability to sit on your feet while they remain flat on the floor.) All young prople - boys and girls -can do that here.They were thrilled with the picture I showed them of Katie Grayse, my newest great neice, so all in all we had a nice time.Monday 3rd - Bank Holiday Monday, which being a workers day, is a holiday here too. Mirzo and I did a bit of work today as its convenient to go to meet people etc and I was interested to see one of their war memorials guarded by some Youth Association.These two took it very seriously but later there were two girls guarding it who couldnt stand still.Note the flower container.Last Saturday the President gave an annual address to thecountry and people in all the Government organisations ( and private organisations if they have offices in government buildings) had to work for two hours before the speech , listen to the speech and then work for another two hours after. . ( A subotnik) It was broadcast over the intercom her in Dom Invalide.Dont think that would go down very well in Britain despite the excitement of the election! Gordon Brown's slip up ( a bigot) is being reported quite widely here.Anyway hope you are enjoying the holiday. Pamx